beholde God complayneth of vs and accuseth vs of rebelling against his mouth And there are two partes of this rebelliousnesse The one is when we distrust Gods promises and the other is when wee disobey his commandement those two be the summe of all that is to bee learned in Gods word When wee haue tossed and turned ouer the leaues of all the holy scripture neuer so much there are but these two pointes contained in it that is to wit y t for as much as God being desirous to bee our father and Sauiour openeth vs the infinite treasures of his mercie calling vs to him and setting his free goodnesse and free loue before vs wee should beleeue his promises and rest wholly vppon them saying Lorde seeing thou art so freehearted as to offer thy selfe thus vnto vs behold wee cast all our care vpon thee and hope for all welfare through thy bountifulnesse The first thing then which we haue to doe is to settle our selues vppon Gods promises when he offereth them vnto vs. Secondly there is the obedience which God requireth as if he shoulde say vnto vs Go to I will haue ye to liue in such wise as ye obey me and yeeld me such seruice as your cōming to me be of your own accord And here Moses saith y t the people were alwayes rebellious against Gods mouth forasmuch as they obeyed not his commandements nor trusted to his promises Nowe let vs looke into our selues where is the faith y t we boast of In deede we cā wel vnough say y t we beleeue the Gospel but if gods promises touched vs effectually there wold be another maner of stedfastnesse in vs and wee would not bow with euery winde like wauering reedes as we do Our vnbeliefe bewrayes it self we be too much conuicted of it insomuch y t we cannot trust God euen in worldly things And if we cannot trust to him for small things howe is it possible that we should trust to him for the euerlasting life We haue dayly experience of his succour and helpe yet do we doubt thereof still And how shall we then trust in him whē the case concerneth inuisible things Col. 〈…〉 as the lyfe which is hidden from vs till God discouer it vnto vs Againe doeth not this rebelliousnesse of ours in resisting him shew it self in al our whole life In deede wee will make signes of willingnesse to serue God but yet is all but counterfetting For let vs see if any of vs doo liue so faithfully and vprightly as wee ought to doo Where is the louing kindnesse and charitie that ought to bee among the faithfull and among Gods children Nay we bee rather like Cattes and dogges And when the case requireth that wee should agree togither in well dooing the worlde sees howe wee goe to woorke It may seeme that wee haue conspyred to goe the cleane contrarie way to that which God willeth and ordaineth And this is not to be greatly wondered at For if in things that are small and light we shewe our selues to haue no great Christianitie in vs we wil shew no lesse lewdnesse when wee come to the thinges that are greater and more excellent I cal them smal things in comparison of the feare of God and the loue of his worde which men may say they see not in vs. For as concerning those small thinges if we intend to make any countenance of deuotion to Godward we can well abide that men should condemne both extortion deceit cruelty periurie and such other vices When we come to Sermons we can welinough pretend y t there is some agreement among vs and specially when we receiue the Lords supper yet notwithstanding euē in that behalf there appeareth such contempt of God as we ought to be ashamed of it For I know that vpon the last Lordes day while we were ministring of the cōmunion and while we should haue assembled altogither to make a general protestatiō of our faith and to offer vp our praiers vnto God about two hūdred people were occupied in gaming In their going by before the Sermon began a man would haue thought they had bin prepared to the Communion but their mindes are so vppon their playing that they spend euery Sabboth day in such vnthriftinesse And it is meete that this should bee tolde them openly seeing it is apparant that euen little children perceiue the shamefulnesse of it Now then let vs marke in feawe wordes that Moses spake not for his owne time onely but for vs also in these dayes who bee warned in the person of the Iewes to be ashamed of our selues and therewithall to seeke y e meanes that our God may receaue vs to pitie and mercie which is that after we haue acknowledged how guiltie wee bee before God euerie of vs may learne not onely to condemne our selues but also to bow downe our neckes to craue forgiuenesse of our former faultes at Gods hand to the ende that being acquit by him wee may also be guided and gouerned by his holy spirit that whereas wee haue bin stubborne against him heretofore so as he could by no meanes weeld vs wee may learne to yeeld our selues so obediently to him that in stead of being as woode beastes we may become meeke and mylde vnto him as sheepe and lambes and giue eare vnto his voyce giuing it such superioritie ouer vs as we may vtterly forsake all things that may hinder our honoring and seruing of him 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 wee haue done so as wee may yeelde our selues to him with true repentance continue therein not for one day onely but all our life long and y t therewithal it may please him to beare with vs in all our infirmities euen vntill he haue rid vs quite and cleane of them And so let vs all say Almightie GOD heauenly Father c. On Munday the ix of September 1555. The Lxviij Sermon which is the seuenth vpon the ninth Chapter 25 Then humbled I my selfe before the Lord fortie dayes and fortie nightes for I humbled my selfe because the Lord had said that he would destroy you 26 And I prayed to the Lord said Lord God destroy not thy people and thine heritage which thou hast gotten by thy mightie power and whom thou hast brought out of Egypt by strong hand 27 Bethinke thee of thy seruants Abraham Isaac and Iacob Haue not an eye to the stubbornnesse of this people nor to their misbeleefe nor to their sinne 28 Least the inhabiters of the land from whence thou hast brought vs do say bycause the Lorde could not bring them into the land wherof he had spoken to them or because he hated them therefore hath he brought them forth to kill them in the wildernesse 29 Moreouer they be thy people and thine heritage whom thou hast brought out with thy great power and with
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 cōpare 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 thē 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 cōsider 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 instructiō 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 acknowledgmēt 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 thē 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. 〈…〉 Also we knowe the sentence that is alleaged out of the twelfth of Exodus by S. Iohn where it is said Iohn 〈…〉 Exod. ◠4◠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
worde most specially and to giue themselues thereto as wel for shewing example vnto others as also for necessities sake euen because their charge is ouerhard high surmounting all capacitie of man Now it is said expressely that they may learne to feare the Lord without turning either to the right hand or to the left For it is not ynough for a king to haue a booke in his palace for fashions sake It were to no purpose to make a faire shewe as who should say Looke yonder there is the lawe of God Gods booke is in the kings palace as we see how the worlde contenteth it selfe continually with ceremonies And in deede the Iewes being peruerters of all things and so farre possessed with the diuel that they haue gone about to deface the substance whole power of Gods worde whensoeuer this booke came in question among them O say they it must be written in such manner of parchement it must haue this that done vnto it But these things are more than childish and yet in the meane while they haue let the chiefe thing alone Let vs marke then that Gods intent was not to make a booke that should be as a relike to be shewed for a brauerie that the king might haue a marke of his dignitie aboue all others but the reason that is set downe here is that he should learne to feare God Now although this bee spoken expressely concerning the kings of Israel as was declared yesterday yet is it verie good reason that they which are magistrates at this day considering that their gouerning is in the name of our Lord Iesus shoulde set their mindes vppon the doctrine of saluation indeuer to profit therin aiming alwayes at the marke which God hath set before theÌ„ namely to learn to feare him knowing wel that vnlesse they haue the feare of God it is vnpossible for them to glorifie him and al thinges within a while must needs goe to hauocke And by the way let vs marke also that here the holy Ghost meant to shewe vs the vse of the holy scripture 2. Tim. 3.17 For as saith Saint Paul it is behoofefull to make the man of God perfect in all good workes Therefore whensoeuer we read the holy Scripture or heare it preached let vs haue this regarde of profiting in the feare of God and let vs not think our selues to be so far forwarde that wee shoulde not neede to go on still all our life long A man might thinke it strange that it shoulde bee sayde that he should learne to feare God For why Shoulde a king bee a nouice when hee is once chosen Ought hee not to bee well knowen aforehande to bee a man of excellent vertue Yes verily But yet doeth it stande vs in hande to bee learners still the feare of God is a thing that is not learned perfectly at the first day And therfore let vs coÌ„tinue in it all the time of our life and yet wee shall finde that when wee haue liued neuer so long wee be but in the middes of our iourney The thing then which wee haue to marke in Moseses words is that when kings haue y e booke of the lawe they must not keepe it shut or set it out to shewe like a relike but the king must exercise himselfe in it his reading of it must not bee as it were but for a pastime as who shoulde say I haue read it and that is a sufficient discharge for mee but it must bee to the ende that hee which was in good forwardnesse alreadie and had serued God in his youth shoulde bee the more quickened vp to doo so still knowing well that in as much as God commeth so neere vnto him hee is the more straitly bounde to liue vertuously That is the very thing in effect which wee haue to beare away and moreouer wee â—ust euery one of vs apply the same to his owne vse as I haue saide afore Nowe it is sayde likewise that they bowe not to the right hande nor to the left Wherein it is shewed vs that the feare of God is the true rule which beeing throughly rooted in vs becommeth a good and sure loadstarre to vs throughout all our life For what is the cause that wee gadde after our owne likinges and wander here and there but that wee haue not our eye vpon God Therefore wee may conclude that all they which turne aside eyther one way or other doe shewe sufficiently by their life that they bee despisers of GOD. But will we haue a good remedie to instruct vs and to direct our life in such wise as it shall abyde continually in the right way Let vs feare God and this fearing of God presupposeth a willingnesse and desire that wee haue to obey him If a man alleage that hee feareth GOD and yet in the meane whyle regardeth not to bee taught by him I pray you doeth hee not shewe that all is but hypocrisie yea and vtter shamelesnesse in him As for example yee shall see many in these dayes which pretend to bee verie deuout but they cannot abyde to heare one worde of admonishment for their better instruction it is ynough with them to make some faire countenance But when Moses speaketh heere of not swaruing to the right hand or to the left he presupposeth that which is true namely that if we feared God we woulde be desirous to bee taught his will and to know what things hee liketh of that wee might frame our liues thereafter That is one thing more which wee haue to remember vppon this text Now let vs come to that which is spoken here specially concerning the kings of Israel They be forbidden to gather great numbers of horses to returne againe into Egypt In deede it wil bee saide likewise hereafter that they must not multiply the number of their horses for couetousnesse sake But here is set downe a speciall reason which is that this couetousnes of theirs might prouoke them to go downe into Egypt either vnder pretence to reuenge the wrongs and iniuries that had beene done vnto them or vnder any other colour But our Lordes will was that although the children of Israel had beene misintreated tyraÌ„nously dealt with yet notwithstanding they shoulde acknowledge that they had beene harbored in Egypt for a time True it is that they were forbidden to haue any familiaritie with the Egyptians his will was to haue them vtterly diuided from them because hee knewe well that it woulde be their decay and yet for all that hee woulde not haue them to make warre vppon them but to abyde still at home And nowe hee sayeth that the king must not multiply y e number of his horses For when a prince hath the helme in his hande hee will take greater enterprises vppon him than a commonaltie will doe In deede some times there may hap to be some braynlesse persons which would set all thinges in a broyle but yet a Prince is alwayes boldest and
be no remedie to be found but only to flee to Gods mercie and to craue forgiuenesse not only for y e fault but also because men ought to feele y t he is angrie with the whole Citie What is to be done when the misdeede is apparant Ought not men much more to make supplication to God and to flee to his mercie at leastwise if they were well aduised Yes but wee see what hardnesse or rather blockishnesse is nowadayes in most men yea and well neere in all men For when a misdeede is committed who is hee that regardeth it True it is that if an outragious wickednesse be committed men will perchaunce say hee is a wicked man But they consider not that God warneth all folkes generally to say euery man in himselfe Alas how happeneth it that such an enormitie is committed among vs that all of vs shoulde bee defiled with it before GOD For that this is come to passe and wee neuer wist it is a token that wee haue euill profited in Gods worde For wee thinke not that his giuing of such examples vnto vs is for our instruction But although wee sleepe yet dooth not GOD cease to doe his office Wee heare what hee sayth when there is no Iustice nor vpright dealing in a citie They bee princes of Sodome they be theeues and murtherers Esa. 6. â—0 Hee sayth this to Iudges Not for that they had cut mens throates that were traueling No but because they had not mainteined the good and guiltlesse Therefore he saith Beholde it is a citie of bloud The very citie of Ierusalem it selfe which God had chosen to bee his royall pallace and Temple is called a citie of bloud and a denne of theeues And why Because many outrages and disorders were there committed and many poore soules were trodden vnder foote without succor and Iustice was become as an open robberie So then let vs learne to resorte to our God when any offence is committed and let euery of vs thinke with himselfe Alas our Lorde doeth vs to vnderstande that he is angrie with vs in that such things are hapned and that such enormities are committed among vs. And therefore let euery of vs craue pardon of them and also thinke thus with our selues Of whom is it long that I am not lyke one of them but onely of Gods preseruing of me And let vs also beware for the time to come Thus yee see in effect what wee haue to beare in minde as in the respect of the things that are spoken here concerning murder There was also the striking off of the Hekfers heade to make men the more afraid as who should say that the beholding of a poore beast slayne after that sorte doth moue men the more And what is to bee sayd then of a man which is shaped after the image of God Wee see then how our Lord meant to teach the Elders and Iudges that were present at the sacrifice that they might the better learne the horriblenesse of all murders For if wee bee afraid of a beast it is good reason that wee should bee touched much more to the quicke without all comparison for a humaine creature As touching the washing of their handes it is added to doe the people to vnderstand that they were after a sorte defiled or rather that they should declare both before the Angels and before all creatures that they might washe themselues from it And this serued for the time of the ceremonies of the Lawe But wee must vnderstand that it was not our Lordes meaning to foade his people by such signes in counterfeiting and hypocrisie What gayned Pilate by his washing of his handes Was hee cleared from the death of Iesus Christ No that washing of his was a token of his defiling Wherefore washed he his handes but because hee knewe himselfe guiltie of the death of Iesus Christ Whereof hee thought to cleere himselfe by a drop of water and that was too great a dalying with God And that is the cause why I sayd that his washing ingraued his sinne the deeper before GOD and made him the more vnexcusable And therefore had the people come dissemblingly to washe their handes it had bin but a further charging of themselues and a making of themselues the more faultie But Gods will was that the Elders should vse such ceremonies to doe vs the better to vnderstand that wee be fleshly and consider not our sinnes vnlesse they bee as it were pointed out with the finger Wee conceiue not Gods wrath except wee haue some signe of it before vs. God then meant to declare that when there is any such offence wee bee defiled so as there is nothing but filthinesse in vs but God mislyketh of vs we cannot preace vnto him without prouoking him to wrath Marke that for one point And therewithall hee meant to shewe vs how we ought to apply our indeuour to cleanesse And this cleanesse is not compassed with corruptible water but it must bee first in our consciences and afterwardes in all our members Wherefore let vs learne to looke to it Esa. 1.15 that our handes bee not bloudy as the Prophet Esay termeth the hands of those which did wrong to their neighbours and let not our feete runne after bloud neither let our members bee defiled nor made instrumentes of vnrighteousnesse as Saint Paule speaketh of them in the sixt to the Romans When we indeuour after that sort to keepe our selues vndefiled to Godward then do wee obserue the washing that was vnder the Lawe to reteine the trueth and substance thereof And at this day whereas we haue baptisme the water betokeneth the lyke not that it is sufficient of it selfe nor that it is of force to washe away our sinnes for what should then become of our Lord Iesus Christes bloud It were too grosse a blasphemie for a man to put his trust in a visible signe we must lift vp our mindes higher In lyke case is it with the Lordes supper Insomuch that when wee come to the table of our Lorde Iesus Christ if wee thinke to finde our soule-health in a bit of bread or in a droppe of wine wee bee very brutish and there is neither reason nor vnderstanding in vs. But when we bee led further so as by eating of the bread we conceiue that Christ is our very sustenance and that although wee bee spiritually dead in our selues yet we cease not to liue in him then doth the sacrament turne to our benefite And to that vse must we apply the doctrine that is set downe here And for a conclusion let vs marke further that although the men that are murthered doeâ—no more speake vnto vs because they be dead yet the bloud of them cryeth out for vengeance against vs. See wee not what proceeded from the bloud of Abell Hee needed no man of lawe to pleade his case for his very bloud cryed vnto God as is reported thereof Whereby wee bee done to vnderstand that although the parties
haue a desire to followe it and to giue our selues ouer vnto it And that is the cause why hee sayeth that we bee drawen vnto him Iohn 6.44 And indeede Moses sayth not The Lorde will circumcise thyne heart to the ende that thou mayst bee able to loue him but hee sayth to the ende that thou loue him Hee sheweth that GOD doeth not onely giue vs the power to will well but also doeth throughly fashion vs to the same And that is a further point wherein the Papistes doe abuse themselues too grossely for when they speake of the grace of the holy Spirite they vnderstande that GOD in deede giueth vs the power if it seeme good to vs but yet that all the same lyeth in our discretion and that GODS woorking in vs is not in such sorte as that both our listing and our performing proceede both thereof But it is too nygardely a speaking of the grace of GOD that he should say vnto man Well I wil giue thee power that thou mayst doe well if thou wylt but I will lay the brydle on thy necke and when thou hast a good will and that of thy selfe if thou hast constancie and power to put it in execution thou mayest well doe it and I will helpe thee therein If GOD shoulde doe so what shoulde become of our saluation For can men in such frayltie as wee doe feele and amiddest so many combattes as Sathan doeth deliuer vs haue one onely firme and constant will It is impossible Moses therefore sayeth not that GOD will circumcise our heartes to the intent wee may haue power to feare him but hee putteth the thing in effect to the intent that wee shall feare him after which manner also hee speaketh by his Prophetes as well Ieremie as Ezechiel Ier. 31.33 Ezec. 36.26 Hee sayeth that hee will put his feare in our heartes Hee sayeth not that hee will giue them power And then will I make them sayeth hee to walke in my commaundementes This is it that GOD doeth attribute vnto himselfe to wit that hee will so imprint his Lawe in our heartes as wee shall haue a will agreeable vnto his and then hee will guide and gouerne vs in such sorte as wee shall ouercome all temptations and accomplish that which hee commaundeth vs. It belongeth not to vs then to challendge such prayse to our selues Thereby wee see that the Papistes deale treacherously in all the doctrine of freewill for all their whole seeking is to robbe GOD of all that euer the holy Scripture declareth to bee his and which hee reserueth to himselfe and to spoyle him of his honour vsurping it euerie man to himselfe Let vs therefore beware of this diuelish arrogancie and let vs vnderstande that Saint Paule hath not sayde without cause Phil. 2.13 That it is GOD that woorketh in vs both the wyll and the deede Saint Paule sayeth not after the manner of the Papistes that when God giueth vs the meane wee may bee able to will that which is good but hee sayeth that hee will put the will in vs. And then hee addeth that GOD in likewise doeth woorke the matter that is to say hee accomplisheth the good woorkes in vs and the whole is perfourmed sayeth hee after his owne will Therefore whereas the Papistes saye that GOD hath respect whether wee bee able to vse his grace well or no and that according as euerie man behaueth and gouerneth himselfe GOD dealeth with him thereafter Saint Paule sayeth that it proceedeth altogether of GODS good pleasure And yet it is not therefore to bee sayde that wee bee blockes of wood But let vs marke well what Saint Paul concludeth that is that wee must walke in feare and warinesse Phil. 2 1â— woorking our saluation What Is it in vs to doe it No but hee sheweth that wee bee instrumentes of GOD and that when hee giueth vs the wyll and power to perfourme it is bycause that euerie one of vs shoulde offer himselfe to doe his indeuour howbeit vnder the leading of the holy Spirit acknowledging that all of it proceedeth from aboue and Saint Paule sayeth that wee must doe it with feare and carefulnesse to the intent wee bee not vnprofitable and yet that in the meane while there bee not any drop of presumption in vs to suppose that wee haue any abilitie or power of our selues but that GOD bee honoured as hee deserueth Nowe wee see what is the naturall sense of this Text where Moses promiseth vnto the Iewes that GOD will circumcise their hearts Thereby hee sheweth that it is not ynough for men to haue the Lawe preached and to haue their eares beaten therewith and to vnderstande what their duetie is for all that will be but as a dead thing vntill the time that God doe chaunge their heartes and reforme them and woorke within them and that the affections of men and their thoughtes bee guided by the holy Ghost And by the way hee sheweth heere the vse of Circumcision which is another poynt worthie to bee marked For the fantasticall fellowes of our dayes which woulde take away the Baptisme of little children neuer vnderstoode the vse of Circumcision It seemed vnto them that it was but a temporall matter yea and a tryfling thing and that it was not spirituall for the auncient fathers in so much that the cursed heretike which was punished in this Towne mocked all the Sacramentes of the Lawe of Moses Abraham sayd hee had but a shadowe of the heauenly lyfe and albeit that hee was named the father of the faithfullâ— and it appeareth that hee did altogether stay himselfe vppon the celestiall heritage yet was hee not touched therewith neither dyd the fathers knowe GOD but worshipped an Angell which was there in a visible shape in steade of GOD. These bee the horrible Blasphemies which insue when men doe so separate the Lawe from the Gospell In deede wee haue at this day a grace which surpasseth that grace which GOD shewed to our fathers but yet must wee not so bereaue Abraham of the spirituall kingdome of our Lorde Iesus Christ as to make Circumcision to bee but an earthly Sacrament Therefore let vs beare well in minde that when GOD ordayned Circumcision besides that it was a seale of the righteousnesse of fayth as Saint Paule sayeth in the fourth Chapter to the Romanes it did also shewe vnto men that they ought to bee mortifyed and renewed by regeneration to the obedience of GOD. Whereby wee may gather that Circumcision signifyed the same thing vnto the Iewes which Baptisme importeth vnto vs at this day What haue wee in Baptisme That wee bee blessed in our Lorde Iesus Christ and that whereas wee haue nothing but accursednesse by the heritage of Adam wee be sanctifyed to bee adopted into the celestiall heritage so as God by iustifying vs doeth accept them which were not earst woorthie to bee numbred amongest his creatures Againe wee haue also a similitude and a portraiture of death that wee myght
Lorde hath spoken more than once vnto vs. If the law were well warranted in the hand of Moses hath the gospel bin lesse confirmed vnto vs in these daies If the earth were shaken then if the trumpets sounded if the lightenings flewe abroade if thunderclappes were heard the Gospel also shaketh both heauen and earth as now as it is saide by the Prophet Aggeus and alleaged by the Apostle in the Epistle to the Hebrues Agge 2.7 Heb. 12.26 Also we heare what S. Paul speaketh of it in the third Chapter of the second Epistle to the Corinthians 2. Cor. 3.7 The message of life and saluation saith he which is conteined in the Gospel must needes bee glorified as much or more than the doctrine of the Lawe which was dead of it selfe and coulde not giue men life Seeing then that God hath vttered so great maiestie in the Gospel and his preaching of it vnto vs hath not bin for once and away but wee haue our eares beaten with it euery day let vs see if we be good scholers and whether we beare in minde the things that haue beene tolde vs so as God is honoured at our hands Are we linked vnto him Alas it is nothing so For continue God neuer so much in setting forth his doctrine vnto vs wherin we do as it were see his heart laid open vnto vs yet are we locked vp on our part and we giue him no entrance but rather wee be gadding and ful of vanitie and we be so farre off from being touched with the doctrine and from receiuing it to holde our selues wholly to it to set our minds vpon it and to be setled in right obedience to it that rather the cleane contrarie is to be seene And so we see that the Iewes are as a loking glasse wherein we may behold our owne rudenesse frowardnesse vnthankfulnesse wilful stubbornnesse against God Yea and we be more blame worthie than the Iewes for giuing so slender eare to our God For as I haue tolde you already the people of olde time ought to haue thought themselues bounde vnto God and to haue yeelded and giuen ouer themselues wholy to his seruice bicause he had deliuered them from y e thraldome of Egypt And what is it that God hath rid vs from now at this time Is it but from the tyranny of a mortal man or of some earthly people No but we know that he hath ransomed vs from the cheins of sin and of the diuel he hath pulled vs out of the gulfe of death he hath drawne vs out of the dungeon of hel and he hath not onely promised vs the land of Chanaan for an inheritance but also opened the heauens vnto vs in the person of our Lord Iesus Christ who hath taken possession thereof for vs to the end we might be sure that our abiding place euerlasting rest is made ready for vs there Seeing then that God hath bound vs in such wise vnto him is not our vnthankefulnes double yea or rather an hundredfolde more shamefull than the vnthankfulnesse of the people of olde time Furthermore whereas God hath vouchsafed to hold on in the office of instructing to teache y ◠people which was so rude rebellious let vs assure ourselues that he doeth the like towards vs nowadaies Yea it is requisite for vs y t he should so doe as I haue saide already or else what would become of it But sith we see that God is so gracious as not to bee weary of teaching vs though it boote vs not at the first day nor at the first yeare let vs assure our selues y t his dealing w t vs after that sorte from day to day is no more than needeth And it is a point well worth the marking For men haue itching eares and be desirous to heare alwaies new things if the doctrine of God be preached and set forth to them euery day it becōmeth irksome to them they wax weary of it For to their seeming it is inough to speake of it once or twise and they consider not how they forget the things which they ought to haue borne away So then to the end we wax not weary of the doctrine that is preached vnto vs let vs marke that it is needful for vs that God should put vs still in minde of the things that he hath taught vs already for our wits are short towardes him And therefore let vs bethinke our selues well whensoeuer it is told vs that there is but one God in whom we be that he is not only our maker but also our father hath adopted vs to be his children and more ouer tied vs to him by a much streiter band in that he hath redeemed vs with the bloud of his owne sonne whensoeuer we be put in minde of these things although we haue heard of them before yet let vs not say tush these thinges haue beene preached to vs long ago but let euery of vs enter into himselfe examine himselfe see whether y e things y t we haue heard heretofore be wel printed in our harts Let vs then enter into accompt after y t sort And why For if we remembred wel y t we be set in this world to the end to glorifie our god would we not be more mindful to discharge our dutie towards him If we considered the fatherly kindenesse that hee vseth in calling vs his children and which he hath shewed towards vs once alredy in adopting of vs in the person of his own sonne if we mark how dearly we cost our Lord Iesus Christ whē he did set vs free frō endlesse death should we not be desirous to giue our selues wholy to our God Should we not be moued to yeelde him another maner of reuerence than we do Now therfore whensoeuer we be vnruly so as y e world carieth vs away we be intāgled in earthly lusts affections let vs assure our selues it is because we haue not giuen good eare to our God when he spake to vs nor taken heede to it when he warned vs of our duties And therfore it is good for vs to be put in minde of it and to haue God come backe againe to vs to say vnto vs yee wretched folke what meane yee When I haue once taught you the doctrine that is conteined in my word ought to soke throughly into you and yet notwithstanding you be still like little babes This is it say I which we haue to doe to the end we may finde sauour in Gods worde and be nourished therewith as with our ordinarie foode We must assure our selues that the appointing of this order that we should be preached vnto all the time of our life and that wee shoulde haue ou◠eares beaten continually with the things which we ought to vnderstande in one or two monethes is not in vaine Furthermore if we doe not so if we subdue not our selues to the hearing of our God
the time of the abominations of the Popedome so that to speake properly it should seeme that men become diuilles after their hearing of the Gospell What is it I pray you that a man shall see yea and that commonly That there is now no more loue of God no nor countenance of louing him that Religion is let alone colde and dead and that there is no more zeale in vs than in a timberlogge It is apparant then that Gods word is now adayes stained and defyled with our iniquities in so much that whereas wee should bee as burning Lampes to giue light to the sillie ignorant soules wee giue them occasion of stumbling Againe on the other side we see how the faithlesse doe fight against God seeking nothing else dayly but to ouerthrow his trueth and to cause it to be quenched out that it might neuer be spoken off more Seeing then that the whole world is so malicious and that as well the one sort as the other doe make open warre against God continuing still in their stubbornnesse which increaseth from day to day must not God after he hath waited for some conuersion and amendment execute his vengeance vppon vs as wee deserue Ye see then after what manner it behoueth vs to prepare our selues considering that wickednesse is so great nowe adayes and so farre past hope of recouerie But yet therewithall let vs comfort our selues and looke also that in punishing the offenders God will not fayle to keepe still some seed to himselfe so as he wil alwaies haue some little flock to cal vpon him and to worship him Let vs not doubt then but that our Lorde will alwayes maintaine his Churche to the intent to shewe himselfe sooth fast Although all thinges seeme forlorne and brought to confusion yet will God worke after such a fashion as wee shall see in the ende that he hath had a regard of his promise and that he will shew himselfe faithfull and prooue himselfe so in deede But let vs marke well that the Churche shall not alwayes be visible so as wee shall perceiue it It shall seeme nowe and then that all is come to nought Like as when God made the people to turne backe againe he said vnto them Get ye into the wildernesse towardes the red Sea as though they should haue returned againe into Egypt Here is such a great confusion as it might well seeme that he minded not any more that the land of Chanaan shoulde bee giuen for an heritage vnto those to whom it was promised Ye see then that for a time it seemed that God had falsified his promise and that there was not any more hope that the children of Abraham should haue entered into the place that was promised them Euen so shall it fall out with vs as in deede it is come to passe For when God withdraweth his light out of the worlde it will seeme that there is no more any Church at all If a man looke round about him he shall see that all is gone to hauocke And in good faith what desolation was there in the time of Poperie Yea and euen still at this day a man myght thinke that all shoulde goe to ruine and decaye But let vs marke that it is all one as if God shoulde cause those to goe backe againe which are not woorthie to goe forewarde and that yet notwithstanding he ceasseth not to holde on in such wise as his Churche shall still bee maintained and preserued Howbeit not that the same can bee discerned with the eye or perceiued by man but wee must shut our eyes vntill our Lord doe worke after his owne maner that is to say wonderfully beyond all our expectation and beyond all that we bee able to conceiue Thus you see howe wee may comfort our selues in this that although wee see it is not possible but y t God must not cast some horrible punishment in these dayes vppon mens wickednesse yet neuerthelesse hee will alwayes reserue some people to himselfe so as the thing that he speaketh by his Prophet Ioel shal be seene continually 〈◊〉 2.30 Though heauen and earth saith he do goe together though the sunne be darkened though the moone drop bloude though the starres lose their light and though the earth remoue yet for all that whosoeuer calleth vppon the name of the Lorde shal bee saued GOD will preserue them whom he hath chosen to call vppon him and albeit that their life bee hidde yet will not God faile to heare them in the end and to shewe them that hee neuer was vnmindefull of his promise but that he had a regarde of himselfe notwithstanding that men were not worthy to haue any one drop of goodnes and mercy offered vnto them This is the matter in effect which we haue to remember in this first place But herewithall we must marke the othe that God made against the Iewes Psal. 95.7 Heb. 3.7 4.7 as it is set downe in the Psalme and afterwarde applyed vnto vs by the Apostle saying To day if ye wil heare his voyce harden not your hearts as your fathers did in the wildernesse vnto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into y e land y t was my rest We see how it was y e wil of the holy Ghost that the Iewes should in al ages be mindful of this disobedience that had bin committed and that therevpon they should remember that for the same their fathers were bereft of the benefit that had beene promised them and shutte out from Gods rest For as I saide afore this serued not for the Iewes only but the Apostle applieth it also to our time God then directeth his speech to vs at this day Therefore wee must haue our eares open to hearken vnto him wee must not driue of from morrowe to morrowe wee must seeke no delay as soone as God speaketh wee must be readie to learne and not harden our heartes against him Whereby wee bee put in minde that there is nothing which hindereth our obedience vnto God but our own resisting of him through a certaine wilful frowardnes For he for his part applieth himselfe in such wise vnto vs as hee beareth with our rudenesse and infirmitie So then all they that are taught by the Gospell shall obey God without gainesaying if they poyson not themselues through a certaine wilful frowardnesse to withstande God and to driue backe his grace That is the cause why we be expresly warned not to harden our heartes Yea verily for wee must not think that God will suffer his grace to bee so scorned and dalyed with and set light by If he were inflamed with anger against the Iewes for refusing to enter into the Land of Chanaan if we nowadayes doe playe the restie iades and fall to kicking let vs not thinke that such vnthankefulnesse shall scape vnpunished And in good sooth if the Iewes were so punished at that time that all the sorte of them came to nought
giue vs such power to resist him as wee may haue victorie euen vnto the ende Thus yee see what wee haue to remember vppon this text of Moseses Furthermore where as hee saith that God led his people about by the space of eight and thirtie yeeres vntill such time as all those that were able to beare armour at the time that the people murmured were consumed it serueth still to bring to rememberance the thing that hath beene spoken namely that God executed the vengeance which he had threatened to his people And as wee see it is a verie profitable lesson to teach vs to tremble at Gods threatenings as well as to bee mooued at his promises Such is our nature that when GOD promiseth vs any thing wee fall to scanning and disputing of it so as wee cannot rest vppon it to say it shall bee so wee cannot conclude that it is Gods will True it is that we will confesse it with our mouth but as for to bee fully resolued of it wee will none of that vnlesse his trueth bee well sealed and warranted in our heartes by his holie spirite And yet euen then too we be so inclyned to distrust that we draw still backe from the thing that God promiseth vs so brutish and dulheaded are we And this appeareth yet more when he threatneth vs So much the more then ought wee to thinke vppon his iudgementes and to consider that if hee bee prouoked the threatenings that hee hath vttered with his mouth shall not fall to the grounde but haue their effect and performance Thus ye see to what purpose Moses rehearseth again that all they which were aboue twentie yeere olde at the time that the people murmured were consumed and that not by casualtie but according to the Lordes owne saying And this was to assure the people yet more to the ende they might perceiue that Gods threatening of them was in good earnest And herewith all let vs also call to rememberance that God cannot abide that men shoulde despise and refuse the benefite that hee offereth and let occasion slippe for if hee open the gate and men will not enter hee cannot beare with that negligence of theirs matched with disobedience For what was the cause that God was so prouoked to anger that hee sware that all the carkeises of the people shoulde rotte in the wildernesse Num. 14.31 and that hee vsed so sharpe wordes vnto them It was for that they had refused to enter into the lande that hee had promised them Wee see then that vnthankefulnesse prouoketh Gods vengeance against vs to the vttermost specially when wee refuse the benefite that hee offereth vs and that such refusall proceedeth of wilfulnesse and malice which happeneth in manner continually For what maketh vs so loath to receiue the good turnes that GOD woulde doe vs but our owne vnbeleefe forasmuch as wee thinke not that he will keepe touch with vs but rather fall to reasoning what will become of it And therefore let vs marke well that men shall neuer bereaue themselues of Gods benefits but through their owne distrust Wherefore it standeth vs so much the more on hande to indeuour to beleeue al the promises of our God and to receiue his sayings purely and simply and to yeeld vnto them without any gainesaying Lo wherupon it behoueth vs to rest Nowe as concerning the time true it is that God coulde haue destroyed them all at the first day which prouoked him so to anger he coulde haue sent an Angell to haue made cleane riddaunce of them and yet haue preserued the young folke by myracle so as they shoulde haue come into the lande the first day but hee ledde them vp and downe by the space of fortie yeares And why did hee so To the ende that others shoulde take example by them For God seeth that wee profite better by his corrections and iudgements in processe of time than if hee shoulde punish vs out of hande and away Indeede in our owne imagination wee had leuer that God shoulde thunder downe at the first dash and wee thinke wee shoulde perceiue his power much better if hee wiped them quite out of the world which haue offended him and that wee might see the wicked consumed at once And what woulde become of it if hee shoulde out of hande destroy and take away all those out of the worlde which are not worthie to liue in it If it were so wee woulde within a day or twaine forget the thinges that he had shewed vs before our eyes Wee may well weene the contrarie but God knoweth that it is so For hee leaueth the wicked heere in this worlde where they haue their delightes sportes and triumphes at their pleasure and that is to trie our patience Neuerthelesse sometimes God setteth them languish as well as other folkes so as a man may see them dragge their legges after them and they bee as it were vppon the racke and God setteth them before vs as looking glasses so as we may well perceiue that it is more for our profite to see his iustice so prolonged by making the wicked to languish after that manner than if hee shoulde sende them their punishmentes out of hande This saye I stickes faster in our rememberance Yee see then howe wee be better taught by the delay of Gods iustice than if it were executed at once and out of hande And that was the cause why it behoued God to bee fortie yeeres space in consuming the people to shewe them that they were not worthie to enter into the promised lande For thereby the younger sort were occasioned to thinke why did not God giue vs the fruition of the lande at the first day It is because our fathers murmured against him And so are wee depriued of the inheriting thereof from our childhoode and that not for a day or two but it was Gods will that we shoulde wander in this wildernesse a long time to the end that the sinne of our fathers might be the better printed in our minds to beware that wee followed them not in that behalfe Yee see then that by this meanes the yonger folke were taught to liue in the feare of God and to be better aduised than their fathers were And therefore whensoeuer God executeth not his iustice vppon the wicked to make cleane riddance out of hande but consumeth them by little and little let vs learne to hold our wittes alwayes tied vp and as it were in suspense And in the meane time let vs take the instruction that God giueth vs thereby learne to beare them wel in mind and neuer to forget them for his intent is to put vs in minde of them vntil we haue throughly digested them After this manner must wee practise this doctrine concerning the time that is set downe heere by Moses wherein God led his people vp and downe by the space of eight and thirtie yeares wherevnto two yeares moe were added afterwarde to make vp the full number of fortie
alwayes haue our mouthes open to yeelde him thankes for it and that we should not onely doe it with the mouth but also and specially shewe forth by our whole lyfe how much wee bee bound vnto him Yee see then that the thing which wee haue to marke is that whensoeuer and how oft soeuer we scape from the malice of our enemies God hath reached out his hand to succour vs and by that meanes hath bound vs to him to the intent wee shoulde haue the more courage to serue him and honor him The second poynt is that looke what Moses spake to the people of Israel the same doth hee say at this day vnto vs. For wee haue neede to be put in minde of Gods grace and benefites that wee may bee the more moued to magnify his name and to giue our selues wholy vnto him so as wee may neuer forget his benefites to runne into any disorder For wee see howe men doe easily sotte themselues specially when GOD dealeth fauourably with them Because our God dealeth gently with vs wee thinke we may conspire to forsake him and forget him And truely this prouerb which is common among men namely that wee cannot away with our owne ease is put too much in practise And therefore it is for our welfare to be put in minde of Gods benefites and to haue the rememberaunce of them refreshed And why To the intent wee may be helde in awe of him and serue him take courage to keepe our selues altogether vnder his subiectioÌ„ assuring our selues that that is our souereigne blisse and that forasmuch as hee neuer forsaketh his faithful ones and those that leane vnto him wee suffer him to be our protector and play not the loose colts so as wee should be forsaken of him at our neede Yee see then that this declaration is directed to vs nowadayes As touching that it is sayd That GOD had deliuered Sehon before them it serueth to shewe the better that inasmuch as they had an easie victorie GOD gaue the greater brightnesse to his grace as wee haue seene alreadye heretofore I note this briefly to the intent that this strâ—ine may bee layd to the other which wee haue seene and expounded alreadie Had the people of Israell had much a doe to ouercome their enemies they might haue imputed it to their owne force O wee haue fought well might they haue sayd O there was great prowes in vs for our enemies were very valiant But when as their enemies were driuen lyke chaffe with the winde when they that we carst both strong and stout were dismayed so as they had no more hart than women but scattered away at the first shocke and became so cowardly as they might smite vppon them at their pleasure so as the people were euen weary of sleaing them that were lyke enough to haue eaten them vp What is to be sayd of it but that God deliuered the enemies of his people that is to say that hee brought them thither as it were of purpose to take vengeance of them Yee see then that the thing which is imported by this maner of Moseses speach is the amplifying of Gods grace to the ende that it might bee the better knowen of the children of Israel And whereas it is sayd that all were put to the sworde euen little children and all It might at the first blushe seeme a poynt of great crueltie that the children of Israel spared not euen the little babes And what an outrage was that For what though the king and the men had bin so froward as to deny them passage Ought the women therefore to haue borne the smart of it and their little babes too We see and are warned hereby that wee must not deeme of Gods iudgements after our owne fancie For if wee will needes runne a head when God telleth vs that hee hath disposed a matter and that wee will needes shoote foorth our bolte at euery turne wee take vppon vs the office of GOD. For it is his right to iudge of vs and not ours to iudge of him And what will come of it but that wee shall be confounded in our rashnesse and malapertnesse What a trayterousnesse is it that mortall creatures shoulde climbe so high as to giue iudgement vpon their maker Therefore when there is any speaking of Gods iudgementes let vs learne to restreine our wittes from such rashnesse as to say what we thinke good and let vs consider that all that euer commeth from God is good and rightfull though it seeme contrariwise to vs. And in uery deede sith wee see not a whit into the bottomlesse deepes of Gods iudgementes let vs assure our selues that wee doe but bewray the informitie that is in vs and that in the meane season God hath wherewith to maintaine his iustice although he shewe it not to vs. Gen. 5.16 And were the thing wel weied y t is written in Genesis we should know that it was not without cause y t our Lord commanded the children of the Amorrhytes to be rooted out of the world For euen in the time of Abraham the Chananites were come to the full measure of all iniquitie as it seemed and we see examples enow thereof in that they troubled Abraham so much And yet for al that God sayd that their iniquitie was not yet full ripe Albeit that men had condemned them yet is God patient and taryeth and beareth with them yea euen foure hundred yeeres after Yee see then that God did beare with the wickednesse of that people foure hundred yeeres and shall wee say now at the foure hundred yeeres ende how happeneth it that God dealeth so roughly with them Wee would faine be pleading against God If he vse patience wee say he is too slowe and if he vse extreme vengeance wee blame him of crueltie But contrarywise if God execute not his iudgementes out of hand let vs assure our selues y t therein he sheweth his goodnesse And on the other side if he extend such rigor as maketh vs abashed and afraide let vs assure our selues that he doth it iustly and vpon good cause although the same cause be not euer apparant vnto vs. So then first of al wheras here is mentioÌ„ made of such a slaughter of the Amorrhites as extended euen to the infantes let vs assure our selues that seeing GOD telleth vs that hee hadde commaunded the people of Israell to doe it wee must imbrace it without gainsaying it is not for vs to checke against it vnlesse we will be condemned for our diuelish pride in presuming to pleade against our iudge yea euen against our souereine iudge Finally wee must not iustifie men when they aduenture any thing vpon their owne heades and for their owne pleasure but wee must put a difference betweene the things that concerne God and the thinges that concerne men For in the end of the chapter Moses saith expressely According as the Lord our God had commanded TheÌ„ if any thing come in our way
vpon the fourth Chapter NOw then O Israel hearken to the ordinaunces and Lawes which I teache you to doe that yee may liue and goe in and possesse the lande which the Lord God of your fathers giueth you 2 Ye shall not adde anie thing to the word which I command you neither shall yee take anie thing from it to intent yee may keepe the commaundementes of the Lord your God which I commaund you THe conclusion y t Moses maketh here is wel worthie to be marked for it maketh for the matter which hath bin expounded heretofore that is too wit that wee haue neede to bee prepared to the obeying of our God because wee bee disobedient of our own nature and our affections drawe contrarie to his will insomuch that whereas hee will haue vs to walke vprightly there is nothing but vtter lewdenesse in vs. Againe if wee happen to haue any good disposition desire to walke after Gods commaundementes wee start away incontinently in the turning of a hand and there is no constancie in vs towardes any good On the other part wee haue a sorte of foolishe dotages which cary vs away so as wee will needes bee euer disputing with God yea and be wiser than hee Therefore haue wee neede to be subdued and humbled by al meanes or else God shall neuer be able to welde vs. For this cause it is sayd that the people heard not the lawe published vnto them one day onely but that they were often times put in minde of it And that forasmuch as they were stubborne GOD had subdued them by many chastisementes as by leading them about in the wildernesse the space of fortie yeeres to inure them to obedience and by trying them diuers wayes to teach them that it was no resisting of such a maister After that Moses hath treated of all those thinges hee sayth Harken now O Israell what I tell thee in the name of God As if hee should say it is time now or neuer for you to begin to walke in obedience that yee bee no more lyke wilde folke as yee haue bin that yee giue not head to your wicked lustes that yee bee not so fierce as to shake off Gods yoke and that ye stick not to your owne fond inuentions which make you to runne astray but that yee beare well in minde what yee haue indured For if yee cannot yet bowe your neckes to submit your selues to your GOD in the ende hee must be faine to breake you if ye will not bowe Now heere yee his voyce sayth hee And wee must apply this to our vse That is to say Seeing it is now a great while agoe since wee began to heare the worde of God wee must not bee still as young nouices we must not bee lyke the young bullockes or Steeres which cannot yet skill what it is to beare the yoke but wee must bee throughly acquainted with obeying If they that neuer were taught Gods trueth bee wilde-headed and cannot finde in their heartes to stoope at the first but runne gadding heere and there after a number of worldly vanities it is not to bee wondered at True it is that that shall not serue to excuse them no surely for seeing that God hath created vs to the ende to serue and honor him wee ought to giue our selues wholy vnto him euen from our mothers wombs Neuerthelesse if wee be somewhat straunge for want of teaching it may bee borne withall among men But if at the end of twentie yeeres when wee haue had our eares continually beaten with the Gospell so as GOD hath spoken vnto vs earely aud late and cryed out vnto vs to waken vs wee abide still at our Absie and wot not what rule or doctrine meaneth must it not needes bee sayd that wee bee of too vntowarde a nature Yes and that is it which the Apostle meaneth in saying 1. Cor. 3.1 yee ought by this time to haue bin great doctors in respect of the time that yee haue gone to schoole and beholde yee bee still rawe and vnlearned so as it shoulde seeme that GOD neuer spake to you According then to the time that God of his grace shall haue bestowed in teaching of vs by his worde let vs learne to yeelde our selues the more teachable and to shewe that he hath not lost his labor but that we haue profited well in his schoole And this poynteth at vs inespecially For howe long time hath the Gospel beene preached among vs so as wee heard nothing else euery day but what Gods will is Nowe then it is good reason that wee on our side should not bee so straunge but that wee shoulde consider that wee ought not to bee still newe to beginne in the things that haue beene tolde vs so often alreadie And againe wee must profite also as well by chastisementes as by teaching If GOD haue humbled vs in any wise because hee seeth that wee cannot otherwise bee subdued vnto him so as hee hath tamed one with sickenesse and another with pouertie after what fashion soeuer GOD hath made vs to feele his hande let vs looke well to it that wee profite our selues thereby and that this word Now which Moses vseth here be wel printed in our hearte and minde So that if wee haue bin ouerseene if wee haue not at the first bin so well disposed to liue as it becommeth vs if wee haue not bin so forewarde as wee ought to haue bin in running to our God when hee hath called vs at leastwise let vs not continue so hardharted and stubborne to the vttermost But nowe let vs see in effect what Moses requireth here Hearken O Israel sayth he to the ordinaunces and statutes which I teach thee to doe that thou mayst liue and enter into the land which the Lorde thy God giueth thee and possesse it Here Moses declareth that our lyfe shall alwayes bee full of disorder and confusion vntill wee haue yeelded so much authoritie vnto God ouer vs as to haue the whole guyding of vs and that wee haue made our account to rest simply vppon his worde To bee shorte wee bee taught heere to rid our selues of all selfeweening and that when the case concerneth how to liue well wee must not step to it vppon our owne head and after our owne fancie to say this seemeth good to mee Whereat must wee then begin At learning as Moses declareth And therefore hee that giueth eare vnto God to receiue whatsoeuer is tolde him from him shall bee well learned But on the contrary part vntill such time as wee haue heard our GOD speake and that hee haue performed the office of a teacher towardes vs it is certeine that our life shall be quite out of order Wee may well flatter our selues as ignorant wretches doe who beare themselues in hand that the worlde goes as well with them as is possible when in the meane while they be no better than bewitched so as there is neither wit nor discretion in them Ye see
after GOD had once spoken hee added not any thing to that which he had sayd And in deede as I sayd afore it is an horrible blasphemie when men take vpon them to finde some better thing than is conteyned in Gods lawe It is all one as if they would reproue him as a lyer or say he was misaduised or that he had forgotten what hee should haue commaunded But can men finde any better way No. Then let vs learne to submit our selues in such wise vnto God as wee may alwayes beare in minde that when God had once spoken hee made a finall ende and conclusion as if hee should haue sayd Holde yee there these are my boundes and listes whosoeuer goes any further hee shal breake his necke so as there will bee nothing but falling if wee keepe not the right way which God hath made and hedged in after that fashion And although God speake not presently after a visible maner as hee did then yet ought we to bethink vs oftentimes of this lesson which is conteined in his lawe In deede God spake not twice but hee spake once for all as they say Wee on our part ought to heare it often according to this saying of the threescore and second psalme Psal. 62.12 the Lord hath spoken once and I haue heard him but my hearing of it was not for once and away I haue heard it twice Hereby wee bee warned that it is not enough for vs to bestowe one dayes hearing vpon the thinges which our Lord hath willed to be set forth in his name but wee must minde them continually Then let euery of vs occupy himselfe in them morning and euening all the time of his lyfe Psal. 1.2 and let vs not cease to recorde well the thinges which our Lord hath told and declared vnto vs. For though wee should apply our selues to them all the dayes of our lyfe hardely shoulde we atteine to the one halfe of our iourney It is true as I sayd afore that our Lord will instruct vs so far forth as shall be expedient for our saluation but yet for all wee shall alwayes finde our selues to haue neede to profit more and more in Gods worde Therefore let vs bee diligent and let vs not think our labor lost when we take y t way and apply our whole stody dayly thereunto so as we neuer leaue searching and seeking out of the thinges which our Lord teacheth vs. Thus yee see how wee must put this sentence in practise where it is sayd that our Lorde added not any thing more Now let vs come to the third poynt which is that hee spake from the middest of fyre Clowdes and whirlewinde In deede this hath bin expounded already heretofore Howbeit forasmuch as it is repeated by Moses let vs marke that it is not superfluous And in deede it cannot bee tolde vs too often that Gods worde ought to carry a maiestie towardes vs to make all our wittes to stoope and to submit themselues to it And why First wee see there is such pride in men as they cannot bowe their neckes It is true that they will not say that they intend to resist God or to bid him battell but whatsoeuer they say are they plyable and meeke as they ought to bee No they come farre shorte of it Againe there is a blockishnesse in vs so as wee dote vppon these worldly thinges Wee cannot rayse vp our wittes to apply them to the hearing of God Wee cannot attaine to that spirituall wisedome because our wittes are occupyed afore hand aboute the affaires and cares of the world and we neede nothing to holde vs here beneath Therfore it is greatly for our benefite that our Lord shoulde touch vs to the quicke to the intent we may yeelde such reuerence to his worde as it may not dye partely through our stubbornnes and partely through our blockishnesse that is to say because we be partly so dull grosse and earthly and partely so forepossessed with vanities that we mount not vpwarde but are helde downe heere in these corruptible thinges And therefore not without cause did God speake from the middest of fire clowdes and whirlewinde when hee went aboute to set forth his Lawe For it was expedient that the people shoulde bee touched with some feare so as they might say it is not for vs to daly with our God Seeing he appeareth to vs with so greate and terrible maiestie what should wee doe but tremble vnder him and yeelde him such subiection as hee may rule vs as sheepe and wee all of vs bowe downe our neckes and holde downe our heades suffering him to wealde vs at his will and giuing our selues in such wise vnto him as wee may bee abashed when hee speaketh and haue none other desire but onely to serue and honor him and to submit our selues wholy to his guiding Lo here the cause why God did so magnify his lawe at the setting forth thereof He could wel haue spoken without the casting forth of flames of fyre without making the hill to smoke and without hauing any thicke or darke clowdes about him but it was his will to adde all these miracles to the intent that the people shoulde bee afrayde And therefore let vs marke that hee intended to bring the prophet Esayes saying to passe Esa. 〈…〉 namely that his spirit shoulde not rest vppon vs excepte wee tremble at the presence of his worde For the thing wherein he will try our obedientnesse towardes him is if wee doe loue him so well that as soone as hee speaketh wee receiue his word without gainesaying so as wee thinke it good and agree thereunto saying amen not onely with our mouthes but also with our heartes and seruing him quietly all our lyfe long For Gods requiring of the seruice whereby hee will bee honored at our handes is to shewe the obedience which wee owe vnto his worde Howbeit forasmuch as wee bee so hard and heauy that we rather dragge backe and cannot abide to bowe downe our neckes to beare his yoke we haue neede to be helped by all the meanes that are mentioned here And therefore let vs marke that these flames of fire appeared not for that time onely to serue no moe but them that sawe it but also to the intent that the Lawe of GOD should beare record stil at this day of how great authoritie it ought to bee and to the intent the remembrance therof should be renued vnto vs that by calling to minde what happened at that time wee may bee humbled vnder the maiestie of our God and that whensoeuer wee goe about to aduaunce our selues or to bee tempted with presumption and pride the burning fire that made the people agast at that time the thicknesse and darkenesse of the cloude and the sight of the smoking mountaine may come before our eyes and serue to holde vs in such awe as all loftinesse my be beaten downe in vs and we bee so wakened in good earnest as
Psalme where it is said To day if ye heare his voyce harden not your heartes as your fathers did in the wildernesse Psal. 95.7.8 This is spoken expressely of the temptation that Moses toucheth here See how the Prophet warneth the people yea and that desirously as if he should say very well if ye bee so teachable as to hearken to your God seeing he doeth now exhort you to come vnto him refuse it not for this benefite shal not last alwayes to them that make delay and are neuer mooued to obey him but driue of from day to day when he calleth them And therefore if ye heare his voyce sayeth he nowe when God calleth you He vseth there a vehemencie as though he could not finde words fit to exhort the people and sufficiently to prick them forwarde In that hee saieth Goe to my freindes bee well aduised that you harden not your heartes he sheweth what is the cause of al mischeife and why we profit no better by Gods teaching of vs. Namely that besides that we bee full of naughtinesse and so sinfull by nature that whereas our heartes ought to be susteined to receaue that which God sayeth it may seeme that wee intende of set purpose to harden them against him we doe moreouer fall to stomacking against him with a certaine spitefulnesse as if we would say what care I to obey God Shall I bee brideled of my will like a beast Beware of that sayeth he for ye knowe what happened to your Fathers The Prophet casteth them in the teeth with the thinges that had beene done by their forefathers in olde time to the intent they shoulde not boast of their descending from the holy Patriarkes Beholde saieth he your forefathers were rebels how thē haue you continued vnto this day Is it not through Gods mercie Yes for ye shoulde haue perished vtterly Againe seeing your God hath pitied you being Abraham his race thinke not that he will haue ye to runne backe again so as ye should bee alwayes newe to begin For when he hath borne with you a while he must bee faine to make you pay your arrerages all at once Thus ye see that the way for vs to put this sentence in practise is to vnderstand that when God shall haue pardoned our faultes oftentimes hee shall haue iust cause to punish vs the more grieuously if wee ceasse not to prouoke him still but will needes bee the boulder to doe euill vnder pretence that hee hath not vsed extremity towardes vs. If God see that in vs hee can well call vs to account for all the thinges that hee had pardoned before For his pardoning of vs is with condition that we should humble our selues and consider all our life after how much we be beholden vnto him If an offender haue obtained fauour and thereupon he fall to spyting of him to whom he is beholdē for his life within a day or twaine after doeth he not deserue to haue his former lewdnesse brought to remembrance againe and to be reckened withall frō point to point and to haue his vnthankfulnes laid afore him for his abusing of the fauour y t had bin shewed him Yes and thinke we that our Lord will haue lesse right than mortall men Thinke we then that his shewing of fauour vnto vs is to the intent to make vs bolder to doe euill No but rather his dooing of it is to the intent wee shoulde all our life after beare our offence in minde and bee sorie for it accordingly also as wee see howe the good king Ezechias speaketh of the bitternesse of his heart Esa 38.15 when he sayeth that he will bee mindefull of the euill and of the offence that he had committed Not but that he reioyced in Gods goodnesse but that yet neuerthelesse hee would beare it in remembrance to the intent he might not let himselfe slip any more nor be any more surprised by the wylinesse of Satan Now after that Moses hath spoken so he addeth Ye shall diligently keepe the commaundements Statutes and Lawes of your God which I set before you this day that you may enter into the land which he promised to your fathers with an othe and he driue ou◠all your enemies before you Here we bee put in minde of the thing that hath beene told vs before that is to wit that whereas Moses vseth many wordes to expresse the Lawe it is no superfluous speech but serueth to induce folke the better to profite in the doctrine that is giuē them As if he should say Giue good eare for behold your God taketh paines with you Like as a schoolemaister taketh paines to teach the children that are committed to his charge so doth God apply himselfe to you giuing you his Law orderly and distinctly to the end ye should not be greatly combered to vnderstand what he saieth concerning his will Here therfore are his Statutes Ordinances Iudgementes As if he shoulde say the doctrine is set foorth vnto you in good order so that if you can finde in your hearts to hearken to your God and to receiue y t which he shall say you need not dout but you shall be taught faithfully by his word haue knowledge of al things y t are good and conuenient for you The first thing then which Moses ment to expresse by these wordes Iudgementes statutes Ordinance◠is y t our Lord taketh paine to teach vs whatsoeuer is good for vs and y t he vseth such order as we cannot say that his word is too high and confused for vs. And therewithall his intent is also to hold mē wholly to the pure obedience of the lawe and to the simplicitie therein contained as if he should say My friends Gods meaning is not onely y t ye should be attentiue in hearing what he saith to you but also y t your only wisedome should be to obey him not to inuent any nouelties so as ye should think to serue him after your owne fansie according to the cōmon fashion of mē who haue alwayes some foolish desire to change Gods word No saieth he If ye can beare in minde the lessons of the Law ye shall haue statutes Iudgements and ordinances so as ye shal not want any thing whereby ye may be taught in all perfection This hath bin expoūded alreadie heretofore and therefore I stande not long vppon it Neuerthelesse the repeating of it here againe by the holy Ghost is not without cause and therefore I must needes put you briefly in rememberance thereof as oft as those wordes are set downe Now Moses saieth expressely That these Commaundements Ordinances and Lawes must be done kept As if he should say that God will not haue his word to fall to the ground His setting foorth of it is to the end that we on our side should bee attentiue to hearken what he saith to vs. And so let vs marke well that it is not ynough for vs to allowe Gods worde in speeche
to put it in execution We crie out dayly to haue iustice executed but how do men discharge themselues therof Let their eares be neuer so much beaten it is to no purpose they passe not much for it but they be the more forgetfull from day to day Therefore doeth Moses put them in minde of the things that he had told them before to the intent that the people should in any wise refraine from seruing the idols of the heathen And he addeth a threate It would turne to thy decay In deede the Hebrew word which he vseth is commonly taken for cordes or lines but here by a similitude it is taken for snares or neâ—â— and for ruine decay downfal or stumbling Then if thou fall into idolatrie it will be a deadly fall to thee saith he Keepe thee from that Thus we see that when God punisheth y e wicked we must alwayes learne at their cost to liue in his feare For our condemning of other folkes wil not iustifie our selues if we follow them or become like them but rather they shal be witnesses against vs to bereaue vs of al excuse Therfore let vs thinke vpon that which is added here that when God had commanded his people to destroy the idolaters he addeth beware ye meddle not w t their superstitions for then shall ye bee ouerthrowen out of hand Yea we see also that God did not beare with the people of Israel any long time after they had offended For the heathen might yet haue some excuse bicause they had not had any teaching but the Israelites sinned wilfully their dooing was a manifest rebellion bicause they had bin sufficiently warned thereof before specially for as much as God had done them so great honor as to put the sword into their hand as if he should say Thou shalt punish the misdoings of others Seeing then y t God had so honored that people was it not an increasing of their euill much more wheÌ„ they happened to become like those whom they punished Yes for y e punishment which they had executed vpon others serued to bereaue theÌ„ of al colour of ignorance and to dubble their owne fault For after as God honoreth men they ought to take y e more heede to liue in all purenes before him That is the cause theÌ„ why those two things are matched togither And hereupon wee may gather that all such as haue the executing of Iustice must lay away their owne fleshly passions and looke that they be quite and cleare from all desire of reuenge hatred and rancor And this must be regarded of vs not onely in punishing of euill doers but also in the admonishments and warninges that wee giue For if we be too sharpe it is an ouershooting of our selues which proceedeth of our sinfulnesse by reason whereof although the correction which we minister be out of Gods word yet is it already steined and God alloweth it not Sometimes wee think our selues to bee excused if wee tell a man the truth Yea but wee would not tell it him if our oueruehement affection draue vs not to it For nowadaies vices are fostred among men and euery man is content to beare with his neighbour in his euill doeing but if there happen any variance or quarell then out flieth that which was coÌ„cealed before Therefore in rebuking men it is not enough for vs that wee can alleage that we haue told them the truth vnlesse we can also therewithall protest that we were not led with desire of reuenge or otherwise Let vs marke then that if it be but in warninges by word of mouth we must not be passionate nor desirous of reuenge but simply do it of zeale to Godward Now then it is much more reason that when a iudge holdeth the sword in his hand and is to proceede further to the executing of Iustice with rigour hee should then lay aside all euill affections That is the cause why God hath expresly shewed his people the end of the law which he had giuen them to the intent they shoulde bee the better taught to walke in the pure religion and not follow the superstitions which they should punish in the Heathen That is the thing which we haue to note in effect Now Moses addeth immediatly If thou say in thine heart Alas these Nations are moe in nuÌ„ber than I how is it possible that I should discomfite them Remember what thy God did in the land of Egypt how he handled Pharao at his people what proofe of his power he gaue thee there For euen so will hee doe to all the Nations whom thou art afraid of Heere Moses intendeth to harten the people to the intent they should not bee daunted with fearefulnesse For the thing that doeth commonly hinder men in doing their duetie is a certaine fearfulnesse which they conceiue O say they this is hard to be done and againe if I doe it I shall stirre vp many mens displeasure against mee and such a harme may come to me by it Thus in stead of walking as God commaundeth vs we bowe with euery blast and in the end turn quite away Wee be but ouer bould and hardie in following our owne passions and wee be so blinded with them that although there bee daunger in them yet wee think not vppon it and although it come to our mind yet doe our affections so ouermaister vs that we ceasse not to goe on still We see that if a man be in a rage although death be before his eyes yet hee goeth through with it like a mad man or like a beast that is caried away with furiousnesse After that maner doe we deale And that is the cause why I sayd that we be but too bold in executing our owne wicked and excessiue moode But if God commaund vs any thing we make such nysenesse at it as is pitifull to see And then come all these doubtes in our head How is it possible that I should holde out if I should followe my vocation faithfully For beholde there is such a blocke in my way I shall haue such a man mine enemie such a thing may befall mee such a man will bee against me All these forecastes say I will come to our mind And therefore let vs marke that God doth not without cause say thus to his people heere doe these thinges not respecting thine owne power and abilitie but respecting and knowing my strength for that is inuincible If thou haue mee on thy side feare not but I will make thee ouercome all thine incomberaunces and all the euill incounters that thou canst meete with Thus ye see in effect what wee haue to mark vpon this text Howbeit forasmuch as the vice that is spoken of heere is common among vs and all of vs are as yee would say attainted with it wee haue so much the more neede to bee earnest in putting this lesson in vre We see that if men be against vs by and by we ouershoote our selues
right And if they deuour y e goods y t were apoiÌ„ted 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 coÌ„ming of y e redeemer In deede the priestes theÌ„selues 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. â—â— 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 coÌ„tinue 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 ordinaÌ„ce 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 theÌ„selues 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 coÌ„fusion 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 coÌ„mandemeÌ„t 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 coÌ„tinue 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 greâ—t store of vices soeuer ther be let Gods Church be clensed of theÌ„ let all stuÌ„bling 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. â—â—â— Saint Paul sheweth there how our Lord Iesus maketh the vertue of his death passioÌ„ auailable namely by coÌ„manding the Gospel to be
vppon vs yea and a confusion more horrible than Turkishnesse in that they durst so openly pronounce all those leawd speaches Let vs marke then how it is not without cause that Moses sayth here The commaundementes which I set before you as if hee should say come not hither to protest dissemblingly that your intent is to serue God but say flatly y t ye wil not admit his Lawe because it is preched vnto you by me by me I say which am a mortall man as you be and not your God least ye should make an idoll of me Alledge none of all these shiftes sayth he for God hath ordained me to set forth his Lawe and he will haue it receiued at my hand And seeing he hath giuen me that charge and office it behoueth you on your side to obey Now againe wee knowe that our Lorde Iesus Christ intendeth not to dwell here visibly in his owne person among vs. Hee hath ordeined Pastors in his Church and hee will be heard by their meanes that is the perfection whereunto hee bringeth vs vntill wee come to that happy meeting 1. Cor. 13.12 to bee throughly ioyned vnto him Those are the wordes of Saint Paul Now if wee will not submit our selues to that order it is as if we would rend asunder the body of Christ as much as in vs lyeth Therefore let vs beware that wee yeelde due authoritie to Gods word and accept it reuerently when it is preached vnto vs. So then whensoeuer we haue to deale with Gods seruice and religion let vs not fall to fancying of high speculations as if we would say Let God shewe me what pleaseth him and I wil doe it For that is but a vaine excuse as wee shall see that Moses himselfe will tell vs hereafter where he sayth Deut. 30.11.12.13.14 Thou needest not to goe ouer the sea nor to mount vp into the ayre nor to goe downe into the deepe forasmuch as thou hast the worde in thy heart and in thy mouth Rom. 10.8 And this word saith S. Paul is not only that which was preached by Moses but also the same word of faith which we preach at this day Sith it is so let vs beare in minde y t God ment as it were to bridle vs by telling vs y t it was his wil to make vs subiect vnto him and y t for the bringing thereof to passe it behoued vs to obserue the doctrine which he did set forth by the hand of Moses And cōsequently it behoueth our Lord Iesus Christes gouerning of vs nowadays to be such as we receiue and beleeue whatsoeuer is preached to vs in his name Ye see thē that the way for Gods word to haue due preheminence and authoritie among vs is that wee gouerne not our selues after our owne lyking but hearken to the voyce of Iesus Christ to submit our selues thereto so as hee may haue the souereintie ouer vs that is giuen him by God his father and we receiue his word without exception or gainsaying knowing that that is the meane whereby God intendeth to try what obedience wee yeelde vnto him Now let vs kneele downe in the presence of our good God with acknowledgement of our faultes praying him to make vs perceiue them better than wee haue done heretofore so as we may fare the better by all the instructions that are giuen vs as well by the benefites that are dayly bestowed vppon vs at his hand as by the chastisementes which hee sheweth vs that thereby we may be brought to feare him and to honor him by all meanes and not take vppon vs the name of Christianitie falsely but become his people in very deede being separated from all worldly infections and from all wiched lustes that are contrary to his lawe or which striue against it That it may please him to graunt this grace not onely to vs but also to all people and nations of the earth c. On Tewseday the xxiiij of September 1555. The Lxxvi Sermon which is the third vpon the eleuenth Chapter 8 Therefore keepe all c. 9 And that yee may prolong your daies in the lande which the Lorde sware to your fathers to giue to them and to their seede euen a lande that floweth with milke and honnie 10 For the land which thou goest vnto to possesse it is not as the lande of Egypt whence thou camest where thou diddest sow thy seede and water it with thy feete as a garden of herbes 11 But the Lande which thou goest vnto to possesse is a land wherin are hilles and plaines and it drinketh raine water from the skie 12 It is a land which the Lord thy God regardeth the eyes of the Lorde thy God are continually vppon it from the beginning of the yeere to the end of the yeere 13 And if ye be diligent in obeying my commaundementes which I commaunde you this day so as ye loue the Lorde your God and serue him with all your hart and with all your soule 14 Then will I giue the foreraine and the afterraine in season vppon your lande that thou mayest gather vp thy Corne thy Wine and thyne Oyle 15 Also I will giue thee grasse vpon the feeld for thy Cattell So shalt thou eate and haue thy fill AFter that Moses hath warned the people to keepe Gods commaundements now hee harteneth them by setting Gods promises before them as if GOD should tell them that his will was they should not serue him but for good wages And in deede God perceiuing how loth slowe we be to follow him allureth vs to it by promising vs that wee shall not lose our labor in so doing Not that he is bound to doe it or that he intendeth to haue vs as hirelings or that we can deserue or earne any thing at his hand wee must rid away all such imaginations It is meete y t wee should yeeld obedience vnto God though no reward at al were behighted vs. For we ought to loue him for his owne sake not for any recompence that can be looked for Againe on y e other side our affection must be francke free and not lyke theirs that wil doe nothing except their profite be alwayes before them We must loue God w t a free heart Thirdly we can deserue nothing at all by our doings doe what we can God is neuer y t more bound vnto vs for it For we be his already what can we bring which is not due to him already by nature Yet is he contented to apply himselfe to our rawnesse in saying y t if we serue him there is a reward ready for vs so as we shall not neede to be afraid y t our Labor in honoring him shoulde be vnprofitable to vs if we indeuour so to honor him Now we see what a fondnesse it is for men to conclude that because God promiseth rewarde to such as keepe his Lawe therfore men can deserue at his hand For that is not his meaning but
see y t God not onely regardeth vs in the spring-time but also holdeth on all the yeere lōg so as there is not any one day of all the yere wherein we may not behold Gods wonderful goodnesse in making y e earth to yeeld fruite for our sustenance by considering how he is faine one while to hold y e raine lockt vp another while to opē the windowes watergates of heauen that wee may haue moysture in due season How hee is faine to send heate and to asswage it againe to send cold and to abate it againe how hee is faine to send faire weather fowle and to temper the one with the other so as finally we haue neede of all these diuersities in their due times and seasons And sith we see that God prouideth vs of all these thinges ought wee not to be the better assured that he hath a continuall regard of vs and neuer forgetteth vs and that hee is a father to vs all the yeere long Lyke as a man y t is mindful of his houshold riseth betimes a morninges to goe to his businesse when hee hath done one thing looketh about if there bee any thing els to set in order forecasting in his minde how to dispose the thinges y t are giuen him so as the benefite thereof may redound to his whole houshold euen so God behaueth himselfe as a housholder towardes vs so as hee ceaseth not to watch for our benefite both earely and late not that he is faine to toyle after the maner of men but that howsoeuer the case stand hee maketh vs to feele that he is more than a fosterfather to vs we be too blind beastly if we consider it not Thus ye see how the practising of this lesson of Moseses consisteth in giuing thāks to our God according to the varietie of y e time weather which we perceiue in y e yere And whē he hath prouided vs for the whole yeere let vs assure our selues that hee hath had pitie of vs and regarded vs and neuer turned his eye from our benefite to the end that we might be furnished and prouided thereof Furthermore it is not enough for vs to thanke God when we haue so felt his goodnesse but lyke as Moses sayth here that his eyes are alwayes vpon the landes y t are full of hils dales where hollow groūdes are not at commaundement to cut trenches in nor streames at hand to water y e fields as it were gardens so when we thinke vpon those thinges we must beare in minde that God hath his eyes continually vpon vs to y e end that we also should lift vp our eyes vnto him to call vpon him and to resorte to him for succor all y e yeere long that when he hath giuen vs a good season we should pray for the continuance thereof thereafter as we should haue neede of it and it ought to prouoke vs to doc y e lyke from day to day But contrariwise we see our owne negligence For when thinges fall out according to our minde wee doe as it were despise God If we see there hath bin a good seede time then go to let vs make good cheere seeing the seede time was so good we are lyke to haue as good a haruest And doe we wonder y t God disappointeth vs of our desire because of such vnthankefulnesse What a leawdnesse is y t God hath his eyes vpon vs yet we shut our eyes at him kicke spurne against him mocke at him and thinke we y t he either ought or can beare w t such beastlynesse Nay rather seeing y t he sayth first My children I looke vpon you haue a care of you to prouide sustenance for you it would become vs to be answerable vnto him Seeing y t our Lord beginneth after y e fashion what ought we to doe Ought we not at leastwise to say well Lord and we likewise will haue an eye vnto thee Nay contrariwise when we haue receiued benefites at his hand we fall to kicking against him He would take vs into his protection we fall to flinging away from him Againe where is y e care y t we ought to haue to cal vpon him It would become vs to consider thus with our selues Our Lord holdeth vs as it were at y e staues end to y e intent we should stand in awe of him now therefore let vs not giue our lustes the head as if a father shoulde say to his children sirs looke y e yee apply your selues wel the one of you at his booke and the other at his worke then shall ye haue your dinners else ye shall haue nothing If a father hold his childrē at that point so as they knowe not wether they shall haue meate drinke or no except it appeare that they haue done some good surely it will moue thē though they haue no reason nor vnderstanding Behold our God could well giue vs at once all that euer we need or else he could in one day shewe vs y t the yere should be prosperous so as there should bee both a good haruest and a good vintage but he wil not doe it When wee haue passed ouer one day we must beginne againe the next day to pray to him God hath ordeined that it should be so because he sees wel y t it is more thā requisite for vs to be held in awe And therefore let vs learne to profite our selues by this lesson whensoeuer we want raine let vs beware y t we be patient in waiting quietly till God open y e clowdes And on y e other side when he voutsafeth to water y e earth let vs vnderstand y t he giueth vs sustenance w t his owne hand and let vs call vpon him dayly sith wee perceiue y t he watcheth for vs let vs lykewise haue our eyes vpon him againe Thus ye see in effect what Moses meant to declare here Now he addeth thereunto If ye keepe the commaundements which I set before you so as ye loue your God serue him with all your heart in the land◠which I will giue you Here Moses putteth y e people in minde againe what y e true seruice of God is namely y t we learne to obey him This hath bin sufficiently layd forth alreadie but yet is it not w tout cause y t the holy Ghost speaketh of it so often For it standeth vs in hand to haue such warnings set before vs as it were euery minute of an howre And for proofe thereof how serue wee God but by force constreint We haue no willingnesse nor desire at all to it But our Lord telleth vs y t he accepteth no seruice y t is done vnto him except it come from the heart that wee loue him as our father Psal. 13◠◠9 according as it is sayd in y e psalme y t we cannot feare God but because he sheweth himselfe
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 coÌ„munion 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 theÌ„selues a sheelde but God did vtterly mislike their so doing according to this saying of the prophet Ezechiel â—â—ech â—0 18 Walk not after the righteousnes of your forefathers At the first blush here seemeth to be some coÌ„trarity 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 theÌ„selues 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 coÌ„tinue 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 coÌ„manded 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 coÌ„tinueth 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
and because wee bee earthly and fleshly wee bee euer imagining of God some thing that seemeth good to ourselues by reason whereof wee turne him into sundrie shapes If we haue neuer so small an occasion by and by we be drawen vnto euill If a flye do but crosse our eyes we make an ydoll of it We see then whereat God looked when hee gaue so straite commaundement to beate downe the altars to heawe downe the groues to burne vp the woods to breake the images and to destroy the puppets vtterly For had those things continued still among the Iewes there woulde euer haue been some among them which would haue giuen themselues to the superstitions of the heathen Tush would they haue sayd what and if a man had deuotiō to it it is a hallowed thing like as at this day such as haue beene nusled in papistrie are so held to it as long as they see their pelting trash that they can neuer winde themselues out of it though they would neuer so fain If a man that hath beene long inured to the Masse doe see a chalice his minde giues him still that there is some holinesse in it whereas cleane contrariwise it is as filthie and stinking an infection as any can be and yet notwithstanding wee can not conceiue it For why As I sayde afore we be fleshly by nature and besides that Satan vseth such slight that when he setteth such thinges before our eyes to beguile vs with we be snared by them out of hande and therefore there is none other remedie but to make cleane riddaunce of all such thinges as may allure vs to superstition Truely if their were puppettes among vs as are in the Popedome it might be alleadged that they could not hurt vs as long as they were not worshipped In deed it is true that they of themselues could not hurt vs but lette vs looke into ourselues and wee shall finde ourselues so weake that wee shoulde be blinded immediatly by such baggage and it would turne vs away from Gods pure worde insomuch that if we had altars still we should not knowe that the Lordes supper were ministred vnto vs to the intent wee should be partakers of him and inioy all his goods but there woulde remaine I wote not what a wicked imagination of y t hellish Sacrifice which is done in the popedome namely of the Masse wherein men thinke that Christ is offered there to GOD his father for the remission of our sinnes And so there woulde alwayes remaine some wicked fancie still in our heade That is the cause why God hath so straitly commaunded to breake the ymages destroy the altars and burne vppe the woods or groues where ydolles haue beene serued and worshipped The Papists in these dayes replie that that commaundement was giuen but to the Iewes because they were giuen to superstition Verily as who shoulde say that we were better disposed noweadayes than they were True it is that GOD giueth not this commaundement to vs as touching the Ceremonie of burning all thinges wherewith ydolles haue beene serued but yet for all that his will is that we should make cleane riddaunce of all thinges that may turne vs from the pure religion If it were of necessitie that all thinges shoulde bee doone away wherewith ydolles haue beene worshipped this temple shoulde not nowe stande to haue the name of GOD preached in it It hath beene a brothel-house of Satans but nowe must wee apply it to good vse by taking away the trumperie that hath reigned in it which was quite contrarie to Gods worde But howesoeuer the worlde goe if we looke well vppon our infirmitie wee shall finde that this lesson belongeth to vs at this day namely that all remembraunce of ydolles is to bee vtterly rased out And nowe insomuch as the maladie of superstition is so rooted in vs there is none other remedie for it but to take away all obiectes that may moue vs thereunto that the deuill may haue no more any meanes to intangle vs in his nettes which hee layeth for vs but that wee may knowe simply after what manner God wil be worshipped and serued Also we may gather further vppon this text howe mad men bee in their superstitions accordingly as the prophetes doe speake thereof For they vse such similitudes as these namely that men not onely resemble such folke as are carried away with fonde loue Ier. 5.8 and haue lost both honestie witte and countenaunce but also resemble horses that ney after Mares and such other brute beastes Yee see then after what manner the wretched Idolaters are carried away in their superstitions And this is declared vnto vs in that wee heare him speaking of woods of high grouth as men terme them and of Mountaines and Hilles For there was not that odde nooke where in the Iewes hadde not some peculiar deuotion after which manner we see howe our ydolaters also haue poysoned the fountaynes Woods and Hilles with the filthinesse of their superstitions and charmes Wheresoeuer was any notable thing by and by there was reared some Temple or there was some chappell builded and all to worshippe some ydol in There is neuer any ende or measure when men take leaue after that fashion to worshippe GOD after their owne liking And forasmuch as wee see that wee ought to brydle our selues the more that we attempt not any thing without the warrant of Gods worde For if we hold not ourselues within our bounds and as it were tye our selues simplye to that which GOD hath commaunded it can not bee but that Sathan shall leade vs out of the way so as there will be horrible confusion in our case The first reason then is that such as will needes serue GOD after their owne fancie doe alwayes goe into such a dungeon as they can neuer gette out of againe and they fall continually from one superstition to an other Marke that for one point And on the other side we see howe greatly it will bee to our condemnation that we can not finde in our heartes to dedicate our liues vnto GOD seeing that the ydolaters are so carried away by their foolishe fancies that they haue neuer doone with them nor can neuer thinke themselues superstitious ynough Therefore if we for our parte seeke not to keepe ourselues in obedience to our GOD what will become of vs For God hath layde such a yoke vpon our neckes as is gentle ynough Matt. 11.30 He hath an eye to our infirmitie hee giueth vs such strength as he knoweth to be meete for vs hee beareth with vs as gently as may bee And yet for all this hee can not compasse vs wee bee so nice as is pittie to see Wee fall to complayning and say Alas GOD pincheth vs too sore And if wee doe him but halfe seruice yea or but the hundreth parte of our duetie wee thinke hee ought to holde himselfe contented with it whereas in the meane while the ydolaters doe martyre themselues out
Because God bindeth vs one to another But yet for al y t we haue our consciences at liberty so as wee knowe that the thinges are free to vs which were not permitted to the fathers of olde time Nowe then ought not this to moue vs the more to serue God which sheweth himself so freeharted towardes vs For if we were vnder the bondage of the Lawe wee ought to abstaine from manslaughter seeing that the bloude of beastes were forbidden vs which at this day is permitted vnto vs. And therefore let vs beware wee abuse not such goodnesse of our God but rather the more that hee graunteth vs the more let euerie of vs bethinke him to holde himselfe in his obedience subiection that we play not the loose Colts as the prouerbe saith That is the effect of the thinges which wee haue to note vppon this text Now as touching the Vowes and Oblations wherof Moses speaketh so much let vs remember what hath bin saide heretofore namely howe it is not Gods will that his people should eate and drinke without hauing some recorde that all commeth of him As for example whereas at this day he giueth vs leaue to eate and drink euerie man according to his abilitie his meaning is that wee shoulde giue our neighbours part with vs and shewe by our almosedeeds that wee doe homage vnto him with the things that he hath giuen vs as belonging vnto him alone There is not nowadayes the like order that was vnder the Lawe of Moses concerning oblations firstfruites and Sacrifices but Almosedeedes are the sacrifices that God liketh of as is shewed vnto vs Hebr. 13.16 specially in the Epistle to the Hebrewes And it is a doctrine that is verie rife in the holy scriptures But there it is saide expresly that wee must not forget the brotherly loue which wee ought to haue in succouring our neighbours that are distressed for they bee the sacrifices which God requireth and alloweth Sith it is so then let vs marke well that if a man haue wherewith to maintaine himselfe abundantly hee must not exempt himselfe from doing seruice vnto God therewithall And after what manner Euerie man must streine himselfe to the vttermost of his power to succour and releeue such as haue scarcetie want of worldly goods Thus yee see howe the right vse which our Lorde appointeth to all his creatures is to offer them vp vnto him to shew that we holde all of him That is the very meaning that was intended in all the first fruites of olde time And although the Ceremonie continue not at this day yet ought the truth thereof to reigne still among vs. Wherefore let vs learne to cherish our selues in such sort as wee forget not other folks and specially let vs beare in minde that our vnthankfulnesse will defile all our good fare if wee acknowledge not God to bee the giuer of all thinges vnto vs. Wee heare what our Lorde Iesus Christ saide to the hypocrites that tooke greate paines to make clean their vesselles that there might bee no spotte in them Mat. 13.23 â—5 26 Make cleane the insides of them too quoth hee And afterwarde hee addeth that the right way for men to make themselues cleane is to giue to the poore and not to busie themselues about a sort of pelting trifles as the worlde doeth continually who thinke to dally with God and woulde giue him rittlerattles to play with as if hee were a babe but they cannot beguile him so Therefore according to Iesus Christes exhortation if wee meane that the meates which we take shoulde be sanctified vnto vs let vs looke that God bee honoured by them and let vs beare well in minde howe it is of his onely freegoodnesse that wee bee nourished by them And forasmuch as wee can neither doe him good nor harme neither hath hee neede of any thing let vs shewe our good will towardes his poore seruauntes For they bee his bailifes whome hee sendeth to vs to receiue the fines and other dueties that wee owe him for all his benefites Thus yee see in effect what wee haue to gather vppon that saying Nowe it is saide further that if the people doe the thinges that are right and iust before God they shal bee blessed both they and their children Hereby wee bee still warned that if wee will direct our life aright wee must not followe our owne good intents as they cal them but hearken what God sayth vnto vs and rest simplie vppon his will as shal be declared more at large to morrowe by Gods will Neuerthelesse Moses warneth the people here as he doth in manie other places y t they must not demeane themselues after their owne fancies but in any wise giue eare vnto God If thou doe that which is good and righteous saieth he And in whose sight In the sight of men True it is that we ought to liue in such sort as wee giue no cause of offence to any bodie so as if any speake euil of vs they may haue their mouthes stopped But yet must not men bee made iudges of their liues that authoritie must bee reserued vnto GOD. And that is the cause why the scripture meaning to betoken an angelicall perfection saieth that such a man hath walked before God For if wee shoulde fashion our selues after the worlde what a thing were it Wee see howe the greatest multitude liue out of all order and so shoulde wee make euill custome a Lawe When whoredome drunkennesse outrage violence and blasphemie reigned wee woulde beare our selues in hande that such thinges were permitted vs. And why Because they be growen into custome Nowe therefore if wee shoulde followe the guise of the worlde wee should bee caried quite away Againe euen they that pretende to bee fullest of deuotion may chaunce to vse some pelting trash and baggage in the seruing of God they may happe to make a number of geugawes and rifferaffe but all such thinges are nothing worth they bee but flatte mockerie So then it behoueth vs to walke before God although wee see thinges vtterly out of order and all brought to confusion yet must wee holde the right way still which GOD sheweth vnto vs. If wee see men goe astray and deuise neuer so many fonde deuotions let vs leaue all such thinges and be contented to follow Gods ordinance Surely although the worlde like neuer so well of our doings yet shall wee not faile to bee condemned but if God allowe of vs then haue wee a good warrant As for example because that nowadayes wee vse not the gewgawes of the Papists we haue not any puppets here wee haue no decking of altars wee haue no tapers nor such other stuffe they laugh our plaine dealing to scorne and they thinke there is no seruing of GOD among vs. But howsoeuer wee fare wee haue heere a good recorde which is that wee doe the thinges that are good in the sight of our God And it is not for once onely that Moses
God and to yeelde him obedience his worde must beare the whole sway so as wee submit our selues wholy vnto it Marke that for one point Againe whereas Moses sayth This day it is a summoning of the people to follow without delay when God calleth them For is it a small matter that God communicateth himselfe so familiarly vnto vs Then is it not for vs to require space to deliberate but as soone as God openeth his mouth by and by wee must giue eare to him and bee conformable to his worde out of hand without delay by submitting our selues thereunto And not onely this place serueth to warne vs how forward wee ought to bee to followe his Lawe but also wee heare how it is sayd in the Psalme To day if you heare his voyce Psal. 95.8 so that our Lord generally meaneth that as soone as men heare him speake they should by and by followe his saying and fashion themselues thereafter And the Apostle in the third Chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrewes Hebr. 3.13 4.7 sheweth vs what is meant by this worde To day Namely the very same times wherein our Lord is so gracious as to send vs his worde whatsoeuer these times bee Therefore let vs not delay till to morrowe for it were too great a mockerie and it may bee that the gate shall be shut against vs. Seeing then that God speaketh vnto vs to day let vs giue eare vnto him readily and without any delay That is the thing which wee haue to beare in minde And therefore when we come to a Sermon or reade the holy scripture by our selues as soone as wee haue heard a sentence let vs enter into our owne consciences and if wee finde any sloth there let vs waken and quicken vp our selues and thinke thus what It is no dalying with god in this case it is not for vs to defer to come vnto him when hee calleth vs but wee must answere him with such readynesse as the thing that is commaunded vs here by Moses may bee performed so as wee burie not Gods word ne suffer it to hang in the hooke but receiue it into our heartes at the first that it may take good roote there and bring forth fruite Thus yee see what wee haue to marke vppon this worde This day or To day Now let vs proceede to that which Moses addeth Without adding aught to it sayth hee or without taking aught from it And this is an excellent text to shewe vs how mens lyues may be well ordered I haue tolde you before that it is a good tryall of our subiection vnto God when wee receiue his worde and that his commaundements beare such sway with vs as wee bowe downe our neckes to receiue the yoke that he layeth vppon them But that were not sufficient vnlesse wee had that which Moses addeth here which is that it is not lawfull for vs to adde any whit to y e thinges y t God commaundeth nor to take any whit from them as the Papistes doe in these dayes who beare theÌ„selues in hand that they cannot doe amisse in mingling their owne follies with Gods word And why so For wee doe as GOD commaundeth vs say they Wee deny not but that wee ought to keepe God Lawes but what harme is it for vs to doe more If we vse some deuotion of ouerplus will not God take it in good worth If I doe more than I am bounde to doe why should not God accept it in good part I may well doe whatsoeuer hee appointeth yea I will adde somewhat more to serue him withall When the Papistes get such a shrowdingsheet they beare theÌ„selues in hande that all their matters goe very well but in the meane while they consider not y t God will haue none to be counted wise but himselfe nor none to haue the authoritie to bee our Lawegiuer but himselfe The Papistes then doe blaspheme GOD two wayes first in taking vppon them to bee holyer than hee would haue them to bee For when wee deuise meanes of our owne head to please God withall after that fashion it is all one as if hee had not bin well aduised in the matter Behold God sayth that all our wisedome must consist in hearkening vnto him Deut. 4.6 10.12 Wee haue seene it in the fourth chapter also in y e tenth where it is sayd O Israell what is it that thy God commaundeth thee but only to sticke to him to be wholy his Hereby wee see how it was Gods intent to comprise y t summe of al holynesse and righteousnesse in his Lawe so as it is a full perfection whereunto nothing can bee added Neuerthelesse men thinke and suppose that they themselues can doe yet much better And what is that to say Is it not a blaming of God as who should say hee had forgotten himselfe and foresawe not all thinges Verily that is a cursed and diuelish blasphemie Therefore let not the Papistes boast of their seruing of God for the diuell is their founder and God disauoweth all that euer they doe For hee may alwayes reply against theÌ„ and say Who required these things at your handes And not without cause for their so doing is all one as if they charged God with enuy towardes men as who would say he had not faithfully taught them all thinges that were for their behoofe to doe And I pray you is that blasphemie tollerable But there is yet another point which I glanced at For those two may bee put both into one The other point then is that they vtterly deface the souereigne dominion that God hath ouer vs. For thus doe they alledge Very well God hath ordeyned by his lawe that we should keepe his commaundementes Statutes and Ordinances but yet is it not amisse to adde moreouer what I my selfe would haue done But if a priuate person shoulde fall to mingling of the inuentions of his owne braine with the statutes that are set foorth by publike authoritie shoulde he not trouble the whole order of the Common weale And as for such as took part w t him shold they not shewe theÌ„selues to bee rebels to their superiors Esa. 33.12 Now our Lord saith by his prophet Esay y t he himselfe wil be knowen to be our onely lawgiuer That is a title which he châ—lendgeth to himselfe Seeing then that God will bee our onely Lawmaker what shal we say when men doe thrust themselues into his place Is it not more than to confounde heauen and earth together And surely Saint Iames expresseth yet better the same thing that was sayd by the Prophet Esay Iam. 4.4.12 For he sayth that there is but onely one Lawegiuer which is able to saue and condemne When men are set vp in state and authoritie of making Lawes to gouerne our soules by I meane as touching the spiritual gouernenment for wee treate not here of ciuill Lawes but of the seruing of God when men I say are so highly exalted
estimation by setting a faire face and countenaunce vppon the matter And therefore let vs marke in feawe wordes that Gods word ought to serue vs to dubble purpose First to teach vs his will that wee may submit our selues simply vnto it so that when wee haue the grace giuen vs to haue the doctrine purely taught vs then euery of vs should agree thereunto and hearken to the voyce of our sheepheard and followe whatsoeuer is tolde vs without gainesaying The thing which wee must doe when wee haue order in the Church so as there be no sectes nor troubles in it but Gods trueth is purely preached is that there must bee true concorde and brotherly loue among vs to answere our God all with one hart and one mouth that his trueth may be aduaunced among vs. The second vse thereof is that when it falleth out that Satan indeuoreth to turne vs away and there spring vp heresies false doctrines and errors among vs wee must withstand all such things and shew that Gods trueth is strong enough to hold vs still vnto him according to my former saying that our faith must get the vpper hand of all the world so as wee bee starke deafe in hearkening to any of all the wiles that are put to vs to intice vs from GOD and his pure trueth Thus yee see in effect what is told vs in this text And let vs marke well Moseses maner of speache If a prophet steppe vp among you sayth he Hereby hee sheweth that wee must not onely withstand the open enemies that fight against Gods word and pretend not at all to bee of his flocke or to haue any partnership or neighborhoode with vs but also resist our homebred battels insomuch that if there rise vp any deceiuer among our selues that is to say if any such as maketh pretence to be of the fellowship of the faithfull and to be as it were of the very household of faith step vp we must not bee troubled at it out of measure And that is well worthie to be noted for if the christian faith be impugned by the wicked which pretend not to come vnto God as by the Turkes Paynims and Iewes so as they blaspheme with open mouth forasmuch as they be vtterly cut off from the Church lyke rotten members their resisting of the Gospell and their striuing to abolishe the Christian religion is no great woonder to vs. For why Wee be as it were hardened with such examples Therfore when the opē enemies set themselues against God his word it is a tēptation that will easily bee ouercome But when those that are knitte vnto vs and are as it were of our owne bodie doe fall to tearing of the vnitie of our faith in peeces to peruert Gods trueth and to marre it in such wise as it shoulde bee disfigured that is such a perplexitie and griefe to vs as wee wote not where to become And that is the thing that troubleth so many simple folkes nowadayes What shall wee doe say they For wee see so much disputing in the Church and so greate diuersitie of opinions that it were better to aske no question of any thing insomuch that a great number become carelesse for feare to bee intangled in wicked matters and to bee beguyled and therefore they let all alone and will not in any wise come neere vnto God Wee see a greate sorte of men of that stampe Othersome let loose the raynes of the brydle and take libertie to maintaine one while one mans saying and another while another mans and are neuer fully persuaded of any thing but are in one mynde to day and in another minde to morrowe and chaunge at euery minute of an houre Wee see a number of wild heades nowadayes which haue no stay at all but thinke that all thinges are lawfull And why For I see there are diuerse opinions say they But such men do shewe that they neuer tasted what Gods trueth is The first sort doe well bewray a cursed vnbeleefe For our Lorde promiseth that such as seeke him with a lowly heart shall not be disappointed but hee will shewe him selfe to them Esa. 45.19 Matt. 7.7 Luke 11.19 Let vs knocke and the doore shal be opened If wee desire reuerently to be guided by God surely he will not faile vs. Let vs distrust our owne infirmitie and rudenesse and our Lorde will give vs the spirite of discretion so as wee shall not bee beguyled To be short this saying of Saint Paul which I haue alleaged alreadie heretofore shall euer be perfourmed ◠Cor. 11.19 namely that heresies shall turne to the true tryall of our faith and not bee able to ouerthrowe it For as touching those that are so fleeting without cause they shewe that there was nothing in them but a false pretence and that they did but play the hypocrites in making a countenance to sticke to Gods trueth for had they beene well rooted in it as I sayde they woulde haue continued stedfast in it still To conclude let such examples prouoke vs to put this lesson the better in vre And when wee see the troubles that are nowadays in the world let vs not be ouercome by them neither let our faith be defaced But the more the diuel laboureth and inforceth himselfe to vndo it the more let it aduaunce it selfe and get the vpper hande of such assaultes And when wee see false prophets step vp among vs let vs not ceasse to yeeld this honour still to God that wee hold our selues to his word and start not from it by any means And very necessitie constraines vs to it in these dayes because wee see that such as call themselues Christians and take that title most vppon them are the worst enemies of God that a man can finde For the Turkes Iewes are not more fierie and venemous at this day against God to deface the whole doctrine of saluation than are the Papistes And therefore let vs arme our selues with the warning that is giuen vs heere which is that when wee see false prophets step vp in the sheepefold and in the middes of Gods house yet notwithstanding wee must not faile to hold on stil nor make a stumbling blocke of it to step aside or start away but ouergo it through the power of faith Yea and to come yet neerer the matter when wee see these varlets that had pretended to be at oddes with the Papistes and had mingled themselues among vs do thereupō fall to inuenting of false opinions let vs not bee ouermuch amazed for all that True it is that wee be not senselesse that we haue neede to be waked but yet must wee alwayes conclude thus with our selues How nowe Our Lord hath beene so gratious to vs as to open his owne holy mouth to giue vs the certeintie of faith by his Gospel and shall wee nowe turne away at euery push After that manner say I must wee withstande all the temptations that may befall vs when deceiuers
let vs be throughly perswaded in our selues that if we will prosper the onely blessing of God must suffice vs though wee haue not all things at wil. When we haue taken neuer so much paines yet must we not trust in the strength of our owne hands nor bee so blinded with fonde presumption as to say I am an able man I am politike can take paines But let euerie man referre himselfe to God knowing that it is he which giueth him sustenance And although I take neuer so much paines to get my liuing yet must I haue it at his hand and when I haue asked my ordinarie breade to day I must doe the like to morrow too and yeeld my selfe to the wil of him that giueth it mee Thus much concerning the first point where mentioÌ„ is made of Gods blessing of the workes of mens hands And therewithall let vs call to minde what hath beene declared therof more at large heretofore where our Lorde willeth men to consider how it is onely hee that beareth the sway in making our labours to prosper Let that serue for one point And nowe let vs come to the seconde point which is that if wee desire to bee partakers of Gods blessing we must first yeeld him his right for if he be defrauded of it he wil reuenge it vpon vs. 〈◊〉 3.8 â—â— And that is the cause why hee saith by his Prophet Do ye complaine that ye be afflicted Consider the cause saith hee Yee haue defrauded mee Whereof Of my Tythes Firstfruites and all other thinges Yee beare your selues in hande that yee increase your selues greatly by robbing of mee and that ye gaine much by defrauding mee of my right The people of Israel were so wirlesse that they stole the tythes or if they tythed they did it but by halues and likewise of their firstfruits in steede of making good fulsome sheaues and bundels vnto God they gelded them and made them verie thinne and lanke and yet these miserable wretches bare themselues in hande that they benefited themselues greatly by laying vp some little quantitie more than they ought to haue done Contrariwise our Lorde saieth vnto them Goe to sirs shoulde yee haue either tithes or firstfruites or any croppe at all but by my blessing And think ye that your filching away of any of y e things that belong to me shall boote you No no ye must needes be wasted and dye for hunger by reason of your vnthankfulnesse Therefore let vs learne to yeelde God the things which he reserueth to himselfe and then will hee blesse vs. As howe When we bee to be sustained the firstfruits that God requireth of vs are that we should waite vpon him and sue to his meere gracious goodnesse for all thinges requisite to the maintenance of this flightfull life And afterward when he hath giuen vs whereon to liue we must vse the same soberly that our life being ruled after that fashion may be as another sacrifice to him and consequently that we giue our neighbours part with vs. Let such as haue wherewith imparte to the poore that want and let euerie man beware that he filch away none other mens goods and let vs bee contented with our competent foode and raiment as God listeth to bestowe vpoÌ„ vs and in so doing we shal be blessed at his hand But what Our distrustfulnesse our excesse and our vnsatiable lusts cause God to withdrawe his blessing from vs and that we are as it were dried vp Also it is seene that in steade of going forwarde we goe backeward and what doe wee thereupon Such as haue plentie can no skil to vse it according to Gods ordinance and to bee thankfull to him for the abundance which hee sendeth them but they woulde still haue more more O say they this is not ynough for me though it be ynough for me yet it is not inough for my children And so wee fall to gathering of more more But to consider how we come by it and whether it bee lawfull before God or no we neuer hearken after it we goe to it by hooke and by crooke and wee neuer thinke that wee shall come to a reckening for it before God To this point I say are we come nowadayes And therefore it is no wonder though wee feele no blessing of God but that wee bee faine to be set besides it Againe we may see hereby how colde and faint our prayers are for our asking of our daily breade at Gods hand is but from the teeth outwarde and therefore it is good reason that wee shoulde receiue as skant and slender frute as appeareth that we do Wherfore let vs mark that if wee intende to feele Gods blessing and that hee should continue the same towardes vs wee must offer vp our selues in sacrifice and all that euer hee giueth vs so as all may be wholly dedicated vnto him And when wee see the vse that he alloweth of let euery of vs behaue himselfe thereafter that God may be glorified by vs as his intent is to be Nowe let vs kneele downe in the presence of our good God with acknowledgement of our faultes praying him to graunt vs the grace to come to him with humilitie sorie for prouoking him so many wayes as wee doe without ceasing and to vouchsafe so to burie our offences as wee preace into the presence of his maiestie by meanes of our Lorde Iesus Christ to bee guided by his holy spirit and to be confirmed more and more in this that hee holdeth and auoweth vs for his children That it may please him to graunt this grace not onely to vs but also to all people and Nations of the earth c. On Fryday the xxv of October 1555. The XCiij Sermon which is the first vpon the fifteenth Chapter AT the terme of seuen yeares thou shalt make a yeare of Freedome 2 And the maner of the freedome shal be after this sort Euerie creditor shall release the debt of his hande which he hath lent vnto his neighbour and he shall not constreine his neighbour nor his brother for it is called the yeare of the Lords release 3 Thou maist compell a straunger but as for thy brother forgiue him 4 In any wise let there bee no poore bodie among you for the Lorde will blesse thee in the Lande which the Lorde thy God giueth thee for an heritage to possesse 5 Yea if thou obey the voice of the Lord thy God in keeping and performing all his commaundements which I commaunde thee this day 6 For the Lord thy God will blesse thee as he hath promised so as thou shalt lende vnto manie folke and not borrow of any Thou shalt reigne ouer many Nations and they shall not reigne ouer thee WE haue here a Lawe for the releasing of such as were indetted Now wee knowe that GOD gouerned y e Iewes according to their owne rudenes insomuch that he graunted them a tolleration in many thinges because they were a people
Ezechiel where our Lorde speaketh precisely of y e day of rest also in y t xvii Chapter of Ieremie Yea he speaketh in such wise of it as though all his seruice cōsisted therein And why is that Because y t on the day of rest hee called y e people to himself as if he should say know me let me be worshipped let euery man giue his minde to consider my goodnesse my Iustice my wisedome my power And therewithall rest your selues in me and let euery of you forbeare his owne will and his owne lykinges that yee may be as it were subiected vnder my yoke and I gouerne you We see then y t the day of rest was as y e principal seruice of God Now forasmuch as mē cānot acquaint thēselues w t the dooing of good to their neighbors nor wil willingly giue ouer their right whē they haue thē at a vātage can hardly be drawen to doe so much as they ought to do Therefore doth our Lord set this before them here and say such as release their bondseruantes doe me acceptable seruice whereof I giue them the day of rest for a signe sure token Seeing then that I set betweene you and me this token warrant know ye y t your giuing of release to your bondseruantes is by mine authoritie so as I am among you ouerrule you in that act and your dooing of it is for my sake Though yee haue no regard of men because yee thinke yee should not owe them so much seruice at leastwise yet consider how much you be bound to me Thus ye see now to what end the seuenth yeere was assigned Sixe yeeres sayth hee shall they serue you the seuenth yeere you shal let them goe And he contenteth not himselfe with the onely releasing of the bond seruantes but he will also haue men to giue them somewhat wherew t to set vp their trade And not without cause For euen the heathen themselues at y e same time in which I tolde you Cicero in his first booke of Dueties y t that bondage was most rife could skil to say that they were not to be vsed as bondseruants but as hirelinges y t is to say after y e maner of our seruants y t take wages by y e yeere at this day Is it not a great shame y t the heathē both Greekes and Latins could speake after this fashion we haue bondslaues we may vse thē as Oxen Asses but that is vilanous it is out of all order therefore albeit that it be lawful for vs by the ciuill Lawes yet is it against all humanitie we ought to haue another regard As how Surely we must vse thē as though they were freemen whom we hyred for wages If y e blind wretches spake so perceiued that this kinde of vpright dealing was requisite what shall become of vs Verily God hath punished such as haue dealt roughly with them For it was lawfull for a Maister in olde time to kill his bondseruant he needed not to aske leaue of y e Magistrate to put his seruāt to torture but he might teare him in peeces one mēber from another yea euen at home in his own priuate house when his Maister had so murthered him no man sought Iustice or reformation of it True it is y t in the ende men were forbidden to kill thē w tout examination of their case but yet had y e Maisters alwayes y t authoritie stil. And because they abused it God payed thē home with the lyke againe so as they had a common prouerb among thē That looke how many bondseruantes a man had at home so many enemies had he Also they could well skill to cōdemne thēselues saying they bee not enemies borne but we make them our enemies by our crueltie Seeing then y t the heathē knew thus much it was requisite y t there shold be some greater mieldnesse humanitie among gods people y t were chosen of a singular priuiledge That is y e cause why God sayd expresly y t they should bee helped at their departing from their houses in y e seuenth yeere For if a poore man be sent away stark naked now then he had leuer to continue a slaue stil thā to goe seeke what shal betide him he wot not where A poore man that hath not much to take to can finde in his hart to take paynes so he may haue meat drinke hee is at a poynt Thereupon he taketh paines in his Maisters house Now if his Maister driue him out of his doores say get thee hence He may cry alas what shal become of me I haue not a bit of bread to eat I haue no lodging I wote not where to become This sending away of their seruants naked was an indirect means to hold thē in bōdage still For this cause our Lord sayth whē ye haue bin serued by y e space of six yeeres by those y t are your brethrē giue thē somewhat in recōpēce of their seruice according to your abilitie Again to y e end y t men should be y e willinger to such liberalitie Look into your stables saith he into storehouses into your garners Because men are alwayes repining here God falleth to making of an Inuentorie O sayes one I haue not so much to giue what wote I whether I my selfe shall want or no Our Lorde therefore maketh an Inuentorie to discusse y e matter saying What Cannot he which hath Corne in his garner giue to him y t hath serued him whose bloud he hath drawen in making him to labor for him Ought he not at leastwise to haue an eye to the corne y t is in his garner He hath husbanded his ground he hath tilled it he hath toyled himselfe about it is it not reason y t he should feele some sweetenesse fruite of it Besides this he goeth to his winepresse to his stalles as if he shoulde say let euery man see what hee hath for according to your abilitie you be bound to recōpence them y t haue trauelled for you haue bin y e instrumentes of such blessinges For if we thanke God w t our mouthes confessing y t it is he which hath blessed vs in y e meane while make none account of such as he hath sent to doe vs seruice in y e increase of our liuing by taking paynes and toyle for vs all our thanking of him is but liplabor vtter hypocrisie Thus ye see in effect what we haue to marke vppon this text This law is set down lykewise in y e xxi Chapter of Exodus Notwithstanding although God had spoken of it after y t fashiō yet was y e thing ill obserued which he commaundeth here And hereby we see how malitious hardhearted yea and wilfull stubborne y e Iewes were For at such times as God punished them they were driuē to resorte vnto him whether they would or no they
him for fashions sake but in deede make none account of him so as we should make a faire face of it to the worldewarde and in the meane while foster some secret poyson within but that we come right foorth to our God as he commaundeth vs. Thus ye see in effect what we haue to remember vpon this sentence of Moseses where hee speaketh of the firstborne Besides this our Lords meaning was that the first borne should be valued at a summe of mony as well of the cattell as of other things so as the thing that was alwayes aimed at was the mindefulnesse of Gods benefites But as concerning these things we will not enter into them as now for this text requireth it not neither doth y e time serue for it It sufficeth vs in fewe words to know that our Lordes meaning heere is that when we haue receiued any gratious good turne or that he hath bestowed any benefit vpon vs the remēbrance thereof should continue with vs not for a day or two but for euer and that the fathers should tell their children the same to the ende that he may be honored among vs for euermore Finally let vs not offer beastes vnto him in sacrifice as they did vnder the Lawe as appeareth by this figure but let vs assure our selues that y e acceptable sacrifice which God requireth is the offering of ourselues vnto him both in bodie and soule Rom. 〈…〉 1. Cor. 〈…〉 so as our whole seeking may be to be guyded and gouerned altogether by his holy spirite and that all that euer wee haue be dedicated to his seruice and applyed to the vse which he hath shewed vs that he may be glorified in all points Nowe let vs fall downe in the presence of our good God with acknowledgement of our faultes praying him to make vs feele them better and that seeing there is nothing in vs but all manner of frowardnesse leaudnes we may seeke to be renued in such sort that as long as we liue in this mortal life our whole seking may be to be guided to the happie ende which we looke for in heauē and y t in the meane time we may liue after such a sorte in this worlde as he may be glorified in vs and that whē it shall please him to take vs hence wee may yeelde our selues obediently into his handes assuring ourselues y t sith he sheweth him selfe so gratious and liberall towardes vs as to gouerne vs in this transitorie life of his goodnes giueth vs al things behoouefull necessary wee neede not to doubt but that he will make vs to attaine to the perfection of the thinges which are nowe hidden which shall not bee opened vnto vs vntill the comming of our Lorde Iesus Christ. 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 fifth of Nouember 1555. The XCvij Sermon which is the first vpon the sixteenth Chapter THou shalt keepe the moneth of new fruites that thou maiest keepe Passeouer to the Lorde thy God For in the moneth of new fruites the Lorde thy God brought thee out of the Lande of Egypt 2 And thou shalt sacrifice the Passeouer to the Lorde thy GOD euen Sheepe and Oxen in the place which the Lorde thy GOD will choose to put his name therein 3 Thou shalt eate no leauen breade in that feast Seuen dayes shalt thou eate vnleauened bread euen the bread of sorowe For thou camest in haste out of the Lande of Egypt to the ende thou be mindefull of the day of thy departing out of the Lande of Egypt all the dayes of thy life 4 And there shal no leauen be seene in thy house during the seuen daies in all thy coastes Also ye shall not leaue of the fleshe that is sacrificed from the euening of the former day till the next morning THis present chapter treateth of the three feasts which God ordeined among the Iewes that is to wit the feast of Easter or passouer y e feast of Pentecost or Whitsontide the feast of Tabernacles or Tentes First hee treateth of the Passeouer God ordeineth that it should be diligently obserued for it was a memorial of great importance whereby the people were put in mind how they had beene redeemed put in possession of the inheritance that had bin promised vnto them It was behoouefull that y e same should be knowen for it was the fundation of all the benefits which the Iewes had receiued at Gods hande which they looked for afterwarde Without that they had bin no people separated dedicated to god neither had they had any hope of saluation for the couenāt made with their fathers had bin disfeated Therefore is it not without cause that God would haue that day kept holy with such ceremonie In like case was it with the feast of Tabernacles as wee shall see heereafter For it serued to put the Iewes in minde of their going out of Egypt and that whereas they had dwelt long time in the wildernesse without house or home and yet God had euer preserued them it behooued them likewise to acknowledge y e same benefite But we will treate of euery feast in his dewe order Presently we haue to speake of the passeouer But before I go any further we must marke also that God respected not only what he had done already but also ment therewithall there should be a figure of thinges to come whereof we haue now the trueth substance since the time y t our lord Iesus Christ hath bin discouered to y e world That is the cause why S. Paul telleth y e Colossians y t these thinges were but shadowes Col. 2 17. y e body wherof is in Christ Iesus True it is y t he speaketh not there expresly of Easter day by name but yet vnder the name of Sabbat he comprehendeth all the feastes likewise al the Ceremonies that depended vpon thē To be short God had a double respect in ordeining the day of the Passeouer The one was to do the people of Israel to vnderstand y t they came not into possession of y e Land of Chanaan by their own power but y t they had bin led in thither by the hande of God And because they had bin deliuered by miracle out of y e land of Egypt Gods wil was y t the same should be declared Againe forasmuch as the same deliuerance was a figure of the deliueraunce y t was to be hoped for by our Lorde Iesus Christ this feast of Passeouer extēded yet further y t is to wit y t whē the people ate of the pascal Lamb as they called it they should thinke thus with thēselues This is a shadow figure of the Sacrifice which shal be once offered vp wherby the world shal be reconciled set free And although the thing were not yet apparant to the eye Yet behoueth it the
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 accouÌ„t of y e world nor to haue any loue vnto it but to seeke y e inheritance y t is aboue to coÌ„municate 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 notwithstaÌ„ding 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 theÌ„ce 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 â—â—od 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 〈◊〉 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 beloÌ„geth 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 Ierusalē 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 contēted 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
is some what more when he saith If the thing be reported vnto thee For therein wee haue to note that faultes cannot be punished among men vnlesse they come to knowledge Insomuch that a number of offenders escape the handes of worldly Iudges though they haue offended more foully than others and be worthy of great blame and that is because God hydeth their vnhonest dealings For there are sinnes which make hast to come to their condemnation 1. Tim. 5.24 which God thrusteth forward and there are othersome which linger and God keepeth them as close as if they were buried And hereby earthly Iudges are warned to be watchfull in serching out of thinges For inasmuch as they perceiue that after neuer so much paine taken in boulting out of matters which belong to their office to haue knowledge of yet a great sort of thinges doe scape vnseene they ought to bee so much the more diligent They cannot knowe all thinges and why for they be but men Yet notwithstanding for asmuch as God hath commaunded men to punish euill deedes as soone as they come to knowledge we must consider howe his meaning is that because nothing can be hidden from him therefore although men require nothing of vs nor make any inquisition or suite in Lawe against vs heere beneath yet must wee euer bee faine to come to account before him It is saide that an ydolater shall be punished for God hath commaunded him to bee stoned to death vppon knowledge that hee is such a one Nowe put the case that a man turne away from the purenesse of Religion and worshippe ydolles in secret In deede hee cannot be touched by order of Lawe neither shall hee abide iudgement for it But yet must hee thinke in the meane while that God will not suffer his eyes to be dazeled And therefore wee may gather vppon this text that our Lord reserueth al those faults to his owne iudgement which are not punished by ordinarie Iustice in this worlde Not that hee pardoneth not those which returne vnto him by true repentance but my meaning is of such as harden themselues in their hypocrisie and take occasion to growe worse and worse because they bee not reproued of their wicked deedes But yet let them not thinke they haue made the better market for all that For whereas God telleth the iudges of the earth that they ought to make diligent inquirie because hee himselfe hath no neede to do so he telleth vs that all faultes shall come before his iudgement seate and that the hypocrites may well shrowde themselues for a time but in the end they shal be rooted out and not without cause For as I haue touched afore thinke wee that God wil leaue his honour in the suddes Seeing it is his wil that euen men should be maintained in good reputation and that all outrages shoulde be punished what will he doe when the case concerneth his owne maiestie that his glorie is diminished by the malice of men Ought such dealing to scape vnpunished Wil God suffer himselfe to be mocked after that fashion It will bee alledged that all of vs haue beene ydolaters so we are al worthie of death And their saying so is as it were to stirre vp all men against God For the folke that make such replies seeke but to poyson mens heartes that Gods honour might bee lightly esteemed and that we might quarrell with him when wee feele our selues touched But first of al as I said afore we must mark y t our Lord speaketh here of y e punishing of ydolaters where order is stablished according to his word If God had not begunne at that ende his order had beene amisse But seeing hee hath shewed howe men ought to serue him and giue a sure rule thereof telling vs that we must simplie doe whatsoeuer hee commaundeth and seeing that both great and small are taught what God they ought to worshippe and which is the true Religion if a man or a woman doe afterward turne away and become forsworn and disloyal to God by stepping aside into the superstitions of y e heathen is there any excuse to be admitted in that case Then let vs marke wel that this Lawe was made at such time as God had alreadie stablished a Lawfull gouernement directed according to his owne word But wee haue all beene ydolaters As howe Euen by meanes of the horrible desolation y t happened through y e whole world as is to be seene yet still in the Popedome Had this lawe bin well obserued at the first Christendome had not bin so sore decayed For had they been punished which were the first ydolaters had falsified the Gospel and corrupted the purenesse which was at that time surely Gods order had bin maintained and preserued much better But what When hypocrites were once crept in which would needes seeme holier than all other men then inuented they many corruptions and the more they were born with the more did the mischiefe spread it selfe abroad so y t it became a poyson that vndoeth al. The cause then why the Church of God came to such desolation is that men haue not bin held in awe that the pure simplicitie of the Gospel might be maintained and God worshipped according to his word so as mē might not assay to deuise any thing of their own braine but that al men both great smal might be made to obey the doctrine which they knew already to be of God Had this bin done there had bin no such desolatiō as we see stil at this day And therfore let vs beare in mind y t Gods speaking here is but of such countries or Cities as haue had y e grace to haue y e true religion stablished amōg thē so as he is worshiped there they haue al consēted to admit y e order which is set by God therfore if any of thē do afterward turn away he deserueth to lose his life As for exāple wee haue now the light of the Gospel whereby our Lord holdeth vs bound vnto him to serue him to be his peculiar people Seeing thē y t his Religion is knowen vnto vs and that discipline is set vp among vs if any of vs hereafter turne away from it and giue himselfe to ydolatrie spiting God wilfully doeth hee not deserue punishment Yes For had a man committed any thing against the state and after his giuing of his othe to the Magistrate had broken it againe by doing some deede to the contrarie surely he shoulde be punished for his vnfaithfulnesse And what shal be doone then if men daly with God falsifying the faith which they haue giuen vnto him so as they confederate themselues with his deadly enemie Satan and with ydols which serue but to deface his glorie his maiestie and all his seruice So then if the skorners of our dayes replie that if ydolaters shoulde bee punished all of vs shoulde die the aunswere is easie namely that if the Lawe of God
to the expounding of Moseses wordes and it will suffice vs for thereuppon wee easily gather a lesson greatly to our behoofe The wordes are If a man that hath slaine his neighbour of prepensed malice and lying in waite for him doe get him into one of those fraunchised Cities Wherein wee see that the wicked doe alwayes seeke to abuse the thinges that are ordeyned for the succour of good men and are boldest in taking the benefite of them The Magistrats therefore must haue an eye thereunto and beware that the wicked abuse not the things that are graunted for the releefe of Gods children for that is too great a skorning of Lawes And it is not without cause that our Lorde speaketh of it heere for it sheweth that the like kinde of corrupt dealing hath beene in all ages and we must not maruell at it seeing that the world is not amended since but rather appaired Let vs looke well about vs therefore that if a man which hath committed any misdeede doe go about to hide himselfe or to scape away by some vndirect meanes it may not auaile him That is the thing which wee haue to marke in the first place And whereas it is said that the Iudges shall pull him away it serueth to shewe that it is not ynough for men to make good Lawes statutes but there must also be corage to execute them there must bee a stoute and constant minde in those that beare authoritie For although that Lawes be proclaimed by the sound of the trumpet and written of recorde with neuer so great solemnitie yet are they but deade and all is nothing worth except that they which sit in the seate of Iustice haue the constancie that our Lorde inioyneth heere and be stout in maintaining the things that are inacted that men may not laugh them to skorne as we see that the wicked sort do which make but a mocke at them If a Lawe haue once beene proclaimed they beare themselues in hande that it will be buried within three or foure dayes after Yee see then howe it is a good and profitable warning for all such as haue the sworde of iustice in hande to haue this stoutnesse of minde and constancie And for as much as it is not to be founde in men for it is a speciall vertue attributed to the spirite of God let such as are in office beseech God to strengthen them so as they may vse force of hande when neede requireth and not be afraide when they see such troubles as might abash them but stoutly withstande them yea and also outstande them That is one thing further which wee haue to marke vpon this place Now this thing is to be applyed likewise to y e instructing of euery of vs. I say let priuate persons also looke well to the repressing of euill doings and that with such stoutnesse that although they be threatned to put them in feare yet it may not turne them away from doing their dutie For what a thing were it if we should bee afraide at euery turne The lifting vp of a mans litle finger would scarre vs and though we were neuer so willing to doe our duetie yet if any mā stepped afore vs to turne vs from our purpose euery word of his mouth as I saide would bee ynough to put vs out of hart But the case concerneth the seruing of our God wherein we must ouercome all the assaults of Satan and all the impediments that the world can deuise Nowe if it behooue vs to fight so valiantly against Satan all his indeuors should we be afraide of men or stand in dreade of them Should they so scarre vs that we should leaue our God behind So thē to the intent we may do our duetie let vs learne to strengthen our selues And at one word it stādeth vs in hande to marke wel that no man shal euer discharge his duetie towardes God except he inforce himselfe and haue such a couragious constancie as may furmount al temptations and that is a thing greatly for our behoofe to marke For a hundred times a day shall we haue occasions to thrust vs out of the way we resist them full coldly Againe if we be to do any good wee make excuses and say I would faine do my duetie but I see such an impediment and by that meanes I am helde backe Because that they which are vnder the tyranny of the Pope in these dayes cannot haue leaue to doe well and to serue God purely without putting of their liues in hazard they beare themselues in hande that they bee discharged when they can make this excuse to say I woulde faine doe otherwise but I am not suffered to do it it shall neuer come to account before God And we neede not to go farre for proofe of the matter Euen here where there is no persecution to hinder the seruing of God but rather incoragement to men to do wel yet neuerthelesse wee haue many distresses For Satan is suttle ynough to finde euerie day newe inuentions to turne vs from the right way What remaineth then but to go to it with force and to doe our indeuour to serue our God in such wise that if we meete with any lets to turne vs aside they may bee ouercome by the constancie and corage that I spake of which it behoueth vs to require of the holy Ghost Furthermore let vs marke that the offender must bee deliuered into the hande of him that is to reuenge the bloudshedde or else of him that demaundeth iustice Whereby we may perceiue that God alloweth no priuate reuenges For wee knowe what rule is giuen vs in the holy scripture My brethren Rom. 12.19 saith S. Paul forbeare reuenge yea desire it not but put it altogether into the handes of the heauenly Iudge to whome it belongeth Matt. 5.44 Nay which more is wee bee commaunded to render good for euill to pray for them that curse vs to doe good to our enemies and to such as persecute vs. Sith it is so then wee must assure our selues and be fully resolued of it that our Lorde will haue our affections bridled so as we desire not any reuenge though cause thereof bee ministred but rather striue to ouercome the euill by doing good Lo whereunto God calleth vs. And why then is it saide heere that the offender shall bee put into the hande of him that requireth Iustice Let vs note that the Lawes which are made for ciuill or outwarde gouernement serue not to ouerrule mens affections they be things that go asunder Trueth it is that they bee not repugnant neither is there any contrarietie in them but we must haue the discretion to consider that when God spake as king of Israel and made statutes but for cōmon policie he respected not the spirituall perfection that is contained in the law which is our rule to all holinesse and righteousnesse A Iudge therefore may well agree to one that requireth Iustice at his hande
is that men should vse them so farre foorth with gentlenesse that they shoulde pitie the beastes which they employ to their vse and seruice For he that will shewe himselfe cruell towardes his horse or his Oxe will be the same towards his neighbour And men truely become hard hearted when they deale so cruelly with the beastes which God hath giuen into their handes to doe them seruice For if they shew their crueltie vpon the poore beastes which trauaile to their profit it is a sure signe that they are of a crabbed nature that they would haue no more compassion vpon reasonable creatures Yee see then what regard God had in making this Lawe Againe as I haue alreadie touched the ground cannot be so well plowed if the beastes be not matches for when there is not obserued a iust and equal proportion betweene them the labour can neuer proceede orderly But wee must returne backe alwaies to that which we haue touched namely that Gods will was y t his people should not giue themselues vnto straunge inuentions as we may see howe men alwayes runne this way and are greatly enclined thereunto By forbidding all manner of mingling he ment to traine vs vnto this point that is to wit that whereas God hath ordayned all thinges in this worlde to our vse and profit that wee shoulde looke to our selues to keepe such a measure therein that wee shoulde not mingle heauen and earth together nor make an hodgpodge of all thinges when wee employ Gods creatures to our vse And in very deede whereas he sayeth ye shall keepe my statutes it is to teach vs that he will haue vs to represse all such loose libertie of ours And although hee bound the Iewes more straitely by this commaundement than vs at these dayes yet this doctrine belongeth also vnto vs as shall bee heere anon more largely declared Let vs come nowe vnto the thirde Lawe which is set downe heere God forbiddeth the Iewes to cloth themselues with garmentes wouen of Linnen and Wollen Heere wee may better vnderstande that which wee haue alreadie touched namely that wee ought to keepe an order in thinges and to content vs with that playne simplicitie which God alloweth of so as wee take not ouer lawlesse leaue to confounde all thinges but consider to what ende euerie thing is ordayned Wee haue flaxe and hemp and such like thinges wel wee must apply euery of these thinges vnto our vse Againe we haue wooll to make vs garments and diuers other things When men vse stayednesse in these thinges their clothing of themselues with them putteth them in minde of Gods prouidence in that he hath more than a fatherlike care of them For haue we neede to be apparelled We haue a shert we haue a coate wee haue shoes We see it behold we haue leather to shoe vs we haue cloth to couer vs and farther for an ouerplus wee haue a shirt And Lord howe thou hast wel prouided for all Hereof are wee put in minde Nowe if men make a medlie of thinges surely they become beastes in so doing and Satan endeuoureth nothing more than to bleare our eyes to the intent wee shoulde make no account of this orderly differēce which God hath set in all partes of the world that wee might beholde therein his infinite wisedome which shyneth in all things and his soueraigne goodnesse whereby he sheweth and declareth himselfe our father Satans whole desire therefore is that all should be confused and that men should riotously waste things here belowe without any consideration that God hath forgottē nothing which might serue for their vses and necessities Let vs therefore marke diligently that when God forbad the Iewes to apparell themselues with wouen garmentes of diuers stuffes it was to the end they should apply all things to their proper vses and haue this regard of things to say Why hath God giuen this into our handes To what purpose must it serue vs So that men shoulde not be led with any excessiue curiositie but be contented to haue the naturall vse of things in such sort as God offereth them I haue told you heretofore that the bondage which is nowadayes is not such as was vnder the Lawe for wee haue greater libertie than the people which liued vnder it Gal. 4.2 whom God held as little children as Saint Paul sayth Nowe wee know that it is needefull that little children shoulde bee ordered with a more straite and as it were slauish gouernment And why Bicause their age will not yet suffer such libertie to bee yeelded vnto them as vnto others Yet neuerthelater that which men teach little children is to the intent they shoulde obserue and doe it when they come to mans state Their increasing in age deliuereth them in deede from the rodde and such other straitenesse but yet must they keepe still that honestie and those vertues also wherein they were trayned vp when they were but children Euen so although our Lorde Iesus Christ haue deliuered vs from so strayte a bonde as were the ceremonies of the lawe yet the substance thereof remaineth alwayes vnto vs and to be short we must beare in minde that God hath spokē those thinges vnto vs as well as vnto the Iewes although it be after an other manner for wee are now to gather that al confusions medlies displease him And why Because his wil is that wee shoulde vse those benefites which he bestoweth on vs soberly that wee shoulde not wander in our delightes nor mainteine any superfluities among vs. And therefore let vs not busie our heades with deuising of new inuētions to set all playne dealing aside to haue no other respect but to lay baytes for monie as in very deede all these fine deuices tend to none other end but to picke mens purses Oh see here a trimme inuention saith one by by fooles runne after it and emptie their purses by it If men would content themselues with plaine simplicitie euery man should spend lesse and bee contented also with lesse But when men goe once so astray there is no ho with them For hee that loueth to be talking of this new thing and y t new thing he must needes be corrupted in other thinges And this is an occasion of the enhauncing of wares and to make them more sleightly than else they would be if euery man walked simply and soundly in that behalfe And so ye see what wee haue at this day to gather vpon this place Truely the desires of men are so infinite and lyke gulfes and bottomlesse pittes that it would be a hard matter to gather all that might be said vpon this place neuerthelesse it behoueth vs to be put in minde thereof And againe when wee shall haue heard the thinges in generall which God meant to teach vs here euery of vs must afterward fall to the putting thereof in practise and expresse the same particularly in our deeds according to y e obiects that is to say occasions which
that euery of vs did discharge himselfe of his duetie But forasmuch as men are so peruerse and wicked that the rich seeke nothing but to deceiue the poore to deuour their sustenance the labor of their hands it was needefull that he should prouide some remedie against them And this is the way for vs to fare the better by that which appertaineth to the ordering of our life Oftentimes when we reade of any admonition in the holy scripture we are of opinion that it is superfluous For why Wee haue no consideration of the cause which moued God to cōmand this or that to wit that forasmuch as he seeth y e vices which are lurking in vs he meaneth to correct them Wee must therefore examine ourselues and that will teach vs that God exhorteth vs not in vaine to do that which is our duetie For albeit we know well ynough what men say vnto vs and euery of vs can confesse that the things which are sayd are true yet is it not ynough for vs to haue the reasonablenes and rightfulnesse of y e thing proued vnto vs vnlesse wee be also inforced to followe that which we knowe to be iust and acceptable vnto God Nowe whereas it is sayde that a man shall not withholde the hyre of a poore man it is all one as if God in generall did shewe that men ought to deale vprightly by all kinde of curtisie with those which are poore and employ themselues to doe vs seruice And hee speaketh expresly of the poore because there is no pitie in this case towardes the rich man for if we owe him anie thing he may tarrie for it he is not so hastie to haue his monney payde him from day to day a man shal not be so soudainly pressed to giue him his payment In deede we ought not to tarry til we be plucked by the eares to pay that which we owe. That is alwaies to be condemned and we excuse ourselues vainely if we say this man is aforehande he hath no great neede I may therefore withholde that which is his But I speake of the precise houre of payment when a man is contented that I shall deferre the payment of my dette from this day vntil to morow If I offer to pay him he will aunswere me I shal haue it time ynough And why He knoweth that I am readie to paye him any day and as for himselfe hee hath no such hast but hee can well staye But a poore man hauing trauailed the whole day hath nothing to eate but what he getteth by his labor what crueltie then were it if I when I haue had a mans sweat and labour will for all that withholde from him his dayes hyre And therefore this reason is expresly added for he sustaineth his soule therwith or he easeth his soule thereby For y e word which Moses vseth may be so expounded that is that a poore man hath an eye alwayes vnto his labour Like as the rich man which is well furnished with al plentie and hath his garners and his sellars full resteth himselfe thereon so a poore man which hath neither reuenewes nor inheritaunce turneth his soule that is to say his heart vnto that which he maketh reckening to get and sayth wel I haue traiuailed I shall haue at leastwise asmuch as wil finde mee to day to morrowe I will returne againe to my labour and I will get more towards my meate and drinke The poore folke haue their minds set vpon that not that we must haue such an eye to our owne trauaile and labour as if it were that alone whereby wee are sustained and not rather the blessing of God for we haue seene what God hath sayde to the contrarie in the eight chapter of this booke Deut. 8.17 namely that we must take heede that wee darken not the grace and fauour of God by persuading ourselues that we haue done this or that Men therefore must attribute nothing vnto themselues Howebeit Moses in this place hath meant no other thing but that the meanes whereby poore folke are sustained in their trauaile all their goods rents and landes is the labour of their handes Seeing it is so that they haue no farther abundance and that God hath as it were locked them vp in such necessitie is it reason that a man shoulde depriue them of the fruite of their labour If one spoyle a mans corne fielde if hee mowe downe the grasse of his medowe or if hee make an hauocke of all the whole worlde will cry out vpon him for a murderer And yet it is a more hainous crime to haue deceiued a poore man of the labour of his handes For he hath as I tolde you no other landes nor inheritaunce and besides that he spareth neither his labor nor his bloud to get his liuing This reason therefore ought to wey well with vs in this case of rendring hire vnto them which haue serued vs. And let vs note by the way that God meant here to commaund generally all maner of kindnesse towardes poore folke For if I constraine a poore man to labour for me and I will pay him but by halfes doubtles I defraude him of his labour If I couenaunt with one to serue me well sayth he you shall pay me thus much for my dayes worke but in the ende I cutte his hyre so short that the poore man after he hath done all hee was able shall not haue wherewith to feede himselfe For why I wil see This man here must needes labour he hath not else whereon to liue and hee must needes passe through my handes therefore I will haue him for what I list After that maner do the rich behaue themselues often times in this behalfe they espie some occasions or other to the intent they may cut off the one halfe of the poore mans wages when he knoweth not what to set himselfe about The poore folke offer themselues to labour they desire but to get their liuing if they could tell where Hereupon ye shall haue a rich man say this fellowe is out of money and out of worke I may hire him now for a morsell of bread For he must yeelde vnto mee spyte of his teeth I will giue him but halfe wages and he shal be glad and fain of that therefore when we vse such rigour although we haue not withheld their hyre yet is it a point of crueltie and we haue defrauded the poore and this cloke of paying the money the same day wil stande vs in no steede before God For it is to be knowen whether the poore man be cōtented or no. When a rich man hath wares to sell and one comes vnto him for them he will say you shall not haue them for any lesse And why His wares diminish not in his shoppe But if there be a poore man which liueth frō hand to mouth and hath neither pennie nor halfe pennie in his purse he shal be forced to sel his ware for nought
am readie to couenant with you onely be you likewise disposed on your side When wee haue such a neare accesse vnto God and he acquainteth himselfe so with vs and woulde haue vs so ioyned vnto him are wee not voyde of al sense and reason if this doe not moue vs yea and inflame our heartes to giue our selues wholly ouer vnto God who vseth such so incredible gentlenesse towardes vs So then it is not without cause that Moses sayeth in this place This daye the Lorde thy God hath made thee to giue thy worde that is to saye hee hath made thee to couenant with him that thou wilt bee his people and thou hast made him to couenant with thee that hee will bee thy God Thou hast this libertie or rather this priuiledge to speake with thy God Goe to then let vs couenant togither let vs haue our mouthes open to demaunde and to aske seeing our Lorde stoopeth so lowe vnto vs. It is verie true that hee can owe vs nothing but yet neuerthelesse of his meere liberalitie hee will haue vs to aske him that wee may bee his hee will haue vs to require him that hee may bee our God and we his inheritance hee our King and we his people wee his children and hee our father Seeing then that wee may come so farre ought not the great pitifulnesse which our Lorde sheweth vnto vs to make vs ashamed What a shame were it if wee shoulde remaine so blockish as to bee nothing at all mooued after that God hath so allured vs and after that hee hath so preuented vs afore hande with his infinite goodnesse Nowe then to the intent wee may profite our selues the better by this place let vs note once againe this worde To day For Moses alwayes putteth the Iewes in minde that when the law was published God was present with them and called them to enter into couenant with him as I will declare anon But nowe as touching vs wee haue the Gospel wee see the time seasonable we see the dayes of saluation wee see the acceptable time of God let vs therefore make hast let vs enter in whyle the doore is open while the way is readie let vs goe forward in it let vs not foâ—eâ—lowe it for if God perceiue that wee despise his grace 〈◊〉 24 20 doutlesse hee can well ynough skill howe to withdrawe it as hee also threateneth to doe Let vs not therefore delay the time vntill to morrowe to followe whither God calleth vs but whyle he speaketh let vs be attentiue to heare him Thus yee see what wee haue to beare in mynde vppon this woorde To daye Moreouer it is true that in substance God maketh no other couenant with vs nowadayes than hee made in olde time with the Iewes but yet hee speaketh much more familiarly vnto vs hee sheweth him selfe to bee our God and our father and hath made vs a farre greater assurance thereof in our Lorde Iesus Christ than the Iewes coulde haue vnder the shadowes and figures of the lawe In deede the auncient fathers were saued by no other meanes than by that which wee haue to wit that they were the people of God for this betokeneth as much as that God held them for his childreÌ„ they had their saluation grounded in Christ Iesus as wee haue but that was after an obscure manner so as they behelde the thing afarre off which was presented vnto them As for vs seeing God is come so neere vnto vs in the person of our lord Iesus Christ that wee be vnited vnto him and haue the trueth and substance of the ancient figures wee bee so much the more surer y t God maketh vs to saye that wee are his people and that we make him to say that he is our God And how doth he make vs to say it Truly altogether of his owne good will without beeing tyed or bound vnto vs. For God hauing adopted vs for his children certifieth vs that the inheritance of heauen is made readie for vs and behold hee giueth his own sonne vnto vs for a pledge of his loue whatsoeuer our Lorde Iesus Christ hath is all ours with all the fulnesse of riches which wee reade was giuen vnto him And why Euen vnto the ende that wee shoulde bee enriched by them The obedience which hee yeelded vnto his father is our righteousnes To be short hee hath nothing whereof he maketh not vs partakers Seeing that he is ours and that hee is giuen vnto vs how shall not all the rest which hee hath be giuen vnto vs also with him as S. Paul saith in the eighth to the Romanes Rom. 8.32 Seeing theÌ„ that we haue this and that wee may make our God say that he is our sauiour and that nothing can be wanting to vs after hee hath receiued vs into his fauour and loue let it lift vs vp vnto heaueÌ„ so as euery of vs may forget renounce him selfe Let vs bid the world farewell and let vs be rauished to giue our selues ouer altogither vnto him who sheweth himself so liberall fauourable vnto vs. And let vs note that seeing we make God to speake so that is to say to graunt vs libertie to come vnto him to require him to accomplish his promises we must at leastwise be mutually bound vnto him he take promise of vs that we wil be his people that is to say that because hee hath redeemed vs by the bloud of his onely sonne we will liue no longer after our own lusts fleshly desires but be ruled by him that as he is our father so we wil be his children so as none of vs wil yeld to do wickedly but hold fast the seale of our adoption which is the holy spirite to be gouerned by him There must say I as leastwise be this mutual bonde betwixt vs that seeing God bindeth himselfe so vnto vs we also must come and submit ourselues wholly vnto him Now herewithal we ought to wey wel this word which Moses addeth He saith twise As the Lorde hath said vnto thee whereby he sheweth y t when we come vnto God we must not come vnto him with stoutnes pride as though he were beholden vnto vs but we must know that we come because he calleth vs. What mortall man will presume to present himselfe before God say bind thy selfe vnto me let vs couenant here togither y t thou wilt be my God that I shal be of y e number of thy people Were not men stark mad if they shoulde presume to speake so vnto God Now then let vs note y t it is for him to open our mouthes to giue vs such warrant And that is the cause why Moses sayeth that not once only but with a dubble repetition that it is God which hath spoken Therefore if men should of their own mind come vnto God say bind thy selfe vnto vs it were a diuelish rashnes but let vs wait vntil our Lord cal
that is y e best meanes to teach vs to obserue the Lawe I meane so farre as our weakenesse will suffer For as I haue tolde you it is not possible for vs to come to perfectnesse indeede as long as wee are inclosed in this fleshe of ours but yet neuerthelesse wee may wel dedicate our selues vnto God and bee helde in his feare if on the one side his promises bee in force with vs againe if on y e otherside we giue eare vnto his threatnings But nowe let vs come vnto the order which is obserued is this place Moses with the Priestes of the Trybe of Leuie commaunded the people saying Sixe Trybes shall stande on the Hyll of Heball and sixe shall stande on the Hill of Garizim And afterwarde hee saith Keepe my Statutes and Commaundementes which I commaunde you this daye for yee aâ—â— made a people vnto your GOD. This hath beene alreadie expounded but it is good to beare that alwayes in minde which hath beene saide concerning it to wit that GOD speaketh by the mouth of his Priestes as if hee were there visibly in his own person And that is to the intent his wordes shoulde bee receiued with the greater reuerence For when wee see but mortall men as wee bee wee are of opinion that what soeuer proceedeth from them may verie well bee reiected and if there bee no account made of it wee thinke the matter is not great And thus wee see howe the worde of God is oftentimes little esteemed For when wee see none speake but creatures like vnto our selues wee thinke that y t which they pronounce is nothing but a sound of wordes But God will haue the maiestie of his word to be knowen although men bring it and be the messengers thereof yet will hee not haue the worthines thereof to bee diminished so as men should not giue audience vnto it but he will haue euerie man to stoope to it and to receiue the yoke which hee putteth vpon them God therefore speaketh in this place of Moses and by the Priestes but yet in such a language and kinde of speach that he will haue people to lift vp their mindes more higher and to knowe that although they bee taught by the meane and ministerie of man yet they ought to confesse that God is the authour of that worde which men preach vnto them and that they ought to receyue it as from God himselfe so be silent to heare it and make no replie or gaynsaying against it for such contempt is not done to a mortal creature but God himself is dispised by it And therefore let vs note well all the places whereby God authoriseth his worde to the intent we may learne to holde our selues vnto it and to bee ordered thereby so as euery of vs do bowe downe his heade as often as men speake vnto vs in the name of God And moreouer we see also the order which God hath appointed in his Church he will haue all the worlde to aunswere Amen for wee ought al to be partakers of y e doctrine It must not bee kept in store onely for great men but the smallest also must be instructed by it to the edifying and profiting of them selues But howsoeuer the case stande there were alwayes Priestes to speake who were ordeyned to teach the people according as it is saide in the Prophet Malachie Mal. 2.7 the law shall bee in the Priests mouth and he shall be the messenger of the liuing God and they shall seeke for knowledge at his lips We see then that God in all times appointed some in the office of teaching the people and of bearing abroade his worde And so noweadayes wee stand in neede of such an order and wee knowe what Saynt Paul saith as touching this point Rom. 12.6 1. Cor. 12.28 Ephes. 4.11 both in the 12. Chapter to the Romanes and in the 12. of the first Epistle to the Corinthians and in the fourth to the Ephesians And it is prooued vnto vs also throughout al the holy scripture that God will haue certayne lawes established and certaine men appointed to beare abroade his worde and to bee teachers in his Church to instruct the people in his name Hereby wee gather that when God hath appoynted such order all those which can not suffer theÌ„selues to bee taught by this common order with the whole bodie of the Church may well protest that they bee Christians but they come to the Church as holy as horses bearing themselues in hande that it is enough for them to haue graunted in a woorde that the Gospell is the worde of God But contrariwise we see here that if we wil be of the bodie of the Church and haue God to take vs for his children we must heare the worde of God as it is ministred vnto vs by the ministerie of men But because this point hath beene handled largelie heretofore I do nowe but as it were glaunce at it by the way Also there is this point To day thou art made the people of God if thou keepe his commaundementes Therefore like as our Lorde receyueth vs into his house so must wee also wholy giue our selues vnto him knowing that to this ende hee hath shooled vs out from the rest of the worlde and will haue vs to bee his owne and as it were his peculiar inheritance It is time indeede that all men are bounde to serue him but yet notwithstanding when hee calleth vs vnto him sheweth himselfe our father doth he not binde vs vnto him with a double bonde Yes verily Are we not then without all sense and reason altogether bewitched if we be not mooued to yeelde our selues ouer to his will so as hee may guide vs and beare rule ouer all our whole life Then let vs wey well these woordes To day thou art made the people of the Lorde thy God and therefore keepe his commaundementes Howe are wee made the people of God but by beeing his Church and by hauing the vse of his sacramentes and that is all one as if hee appeared among vs For wee may not looke that GOD should come downe from heauen in his owne person or sende his Angels vnto vs. But the true marke whereby he will bee knowen to bee among vs is the preaching of his worde purely vnto vs for no doubt but then he beareth rule in the middest of vs. So then let this thing profite vs that we knowe that our Lorde receyueth vs vnto himselfe will haue vs to be of his owne householde Seeing it is so let vs take paines to obey him in all our life and to keepe his commaundementes let vs not wander like brute beastes as the wretched vnbeleeuers doe because they neuer knewe what it was to bee of the house of God But nowe let vs come vnto the rehearsall which Moses maketh of the curses he saith first of all Cursed bee hee which maketh anie Idoll or anie molten Image or anie carued Image all
this It is for that he seeth vs to be so blockish and grosse that although hee shewe as with his fingar that it is at his hand that wee receiue all goodnesse yet is it his meaning to make vs to perceiue it in a more visible maner And that is the cause also why hee sayth Osee. 2.21 That he will heare the heauens and the heauens shall heare the earth and the earth shall heare the corne and all the seedes y t be committed vnto it When the husbandman soweth his graine well he layeth it vp as it were in prison it seemeth to be as at the mercie of the earth The earth then must coÌ„ceiue y e corne nourish it make it to spring in likewise giue it substance But doth y e earth heare the Corne â— It is deafe that is to say it hath no power to make it to prosper except it be heard of others And how is that The earth as I haue sayd looketh vp to heauen and after a sort openeth her mouth it cleaueth when it feeleth extreme heate and is not watered as it woulde The heauen then must bee faine to aunswere to the earth The heauen What can that doe Can the heauen giue water It hath none except GOD drawe it vnto it by his secrete power Leui. 26.19 Deut. 28.23 In very deede wee shall see hereafter how God threatneth to giue a brasen heauen It is needefull then that God do heare the heauen and that we repaire thither So then as often as it reineth wee must vnderstand that God openeth his Treasures which are else shut vp God as I haue sayd could euen without rayne or deawe cause the earth to bring forth fruite but hee vseth such meane as he knoweth to be conuenient for our dulnesse and hee doth so to the intent that we should haue the lesse excuse that if we be vnthankfull vnto him and close our eyes against so apparant a matter wee should be so much the more blameworthie at the last day and bee sure to yeelde account for our wilfulnesse in refusing to knowe the thing which ought to bee throughly knowen vnto vs. Thus yee see what wee haue to beare in minde Whereupon Saint Paul speaking of the ignorance which was in the olde world Act. 14.16 before the Gospel was preached sayth that all people went astray lyke brute beastes And what was the reason Because the doctrine was not yet taught which is the true light to shewe vs the way of sauing health Deut. 30.15 as we shall see in the thirtith Chapter Notwithstanding he addeth that God neuerthelesse leaft not himselfe without witnesse Act. 14.17 And his vsing of this manner of speach Hee lefte not himselfe without witnesse is as much as if hee sayd Wherefore For hee hath sent rayne vppon the earth in due time and season hee hath sent faire weather also These be Gods witnesses which declare that as hee hath created the world euen so hee doth vpholde and preserue it these bee the witnesses that speake with a lowde and cleare voyce saying that wee must looke vnto GOD for all the nourishment that hee giueth vs. And that is the cause why I sayd that we should marke well this saying that God wil open his Treasures For although wee see what great riches God hath set in this world what sundry sortes of beastes what hearbes what trees and what a number of all other thinges yet should all these thinges go to decay vnlesse God sent vs dayly from heauen the thinges that are requisite for the preseruation of this lyfe Could wee abide three dayes without the light of the Sauiour If God gaue not the naturall vertue to euery seede what were it Wee should quickly perishe And if there were none other matter but that whereof I spake euen nowe concerning the earth it woulde soone dry vp vnlesse God remedied it These therefore be the good Treasures which God bestoweth on vs. And when it is his will to shewe himselfe a father towardes vs he layeth the heauens before vs that wee might see it there And it is asmuch as if God should liâ—t vs vp by the chin and say Poore creatures when ye seeke to bee fedde you looke whether you haue laide corne enough into the ground or no. Indeed that is a thing which you must looke vnto but yet you must first of all goe higher and lift vp your eyes to mee and euen nature it selfe doeth compell you so to doe For ye knowe that without rayne the earth cannot prosper And therefore forget not the thinges which I shewe you day by day and whereof you bee conuicted by experience This is the good Treasure whereof Moses speaketh he expressely addeth The heauen For what cause For if hee had sayde GOD will vtter his bountifulnesse both from aboue and from beneath truely it ought well to haue contented vs but yet bycause of our infirmitie wee see howe God is fayne to expresse the matter more plainely as hee also sheweth that wee must come vnto him and looke vp to the heauens bycause hee calleth vs thither and hath set such order that he will haue vs to thinke our selues to be as barraine and hungerstaruen folke vntill hee hath powred his goodnesse vpon vs from aboue Nowe hauing spoken of this good Treasure hee sayeth Hee will giue rayne in dewe time and will blesse the woorke or labor of thy handes By speaking of due season hee sheweth vnto vs that this Gods giuing of rayne vnto vs in due time proceedeth of a speciall care For sometimes rayne is verie hurtfull as wee see before our eyes Whereuppon wee must conclude that if GOD had not the power and skill to stay the rayne the fruites of the earth and also the bodyes of men shoulde rotte What doeth the raine of it selfe It engendereth but rottennesse On the otherside wee see that the raine refresheth in season giueth strength vnto the grounde whereby wee see that it is the Treasure of God for to giue vs sustenance And why is that Bycause God knoweth it is good for vs that hee cause it to raine Let vs therfore when wee see it rayne out of season let vs marke how GOD sheweth vs that it is verie requisite for vs that he doe watch ouer vs and that no drop of rayne fall without his commaundement according to this which we haue heard before Psal. 18.12 namely That he holdeth the waters aboue as it were in bottles The cloudes be dreadfull bottles But the Prophet woulde haue vs to consider that it must needes be a wonderful power whereby the rayne is shut vp there or else wee shoulde bee drowned out of hand at leastwise it would serue but to rotte vs as I haue sayde alreadie And here by the way wee be admonished as shall be sayde hereafter to consider our sinnes and trespasses and to thinke that when God giueth vs extraordinarie raines they be as punishmentes for our offences
And so the Iewes were made as a head when the kingdome florished amongest them when they ouercame their enemies and when God shewed himselfe to fight for them As nowadayes wee must not loke to haue either kingdomes or principalities as they had neither haue wee in lyke manner the temporall kingdome of Dauid it is sufficient for vs that Iesus Christ is giuen vs and that we reigne with him and y t he being our king causeth vs to florish vnder his conduction I say it ought to suffice vs that we bee a kingly Priesthood vnder our head 1. Pet. 2.9 which is the sonne of GOD Neuerthelesse our Lorde hath made promise to all the faithfull that if they walke in his obedience they shall not be oppressed by the tyrannie of men but bee mainteined in libertie which is also a blessing as much to be desired as any can be in this world Knowing therefore that this is a speciall gift of God as it is here shewed let vs learne to serue him and to giue him the whole authoritie ouer vs that by his gouerning of vs we may bee set free from bondage of men Wee shall see hereafter in this present Chapter Deut. 28.37 how hee threatneth them that will not feare him nor shrinke at his terribâ—enesse accordingly as is sayd in the psalme Psal. 105.38 God must needes lay the feare of men vppon all them that will not feare him and be his willing subiectes Let vs marke therefore that if in case we yeeld to the reigning of God ouer vs wee shall bee maintained by him in such sorte as men shall not bee able to oppresse vs. And if at any time the wicked haue their scope and seeme to set their feete as it were vppon our throtes let vs vnderstand that God doth bring vs lowe because wee haue offended him and because wee haue not rendred him the praise that belongeth vnto him and that hee chastiseth vs according to our desertes But yet must wee euer come backe to this point that if we cast not off GOD wee shall bee receiued of him in such wise as hee will be vnto vs as an armie and make vs able to walke with our heades vpright Psal. 3.4 as it is sayd in the third psalme So then this blessing serued not onely for the fathers that liued vnder the lawe but it continueth also vnto the end of the world and wee shall vnderstand that it is not vaine so wee followe in lykewise that which is added here Keepe the commaundementes which I sette before thee this day sayth Moses that thou swarue not neither to the right hand nor to the left to goe â—o seeke straunge Gods and to worship them Wee see how GOD doth euer put vs in minde of obedience to his worde and that is to the end wee should serue him not in hypocrisie whereunto wee bee too much enclined Let vs remember therefore this lesson which is that to worship our GOD syncerely we must euermore begin at the hearkening to his voyce and of giuing eare to that which he commaundeth vs for is euery man goe after his owne way wee shall wander wee may well runne but wee shall bee neuer a whit the neerer to the right way but rather the further off from it And God will not onely bee heard but also obeyed of all men without exception yea euen without adding any thing to his worde or without taking any thing from it And this is expresly sayd For that men dare be so bold as to bring in their newe manner of seruing GOD and to doe that which they suppose to bee good Contrariwise let vs vnderstand that when GOD hath once shewed what he will haue vs to doe wee must simply holde vs there without presuming to adde thereunto or to diminish it by any meanes at all But aboue all thinges hee would haue vs to acknowledge him to bee our GOD. For the very cause that maketh men to stray and altogether to vanish in so many superstitions and idolatries is that they knowe not what GOD they ought to worship Wee haue therefore profited greatly in the Gospell in the Lawe and in the Prophets when we haue the skill to say This is the GOD that shewed himselfe to Abraham the GOD that shewed himselfe by Moses the God that lastly shewed himselfe fully in the person of his onely sonne and the same is hee that is our God As it is also sayde in the Prophet Esay where hee speaketh of the manifestation of our Lorde Iesus Christ. Esa. 25.9 Loe this is hee Loe this is our GOD. Then let vs haue a setled faith that wee be not rouers let vs not bee like vnto little children nor lyke wauering Reedes that are caryed euery way but let our faith be well stayed by taking roote in our Lorde Iesus Christ. Nowe let vs fall downe before the Maiestie of our good God with acknowledgement of our sinnes beseeching him so to teach vs with true repentance that we may bewaile them and be heartily sory for our corruption to the end to withdrawe vs more and more and therein to reforme vs. And forasmuch as we bee not onely fraile but also altogether froward it may please him to bring vs home againe vnto him and to vnderproppe our weakenesse with his mightinesse so as we may ouercome all the hinderances that serue to turne vs from him and that we may with perfect constancie go on to the marke whereunto he calleth vs vntill we attaine to the perfection of righteousnesse And that in the meane while it may please him to vpholde vs in such sorte as that albeit we should faile yet he cease not to take vs still for his children and make vs to vnderstand more and more that he dooth confirme vs in the trust of our saluation 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 Friday the xiij of March 1556. The CLVI Sermon which is the fourth vpon the eight and twentith Chapter 15 But if thou wilt not obey the voyce of the Lorde thy God in keeping and doing all his commaundementes and ordinances which I commaund thee this day then shall all these curses come vpon thee and take holde of thee 16 Thou shalt bee cursed in the citie and likewise cursed in the feelde 17 Thy basket shal bee cursed and thy store 18 Cursed shal bee the fruite of thy wombe and the fruite of thy lande the increase of thy kyne and of the flocks of thy sheepe 19 Thou shalt bee cursed in thy comming in and cursed in thy going out 20 The Lorde will sende vppon thee cursednesse trouble and destruction in all that euer thou puttest thine hande vnto and in all that thou doest vntill hee hath destroyed thee and thou quickely perish because of thy euil inuentions through the which thou hast forsaken mee 21 The Lorde will make the pestilence to cleaue
such extremitie towardes vs but beeing warned afore hande by that which is mentioned heere let vs looke to it and consider that looke howe many sortes of diseases he sendeth vs. so many witnesses he sendeth to prooue that we haue sinned against him that we might thinke thereon and turne to him againe with all lowlinesse I sayde erewhiles that the verie vttermost of all is this which Moses addeth in the ende to witte That GOD will smite vs with astonishment and that we shall be blinde groping at full midde day as the blinde in the darke and that our heart shall be amazed Hitherto wee haue seene that God sheweth a singular fauour towardes men in afflicting them in their bodyes when they haue their mindes still in quiet that they may be patient For they feele their sinnes and bewaile them and they cease not to call vpon him that chastiseth them And in verie deede it is sometimes seene that the grace of GOD is much more manifested towardes such people than if they hadde no such great afflictions As for example If GOD spare a man and he serue God wee see that God blesseth him When we see a sounde and holy life in one we will say heere is a man that serueth GOD and God also sheweth himselfe gratious towardes him Againe we see an other that is visited with great diseases euerie man hath pitie and compassion on him he pineth continually and hath vehement paines he is vexed with diuerse-maladies and the verie remedies that are giuen him be so greeuous that nothing can be more yet notwithstanding this man ceaseth not to hold himselfe in quite confessing his sinnes and crauing pardon of GOD wee see such a patience as mooueth vs to glorifie God and the partie continueth still in prayers and supplications When a man is thus mortified and GOD holdeth his heart still in awe so as the partie continueth in obedience vnder his hande then perceiue we a great grace of GOD in the middest of those chastisementes But when we be without reason in our sicknesse and play the madde bedlems and stande chawing vppon the brydle and wote not which way to turne vs and of all the while neuer make any countenance of fleeing vnto God for reliefe it is euen the full measure of all miserie Therefore it is not without cause that Moses hauing spoken of the sickenesses and griefes that GOD sendeth vppon mennes bodies and in likewise of extraordinarie chastisementes which constraine men in spite of their beardes to feele their sinnes addeth heere God will strike thee with blindenesse yea and hee will so strike thee that thy wittes shall be amazed thou shalt grope at noonedayes as in the darke thou shalt haue no more sense or feeling in thy hearte but thou shalt be altogether blockishe And heere wee be warned againe that the chastisements which happen to vs in our mindes shoulde be more dreadfull vnto vs than all that we can suffer in our bodyes It is true that our nature draweth vs cleane contrary for wee be so tender and nice in our bodyes that as soone as wee feele anie griefe by and by we cry out and leese our patience and therein we see a part of our brutishnesse For if we hadde any droppe of stayed vnderstanding we would a hundreth times bee more afrayde of the chastisementes that God threatneth to oursoules than of all that euer we can endure in our bodies In what case is a man when he is forsaken of GOD so as he seeketh him not any more but indeuoreth by al meanes to hyde him from his presence Surely when we come to that point if we coulde plucke God out of his seate we would gladly doe it Hee that seeketh such hydingholes to conuey himselfe from comming vnto God doeth what hee can to robbe him of his maiestie and hee is loath to come to present himselfe before such a Iudge And truely although a man haue no further harme than this blockishnesse so as hee feeleth not his owne miserie is it not a token that God hath alreadie giuen him ouer to a reprobate mind Yes for there is not a more euident signe of reprobation than to bee without remorse or scruple of conscience Moreouer when a man is frighted and out of his right wittes in such wise as he woteth not which way to turne him and hath no more taste or feeling of God nor can any skill to lament for his sinnes or to aske forgiuenesse of them and to repent him of them but gnasheth his teeth and by teth the brydle like a Mule is not that a dreadful thing When wee beholde such glasse our hayres stande vp right and euen nature forceth vs to it And yet for all that if wee thinke not vpon it that wee may stande in awe and walke in feare and humilitie is it not a tempting of God Let vs learne therefore not to harden our selues in such wise as God shoulde bee forced to fall to this rigour wherewith he doeth here threaten his people namely that hee will make them grope as the blinde in the darke and that they shall haue neither vnderstanding in them nor discresion that hee will make them to fall in such a feare as they shall not knowe whether they be liuing creatures or no nor perceiue whether there bee a God that will receiue them to mercie and whether they shall preuaile in calling vpon his name or not Let vs nor tarrie till such euil doe come vppon vs. For it is a deepe pitte out of the which verie fewe can get foorth In deede God will some times bring his people to that poynt that they shall not knowe where they be and they shal bee so greatly afrayd and so troubled therewith that they shall bâ—come dull blockish this is well seene But hee lifteth them vp againe after that hee hath brought them lowe Howbeit for as much as this example is very rare let vs not tempt our God but when hee afflicteth vs in our bodyes let vs vnderstande that hee spareth vs greatly and that hee mitigateth the rigour of his wrath and let vs bee no more so impatient as wee haue bin wonted to bee Albeit that the griefe bee hard and bitter to vs yet let vs confesse alas but yet God hath not touched mee in my soule Let this come alwayes in our rememberaunce to the ende that wee acknowledging the goodnes of our God in that hee doeth forbeare vs may returne vnto him and not dout but that hee is readie to take pitie vppon vs when wee seeke vnto him vnfaynedly Let that serue for one poynt which wee haue to remember in this lesson where mention is made of the sayde blockishnesse Nowe Moses sayeth expressely that the transgressors of Gods lawe shall grope at noone day As if he shoulde say notwithstanding that God giue them many occasions to reioyce yet shall they be frighted in such sort as they shall not take hold of any grace but be as blinde wretches
and senses in awe that we wander not in the afflictions which God doth send vs. But to returne to the purpose of Moses let vs note well howe hee saith that the punishmentes which God sendeth vppon them that haue rebelled against him to the vttermost and woulde not be corrected shall be as tokens and wonders to them and to their posteritie that is to say he wil punish them after a straunge fashion and as hath not beene wonted amongest men so as they shal be compelled in spite of their teeth to say This is the verie hande of God And indeed can there be a more beastly contempt of God found than that which was in Pharao Hee was a man not onely drunken with pride but altogether senselesse he was a man that despised the maiestie of God and a man so rebellious as was not in any wise to be dealt withall When he heard Moses and Aaron speake he laughed them to skorn his feeling of the first strokes coulde not make him to yeelde And in the ende hee needed not a Prophet to admonish him for he himselfe could say 〈…〉 19. Surely this is the finger of God Wee see therefore howe God doeth oftentimes expresse his power in such wise that euen the most fierce are constrained to perceiue and to thinke that there is some maiestie in heauen which afore that time they had not accompted of and thereupon to enter into consideration of their sinnes and to confesse them and to be the more liuely touched therewith That is it which Moses meaneth here concerning signes and woonders This matter is worthie to be marked For as I haue saide if God beginne to punish men it is euermore saide to be fortune this is agreeable to our state say they we know that mans life is subiect to much wretchednes and in y e meane while the hand of God is not regarded And though he double it yet do men continue dull seeme as though they could euermore hide them scape away because they enter not into their consciences to searche out the sinnes that be there but are loath to knowe them as if a man should goe hide himselfe in a darke corner of set purpose to shun the brightnesse of the sun at noone days Euen so doe we in al the chastisements which God doth send vs to warne vs of our sins and to drawe vs to repentance But in the end God doth augment his punishments in such sort as they become miracles that is to say they exceede the common measure order and course of nature so as we might be rauished with astonishment and thereby perceiue that God doth then shewe himselfe as though his hand appeared vnto vs frō heauen And that is the thing which he declareth more fully in the xxvi Chapter of Leui. For after he hath pronoūced the sentence vpon them that reiect the doctrine of saluation he saith I will send vpon you seuentimes as much Leuit. 26.8 if I perceiue that nothing do preuaile with you If my punishing of you amend you not I will ad there to seuentimes as much And hee repeateth this sentence againe in the end saith If you will walke at al aduenture against men I will walke also at all aduenture against you Now this word Aduenture hath relation to the blockishnes that is in vs which we haue touched here before For we see very well the aduersities that doe befall vs in this worlde wading yet further we confesse that it is God that punisheth vs but to thinke thereon in good earnest and to iudge euerie man himselfe by calling our sinnes to remembrance so often as God giueth any incling of them it is the furthest part of our thought Let euery man looke to him selfe How many afflictions haue we in the yere which shold be testimonies vnto vs of y e wrath of God as it were summons of apparance before him warning vs to sue to him for pardon and to haue pitie vpon vs Scarsely doth any one day passe but that a man is warned fiue or sixe times as if God should say vnto him Wretched creature why hast thou no minde of thy soule Why hast thou no care to beseech me to receiue thee to mercie But scarse once in a moneth wil a mā enter into examination of his life to condemne himselfe and if we doe it it is but coldly But we ought to be so ashamed and so vexed at the feeling of Gods wrath as though we saw hell lie open before eyes But wee see that very few doe thinke thereon for euerie of vs forgetteth himselfe That is the thing which God meaneth by this worde of walking at all aduentures against vs. Yet doe wee follow on our course still as though no harme had touched vs we swallowe vp our afflictions They do indeede trouble vs when they pinch vs and yet do we nothing but shake our eares as they say and followe still our owne way Then goe wee at all aduentures yea euen with excessiue ouerweening when we acknowledge not the hande of God ne perceiue that hee is a iudge to the ende that we might misselike of our sinnes and euerie man labour and indeuour to withdrawe himselfe therefrom Our Lorde therefore saith I will come against you at all aduentures as if he should say I will crosse you and ouertwhart you thinke not to gaine anie thing either by your hardening of your heartes and by your kicking against me or by your dulnesse in that yee perceiue not howe it is my hande that must bring you againe No no saith hee I will bee as stout and headstrong as you yea and more stout and headstrong to For I will come at all aduentures I will let my plagues runne out at randon so as I will breake your neckes and beate you both backe and bellie and that without pitie Nowe we see howe much this word ought to wey with vs where Moses saith That the plagues shall bee for tokens and wonders to all skorners insomuch that when they haue bleared out their tongues at the threatenings of God and haue nodded their heade against the first corrections which he sendeth them haue bitten on the bridle he proceedeth on stil ceaseth not to wring them but driueth them in the end to come to a reckening do the worst they can to say openly It is the hand of God that presseth vs these are the miracles they be no ordinarie things nor according to the course of nature Now therfore let vs learn not to prouoke Gods wrath so far against vs but let vs suffer ourselues to be tamed by him and let vs yeelde our selues conformable gentle so soone as he hath summoned vs let vs yeeld ourselues guiltie without vsing any startingholes for we shall win nothing thereby There is nothing better than to enter into pure and free confession saying Lord what wilt thou do to these frail wretched creatures It is true y t we
fully certified vs that the lawe proceeded from him and y t it is not a doctrine of mans deuising but Gods owne vnchaungeable wil and the rule that hee meant to haue kept without breaking not onely of them that lyued at that time but also from age to age so long as the world should laste seeing I say that God did so shew forth his power to his creatures ought not the rememberance of such a deede preuaile to rule vs without any opening of our lippes against the doctrine conteined in the Lawe Yes surely Needes them must it be that the people were verie leawd yea and very rebellious seeing they coulde so soone forget that which God had ordained to cause his lawe to bee receiued with all reuerence And that is the cause why it is saide besides the couenant that was made in Horeb. Here Moses reprooueth those that shoulde teach their children and posteritie vpbraiding them that they had forgotten God and not profited themselues by the woonders which they sawe at the publishing of the lawe but compelled God to renue it againe at the ende of fourtie yeeres as though they had not knowen whence the lawe came but had cast doubtes of it still and woulde make none account thereof vnlesse they were subdued againe by maine force and fetched home againe by God like a sort of stray cattell That was a token of great malice But let vs marke howe God hath turned the euill vnto good by making it to serue to our saluation For by this meane wee bee the better confirmed in the doctrine of the Lawe If it had beene published but onely once in Horeb it ought to haue beene more than ynough to vs. And seeing that God gaue forth his voice in the aire insomuch that if a beast had come neere the mountaine Exod. 19.13 it should haue dyed and men heard dreadfull things and all their wits were troubled the reciting of these thinges vnto vs ought to make vs to cast downe our eyes and to yeelde our selues pliable to receiue that which is contained in the Lawe of God But nowe seeing it is saide that God began againe and that there was a double confirmation whereby the lawe was ratified anewe and God auowed himselfe to bee the author thereof and no mortal man ought not the hearing of such thinges to assure vs so much the more to stay vpon the doctrine thereof without any replying If we doe it not double condemnation will lye vpon vs. And thus we do see that the rebellion of the Iewes profiteth vs by that which fell out vpon it inasmuch as it was an occasion that God did yet better confirme the authoritie of his lawe Nowe let vs consider whereat Moses doeth beginne He saith The Lorde hath wrought dreadfull woonders before your eyes in the Lande of Egypt there were tentations to trie you you knowe what hee did vnto Pharao and to all his subiectes ye◠notwithstanding you haue not considered any of all those things you haue had neither wit nor eares nor eyes you haue bin deafe and blind senseles beastly and so ye see how al gods myracles haue nothing auailed you because of your dulnes Iustly hath Moses begun here with vpbraiding and iustly doth hee blame y e people for that they had not bin more attentiue to vnderstande and to marke the testimonies that God gaue them yea verely Whereunto tendeth that but vnto this which hee addeth for a conclusion My will was that you shoulde haue knowen that I am the euerlasting your God Lo howe God declared that his intent was to reforme his people as if he should haue said hold ye to me know ye that seing I haue taken y e charge of you your life shal be happy I will haue care of you therfore honor me put all your trust in me settle your affection vpon me glorifie me in al your life That was gods purpose when he shewed his wonderful power in deliuering y e people of Israel out of the bondage of Egypt Seeing then that all this profited them not must it not needs be that they were too too froward in burying so many testimonies of Gods presence specially seeing it was for their welfare and felicitie to haue yeelded themselues in subiection vnto God Seeing then that they were so wildheaded and would not by any meane bee reclaymed it is a signe of too diuelish malice It is al one as if Moses shold say thus Look to your selues For there is no excuse why you should be thus deafe blind and senselesse Whereas God hath wrought so mightily in the land of Egypt for your deliuerance it was to the ende that you should be stablished in the trust of his goodnesse and power and bee stayed vppon the mightie strength which hee shewed vnto you in so excellent maner But you haue doone no such thing and therefore yee be more than guiltie because nothing hath hindered you to knowe your God which hath thus shewed himselfe vnto you but your owne vnthankfulnesse in refusing al maner of vnderstanding In deede it seemeth at the first shew y t Moses doth in this place diminish the fault of the people by saying God hath not giuen you eares to heare euen to this day neither eyes to see nor minde to vnderstand For hee sheweth that it was not in the peoples power to haue either reason or vnderstanding vntill the same were giuen them from aboue Nowe if men bee so brutish that they cannot bee taught vntill God call them vnto him what can they say but y t they are to be pitied and that he ought not to condemne them for the same It seemeth therefore that Moses went about here to cloake the iniquitie of the people in saying that it was long of GOD. For it was in Gods power to haue inlightened that people if hee had would but he did it not And he sayth precisely God hath giuen thee neither eyes nor eares Whereby hee sheweth that it is a singular gift of God to bee able to beholde his workes and to discerne aright of them that wee may be instructed by them If we be destitute of the spirite of God then are we altogether brutishe insomuch that although God speake yet we heare him not and although he stretch forth his mightie hand yet we perceiue it not a whit Shold not this serue mē for some excuse of their ignorance And in very deede they that woulde washe their handes wil alwayes say Why If I haue libertie to doe well I am to be blamed if I discharge not my selfe but of whom is it long that I haue it not but of God who depriueth me of his grace Thus doe men pleade their cause and it seemeth to them that they be iustified and acquited so they can declare that it lyeth not in them to doe wel vntil God do assist thē And so saith Moses But yet is all maner of excuse taken away insomuch that although men be not able to
person of him God meant to assure vs y t when we walke in our dutie and go directly to work as he hath coÌ„manded vs hauing regard to obey him rather than to please the world he is with vs and will assist vs. Seeing it is so let vs march on and not care for any thing that can happen vnto vs. This I say is the true vse of this doctrine Moreouer although we haue this assurance that God will accomplish performe the worke that he hath begun yet doth it not follow therfore y t we also should not inforce ourselues For these two thinges are ioyned together namely thy God will neuer giue thee ouer and therfore be thou of good courage behaue thyselfe valiantly It is not ment then y e God leadeth vs as it were sleeping and as though it were no harde matter for vs to do him seruice when it pleaseth him to imploy vs to any charge office No no for we must labour therein till wee pant againe sometime it shall seeme vnto vs y t God is farre froÌ„ vs thinges shall be doutfull disordered y t we wot not what shall become of vs but then let vs cheere vp our selues After y t maner must wee trust in the prouidence of our God And when we be so stayed thereupon it is not meant y t we should therfore let things fall out as they may as wee see many doe which take occasion to waxe cold God say they will prouide in the mean while they neglect their owne duetie It is not ment that we should shut our eyes saying God will prouide for it Truely although all things in the world were as far out of order as could be yet ought we to be well assured howsoeuer we fare but yet on the other side we must serue God after such maner as he hath appointed vs to be his instrumentes yea and y t in such wise as if it be his will that we must suffer much y t then wee must haue patience not be ouerthroweÌ„ nor broken therby The thing theÌ„ in effect which we haue to beare in mind coÌ„cerning this place is y t we must labour all our life long in such wise as euery one may keepe himselfe within his owne boundes limites and y t we attempt not rashly more than God giueth vs leaue to do And moreouer y t we must not be afraid to do to employ vs to those things which our duty requireth assuring ourselues y t God is neere vnto vs and that we shall feele his power at our neede and y t hee will not forsake vs. When men thinke y t all is lost doe mocke vs count vs as people past hope of recouery let vs not dout but y t our Lord will accoÌ„plish that which is heere promised and therfore let vs euermore holde on with patience waiting for the performaunce of that which wee heare spoken of heere Now let vs fall downe before the maiestie of our good God with acknowledgement of our faults beseeching him to make vs to feele them more more and y t in likewise by acknowledging the frailety y t is in vs we may seeke to arme vs so with his promises as we may be fensed vntil the end not only to sustain one coÌ„bat or two but also to fight all the daies of our life to remaine inuincible against al maner of teÌ„ptations And y t forasmuch as it behoueth vs to depend altogether vpon him we may be so stayed thereupon y t when things do happen vnto vs contrary to our mindes as in respect of the world we may not therby be abashed or dismaied but trust that he only is as good as all other helpes therupoÌ„ coÌ„mit our selues vnto him endeuoring to glorifie him and y t seeing it is his will to gouerne vs by the hand of our Lord Iesus Christ we may be pliable and obedient vnto him that being assured that he is our good and faithful guide that he will not faile vs we may euermore take the more courage to giue ouer ourselues and wholly to offer ourselues vnto him That it may please him to graunt this grace not onely vnto vs but also to all people and Nations of the earth c. On Friday the xxiiij of Aprill 1556. The CLXXIIII Sermon which is the second vpon the one thirtith Chapter 9 And Moses wrate this lawe and deliuered it to the Priestes the sonnes of Leuie which bare the Arke of the couenaunt of the Lord and to all the Elders of Israell 10 And Moses commaunded them saying At the ende of euery seuenth yeere in the time of the yeere of freedome in the feast of Tabernacles 11 When all Israell commeth to appeare before the Lord thy God in the place which hee shall choose then shalt thou reade this Lawe before all Israell in the hearing of them 12 Thou shalt gather the people together men women and children and thy straunger which is within thy gates that they may heare and learne and feare the Lorde your God and keepe all the wordes of this lawe to doe them 13 And that their children also which haue not knowen it may heare it and learne it so as they may feare the Lorde your God all the dayes that thou hast to liue in the Lande whither thou goest ouer Iordan to possesse it 14 Then the Lorde sayde vnto Moses beholde the dayes of thy death are at hande call Iosuah and stande ye at the Tabernacle of the Congregation that I may giue him his charge And so Moses and Iosuah went and stoode at the Tabernacle of the Congregation WE do wel confesse that God dealeth gratiously with men when he vouchsafeth to teach them and to shewe them the way of saluation For we see well it is a most miserable state when men haue no teaching all their life long but do guide themselues at all aduentures Nowe the case so standeth that we can not holde any way that is certaine for vs but only y t which God sheweth vs for as for the thinges which men deuise in deede they thinke them good ynough but in the meane while albeit that they bee blinded with their owne fantasies yet must they needes euermore stande in dout and God maketh it manifest at the last that it was but vanitie and folly If men therefore were well aduised nothing should be more deere vnto them than to haue Gods trueth to guide them which woulde be a lampe to shewe them the way of saluation Beholde God calleth vs hee tarrieth not till wee come to seeke that which is good for vs neither would he haue vs to fetch long windlasses but he offereth himselfe of his owne good will assuring vs that we can not faile if we will hearken to his voyce he will giue vs sufficient instruction and he pâ—â—testeth that it shall not be in vaine for vs to followe that which we shall haue heard at his mouth
condemnation and at the last day they shall full well be brought in minde of it againe Nowe if we haue the word of GOD which ought to bee a much more familiar instruction to vs and that God constraineth vs to haue our eares beaten therewith and to bee able to talke thereof if wee make none account thereof but walke altogether contrarie to it so as it may seeme that wee haue conspired to prouoke the wrath of GOD against vs Alas how dreadfull condemnation is readie for vs Therefore let vs looke well to our selues and let vs consider that our Lorde doeth often times leaue his worde in the mouth of men not to the intent they should be instructed thereby to their profite for they be neither worthie nor capable thereof bycause of their malice and rebellion but to the intent they should haue the lesse excuse at such time as they must condemne themselues and when this sentence is to bee executed vppon them namely Thou wicked seruaunt I condemne thee Luke 19.22 yea euen by thine owne mouth Let vs therefore take heede of that and let vs make such confession of Gods trueth as the same may proceede from the roote of our heart and be a good Sacrifice and so consequently turne to our saluation as Saint Paule sayeth in the tenth Chapter to the Romanes Rom. 10.10 which was alleaged by mee not long sithens Thus must the woorde of GOD bee alwaies in our mouth not to condemne vs in such wise as wee may sit rucking still continually in our filthinesse but to condemne vs in such wise as wee may bee touched with repentaunce and vtterly mislike of our sinnes and flee vnto God to obtaine fauour at his hand yea euen in such wise as he may rule and gouerne vs by his holy spirit and from hencefoorth bee glorified in all our life Nowe let vs fall downe before the Maiestie of our good God with acknowledgement of our faultes beseeching him to vouchsafe more and more to giue vs a true vnderstanding and feeling of that which wee haue deserued so as wee may bee altogether cast downe in our selues and lay away all glorying of our selues and that our whole resorting for refuge may bee alonely to his goodnesse and that in the meane whyle we may sigh vnder the burthen of our flesh for so much as wee bee so ouerloaden that wee are not able to come to him with so pure affection as we ought and that he will augment the graces of his holy spirit vntill he haue rid vs quite and cleane of all maner of vices and imperfections and renewed vs after his owne image so as we may forsake all thinges to giue our selues vnto him and that renouncing this present world we may labour to attayne to the inheritaunce of the heauenly life That it may please him to graunt this grace not onely vnto vs but also to all people and nations of the earth c. On Wednesday the vj. of May 1556. The CLXXVII Sermon which is the fifth vpon the one and thirtith Chapter 22 And so Moses wrate this Song the same day and taught it the children of Israell 23 Then hee commaunded Iosuah the sonne of Nun and sayde bee strong and of good courage for thou shalt bring the Children of Israell into the lande concerning the which I haue sworne to them and I will bee with thee 24 And it came to passe that Moses finished his wryting of the woordes of this Lawe in the booke so that hee made an ende 25 Then Moses commaunded the Leuites that bare the Arke of the Couenaunt of the Lord saying 26 Take the booke of this Lawe and lay it in the side of the Arke of the Couenaunt of the Lorde your God that it may bee a witnesse agaynst thee 27 For I knowe thy stubbornnesse and thy stiffe necke beholde whyle I am yet a liue with you this day you bee Rebelles agaynst the Lorde how much more then will you be so after my death 28 Cause all the Elders of your Trybes and your Rulers to come before me that I may vtter these words in their hearing and that I may call both heauen and earth to witnesse against them 29 For I knowe that after my death you will bee corrupted and fall away from the way that I haue commaunded you And finally euill will come vppon you bycause you shall haue doone euill in the sight of the Lorde by prouoking him to anger through the workes of your handes 30 So Moses spake the words of this song in the eares of all the congregation of Israell vntill he ended them WEe haue heere before already seene howe Moses exhorted Iosuah whome GOD gaue him to bee his successor And therein wee haue seene also that he was contented to haue serued God during his owne lyfe time and that hee was not grieued y t another was reserued for the charge which was more excellent than that which had beene committed vnto him For the chiefe matter was to put the children of Israel in possession of the heritage that God had promised them Moses is remoued from that honor and GOD tolde him that it was to shame him withall bicause he had not glorifyed him when the people stroue at such time as they asked water to drinke God sayd that Moses behaued not himselfe constant ynough at that time 〈…〉 10 and therefore hee punished him and would not that hee shoulde put the people in possession of the land of Chanaan Nowe see with what patience Moses did beare this chastisement which God layd vppon him In so much that although Iosuah was appointed in his place yet hee was not a whit mooued thereat with enuie or euill will but did rather exhort him desiring nothing but that such a man might be set vp as should maintayne and preserue the state of the Church Hereby we are taught that although God doe pardon our faultes yet neuerthelesse if it please him to send vs corporall punishments to the intent wee shoulde the rather humble our selues and not spurne against his power but stoope to it and yeelde our selues altogether obedient surely it is conuenient for vs as he knoweth verie well And therefore let vs suffer our selues to bee gouerned by his hand as it is the generall rule that we must obserue in al the punishments that God doeth send vs. And by the way wee are also to marke that the zeale of the honour of God and of y e welfare of his Church ought to beare rule in vs so as none of vs doe couet to bee in high degree and to mount aboue his neighbours but bee contented that God doe conduct vs by the meanes of men and that hee choose such instrumentes as it pleaseth himselfe For so hee may alwayes haue the soueraintie and the Church prosper let vs reioyce therein and let no man haue regarde of himselfe Moreouer wee are to call to rememberaunce that when Moses meant to encourage Iosuah hee assured
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 frō 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
maketh his woord knowen in these dayes euen to such as are bewitched by Sathan seeing that vnto vs he giueth his word not onely as a lamp but also as a bright shining sunne to giue vs light and wee bee put in minde euery minute of an houre to thinke vpon him to benefite our selues by his works and to take such warning by them as may confirme our trust in his goodnesse and bring vs to his obedience let vs on our side apply our mindes wholly that way and euery of vs put his indeuour thereto and giue another maner of iudgement vppon such as haue despised God and scorned his goodnes Let vs I say become their Iudges according to that which is said 1. Cor. 6.2 that being the members of Iesus Christ wee shall iudge the whole world The way then for vs to put this text in vre is not to tarie till our Lord haue condemned vs by the testimonie of the vnbeleeuers but to be so well disposed to walke vnder his obedience as our whole indeuour may be to frame our selues to that which he sheweth vs and euery of vs to make his profite in such wise thereof as our Lord Iesus may acknowledge auow vs to be members of his body and we may boast our selues to bee his when it commeth to the last day Now let vs fall downe before the Maiestie of our good God with acknowledgement of our faultes praying him to vouchsafe to haue pitie vppon vs his sillie creatures and that although we haue deserued to bee cast off by him yet notwithstanding he wil not deale with vs according to our desertes but rather shew foorth the treasures of his goodnesse and for our Lorde Iesus Christes sake receiue vs into fauour not only to pardon our faults past but also to bring vs home againe to himselfe and to reforme vs in such wise vnto his will as all our whole lyfe may bee conformed to his righteousnesse 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 Munday the xv of Iune 1556. The CLXXXVI Sermon which is the ninth vpon the two and thirtith Chapter 32 For their vine is of the vineyard of Sodom and of the fieldes of Gomorrha and their grapes are grapes of gall and their clusters are bitter 33 Their wine is the poyson of dragons and the cruell gall of the Aspe 34 Is not this layd vp in store with me and sealed vp among my treasures 35 Vengeance and requitall belong to mee When time is their foote shall slip For the day of their destruction is at hand and the things that should come vppon them doe make hast HEere our Lorde sheweth what manner of fruites the Iewes deserued to gather As if hee should say that the vengeance which hee intended to execute vppon them coulde not bee founde to bee cruell because there was nothing else in them but gall bitternesse and all manner of poyson And bycause these figuratiue speeches might seeme somewhat obscure hee addeth That they brought foorth none other than the fruites of Sodom and Gomor Whereby hee doeth them to vnderstande that their wicked deedes were as shamefull as the dooinges of those two Cities the which it was Gods will to destroy with lightening from heauen to giue an euerlasting example to the whole worlde Nowe wee see in effect what the meaning of Moses was In deede some take this for punishment saying that GOD woulde pay them with the like As how Namely that hee woulde giue them bitternesse sowernesse anguish and all manner of punishmentes to drinke of And true it is that the Scripture speaketh oftentimes so for it likeneth all the chastisementes which GOD sendeth vppon men 〈◊〉 7.22 vnto drinkes Thou shalt drink of my cuppe As howe I will sende you of my spirit of giddinesse and of the spirit of rage and madnesse Likewise in another text he sayeth I will feede you with heauinesse and sorowe and I will make you to drinke of my wrath till yee burst This kinde of teaching then is ryfe ynough in the holy scriptures But in this text God hath a higher respect Indeede it is true that hee threateneth the Iewes but yet therewithall hee sheweth that hee will punish them iustly according to their offences They that referre this to the heathen and Infidels deceiue themselues For they tooke it that God after he had punished his owne people would turne his wrath against those by whom hee had serued his turne accordingly as wee knowe that when God listed to execute his vengeance vppon the Iewes hee vsed the seruice of the heathen stirring vp sometime the King of Egypt sometyme the King of Assyria and another while the King of Chaldie Ye see then that the Infidels were the instruments of Gods wrath Not that they minded to serue God in making those warres but we know that God by his secret prouidence ouerruleth all thinges heere below and applyeth them all to good vse making men how wicked soeuer they bee euen in despite of their teeth to execute and performe all y e things that he hath ordained Now when God hath so serued his turne by y e heathen then comes their turne also For it is said that whē God hath done and dispatched all his woorke vpon mount Sion 〈◊〉 12. then will he also ouermaister al those which play their pranks and weene to scape Gods hand and to abide vnpunished for he wil wel ynough find them out to pay them double Howbeit Moses in this place treateth not of the heathen but rather proceedeth in his matter wherewith he had begunne which is that God would punishe the Iewes which ought to haue bin as his children and yet notw tstanding had not ceassed to make warre against him so as he held them and tooke them for his enemies After which maner we see how he speaketh by his prophet Esay in the first Chapter Esa. 1.24 saying Alas must I needes bee auenged of mine enemies But now that wee know of whom Moses speaketh let vs looke more neerely wherefore it is sayde that the vine of the Iewes is of the vineyard of Sodome and of the fieldes of Gomor Wee knowe howe our Lorde lykeneth his Church to a vineyard And not onely in this place but also in the fifth chapter of Esay it is most notably set downe where he sayeth I will sing a song vnto my beloued of his vyneyard Esa. 5.1 There the Prophet taketh vppon him GODS cause lyke as a friend vndertaketh a quarell of him for whom he is minded to doe it I will goe sing a song sayeth he After I had brought thee out of the Lande of Egypt I planted thee in a fat soyle I husbanded thee I made a pressing fatte for thee and I omitted not any thing that belonged to thee and nowe whereas I looked to receiue good fruite of thee thou hast brought mee foorth nothing but
939. a 10 A question touching Merites inferred vpon the wordes of the text and answered 323. a 30. c. The kingdome of heauen is not erned by Merites as the Papistes imagine 10. b 60 Manifest doctrine against Merites or desertes 295. a 50.60 302. a 40. 1175. a 60. b 10. Looke desertes and Worthinesse Merrie With whome or with what companie wee shoulde make Merrie in Gods presence 901. b 20. c. Who they be that must be Merrie with those that present themselues to God to offer sacrifice vnto him 619. b 50 Why it is saide by Moses that men should make Merrie with their housholdes before God 568. a 10.20.30 40 The Iewes commaunded to be Merrie in the presence of the Lord why the same is more than once mentioned againe 507. a 30. 500. al 508. a 40 Metline By Metline is betokened a part or portion 1117. b 10 Why the word Metline is so often meÌ„tioned in the scripture 1117. b 20 The Metline of Gods inheritance was Iacob and what we are taught therby 1117. b 10 Meete together Of such as passe not to haunt the companies of Christians when they Meete together to heare Gods word c. 128. a 30 It is expedient for vs that there bee a daie of rest for vs to Meete together 206. a 30 What we must thinke with our selues when we Meete together in Gods Church 131. b. 50.60 We cannot be of Gods household vnlesse wee Meete together and how 125. b 50 To what ende God mâ—keth vs Meete together 126. b 20.40 132. a 10 We must Meete together and that in Gods presence Read the place 127. a 10.20 Meeting together Of Meeting together on the Sabboth daie in Gods Church and how that day should be spent Read all y e 34. Sermon and some part of the 25. To what end the Meeting together of the wicked is 128. a 10 Meetings together What we must doe if we minde to fare the better by the Meetinges together that are made in Gods name 128. a 40 Why common Meetinges are made in Churches or other consecrated places 575. a 10.20 Message Of Gods sending a Message of peace to Sehon hauing purposed aforehande that it should not auaile him 76. b 30.40.50 c. The Gospell is a Message of peace and howe 77. b 40.50 In what sort wee ought to receiue the Message that God sendeth vs. 78. b 10 The Message of Gods worde cannot profit all men what must it do then 78. a 10.20 Moses was well assured that Sehon woulde not receiue the Message sent from God 76. b 30 Messages Why it shall not preuaile to reclaime the Messages that God in his owne name sendeth vnto men 76. b 40 Messinger Who is a Messinger of God and what insueth if we despise such a one 717. b 30.40.50.60 Looke Minister Middes Howe the Lorde sitteth in the Middes of vs Reade the place 289. b 30 When God is speciallie among vs and in the Middes of vs. 336. b 40. Looke Presence Mightie Why Saint Peter tearmeth the hande of God Mightie and what we haue to learne thereby 394. a 20.30.40 Why the title of Mightie is attributed to God 18â— a 60. b all and â—89 a 10.20 337. a 20. c. 446. a 40 What we haue to note vpoÌ„ these words Their Mighty one is not as yours 1150 b 50.60 1151. all Mildewes Of the blastings or Mildewes whereof they come 966. b 10 Mildnesse Of the Mildnesse of Moses and howe that qualitie changed in him to the contrarie and why 1101. a all Looke Meekenesse Milke The true meaning of these words Wee must not seeth a Kid in his DaÌ„mes Milke 560. a 50.60 Milstone What we haue to learne by the Lawe forbidding a man to take the vpper Milstone to gage and why it speaketh expressely of milstones 845. a 50.60 b 10. Looke Gage and Pledge Minde The fondnes and vanitie of our Minde noted 273. a 40.50 Mindfull The diuerse and sundrie meanes that God vsed to make the Iewes Mindfull of him 458. a 40.50.60 b 10 Mingling What doctrine we are to gather vppon the Mingling of sundrie graine in y e fielde 781. a 60. b all and 779. b all Against Mingling of Gods creatures and that it is a thing which we ought not to doe 781. b all 782. a all Vnto what point God meant to traine vs by forbidding all maner of Mingling 780. a 50.60 b all Of Mingling thirst and drunkennesse together 1035. b 30.40 All needlesse Mingling of things are euill and why 782. b 10 Minister In what respect Moses is but a Minister of the letter 404. b 50 Why Saint Paul tearmeth himselfe a Minister of the spirit 404. b 50.60 405. a 10.40 The Minister in Baptising representeth the person of Christ. 1055. b 40.50.60 Looke Preacher Teacher Ministers Whose scholers Ministers must first be before they teach others 258. a 60. b 10 What seruice God reâ—uireth at their hands that be Ministers of his word 427. b 40. 258. b all 93. a 40.50.60 7. b 10 To praie to God to 〈◊〉 such as haue offended is a principall point of the Ministers duetie Looke the place 4â—4 b 30. c. Ministers in the Church is Gods inuiolable ordinance and what thereby we learne 258. a 10.20.30 That all such a preach the Gospell are spirituall Ministers and howe 405. a 40 Ministers of the Church are in y e same degree that the Prophets were and how 666. a 20.30 Of the authoritie of Gods Ministers that they bee his heralds 945. b 10 20 That Ministers c. ought of reason to be found and maintained 658. a 60. b 10 The vnthankefulnesse of y e world both towardes God and the Ministers of his word noted 514. a all Of men that refuse to heare the Ministers of the Gospel 56. a 30. c. The duetie of the Ministers of the word in what thinges it consisteth 428. a 30. 143. a 40 What Ministers haue to learne by this that God attributeth all souereintie to his sonne by name and will haue all Prophetes to be vnder that head 666. a 50.60 b al. A consideration for the Ministers of Gods word worth the marking 78. a 10. 17. a 20.30 144. a 60. b 10. 1098. b all Mildnesse and lowlinesse required in y e Ministers of Gods worde 22. a 50 A most excellent point of doctrine for the Ministers of Gods worde most preciselie to ponder 144. a 60. b 10 Wherein the Ministers of Gods worde shoulde comfort themselues at this day when they see their preaching so little preuaile 10â—9 a 60. b 10 20 An admonition to Ministers concerning a request which they are to make vnto God 1246. a 20.30 Of the election of Ministers and what is to be considered therein 1245. b 10.20 1202. b 60. 1203. al. Of Gods worde and the Ministers of the same and what account
dunghil of hell why 499. a 10 Of the vsurped supremacie of the sea of Rome 498. b 60.499 a 10 Roote The meaning of these words Let there not be found among you any Roote that bringeth forth wormewood and gall 1032. a 50. b all 1033. a b al. Looke Prophets and false Prophets Ruben The kingdome was not established in the tribe of Ruben 1195. b 50.60 He was Iacobs eldest sonne bereft of the right of the first begotten for incest 1193. a 40. The meaning of Moses in saying Let him liue and not die 1194. a 10.20.30.40 He was a Patriach and what a great number of heads of houses came of him 1194. a all b 30.40 Ruffians A common trade of certaine squaring Ruffians noted and a lesson for their learning 936. b 40 S. Sabboth The ceremony alone of the Sabboth is to no purpose 20. a 40 Of what things the Sabboth vnder the law putteth men in minde 200. a 20.30.204 b 10.20 Howe the spirituall rest and Sabboth is kept 339. b 10.20.203 b 10.20 Wee ought to bee greatlie inflamed to the spirituall keeping of Gods Sabboth and why 20. b 50 Till what time wee shall neuer attaine fully to the keeping of Gods spirituall Sabboth 203. b 10 How the faithful ought to keepe a continuall Sabboth all their life long 203. a 20 We haue not the figure or shadowe of the Sabboth day 204. b 50.202 a 50 To what end or intent the Sabboth day was ordeined 203. b 50.200 b 10.208 b 50.60.573 b 10 204. a 10.203 b 50.208 a 60 What is the first entrance to keepe the Sabboth day as wee ought 201. b 10 A supposed speech of God to the Iewes touching the Sabboth dayes seruice 206. b 40.50.60 207. a 10 Other solemnities besides the Sabboth day vnder the law 206. b 30 What wee haue to marke and consider when God commaÌ„deth vs to keepe the Sabboth day 20. b 40.205 a 10 The Iewes Sabboth day was the Saturday and why ours is the Sunday 205. a 10 We are exhorted to retaine stil the outwarde order of the Sabboth day though it were but figuratiue 205. b 20 The cause why the ceremonie of the Sabboth day was so streitly looked vnto vnder the lawe 202. a 30.40.50 He that despiseth y e Sabboth day hath thrust as much as in him lieth the whole seruice of God vnder foote 20. a 30 Why we be not giuen so much to serue God on worke dayes on the Sabboth day 204. b 10 The traffikers among the Iewes enioyned to keepe y e Sabboth day though they were not sanctified 210. b 60. and 211. a 10.20.30 The Sabboth day exteÌ„ded to the whole seruice of God 20. a 20.60 Why God setteth his owne example of keeping the Sabboth day before vs. 203. a 10. How the Sabboth day is sanctified and prophaned read page 200. the whole Sermon ouer Of what things the Sabboth or day of rest was a figure 200. a 10. 201. a 10.207 b 30.40 206. a 30 Why Christians ought not to go to law on the Sabboth day 575. a 10 Of what thing the Sabboth day giuen to the Iewes was a signe 207. b 30.40 The right order and vse of the Sabboth day summarily recorded reade the place 204. b 40.50 Common abuses of the Lordes day or Sabboth day too too true 204. a 20. 30.40.50 Looke Rest of God and man Sacrament Of a defiling of the Sacrament of the Lords supper too much vsed in these dayes 600. b 40 A Sacrament without teaching and instruction is a deade thing 607. a 10 Sacraments The Sacraments of themselues haue not the power to cleanse 668. a 30 Sacraments of themselues be visible in what respects spirituall 648. b 10 How we be in the presence of the Lord when we be partakers of the Sacraments 618. b all 138. b 50 The Sacraments and the word are badges of Gods fatherly election 316. b 60 SacrameÌ„ts are peculiar to the Church they be not things for men to put to vnholie vses 600. b 30 Howe wee must thinke without selues when we vse the Sacraments 600. b 40.168 a 50 How the papists haue corrupted y e true Sacraments 598. a 50.60.680 b 10.138 b 30.40 In what respects the Sacraments be but as a dead letter 441. a 40 Of the Sacraments and the true vse of the same 680. a 30.1208 a 10.894 a all 1055. a all b 10 God in the Sacraments worketh that by his power which men cannot do 1244. b 30 Sacraments of the papistes owne forging and deuising 1245. a 50.60 We haue not so great a multitude of Sacraments as the olde fathers had 1081. a 40.1055 a all b 10.20 The Sacraments bee not meritorious matters and that we come to them to receiue that which is offered 1056 a 10 Sacrifice Why the Iewes were forbidden to offer Sacrifice in any other place than onlie one 565. b 50 Why it is said that no Sacrifice shoulde be offered without salt 502. b 60 God did not without cause giue the Iewes so many rules to shewe them how to do Sacrifice 502. a 30.40 Sacrifice appointed to be done for maÌ„slaughter the maner how 516. a 30 Whether the Israelits did for a time offer Sacrifice at their owne pleasure without rule or without being certaine what God required or allowed 501. a 30.40 Of the Sacrifice of Christ offered once for all where also the masse is condemned 603. b 50.60 Who they be that must be merrie with those that present themselues to God to offer him Sacrifice 619. b 50 Sacrifice commaunded to be made for the bodie of one that is found slaine reade sermon 120. Of the most abhominable Sacrifice of the masse wherin the papists vsurpe the office of Christ. 505. b 10.20 c. 739. a 50. b 10 What is the way for vs to bee partakers of the Sacrifice which Christ hath offered 605. a 10.20 How Moses may say that all the things which shal be found in an idolatrous citie shal be accurâ—sed and yet they must be put ouer as an offering or Sacrifice to God 550. a 20.30 c. What is the chiefe thing that goeth before Sacrifice 593. a 30 How a citie that hath beene idolatrous becommeth a Sacrifice of good liking to God 550. a 60. b 10 Of the sprinkling of the bloud of a Sacrifice in the time of the lawe when it was to bee offered and what that ceremonie signified 418. b 10 What is the true Sacrifice that God requireth at our hands 374. a 10.294 b 60. a 10.503 a 30.630 a 40.50.267 a 20.30 What mans executing of punishment is a Sacrifice to God 306. a 30.40 Sacrifices Whatsoeuer God requireth of vs hee calleth Sacrifices 870. b 60 To what end God ordeined Sacrifices vowes c. among the Iewes 499. a 40.50.60 b 10 A difference made betweene the Sacrifices and common meates and what doctrine concerneth vs thereby 512. a 60. b 10.20.30.40 Of the Sacrifices of the law the meaning of
tenne commaundementes God intended to giue a rule that should indure for euer Therefore let vs not thinke that the thinges which Moses speaketh of the Saboth day Psal. 19.8.9.10 Matt. 5.18 are needelesse for vs not for that the figure remaineth still in force but because we haue the trueth thereof And for the same cause the Apostle in the fourth to the Hebrewes applyeth the thinges that were spoken of the Saboth day Heb. 4.3.10 to the instruction of the Christians and of the new Church For hee sheweth vs that we must fashion our selues lyke to our GOD and that this is our full felicitie and perfection because the whole souereigne welfare of man consisteth in being created after the image of God What is to be done now seeing that the said image is defaced by sin but that it may bee repaired againe Ye see then that the way for vs to atteine to perfection is to fashion our selues lyke to our God and to yeelde to his will and to inquire of his workes that wee may doe the lyke Wherefore let vs vnderstand that to serue God well we at this day be commaunded to streine our selues to the vttermost of our power to subdew our owne thoughtes affections and desires that God may reigne in vs and rule vs by his holy spirit And therefore it is in vaine for all hipocrites to glose to set a faire countenance vpon their doinges For so lōg as wicked couetousnesse lyeth lurking in their heartes so long as they bee ful of enuie rancor ambition crueltie or guile it is certeine that they do nothing else but breake the Saboth day And therefore we may conclude that they ouerthrow the whole seruice of God according to that which I alledged afore out of Ezechiel As much is sayd thereof in Ieremy Iere. 17.24 And in deed that is y e cause why the ceremonie was so straitly looked to vnder y e lawe Thinke we that God did euer take pleasure in mens idlenesse no surely But he punished the partie as sore y t wrought vppon the Saboth day as him that had murdered a man And why so It seemeth to be a crueltie that a man should bee put to death for cleauing of a litle wood vppon y e Saboth day Num. 15.32.35 as if he had cōmitted a murther But yet doth God condemne him to death y t cleaued wood vpon y e Saboth day And why Because y e vnder that figure was cōprehended y e whole seruice of God And for y e same cause is it sayd in Ieremie Ier. 17.21.22.28 y t they bare burthens and went to cart vpon the Saboth day And why It should seeme that God stādeth too much vpon a trifling and childish matter but he had an eye to the thing that was betokened by the Saboth day and when that was so despised by the Iewes it was a trayterousnesse whereby they shewed that they made no reckoning of the lawe at all So then to come againe to our selues seeing that wee haue not this figure so straitly nowadayes but God hath giuen vs a greater libertie Col. 〈…〉 which was purchased for vs by the death and passion of our Lorde Iesus Christ let vs learne to giue our selues earnestly vnto him and to vnderstand as I sayd afore that we may all trauel in all the residewe and yet it shal be to no purpose vnlesse our affections be brideled so as wee striue to renounce all our owne thoughtes and desires in such sort as God may haue the whole gouerning of vs and we protest that we desire nothing else than to rest in him And for the same cause also doth God set foorth himselfe to vs for an example For hee thinkes it not enough to commaund men to rest but also sheweth them the way Gen. 〈…〉 For after he had created the worlde and all that is therein hee himselfe rested Not that he was weary or had any neede of rest but to allure vs to behold his workes that we might rest in them and therewithall fashion our selues lyke vnto him Wil we then keepe the spiritual rest lyke as it is said that God rested frō his workes so must we rest also ceasing to doe what seemeth good to our selues and whatsoeuer our owne nature coueteth If this example of God prouoke vs not wee shewe well thereby that we neither seeke nor in any wise couet our owne welfare but that we will needes continew wilfully in our wretched and cursed state The souereigne welfare of men as I sayd afore is to sticke vnto God to be knit vnto him Beholde our Lord calleth vs to him telleth vs that wee can haue no true holynesse nor vnion with him but by resting from our owne workes Now if we be so vnruly that we will alwayes be occupying of our armes legges be still doing what wee thinke good surely it is as a breaking of y e band that is betweene God and vs a separating and estranging of our selues from him as much as in vs lyeth And doth it not appeare thereby y t we seeke to be left vp as a pray to Satan to be caryed haryed away by him for want of being any more vnder the protection of our God Yes but what for that There are very fewe y t thinke of y t. The world sees what libertie al men take to thēselues If one come tel a man that he must not walke after his owne fancie Tush saith hee I knowe how to behaue my selfe But a man could not deuise to spite God more manifestly than by such rebelliousnesse It is all one as if we woulde needes shewe that wee will not y t he should haue any superioritie ouer vs. In deede men will not be acknowē y t it is so but yet it is so in very deede For as I haue sayd already it is no seruing of God vnlesse we begin at the absteyning frō our owne thoughtes affections Therefore when men will needes be selfwise trust to their owne wit so as they take leaue to doe what they list to follow their own affections fancies labor not to represse thē but are offended whē others goe about to reclaime them it is a signe y t they neuer wist what it is to serue God nor y t it is the chiefest poynt of the lawe And therefore let vs marke wel y t whereas God alledgeth his owne example it is to allure vs gently to y e keeping of y t spiritual Saboth or rest y t we might thinke our selues vnhappy to be separated frō him as I touched afore And behold y e band of this cōiunctiō is y t we withdraw not our selues from his religion trueth but suffer our selues to be ruled by him But now it may be demaunded why y e Iewes were commaunded to rest but onely the seuenth day for our renowncing of our owne thoughtes affectiōs must not be for one day in a weeke
but we must continue in y t minde al y e time of our lyfe To be short the rest y t God cōmandeth vs is euerlasting and not by pangs or fittes as they say And why then close he but one day of the week It was to shew vs that when we haue done what we can to renounce our wicked lustes our false pretences and whatsoeuer else is of our own nature yet shall we neuer be able to atteine fully thereunto till we be quite cleane bereft of our fleshe True it is y e faithful ought to keepe a continual Sabboth all their life long by forbearing their own wils and workes by indeuoring to giue themselues ouer vnto God w t all humilitie submission so as they may obey him quietly I say we must doe so or else al y e seruice y t we be desirous to doe vnto God shall be but a feining he wil disalowe it reiect it Neuerthelesse we cannot so discharge our selues in renoūcing our affections but y t there will alwayes be somewhat worthie of blame in vs. S. Paul doth in deed glory y t the world was crucified vnto him Gal. 6.14 5.17 he vnto y e world but yet for al y t he ceaseth not to say y t his fleshe fighteth against his spirit so as there is neuer any agreemēt betwixt thē Yea and hee confesseth in y e seuenth to y e Romans that he felt such strife cōtinually in himselfe Ro. 7.15.19 as he did not y e good y t he would haue done y t is to say he performed it not w t so earnest affection nor was so fully determined to walke according to y e will of God but y t he had alwayes some lets to hinder him so as to his own seming insted of running strongly he did but go limpingly Sith it is so let vs marke y t Gods ordeining of y e seuēth day to rest in was not w tout cause for thereby he doth vs to vnderstand y t we cannot atteyne to y e perfect holinesse which he requireth at our hands neither in one day nor in one moneth Why so Because y t when we haue fought neuer so lustily against the affectiōs of our flesh against our wicked thoughts there will alwayes remaine some dregges stil till we be fully vnited to our God that he haue taken vs vp into his heauenly kingome Vntill y t time we shall alwayes haue some temptations trouble vnquietnesse in vs so as wee shall well perceiue I meane such of vs as indeuer to serue God that we be stil subiect to many tēptations to the feeling of a number of stinges whereby we be prouoked to this or that And are not all those thinges as many hinderances to holde vs backe frō the spiritual rest If a man rested himselfe in God as he should doe he should not conceiue any thing at all in his minde that might turne him aside from the right way He shoulde not haue any wicked lustes or lykinges All such thinges shoulde bee farre from him Now then when as we conceiue a number of lewde imaginations then doth Satan step in to assaile vs to vexe vs w t vnquietnesse And when our minde is once inclined to doe euill there are a number of thinges in vs y t tickle vs set vs still foreward And although we hate y e euil yet so it is y t by such tēptations we are prouoked to goe through with it And thereby it appeareth y t it is not an easie matter to winde our selues frō our wicked lustes to bring to passe y t they may no more reigne in vs. So then let vs go foreward with this indeuer of keeping Gods spiritual Saboth for we shal neuer atteine fully to it vntill y e end of our lyfe But hereby we be put in minde of two things The one is to mislyke of our selues to mourne continually to consider that although to our owne seeming we haue takē neuer so great pain to obey our GOD yet notwithstanding we be but yet on our way stil and we come far short of fulfilling the thinges that are required and commaunded in the lawe Thus haue wee a cause to humble our selues because God shal always find enough and too much to condemne in vs as cōcerning our seruing of him and also because that the spirituall rest is not yet such as he hath commaunded nothing neere And lyke as wee haue occasion to humble our selues to be sorie with true repentance so ought we on the other side to be y e more moued quickened vp to goe forward sith we see our owne wants as thus True it is that God hath giuen me the grace to bee desirous to serue him but how doe I behaue my self therin alas I am yet far off frō doing it Sith we see it is so what should we do but inforce our selues Therfore w t our abhorring of y e euil which is in vs let vs also be the more earnest to profit stil in this rest to go foreward in it let euery of vs dayly call himselfe to account Ye see then that God hauing giuen vs occasiō to humble our selues all the time of our life sheweth vs that we must be earnest in correcting our vices in mortifying our flesh dayly more more consider y t it is not enough for vs to haue our olde man crucifyed in part vnlesse we be also quite buried w t Iesus Christ Rom. 7.4 as saith S. Paul in y e seuenth to the Romans before alledged Thus much cōcerning y e seuēth day wherof mētiō is made in this place Now must we come to the second point which is y t as I haue sayd already y e Saboth day was a policy or order whereby to exercise the faithfull in the seruice of God For that day was ordeined for men to assemble in to heare the doctrine of the lawe preached to communicate together w t sacrifices and to call vpon the name of God As touching these poyntes it belongeth as well to vs as to the people of olde time For albeit y t the figure be ceased I meane the same that S. Paul speaketh of in the episte to the Colossians yet notwithstanding so much as cōcerneth the order continueth still and hath his vse And to what end serueth this order To assemble our selues in the name of God True it is that this ought to be done cōtinually howbeit for our infirmities sake or rather by reason of our slothfulnesse it is requisite that some one day should be chosen out If we were as ernest in seruing of God as we ought to bee wee should not appoynte one day in a weeke onely but euery man ought to meete both morning and euening without lawe written to bee edifyed more and more by Gods worde And truely this exercise is more than needefull for vs considering that wee bee so
no longer as stray cattell not knowing him that made vs and fashioned vs nor yet knowing our selues neither And therefore let vs learne to receiue Gods word with all simplicitie not doubt but that there he commeth so familiarly vnto vs as we cannot say y t we need make long iourneyes or that the things are too profound and darke for vs. For our Lord doth as ye would say chawe our morsels aforehand to vs because of the rudenesse which he seeth in vs. And so he handleth vs lyke little babes to the intent we may the easilier swallow down the foode which he giueth vs. Thus ye may see I say howe that when we haue Gods woord preached vnto vs wee must not doe as the Papistes doe which say Oh sir this is to high for me this geere is not for plaine folkes this is to be reserued for the clergie But let vs assure our selues that God speaketh both to great and small and dalyeth not with vs when hee calleth vs to him by his word but will haue vs to vnderstand it Then is it not long of any but ourselues if when his word is preached vnto vs we be not dewly instructed in the things that are requisite for our saluation True it is that we must not steppe to it with presumption trusting in our own wisedome but we must desire God to inlighten vs and that as his voyce soundeth in our eares so also he speake to our heartes by his holy spirite Let vs humble our selues accordingly as we know how it is said that God vttereth his wil to such as are little and lowely Psal. 19.9 If we go to it after that maner let vs not doubt but our Lord will make the things auaileable which are set downe to vs in his name and giue vs accesse vnto him both familiar and easie ynough Therefore let vs marke well this word End whereof Moses speaketh heere and let vs consider whereunto God calleth vs. True it is that he maketh vs promises euen of this present life so as wee ought to assure our selues that God will not fayle vs in this world insomuch that although he will haue vs exercised with many miseries and vexed with diuers temptations yet notwithstanding he sayth he will hold vs vp with his mightie hand so as we shall neuer bee destitute of his helpe at our neede But yet the cheefe point is to consider the heritage which is reserued for vs in heauen so as we tend thitherward and set all our affections thereuppon without intangling ourselues so in these base things that wee cannot haue our heartes alwayes vpwarde and that for as much as our happinesse and treasure is aboue Matt. 6.20 wee bee not held downe in this worlde wherein all things are brittle and transitorie After that maner ought wee to consider the worde End whereof Moses speaketh here For whosoeuer they bee that seeke their happynesse heere beneath surely they differ nothing at all from Oxen and Asses but rather their state is yet much woorse For the beastes go on still and are not troubled with the great number of lustes wherewith men are troubled There is no ambition to be seene in them there is no Couetousnesse there is none of all the other lustes If they be a thirst they drink if they be a hungred they eate But men desire not onely to eate and drinke but also to glut themselues and to follow all maner of excesse Ye see then howe a man is more wretched than a beast in that he is so caried away by his vnruly affections Sith the case standeth so let vs tend to the end which god setteth downe vnto vs and let vs vnderstand that God doth so make vs to taste of his goodnesse in this earthly pilgrimage y t he wil haue vs to be filled therwith aboue but onely to passe through this world or to dwell in it as soiourners and in the meane while not ceasse to be ioyned and vnited to our Lord Iesus Christ knowing that he is our head and the fountaine of all good things and that all our ioy contentation rest and glory doe lye and consist in him and on the contrary part that if God punish vs not at the first for our offences we must not therfore fall asleepe in thē nor take occasion thereby to flatter our selues And why If we liue so from day to day without looking any further must it not needes be y t we be starke blocks True it is that the faithfull are not vexed with ouergreat carefulnes Psal. 37.5 145.18 For why They cast themselues as it were into Gods lap as they be incouraged to do in the psalm Then shal we not be vexed w t vnquietnes as they be which haue no trust in god For when we cal vpon god he is neere at hand and we must not make long discourses in that behalfe as the worldlings doe who stand scanning of that which is to come a hundred yeres after their death Yet notwithstāding we must not be so wedded to y e things which we see before our eyes that we shold not alwaies looke further off But lyke as the promises of the heauenly lyfe ought to lift vs vp aboue the world so ought Gods threatenings to quicken vs vp to walke in his feare by rebuking vs for our sinnes when wee haue done amisse and by calling vs dayly to account accordingly as it is sayde Heb 11.7 that by faith Noe beheld the floud when other men made great cheere and feasting So then let vs learne to haue an eye to our end that is to say when we haue offended God let vs not fall asleepe vpon it neither let vs foster our vices from morrow to morrow till we be growne hardhearted through vnreformable stubbornnesse but although God beare with vs and vse patience in winking at vs for a time yet let not vs forbeare to bethinke vs of his threatenings and to waken our selues that we may repent and aske forgiuenesse and turne vnto him with true amendment Ye see then that the true wisedome is that men should not be tyed to the present thinges but to lift vp their heartes and mindes to the things that are inuisible accordingly as it is said that faith is a mirrour of the things that are not seene 〈◊〉 11.1 and the ground of the thinges which are absent or farre from vs. Although then that our happinesse appeare not at the first and it seeme that for all our seruing of God yet we be miserable by reason whereof the vnbeleeuers floute vs and set their feete as it were vpon our throats so as we be persecuted by them yet notwithstanding let vs not ceasse to conclude that hauing once put our trust in God we shal not be disappointed For why The end of it wil be good and therfore let vs tary patiently til God deliuer vs from the afflictions and miseries wherin we be at this day Let vs therfore
set our mindes vpon the end which God hath promised vs. And therwithall let vs also haue an eye to his threatenings and let them hold vs in awe And although the wicked prouoke God and are not rebuked for it at the first bycause God seeth that they be not worthy to be chastised by his hand yet notwithstanding let not vs bee astonished therat but let vs vnderstand that Gods threatening of the transgressors of his Law after that fashion is not in vaine And therefore let vs frame our owne inditement that we may preuent the condemnation which otherwise taryeth for vs. That I say is the thing which wee haue to remember vpon the word End wherof Moses hath spoken heere And therwithall we see the goodnesse of God heere expressed after a wonderful maner in that he entereth into a complaning and sorrowing as if he were a man that could suffer O that this people saith he had bin weladuised True it is that our Lord is not subiect to our passions but he vseth such form of speech to shew that the loue which he beareth vs surmounteth the loue of all earthly fathers And therefore it serueth in effect to doe vs to vnderstand that when we goe wilfully into destruction and reiect the grace which was offered vs to our saluation then doe we grieue the spirite of God as is said in the Prophet Esay and it is al one as if we strake God with a dagger as he complayneth also by his Prophet Zachary That is one thing in effect which we haue to remember vpon this place And were all this well grauen in our heartes I pray you woulde it not make vs to abhorre all our sinnes When a man is tempted by Sathan to offend his God if hee would bethinke himselfe of this point and say How now Thou grieuest thy God thou giuest him cause to enter into complaint and sorrowe like a father that conceiueth griefe and anguish of mind when hee sees his children vnruly and vnreformable It is a wounding of him at the heart and so likewise God telleth vs y t we grieue his spirite If a man I say would bethinke himselfe throughly of these things although he had a heart of stone yet would they breake it and soften it And this is the cause why that throughout all the holy Scripture hee complaineth of this that we greatly grieue him whē we are so wicked vnruly Therefore let vs aduise ourselues wel for as much as hee is desirous to be our father let vs bee to him as children For it must needes be that Sathan hath more than bewitched vs that hee rageth most terribly in vs if we be not moued at such kind of dealing And it behoueth vs so much the more to marke well this text bycause our Lord condemneth men for that they are too senselesse and brutish and telleth them that they be too too blockish in that they haue not eye to their ende but specially for that hee proceedeth so farre as to cloth himselfe with our humane passions and lamenteth to see vs perish wilfully and that we cannot abyde that hee should deale like a father with vs. That is one thing more which we haue to marke vpon this text Now if any man alleage that God seeing men so destitute could wel giue them vnderstanding as we haue seene heeretofore where it is sayde God hath not yet giuen thee a minde and heart to vnderstand Deut. 29.4 We must mark that God hath his secret purpose which he reserueth to himselfe For he sheweth fauour to whom he listeth Exo. 33.19 Ro. 9.15 and he hath pitie on whome he hath pitie and it is not for vs to enter thereinto but rather to doe him the honour to confesse that he is the fountaine of al goodnes of al power of al wisedome and of all Iustice and vprightnesse Yet notwithstanding we must make hast when hee calleth incorageth vs by his word For if we come not ne hearken to the things that are set forth to vs in his name to receiue them obediētly by faith we shal be condemned as persons that haue grieued his holy spirite by rebelling against him and shewed our selues to be vnreformable children that haue disdayned our father and made our selues straungers to him and to his house That is the thing which is set forth vnto vs in this text Therefore whereas God vpbraideth vs with our grieuing of him let vs beware that wee enter not into these needeles curiosities but rather let it suffice vs to behold him in his word where he sheweth himself and where he sheweth himselfe in such wise as we shall finde that all they which frame themselues thereafter shall haue a happy end that is to wit that for as much as they bee adopted of God afore they cannot perish and on the coutrary parte that they which turne their backe to God when he sheweth them his face and which kick and spurne against him shall for their sturdinesse reape nothing but confusion That is the thing in effect which we haue to gather vpon this place Now Moses addeth consequētly Were it possible for one man to chase a thousand or that two should put ten thousand to flight vnlesse the Lord had inclosed thē and that their mightie one did hold thē captiue Here he sheweth by effect y t God had sufficiently warned his people if they had but one spark of reason in them And thereupō it is to be concluded y t there was no more excuse of ignoraunce for y t people but y t they were conuicted ouermuch to haue hardened their hearts euen of wilfull malice so to haue withstoode God to haue letted him y t he should not bring thē backe into the right way That was y e meaning of Moses Now let vs mark y t when God vouchsafed to shew his fauour towardes the people of Israel then was his promise performed y t is to wit y t as soone as the people did but as ye would say remoue thēselues by by their enemyes were ouercome We knowe what ouerthrowes they gaue and by what meanes y e same came to passe For we heare how it is said by y e Prophet Esay Esa. 9.4 y t whensoeuer God listeth to succour his people to vtter his power in their defence it shall fall out w t them as it did in the voyage against Madian Iudges 7. for at y t time Gedeon gate not the victorie by mans policie neither by vailancie or strength of hand but it was the sword of God of Gedeon that did the deede And yet it was so done as it might seeme to be a play of young children But our Lord saith y t he will maintaine his people after y t fashion Againe in other texts he declareth that his sauing of his people shall be neither by sword nor by speare Osee. 1.7 but by his owne only hand Ye see then how God
repentaunce and wee proceede on still as though wee had determined to resist his hande Nowe it is sayde Humble your selues vnder his myghtie hande When GOD shaketh his hande ouer vs it is good reason that wee shoulde stoope and relent vnto him offering to him the sacrifice which hee requireth that is to say 〈◊〉 â— 19 the sacrifice of a sorowefull heart If wee doe not so but stand out still with harde and stiffe neckes so as although GOD proceede in calling vs to him yet wee continewe still the same wee were afore and notwithstanding his rehearsing of one selfesame lesson to vs yet wee stande still at one staye at length wee must needes come to account for it That is the thing which Moses meant in this text What remayneth then to doe Beholde to all such as walke in the feare of GOD and rest vppon the trust of his goodnesse and flee to him for refuge he promiseth prosperitie in all things so as they shall not want any thing so long as they be so vnder his protection But on the other side what can the ydolles of all the heathen in the worlde doe or of all such as haue peruerted the true Religion Shall they bee fauoured of God No not a whit as in respect of themselues sauing that hee will punishe vs by their handes Therefore when wee see men so aduaunced aboue vs and to haue the better hande of vs so as they may tread vs vnder foote and deuour vs let vs assure our selues that God persecuteth vs and that it is he with whom we haue to deale Because wee haue warred against him with our vices he also nowe after long tarying for our ameÌ„dment is faine to shew vs and to make vs feele to our cost that for as much as he is our Iudge he cannot abyde that his grace should be so despised and scorned To bee short whensoeuer wee bee afflicted let vs enter into the thing which Moses telleth vs heere and consider thus with our selues Notwithstanding that our God haue promised vs that wee shall finde good succour continually at his hand yet doe wee now see the cleane contrarie And of whom is that long Are not wee our selues to blame for it Yes For it is certaine that GOD foadeth not his seruauntes with vayne hope nay hee alwayes goeth beyond their hope when they imbrace his promises as they ought Wee must conclude then that by our sinnes wee haue forsaken and put from vs the succours which hee had promised vs Exod. 32.25 and by meanes whereof as Moses sayeth in another place wee bee stripped quite and cleane out of that good couerture wherein our welfare consisted For in Exodus Moses speaking of the ydolatry which the people had committed in making the Calfe of golde sayeth that they had stripped themselues naked as if he should say that the onely shadowe of God is ynough for our safetie and that wee neede not to bee afraide so long as GOD broodeth vs vnder his wings But as soone as we fall to sin we vncouer ourselues laying ourselues open for a pray to Sathan and to all mischeefe So then we must conclude that when our Lord doeth so set himselfe against vs it is bycause of our sinnes For why His power is not abated as saith the prophet Esay Esa. 59. â—â— Wherefore consume we so away in our miseries Is it that God hath deafe eares heareth not them y t call vppon him Or y t his arme is broken so as he cannot help them as he did at y e first No no but bicause our sinnes haue cast a barre between him vs we be not worthy to come at him to feele his helpe as afore Besides this Moses by way of comparison toucheth the children of Israel yet neerer the quicke in that hee sayeth That their enemyes were Iudges thereof And thereby he meaneth that euen beastes myght perceyue it as it is said in the prouerb and that blindfolke myght iudge of it by groping Nowe who were the enemyes of the children of Israel at that time but the Infidels which had not any sparke of lyght euen such as were sotted in their superstitions And howe coulde they then iudge of Gods power Euen by the apparantnes therof which was so great that it needed not any great reason to conceiue it So then in effect Moses sayeth heere that God had so manifested his power in sauing his people as that not onely they which were inlightened by the holy ghost but also euen the brutishest in the world might perceiue it And in deed what myracles wrought God in deliuering his people out of the lande of Egypt and in leading them through the wildernesse Neede we any great sharpenesse of wit to conceiue so wonderfull power which may rauish our wittes to be astonished at it No but for as much as God hath shewed himselfe so openly both great and small and euen the grossest in the world must needes perceiue that it is God So then whensoeuer the word is matched with experience God giueth vs as it were spectacles to help vs so as if our eyes be weake or dimmed his word may bee a guide to shew vs how to discerne his power towards vs surely there will be no excuse for vs. For euen the Heathen must needes be Iudges or witnesses thereof so as wee cannot aleage Yea it is true that God hath done it and we ought in deede to discerne it but alas wee perceiued it not for he dealt after such a darke fashion as wee could not attaine thereto Now God telleth vs that if we were not so malicious as to shut our eyes to stop our eares to dull all our senses when he sheweth vs y e tokens of his goodnes and mercy we should feele them with our handes though wee had no eyes to see them withall And on the contrarie part when he teacheth vs if we were not wilfully blind that is to say are contented to bee ignoraunt of the things which ought to bee best knowen vnto vs it could not be but that vnlesse we continued that through our owne vnthankfulnesse wrapped vp in ignoraunce it could not bee I say but that verie blind folkes themselues should be sufficient witnesses against vs neither neede we to seeke any further startingholes in this behalfe for it shall be in vaine After that our Lord hath drawen vs to him as well by his goodnesse as by his chastisements and we come not to him nor persist to liue in his feare then shall we come to the point to haue it cast in our teeth and euen the ignorantest in the world the Infidels which neuer tasted of Gods truth must rise vp to beare witnesse against vs and to condemne vs and to cut off occasion of all excuses Lo at what point we shall be then But this is saide vnto vs to the intent we should not tarie to bee condemned after that fashion Then seeing that our Lord