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
what neede wee haue to hearken to his doctrin and to rest theron But there are a great many of fantastical persons which thinke it ynough for them to haue taken some tast of y e Gospel And thereuppon it commeth that the world is nowadayes so full of vngodlynes as is seene euery where insomuch that the most part of such as haue heard y e Gospel become dullards worldlings and naughtipackes euen like dogs skorning all religion or else lotting it slippe like water as they say so as they passe not to continue still brutish yea and vtterly fenslesse The world at this day is full of such vermin and doung And what is the cause thereof The foresaid Rechlesnes finally also pride where through a great number do beare themselues in hand y t they haue knowledge ynough to rule themselues wel that it is needlesse now to learne any more and y t euery man may gouerne himselfe as he lifteth By reason wherof doctrin is despised god is vnregarded and therfore he must needs withdraw his spirit from such folke So then let vs learne to submit our selues with all lowlynes and carefulnesse to y â— general rule which god hath set in his church euen for euer which is that there shoulde bee men which should haue the charge to teach vs and that we should hearken vnto them and by that meane continue fast knit together in the obedience of our faith with indissoluble bond become one body in verie deede agreeing al in Gods truth and in the pure Religion Marke it therefore for a speciall point that we haue then the true token that we be of Gods flocke and of his Church when his word is purely preached among vs and euery of vs doth quietly receiue the doctrine at the mouth of such as haue the charge to preach it And therewithall as I haue saide afore it behooueth those which are called vnto that state to looke well to themselues that they surmise not to theÌ„selues a fantasticall dignitie in this world to make theÌ„selues ydols For wherefore be we shepherds but to giue men the foode of life In respect whereof it behooueth vs to bring folke vnto God and to holde them still vnder his gouernment And that is vtterly vnpossible to be done vnlesse gods word doe sounde and ring loude and shirle in our mouthes so as folk may haue their eares beaten therewith and be dayly prouoked to come vnto God and to sticke vnto him with such firmnesse and constancy as wee may neuer start away againe For in all ages men haue misused y e things which were ordâ—ined for their welfare specially vnto the people of God We see howe the Priests themselues stepped away vnder the law That is y e cause why y e Prophets crie out against them Esay 56.10 that they be dumbe dogs y t they be blinde watchmen y t God had set theÌ„ as on a high stage or watchtowre to the intent they should keepe good watch for the preseruation of the people of the true Religion But they were blinde Again he wold haue their mouthes open to teach that whensoeuer they saw any misbehauiour they should crie out against it with open throat as it is said in y e Prophet Esay Esay 58.1 But they haue bin as dumbe dogs they haue done nothing but fill their bellies and as for the people they past not though they weÌ„t al to destruction decay We see then how y t vnder the Lawe the Priestes did wickedly abuse their vocatioÌ„ insomuch y t whereas they were vtterly corrupted yet neuerthelesse they would needes take vpon them to bee men of great valor be named Prelates of the Church Howbeit in y e end when God had well rebuked them he giueth definitiue sentence of condemnation vpon them by his Prophet Malachie who was y e last of them Malach. 2.6.7.8 No no saieth he pretend no more y e name of your father Leuie say not any more y t God hath chosen you to the dignitie of Priesthood for Leuie walked in the feare of God kept his law and the verie condition whereupon God called you is that the lawe should be in your mouth so as men might seeke for learning at your hands and you be as Gods messeÌ„gers and Angels But you haue corrupted and falsified all thinges And therefore I also doe renounce you and disclaime you After that maner did God speake to the priests of old time Likewise let not vs thinke it strange nowadayes that these horned beastes of the Popedome doe still vsurpe the title of Prelates and Bishoppes and will needes bee worshipped vnder colour of vaunting themselues to haue the gouernement of the Church which indeede is a starkâ— lye for it behooueth vs to consider whether they bee set vp by God or no or whether they haue thrust in themselues or no. They haue no sure grounde For as it is saide in the fifth Chapter to the Hebrewes Heb. 5.4 No man ought to take authoritie vppon him in the Church for it is not for any man to intrude himselfe but it behooueth vs to be called Certaine it is that our Lorde Iesus Christ declaring the will of God his father and his owne will also ordeined not dumbe folke thereunto which shoulde but vaunt themselues with a two-horned Myter and such other gewgawes Hee meant not to play a pageant that men shoulde disguise themselues and in the meane while no man know to what purpose those things serued Hee intended not that men shoulde play murlimewes as one that coulde wel skill to mocke at God and all his doctrine by making of Crosses and blessing of Altars Our Lorde Iesus Christ did not put forth any such defilementes in his Church but Satan corrupted all things And therefore they which at this day doe terme themselues Prelates in the Popedome cannot alledge that they be sent of God nor that they ought to haue any authoritie or credite in the name of Iesus Christ. For hee disclaimeth them because they haue not any likenesse to his institution Sith it is so we may boldly conclude that in Popery there is no Church at al but a hellish Synagogue and that whosoeuer medleth there or thrusteth himselfe in among them forsaketh Iesus Christ and cutteth himselfe off as a rotten member from his Church Loe at what point the Papistes are It may bee that they will call vs heretikes and Schismatikes as they doe indeede Yea but they bee not our Iudges and wee may boldly laugh at the sentence which they giue vppon vs as vaine For wee haue our warrant in heauen who alloweth vs and holdeth them as accursed For we know that the true marke of sheepeherds is to preach Gods worde that men may inquire at their mouth howe to behaue themselues according to Gods will knowing that it is hee which sendeth them vnto vs. And therefore whensoeuer wee haue the Gospell purely preached vnto vs and that wee
THE SERMONS OF M. IOHN CALVIN VPON THE FIFTH BOOKE OF Moses called Deuteronomie Faithfully gathered word for word as he preached them in open Pulpet Together with a preface of the Ministers of the Church of Geneua and an admonishment made by the Deacons there Also there are annexed two profitable Tables the one containing the chiefe matters the other the places of Scripture herein alledged Translated out of French by ARTHVR GOLDING ET INVENTA EST PERIIT AT LONDON Printed by Henry Middleton for GEORGE BISHOP Anno Domini 1583. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE Syr Thomas Bromley Knight Lord Chauncelour of England one of her Maiesties most honourable priuie Counsell his singular good Lord health prosperitie and increase of Honour BEing desirous to testifie my duetifull minde towardes your good Lordship I thought there could be no better meane in all respects than the dedication of this present worke which containeth a large exposition of the whole Lawe of God and of the practise thereof in the Commonweale of Israel wherof the onely reading with due consideration may iustly commend it many wayes euen to such as are of greatest learning wisedome authoritie and vertue For if we haue an eye to the author of the groundworks thereof it is God and not man If to the Lawemaker it is the Lawe of the Iudge of the whole world the lampe of light the welspring of wisdome the touchstone of truth the rule of right the ground of goodnesse the bond of blessednesse the loadstarre to life the opener of our vnderstanding and the gouernour of our wits the faithfull following whereof is the way to welfare the procurer of peace the path of true pleasure the entrie of immortalitie and the harbourer of happinesse Or if we haue an eye to the maner of the deliuering thereof it is most woonderful accompanied with many great myracles signes and tokens and honoured with the glorie and maiestie of Gods owne presence If to the intent of the Lawegiuer it is the repayring and reforming of man according to the Image of his maker in true holinesse and righteousnesse If to the end of the Lawe it is to driue vs vnto Christ that by him wee might be saued If to the obedience which it requireth it is altogether spirituall holie euerlasting All which things are not onelie great but the greatest that can be and fuller of maiestie and glorie than can be expressed or conceiued by man Againe if we haue an eye to the partie by whose seruice and ministery this law was published hee was a man peculiarlie chosen of God indued with most excellent giftes ful of the holy Ghost such a prophet as neuer had his like Christ onlie excepted a figure of Christ familiar with God a perfect paterne of a good gouernour and a verie father of his Commonweale Or if we haue an eye to the parties to whom it was deliuered they were a people whom God had purposely chosen redeemed and deliuered from most miserable thraldome to the intent to be their King and to dwell among them and that they should be vnto him a holie people and a royall Priesthoode for euer which things are surelie most excellent and singular prerogatiues And as for the Preacher of these Sermons by whom the sayde things are laide foorth and expounded to the better vnderstanding of the Reader it is well knowen that for the manifold talents and excellent gifts which God had bestowed vpon him and for his diligent and most painfull imploying of the same to the beating downe of Idolatrie and superstition to the winning of folke vnto God and to the edifying of Christs flock he was in his lifetime and yet still is a man of great reputation and renowme As for mine owne trauell in translating this worke I humbly submit the iudgement and censure thereof to your Lordships fauourable acceptation the obtainement whereof shall greatlie increase my gladnesse in that I haue done any thing whereby the Church of GOD is or may bee any whit edified Written the xxj of December 1582. Your good Lordships most humble alvvaies at Commaundement ARTHVR GOLDING To the Christian Reader Grace and Peace from GOD c. IT is no small fauour that wee daily receiue from the hands of our God partly by the publike ministerie of his word and partlie by the priuate reading of such good workes as by the meanes of manie his faithfull seruants he hath published and spread abroad in this last age of the world But as the beholding of this doth make manie Godly mindes to reioyce in that they see Gods great goodnes striuing continuallie to ouercome the malice and frowardnesse of mans minde So on the otherside it pincheth them at the heart when they perceiue not only what slender entertainment Gods graces haue amongst vs but euen what manifest contempt is offered vnto them while men notwithstanding the woonderful sunshine of Gods holie trueth remaine in as great darkenesse almost in respect of iudgement and be as dissolute and carelesse in their conuersation as euer they were in the time of the most grosse and palpable blindnes Would to God that the miserable experience of our dayes were not too plaine a proofe of this point And yet this is not spoken either as in dislike of our state with some discontented people or to the discrediting and defacing of Gods religion which we professe with the practising Papists who with one blow at the Gospel would if they could crafâ—â—lie cut the throate both of Religion and policie but in all holie loue and affection to make this carelesse generation more studious to labour to abound both in sound knowledge of the trueth and in all holie obedience to the same In which respect not onelie are these few lines written at this present but this notable worke of Master Caluins Sermons vpon Deuteronomie published that in our owne natiue Language wherein what paine and cost hath beene bestowed that they might come foorth as beneficiall to the Christian Reader as might be though I my selfe may speake much in trueth as an argument of some weight to induce the godly brethren to the buying and reading thereof yet letting that point passe as a matter not much to be stoode vpon I minde onely to presse those things and that also in very fewe words which shal be most material And that is that as al states and conditions of men may out of the same fetch many profitable points for their instruction both in faith and obedience towards God and man so particularly if a man would ouerthrow Atheists or confute Papists and other Heretikes or wound the wicked or encourage the faint hearted or comfort the afflicted conscience cast downe with the sight of sinne or performe any other seruice towards God himselfe or other men he shall haue matter and that in great store plentifully ministred vnto him for the performance of these and all other dueties whatsoeuer Wherefore I would aduise thee good Reader to get it speedilie
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
without cause saide that if wee looke well to our selues none of all the wretched vnbeleeuers which torment themselues to atteine vnto God and holde not the right way thither haue such aduauntage as wee haue For whensouer we call vpon God simplie and according to his worde wee be neuer disappointed Psa. 145.18 But now let vs come to that which Moses addeth concerning statutes and laws which is the principall point of this sentence What people is there saith he which hath so rightfull statutes and ordinances as we haue Truely if a man would haue beleeued the heathen they thought verie well of themselues in their owne dotages and they bare themselues in hand that there was nothing but sounde perfection in them But yet for all that it is a wonder to see howe they became so dull They that otherwise were of great skill and sharpewitted were become so brutish in their superstitions as euen little children might iustly haue beene ashamed of them But the light must be faine to shine in the darke or else it will neuer bee possible to discerne a right And for proofe thereof what is the cause that the heathen are so hardened in their owne dotages It is for that they neuer knewe Gods Lawe and therefore they neuer compared the trueth with the vntruth But when Gods lawe commeth in place then doeth it appeare that all the rest is but smoke insomuch that they which took them selues to be maruelous wittie are founde to haue beene no better than besotted in their owne beastlinesse This is apparant Wherefore let vs marke well that to discerne that there is nothing but vanitie in all worldly deuises we must knowe the Lawes and ordinances of God But if we rest vppon mens lawes surely it is not possible for vs to iudge rightly Then must wee needes goe first to Gods schoole and that will shewe vs that when wee haue once profited vnder him it will be ynough That is all our perfection And on the otherside wee may despise all that euer is inuented by man seeing there is nothing but fondnesse and vncertainty in them And that is the cause why Moses termeth them rightfull ordinances As if he shoulde say it is true indeede that other people haue store of ceremonies store of rules and store of Lawes but there is no right at all in them all is awrie all is crooked True it is that they perceiue it not and what is the cause thereof but for that it is not possible for them to discerne good from euill without Gods worde which is the trueth Howesoeuer wee fare wee cannot do the thing that is iust or right except wee haue first learned it at Gods hande And if wee haue beene so farre ouerseene as to allowe our owne doings let vs not goe on still for God will disallowe euerie whit of it because wee must take all our rightnesse at his trueth In this case it is not for euerie man to bring his owne weightes and his owne balance but wee must hold ourselues to that which God hath vttered and doth vtter True it is that Moses doeth greatly magnifie the people of Israell heere but yet neuerthelesse we must vnderstande that the priuiledge which is so greatly magnified heere did nothing aduantage those which reiected the lawe and profited not themselues thereby The Iewes are termed heere a wise and skilfull people a noble people a people that hath nothing but excellency and worthinesse in them And why so Because God had chosen them and vttered his iudgementes and righteousnesse vnto them Esa. 42.18 But yet for all that on the other side they be termed blinde and deafe And why Because they did what they coulde to haue quenched the light that God had kindled for them We knowe that they were taught by the doctrine which conteined their whole wisedome And therefore when they despised it they coulde not be but dubble blinded insomuch that the ignorance of the heathen and infidels was nothing in comparison of theirs that had so reiected Gods grace when it was put into their handes And that is a point well worthie to bee weyed The Iewes do arme themselues yet still at this day with the same texte when they list to commende themselues Tush say they it is saide that wee bee men of vnderstanding a people of great wisedome a people of passing nobilitie and worthinesse This is true if they had helde fast the treasure that God gaue them and kept it well But seeing they bee fleeted away from the law or rather y e a veyle is cast before their eyes 2. Cor. 3.14 16. because of their reiecting of Iesus Christ yea and seeing that euen before his comming they disobeyed the Prophetes and became hardharted against the doctrine of saluation that was brought to them it coulde not bee but that as I saide afore they must needes become more ignoraunt than all the rest of the worlde For if the heathen bee as good as destitute of reason because they haue not beene in Gods schoole needes must they to whome GOD hath spoken Eph. 4.18 and yet are disobedient therevnto needes must they I say bee striken with the spirite of disinesse and bee caried away by the diuell and become as wilde beastes so as they shall not offende of simple ignorance as they doe which neuer hearde any thing but of wilfull rage more than beastly Euen after that manner is it happened to the Iewes And it is the verie same thing wherewith the Prophete Esaye vpraideth them in his two and forteeth chapter saying Hearken ye deafe Esa. 42.18.20 see yee blinde And why speaketh hee to the deafe and blinde to heare and see well Hee addeth the reason by and by saying yee haue seene ynough and yee haue hearde ynough but yee haue not regarded it Also God complayneth of his paines taken in teaching of his people and of losing his labour therein For saieth hee haue not I done workes ynowe among you Yes but what for that You haue had neither eares nor eyes And nowe if yee bee compared to the rest of the worlde yee passe all the heathen and vnbeleeuers in blindnesse And why For yee haue had teaching ynough and too much And his vpbraiding and blaming of them is not for that they had not sufficient experience whereby to haue beene dewly taught but for that they did shut their eyes and woulde not profite themselues by the thinges that GOD shewed them Seeing that the Iewes are thus blamed by the Prophet notwithstanding that Moses had reported them to bee a people of wisedome and vnderstanding let vs come to our selues and consider that if this bee happened to the naturall braunches what shall become of the impes that are grassed into the tree as Saint Paul speaketh of it in the eleuenth to the Romanes Rom. 11.17 It is certaine that the Iewes went before vs in preheminence or at lestwise they had the birthryght in Gods Church
bound to serue and honor him not onely seuerally for our owne partes but also by teaching our children and by taking paynes to make them also to liue vertuously so as the doctrine which they shall haue heard in their youth bee not loste nor marde as wee see too much by experience And generally let vs all haue this regarde that such as come after vs may agree in the true religion so as there may be no chaunge But so far off is that from being done that the enemies of the trueth I meane the housholde enemies and not the Papistes for they bee farre woorse than the Papists think they shall neuer come time enough to ouerthrowe all order and to pull downe all that GOD hath set vp here Sith wee see it is so let vs vnderstand that wee ought to bee as earnest in building vp to the Lorde as the diuill is in pulling all downe For let vs not mistrust but that Gods power is stronger than al the fiendes of hell Thus yee see what wee haue to note vppon this streyne but the chiefe matter is the putting of it in vre And now Moses addeth that GOD shewed himselfe to his people with dreadfull tokens which were able to haue astonished them For hee spake to them sayth he from the middes of the fyre And therewithall there was a great clowde darknesse and miste By these wordes Moses sheweth that the lawe was not brought without good warrant for it was accompanied with wonders that were able to astonish the whole worlde And to what purpose serued that but to make it certainly knoweÌ„ that the lawe came from heauen and that God was the author thereof According whereunto it is sayd in Exodus Exod. 19.16 18. that when God appeared after that sorte in a thicke cloude and a flaming fire making the ayre to rore and the mountaine Sinay to shake and the sound of trumpets to be heard all those thinges sayth he were done of purpose to make you hearken to your Lorde God and to knowe that it was hee that spake and that whosoeuer receiueth not the doctrine that I haue brought you must fight against the maiestie of God But if he doe so he shall finde God too strong for him Thus yee see what belongeth to this text And so wee see now wherfore Moses made mention of the cloude darkenesse and mist namely to the ende it should be knowen that the lawe was not put forth but by the authoritie of the liuing God and that men might be fully assured that it came from heauen And let vs mark by the way that Gods chosing of the signe that is mentioned here was to do vs to vnderstand that we must not inquire of his maiestie further than he giueth vs leaue GOD shewed not himselfe in any visible shape least it might bee thought that his essence or being had some shape whereof we will treate to morrowe by Gods leaue but hee did set a cloude darkenesse and mistinesse before him 1. Tim. 6.16 And why To the ende that wee shoulde learne to be humble and to know that hee dwelleth in vnapprochable light Wee knowe howe curious and ouerbolde men are for they woulde faine knowe what Gods being or substance is and searche out euery whit of him by inchmeale and that so presumptuously as though they would pushe vp their hornes into heauen Such is their nature But God will haue vs to worship him in feare and humilitie as good reason is it should be so And he withdraweth himselfe the further from vs when wee inquire further of him than hee commaundeth vs. For otherwise were it not all one as if we would make him our vnderling What preheminence should he haue if he were so shut vp w tin mans conceit Therefore to expresse so great and so excessiue rashnesse hee did set a darke clowd before him But wee must marke that wheÌ„ God did set darknesse before the eyes of the people it was not to the intent to be vtterly vnknowen but to hold the people in awe that they should not preace nie the hill where the fire and flame appeared that are spoken of in Exodus as is said afore and therefore was there a great and thick clowd hard by the people That then was the meane which God vsed to shewe himselfe to the people Marke that for one poynt The other poynt is that God did vtter himselfe in such maner as the people sought no further than was lawfull for them but helde themselues contented with such discouerie as was giuen vnto them And these two poyntes are well woorthie to bee marked For many men when they list to excuse their ignorance will say that wee ought not to be inquisitiue of Gods secretes No truly but yet is it not meant that we should bee brute beastes Wherefore hath GOD created vs after his owne image Eph. â— â—â— but to the intent that his trueth should shine forth in vs And yet notwithstanding it is as a common prouerbe that hath reigned and doth reigne still in the popedome insomuch that the foundation whereon they haue grounded their implyed faith is that they must not knowe any thing but that it is enough to beleeue as the Churche beleeueth And in the meane while they wote not at what marke they shoote nor what God they worship nor how his name is to be called vppon But as I touched afore Gods meaning is not that men should so abolishe and destroy the grace that hee hath put into them for it were an vtter defacing of his image in dispite of him but rather after as hee coÌ„meth neerer vnto vs we vnto him so wil he haue his Image y e more knowen in vs his trueth y e more shine foorth there Let vs vnderstand then that Gods intent is not that men should be ignorant of him but to vtter himselfe in such wise as we may be able to discerne him from the idols that haue bin forged 1. Cor. â— 5.6 Eph. â— Eph. â— Eph. â— â— so as wee may take him for our father and assure our selues y t we be called to the knowledge of his truth and y t we may boldly resorte vnto him to call vppon him and to seeke succour at his hand After that maner was it Gods will to manifest himselfe to the people of Israell at the setting foorth of the lawe and after y e same maner continueth he still at this day But yet for all that the clowde is still before his face to make men knowe their owne rudenesse Againe forasmuch as wee be ouerfickle and would knowe dubble as much as is lawfull for vs insomuch that wee attempt to knowe the things that are vnpossible to bee knowen therefore did God cast a great and thicke clowde betweene himselfe and the people And if wee were throughly perswaded hereof it would be as a key to open vs the vnderstanding of y e whole holy scripture For why Whensoeuer we came to
iudges seeth for you yea and that he seeth clearely and writeth y e things in his Registers which you forget and wilfully ouerslip and he will put you in rememberaunce of them to your cost For when so heynous offences are committed our Lorde will not haue them let slip vnder colour of simplicitie or pretence of ignorance but he wil haue them sifted out and information given of them the truth tried by all meanes possible so as mē may not say where are we nowe What is to bee done And when it commeth to iudgement he wil haue y e matter laid forth handled plainely so as the truth of it may be knowen and after al this diligence vsed he will haue sentence giuen according to y t which is knowen That is the first point namely that wee suffer not faultes and crimes to slip for want of due inquisition and examination how the case standeth There is a second point which I haue touched alreadie and that is y t God would there should bee some correction for such as commit manslaughter vnawares And thereby he sheweth as I said afore that he loueth mankinde dearely in so much that if wee offend that way although it be not of malice but by chaunce as they say in such wise as the lawe which he hath ordained meaneth although we ment not so to do yet neuerthelesse we must feele by experience see with our eyes howe deare mans life is vnto him This is another thing which wee haue to marke vpon this place And herewithall let vs marke also y t God intended to preuent y e daungers as we haue said y t the kinsfolk might not be prouoked for we bee too much subiect to our passions therefore he purposed to cut of occasions obiectes as they terme them In deede it is a wicked imperfectiō in me it is a vice worthie to bee condemned when I hate one y t hath slaine my brother or my neighbour vnwillingly or when I beare him any grudge And why For the poore mā is not blame worthy bicause God acquitteth him there is no fault in him And yet for all that I can not finde in my heart to looke vppon him but if he come towards my heart riseth against him I am mooued at him Therefore am I to blame Neuerthelesse GOD seeing our frailtie hath vouchsafed to beare with vs in y t behalfe hath not left vs without a remedie for it Now wee are warned thereby to eschew the occasions of al euill to the vttermost of our power if God on his part haue vouchsafed to deliuer vs from such temptations do not they ouerthrow themselues wilfully which thrust thēselues into them Sure this lesson is verie profitable extendeth verie farre For we see how a great nōber sticke not to fling out at randō to offēd God And wherby Through rashnes To their owne seeming they be able to resist whatsoeuer cōmeth in their way thereupon they step forth boldly and without discretion they maruaile greatly y t God shold disappoint their ouerlustinesse so as they neede not any thing else to make them to stumble yea and to tumble into some grosse fault Seeing then that we be ouer hardy in hazarding our selues against a nomber of temptations let vs learne y t God by giuing vs such a lawe doth warne vs generally to walke in feare It is true y t if God call mee to any thing all the daungers in the worlde must not hold me back nor stoppe me For why God calleth mee and he will shield mee But if I of mine owne foolish rashnesse will needes aduenture vppon a thing that God commaundeth mee not if it fall out to my harme what is the cause thereof but the ouerweening presumptuousnes wherewith I was puffed vp For I considered not mine owne frailtie that I should haue humbled my selfe before God to haue walked in his feare Then let vs marke well that wee must not cast our selues ouer boldly in daunger and promise our selues this and that as we see a nomber doe which say as for mee I can well serue God Although other men misbehaue themselues yet may I liue vertuously euen among the wicked It is true but art thou sure y t thou doest it No but this lustie gallant that speaketh thus stoutly intermingleth himselfe with the wicked and with their abhominations If he heare Gods name blasphemed and outrageously misused a hundred thousand times he winketh at it and vaileth his bonnet if he see any loosenesse and vnhonest pranckes hee intermedleth himselfe with them and if he happen not to giue his full consent to them yet he withstandeth them not Thus ye see how that vnder the colour of hardinesse mē cast themselues into daungers which they ought to shunne considering that God warneth them of them after that sort And herewithal Moses here setteth down the inquisition that was to bee made that is to say Whether there were any hatred at that present time or before Wherein he sheweth y t it is not ynough to heare a mans confession and his protestation y t he did it not vpon any malice wee must not stay there For if the offenders may bee beleeued there shall neuer be anie hanged they will well ynough cleare themselues and it is a common rule among them but the iudge must be of wisedom to bowlt out things to seeke out the truth some where else than at the mouth of the offender True it is that the confession of offenders ought to be takē but if a mā should tarie til they vtter things of their owne accord condemne themselues it were too great a mockerie Therfore they must be straitened and constrained to say the truth and triall must bee made by other meanes that men may be assured and vtterly out of doubt of it And euen verie nature it selfe sheweth it vs though there were no lawe written by Moses Thus ye see what we haue to remember vpon this place Whereas it is said that inquisition must bee made whether there were any malice borne to day or yesterday or of any time afore it is a manner of speache that is rife in the Hebrew tongue whereby is meant whether any hatred or rancour were perceiued to haue bin betwixt them at any time before And why For it is to bee presumed y t where there is any hatred the partie goeth to worke w t malice And contrariwise if it bee found y t there was no quarell no ill will no hatred no rancour can it bee saide that the manslaughter was committed of malice and set purpose No. And hereby we be put in minde that the life and conuersation of a man ought to direct and leade vs to the finding out of the matter True it is that we ought alwais to iudge of matters without respect of persons and we must euer haue an eye to the deede to the desert of the case as
the Lawe was not mortall to continue onely during the liues of such as had the first hearing of it but that it was a doctrine which shoulde continue in force and authoritie for euer The Lorde our God saith hee made not his couenant with our fathers that is to say hee meant not that onely our fathers should bee his people and so to binde himselfe in such sort vnto them y t his law should serue but for a fortie or fiftie yeres but he hath made his couenant lykewise with vs and with those that were yet vnborne when the lawe was giuen foorth Although then that yee were not at mount Horeb ne sawe the fire vppon the hill yet notwithstanding assure your selues that your God did adopt you at the same time vnto himselfe and comprised you lykewise in the couenant that hee made Therefore it behooueth you to keepe his lawe because it was set forth to last for euer and to continue from age to age and to be preached vnto the worldes end That is the true and proper meaning of Moses And hereof wee may gather a good lesson which is that although we were not at the first setting abroad of the Gospell nor sawe the thinges that are reported to vs of the lawe yet must not Gods word forgoe his authoritie with vs. And why True it is that Gods raysing vp of Moses was a speciall prerogatiue to the people that liued in that time but yet must not the authoritie of the Lawe bee impeached for all that for it conteineth Gods trueth which indureth for euer and is not variable nor transitorie after the maner of men It is sayde that men are lyke a flower or as the grasse y t withereth and dryeth away out of hand Es. 40.6.7.8 1. Pet. 1.24 Psal. 103.10 Psal. 117.2 119.90.152.160 1. Pet. ◠25 Psal. 119 142. Psal. 146.6 2. Cor. 3.11 Eph. 2.15 Col. 2.14 He. 9.10.11 Mat. 5.17.18 He. 8.8.9.13 but Gods trueth endureth for euer And this trueth which is vnchangable and vnuariable is conteined in the Lawe True it is that the Lawe as concerning the ceremonies is quite abolished but as concerning the substance of it the doctrine y t is cōteined in it it keepeth his force for euer and neuer decayeth Nowe let vs marke that although wee were not in the time of Moses yet is it not for vs to despise the the thinges that are reported to haue bin done at that time or which are contayned in the lawe And why For hee spake them to vs. Hee spake not onely to the multitude that was assembled at mount Horeb but also generally to the whole worlde Now if this bee verifyed of the lawe much more reason is it that it should bee so of the Gospell For as I sayd the lawe as concerning the shadowes and figures is gone to decay but in the Gospel there is no such lyke thing For here our Lord maketh his newe and euerlasting couenant He. 8.8.9 10. it is a couenant that indureth from age to age without ceasing What is to be done then when the Gospel is preached Wee must assure our selues that the sonne of GOD is come into the worlde not onely to teache those with whome hee was conuersant when he was a mortal man Matt. 17.5 but also to purchase them vnto God his father Act. 20.28 and to call the world to saluation by giuing his Apostles commission to sound foorth their voyces through the whole worlde Matt. 28.19 Mar. 16.15.16 that euen those might bee made partakers of his doctrine which neuer heard them which doctrine wee also must receiue still at this day as if Iesus Christ himselfe were stil among vs or as if the Apostles spake to vs with their owne mouthes That say I is the thing which wee haue to remember vppon this place And therefore let vs not make any alteratiō in Gods Church or attempt to innouate any thing in his worde forasmuch as we knowe that hee will haue it to holde on continually in one equall course and trayne For seeing hee hath giuen vs his Gospel and stablished a certaine gouernment in the time of the Apostles and in the primatiue Church it behoueth vs to come to the same and to stay there If wee doe otherwise it is all one as if wee would make Gods worde mortall and corruptible as wee our selues are Wherefore let vs learne that although the worlde bee variable so as there bee turnes and returnes euery day and there is not any of vs all which hath not a number of opinions running in his head yet must wee not looke to haue the libertie to doe now one thing and now another Why so For God hath not made his couenant with our fathers but with vs that are aliue this day Then let vs vnderstand that as long as wee bee in this world God gouerneth vs here and sheweth vs the way to the end wee should not bee as wandering Pilgrims roming vp and downe to gad after our owne lustes but bee guided as it were by his hand To be short whereas Moses sayth here vs that are all aliue this day it serueth to shewe that men must not of all their lyfe long inuent any newe lawe nor haue one to day and another to morrowe For why Our lyfe dependeth vpon Gods Lawe and that ought to content vs Leuit. 18.5 Ezec. 20.11 Rom. 10.5 Gal. 3.12 therefore let vs but onely profite in that and haue an eye to the thinges that tend thereunto Furthermore no doubt but that Moses vpbraideth the people here with their vnthākefulnesse if they should not dedicate their liues to the seruice of GOD. As if hee should say By what meanes liue wee Is it not because our Lorde hath placed vs in this world Againe seeing that the lyfe which wee haue commeth of him ought wee not to bestowe it in his seruice Ought it not to bee wholy consecrated vnto his wil Thus then ye see how Moses tanteth al such as runne astray and follow not Gods worde But yet herewithall wee must beare in minde the thing which I haue touched afore that is to wit that wee haue not a doctrine of two or three dayes continuance but that wee must bee confirmed in it as long as wee liue When wee haue once receiued the thinges that are conteined in y e holy scripture Phil. 3 1◠Eph. 4.15 we must indeuer to profite in them and to goe forewarde still in such wise as wee may still growe in them vntill God take vs out of the world assuring our selues that he wil keep couenant with vs so as he for his part wil not bee vnfaithfull nor vnconstant but stedfast in his purpose Seeing that hee is so let vs bee the lyke and so long as wee liue let vs haue none other respect but to sticke to him euen in such wise as hee sheweth vs by his word For wee must not goe about to knit and linke our selues to
to doe And so yee see the cause why hee spake so briefely Moreouer he hath as yee woulde say chawed the thinges to vs that we might learne to submit our selues quietly to him and that euen the veriest ydiots might knowe that they neede not to bee greate clearkes to vnderstande his Lawe for asmuch as hee hath stooped so lowe that there is not so ignorant a poore soule but hee vnderstandeth what is conteined in the Lawe That is the effect of the matter which wee haue to remember here Furthermore seeing God hath forbidden murther as an owgly and outragious thing let vs assure our selues that hee which riseth vp against his neighbour to murther him is not worthy to liue vpon the earth for he is worse than a wood beaste Wee see howe Beares Lyons and other wilde beastes doe play together And why is that Because that although they haue no reason nor discretion although they haue no Lawe nor equitie yet notwithstanding the common knowledge or instinct of nature holdeth them in order Yee see then that the verie beasts haue skill to liue well together with the beastes of their owne kinde without hurting one another And shoulde not men bee restreined by some consideration seeing that God hath imprinted it in their hearts that murther is a wicked thing They see they bee all of one nature and euerie man beholdes the image of God in his neighbor And shoulde not this serue them for a bridle to withholde them from all violence What a dealing were it else So then let vs beare well in minde that although God had neuer spoken to vs yet haue wee sufficient proofe in our selues alreadie that if any man set himselfe against his neighbour hee defieth nature and is vnworthy to be reckened in y e aray of men But nowe seeing that the authoritie of God is matched with the knowledge which wee ought to haue had aforehande and that hee sheweth vs that there shall no bloude of man bee shed but the same shall come to account before him let the hearing thereof teach vs to liue without doing any man wrong or els let vs assure our selues he will become our mortall enemie for hee telleth vs that men are in his protection In deede the threate is not expressed heere but yet is it all one for as much as it is spoken of in other places Seeing it is said that man is created after the image of God Gen. 9.6 it is not lawfull to make any assault vppon him For it were all one as if our Lorde shoulde say yee bidde mee battell when yee goe about to hurt one another after that fashion for I haue printed mine image in you If a man shoulde but deface the armes of a Prince it were so great an iniurie as should bee punished as a murther And why Because it tendeth to the confusion of the state Beholde Gods image is printed in men and it is despised and shoulde not such an outrage be punished dubble Yes Now then let vs mark that God in telling vs that we assault him when we do any man wrong intendeth to shew vs that that ought to restraine vs or else we be too witlesse and madde Yea and to the intent wee should the better bethinke vs thereof our Lord telleth vs that a murther cannot bee committed but the lande is defiled with it Num. 35.33 as is declared in another texte where it is saide that the shedding of mans bloude bringeth such a stayning and defiling with it as can scarsly bee wyped out When there is any speaking of manslaughter yea though it bee done lawfully 1. Chro. 22.8 as in warre which is allowed yet is it saide to bee a defiling And why To the intent that wee shoulde learne to abhorre the shedding of bloud the more If an enemie bee slaine in open warre although GOD pardon it because the slaier hath iust and lawfull cause and doeth it of necessitie yet notwithstanding it is saide still to bee a staine and the dooer thereof is saide to bee defiled And why is that To the intent wee shoulde knowe that God hath created vs to liue quietly together and that wee cannot giue a fillippe as they say but that it is streitwayes a spotte vpon vs and wee be by and by defiled before God Seeing then that the holy scripture vseth all these formes of speech ought we not to be held the better in awe to liue without doing of any wrong to our neighbours Yes Howebeit forasmuch as God doeth so chawe thinges to vs heere according to our rawenesse and infirmitie let vs marke further that it is not ynough for vs to abstaine from bloudshed but that wee must also abstaine from all outrage and violence To bee short mens persons must bee deare and precious vnto vs. For till we bee come to that point God will take vs still for murtherers If a man doe but strike his neighbour although hee kill him not yet is he a murtherer alreadie in Gods sight And why I haue tolde you alreadie howe GOD vsed that worde of set purpose to shewe vs that although wee take a quarrelling or the giuing of a blowe ouerthwartly to bee small and light faultes yet they bee not so before God And why Because there is alway a murtherous intent in it And that is y e cause why God calleth it murther And besides that if we be forbidden to commit murther let vs vnderstande that wee bee likewise forbidden to doe any wrong or to make any assault vppon our neighbours If wee doe but lift vp our fist against one or touch him in anger by and by there is murther committed before God If wee thought well on this woulde we not be mielder than we be Wee see some men so testie that if a word doe but mislike them by and by their fist is vp to smite and beate the partie For they thinke it is a small matter so they shedde no bloude But wee must not make God to eate his worde in that he telleth vs that all quarellers are murtherers So then let vs learne to forbeare our owne fancies when we intend to iudge of our faults and let vs quietly imbrace the sentence that god hath giuen assuring our selues that all such as offer any violence to their neighbours are alreadie guiltie of murther before God That is the thing in effect which we haue to remember here But haue wee abstained from all anoyance Haue we done no outrage to the persons of our neighbors Then must we go euen to the heart For God hath not giuen a ciuill Lawe onely to make vs liue honestly but he hath giuen a Lawe agreeable to his owne nature We knowe he is a spirit Ioh◠〈…〉 and he will haue vs to serue him in spirite and trueth Seeing it is so we must vnderstand y t he hath giuen vs a rule not only for our hands and feete but also for our affections thoughts True it is that inasmuch
1.18 That no man euer saw God but the sonne who hath alwayes beene in the bosome of the father hath reuealed him vnto vs. The fathers of olde time had a knowledge as I said but that knowledge is esteemed as none at all in comparison of the knowledge which we haue now adayes by the Gospell Matt. 4.2 God sheweth himselfe more plainely vnto vs by the shining forth of the daysunne of righteousnesse And for the same cause the Prophet Esay treating of the redemption that was to bee perfourmed in the person of the sonne of God Esa. 25.9 saith expressely Behold this is he beholde this is our God The Prophet crieth out this is he this is our God He contenteth not himselfe to say behold our God but he speaketh as if the thing were present and as though God had appeared vnto him How so And was not God in y e mids of his people Exod. 25.8 Yes for he said I will dwel among you And againe This is my rest Sion is y e place where I will dwell Psal. 131.13.14 And afterward he protesteth that he will neuer depart thence and that the people is his temple and a royall Priesthood Why then doeth the Prophet Esay say Behold behold our God this is he this is he when our Lorde Iesus Christ was to come into the world Euen bicause God reuealed himselfe to vs in greater perfection Now then we be the lesse to be excused if we run gadding nowe adayes without holding of our selues to the pure trueth so as euerie of vs turneth away after his own dotages to say it seemeth so to mee this thinke I good Let vs assure our selues that all this is nothing worth but we must repaire to the certaintie that is brought vs by our Lord Iesus Christ. Neuerthelesse so farre off is the worlde from knowing this that it should seeme they bee all bent to spyte God and haue conspired to turne their backes vppon him and to shake off all subiection that they may haue libertie to continue in their disorders and to scape in the meane while vnespyed with their lewdnesse The Iewes are vnexcusable according as wee see howe the Prophetes vpbrayde them with their wilfull forsaking of God Es. 42.19.20 65.10.11 Esa. 55.11 so as they coulde not excuse themselues by saying y t they had not heard any thing as the poore Paynims might doe for God protesteth that he spake not in vaine And now adayes when God speaketh to vs with open mouth 2. Cor. 3.18 and wee haue him perfectly discouered vnto vs by the Gospell is it not too great a lewdnesse that men should runne astray after that fashion Were there euer any superstitions more grosse and more outragious than are to bee seene nowe adayes in the Popedome It is true that the Iewes medled with the superstitions of the Heathen and tooke much filth and vncleannesse of them but if all bee well searched it will bee founde that the Papists haue farre exceeded them For Gods word is as it were at this day buryed among them When they treate of fayth they fetch the points of it from mens inuentions and the holy scripture is in as much reuerence among them as if it were dead and that all thinges went to hauocke Loe at what poynt they bee And if a man speake to them of Gods seruice as I sayde they bee busie about their owne inuentions Yea verily myne intent is good say they and so they beare themselues in hand that God will suffer himselfe to bee dandled lyke a little babe and will neuer come to examine any whit of the doctrine of Poperie Againe if they speake of fayth exhort they men to resort to Gods free promises No but they chalendge all to themselues When they take in hand to treate of the office of Iesus Christ they ouerthrowe the vertue of his death and passion as much as they can When they treate of their saluation then step forth their owne free-will their merites and their satisfactions But contrariwise we should resort to the mere grace of the holy Ghost Ro. 7.17.18 acknowledging our selues to bee in bondage to sinne vntill God deliuer vs from it through his mercie And thereuppon it commeth that the holy Scripture calleth the forgiuenesse of sinnes our righteousnesse That is the point which wee must resort vnto Rom. 3. â—2 23 â—4 to know that when wee haue done amisse wee can bring none other amendes or payment for it than such as wee borrowe of the death and passion of our Lorde Iesus Christ. But there is not a word of all this in Poperie When God is to be prayed vnto they make their vagaries to their Heesaintes and Sheesaintes in the meane while Iesus Christ is not knowen to bee as he is neither is let alone with the office that is giuen him by God his father but they depose him lyke a sorte of theeues and traytours that seeke nothing else but to burie him againe and to make hauocke of all the glorie that was giuen him by God his Father After the same sort deale they also in all other things Wee see how the Sacramentes are defiled to the vttermost In stead of the Supper of our Lorde Iesus Christ they haue set vp that same hellish abhomination of the Masse wherein they say that Iesus Christ is sacrificed as though he had done nothing alreadie nor were appointed to be the onely euerlasting Priest by God his father Heb. 7 2â— Wee see then that the Papists haue so dalyed with Gods word wherein he hath reuealed himselfe as it should seeme that they meant of set purpose to wype away the knowledge that is in the Gospell And therefore wee haue so much the more neede to marke well this saying That the Lord is God yea eâ—en the onely one God Nowe then as oft as this word God commeth to our minde let vs assure ourselues that it serueth to cut off all toyes that may come in our heades and all inuentions of men and all other things whereof we haue not warrant in the holy scriptures For God will haue vs to consider him in such wise as wee snarle not ourselues in the imaginations and errours of idolatrie And of a truth we cannot haue the true God except wee haue him alone that is to say without adding any companion vnto him For as soone as we fall to bringing in of vndergoddes we forsake the liuing God And why Bicause his will is to bee alone as he auoweth in another place by his Prophet Esay saying Esa. 41. â—â— I am the liuing God saieth the Lord and I will not giue my glory to any other Againe we haue seene heretofore how he called himselfe a iealous God And why was that but to withdrawe vs from all corruptions 2. Cor. â—â— as S. Paule affirmeth in the second to the Corinthians For as soone as we be turned aside from the simplicitie of Gods word it
and in the meane while God is let alone and his lawe is forgotten And therefore it is not to bee wondered at that hee hardeneth vs in such brutishnes and that there is so grosse ignorance in the world as fewe folke haue the true taste and sauor of the doctrine of saluation but rather wee see that all men despise it and are so farre off from hauing any affection and zeale to the knowing of it that they doe rather thrust it from them when it is offered them and when GOD seeketh them they runne from him Sith wee see such vnthankefulnesse euerywhere it is any maruell that our Lorde reuealeth not his trueth as hee would doe if men were well minded towardes it It is true that God taryeth not till wee come vnto him but rather performeth that which hee sayth by his prophet Esay Esa. 65.1 namely that hee appeareth to them that aske not after him and that hee is found of them that seeke him not insomuch that hee sayth to them that are farre off from him Lo here I am Yet notwithstanding men must not vnder this color that God reacheth them his hand and draweth them out of the dungeons of ignorance before they euer thought vppon him men I say must not flatter and fode themselues in their carelesnesse but rather wee must learne according to this text that whereas wee bee ignorant of the trueth wee must at leastwise doe our indeuer to get knowledge of it and resorte to such as wee thinke that God hath reuealed more vnto than to our selues If wee doe so and with all humilitie seeke to knowe the thinges that are auaileable to our saluation God will shewe himselfe to vs and giue vs such meanes and helpes as he knoweth to be expedient for vs. And although mortall men faile vs yet will hee so supply our want by the power of his holy spirite as wee shall not continue still in darkenesse if wee seeke y e light for he wil not shut y e dore against vs if we knock Matt. 7.7 Luâ— 11.9.10 do our indeuer to enter Thus ye see in effect what we haue to remember vppon y e text Furthermore it behoueth vs to marke that here God sheweth not the end of his commandements what is ment by them and to what vse he hath appoynted theÌ„ He doth not onely shew that the people were iustly bound to keepe the lawe that was giuen them seeing that God had bought them so dearly Here are two things The one is that inasmuch as God hath giuen vs his worde hee doth well deserue that wee should yeelde him obedience Why so Because we be his creatures and hee hath voutsafed to gather vs together vnto him to bee his people and to fight vnder his standard and hath made vs to bee of his flocke and of his Church Marke that for one poynt The other is that wee should know to what end hee hath giuen vs his Sacraments so as we haue the preceptes of his whole Lawe which pertaine to the exercising of vs in his feare and in the hope of our saluation and to what end he hath set such order among vs as wee now haue Wee must knowe what is meant by all this Neuerthelesse this briefenesse will bee darkesome if it be not declared better When wee consider how God hath created shaped vs and moreouer made vs after his owne image and giuen vs witte and reson and therewithall the hope of a better life and finally hath voutsafed to take vs as his houshold folke it sheweth vs that wee bee bound to submit our selues vnto him For seeing hee is our maker doe wee not owe him all obedience Nay there is yet more namely that in the person of our Lorde Iesus Christ his sonne hee hath redeemed vs and made vs partakers of his Gospell to the ende that wee should bee guided by his hand Now then the first poynt is that when we haue knowledge it must stirre vs vp to serue God to stick to the pure religion that is comprehended in his word Howbeit this is not enough but wheÌ„ we be asked yet neerer Wherfore y e promises of y e forgiuenes of sins are giuen vs wee must answere Alas it is because we be wretched sinners we should be continually in anguish and sorrowe of minde if we knewe not that God is coÌ„tented to be mercifull vnto vs of his owne meere grace For hee cannot loue vs except we be righteous and wee shall neuer finde any holynesse in our lyfe Psal. â—â— or perfection in our vertues but it is through Gods mercie which it pleaseth him to extend towards vs. And so now yee see whereunto the promises tend Againe if it be demaunded of vs why hee hath appoynted the order of prayer as wel publique as priuate it is for that euery of vs ought to inure himselfe to seeke all his succor at his hand For wee haue not any good thing wee be destitute both of wisedome strength and righteousnesse wee bee woorse than emptie vntill our good God doe succor our needes and the meane thereof is to flee to him for refuge To that end hath hee ordeined priuate prayer And publique or common prayer is ordeined to the intent to assure vs the better that hee will here the common accorde that is among vs when wee bee come together as it were into one bodie and therewithall wee make confession of our faith exercise our charitie By this meanes then we learne why and to what end our Lorde hath set order in his Churche that is to lay what he meant to betoken thereby and to what purpose it is to be referred If a man aske vs what is meant by Baptisme and wherefore it was ordeined it is to the intent wee should know that euen from our mothers wombe wee bring nothing but all maner of vncleanesse with vs and that wee be ful of infection and filth before the Lord so as wee must be faine to bee washed or else hee will not vouchsafe to auowe vs for his Eph. 5.26.27 And wherewithall must wee be washed With the bloud of our Lord Iesus Christ. 1 Iohn 1.7 That then is the way to make vs cleane For as long as wee liue in Adam and in our owne nature wee can doe nothing but euill We bee so marred as there is nothing in vs but vtter rebelliousnesse against GOD. Therefore wee must enter as it were into death and into the graue Rom. 6.4 to bee renewed and our Lord must bee faine to giue vs a new vnderstanding and a new heart and he must so shape vs new againe as we may no more be the same we were before but bee as yee would say cast in a newe mould Eph. 4.23.24 and bee made new creatures as the scripture vseth to speake of it Thus ye see how wee may learne what Baptisme is what it betokeneth and to what end it was ordeyned As
doe euill but gaue himselfe wholly to well doing and to walke according to Gods wil. So then to offer willing sacrifices vnto God let vs remember what is said in this text and what hath bin treated of alreadie heretofore namely that before there is any speech of the keeping of Gods commandements Loue is set downe in the first place bicause wee haue neede to giue our selues first vnto GOD and to haue our hearts as ye woulde say fast tyed and knit vnto him ere we can indeuour to behaue our selues according to his lawe and righteousnesse But nowe let vs returne to the matter that was touched before Moses sayeth That GOD will keepe Couenant yea euen with a thousand generations of them that loue him As if hee shoulde say When God hath once planted his worde hee continueth that grace not onely till the decease of those to whome he speaketh but also to their children and their ofspring Nowe then let vs looke about vs and whereas wee perceiue Gods grace in that he hath vouchsafed to reserue vnto vs his word which was in maner abolished and will haue the same now preached vnto vs if wee I say perceiue his goodnesse in that behalfe let vs also hope that hee will continue the same towardes our children which hee hath begunne towardes vs if wee serue him by dooing the thinges that hee commaundeth vs. Ye see then that the goodnesse which God sheweth vs in his word must not make vs slouthfull and carelesse but rather bee as a spurre to pricke vs foreward vnto him that his holy couenant bee not broken on our part and through our default Furthermore whereas he sayeth Knowe thou that thy God is God yea and a strong God thereby he meant to separate the liuing God from all the idols which the world hath forged in al ages And it is a text well woorth the noting For wee shall neuer serue God with all our heart neither shall wee be able to trust in him and to rest vpon him vnlesse we be sure that he is almightie and that he onely is God No doubt but the vnbeleeuers may well beare themselues in hand for a time that their religion is good and the worlde seeth how wilfull they be in that behalfe but yet all is but stubbornnesse whatsoeuer they make of it And therefore it behoueth vs to be fully resolued and perswaded of this that wee must not haue a flying faith so as our hoping to be saued is but at al aduenture For we must alwayes beare in minde how S. Paule saieth that we must know whom wee beleeue 2. Tim. 1.12 and that God is a faithfull keeper of that which wee haue committed vnto him Then if we know not that our God is one and that he is alone and that he is the verie true God we shal be alwayes wauering and our faith shall haue no stedinesse That is the cause why Moses saieth expresly Know thou that thy God is the God As if he should say Consider in what state the wretched heathen meÌ„ and such as giue ouer themselues to superstition are It is true that they wil talk ynough of God howbeit y t is but rouingly they knowe not who he is But it is not so with you For seeing that your God hath taught you and discouered himself to you he hath certified you of his wil and shewed you that ye need not doubt but your religion is such as you ought to sticke to Now then swarue neither one way nor other neither halt ye but go on right forth seeing you bee sure of your religion Marke that for one point Howbeit for as much as we see men giuen to follow their own fansies which notwithstanding doe but tend to their owne destruction we must remember by this text of Moses that vntill such time as we be sure that the God whoÌ„ we worship is the true God wee shall euer bee intangled in some one thing or other And albeit that we doe our indeuor to serue him at leastwise to our seeming yet is it nothing it is but faining and that hope or trust is but a besotting of our selues Wel may we haue some opinion but as for to haue a setled faith so as we may glorie that our saluation is laide vp in God and that he will keepe it safely bicause he hath taken vs to himself it is vnpossible that we should haue any such certaintie vnlesse wee can say with Saint Paule I knowe whom I haue beleeued and he will be a faithfull keeper of that which I haue committed vnto him So then let vs put such difference betweene the liuing God and all the idols which men haue forged of their owne braine as he may be knoweÌ„ alone aboue all others And that we may so doe let vs learne to deuise nothing of our own head For as soone as wee father any thing vpon God which is not in his owne word it is all one as if wee did set vp an idoll for by that meane we disguise him Therefore wee must so sticke to the liuing God to the ende we may bee his people and hearken quietly to so much of his will as he sheweth vs by his worde as it may suffice vs to haue so much knowledge of him as he hath reuealed by his word without seeking any further For as for those that are so bolde as to take leaue to say I weene this is good and why should not God take this or that in good worth and in the mean while haue no warrant of the holy scripture I say they forsake the liuing GOD and turne away after idoles For what else are the imaginations of men but verie idoles to deface the true Maiestie of the onely God Thus much concerning this place Moreouer Moses termeth God Faithfull to shewe that like as afore he attributed strength vnto him for the Hebrewe worde that he vseth commeth therof so must we also haue his truth before our eyes and in our rememberaunce to the end to leane vnto him to referre our selues wholly vnto him knowing that Gods strength serueth not to abash vs but that whensoeuer it is spoken of it is matched immediatly with mercy to the intent we should be drawen vnto him and come to him with a cheerefuller courage Then is it not without cause that Moses hath set down Gods trueth heere of purpose to hold the people in obedience to him And heereby wee bee taught not to preace into Gods priuities and to dispute of thinges that are too high for vs yea and vtterly vncomprehensible but rather that wee must rest vppon his word and trueth which he hath reuealed vnto vs. True it is that we must bee fully perswaded of this point that GOD chose vs in his euerlasting purpose Eph â—â—â— not bicause wee were woorthie of it but bicause it pleased him so to doe and that there is none other cause thereof but onely his good pleasure as the holy Scripture sheweth vs.
baptisme at this day For circumcision serued to two endes First God thereby condemned all mankinde and all that is of mans owne nature shewing them thereby that all of it is euill And secondely he gaue hope of saluation in y e seede of Abraham accordingly as he had promised To this purpose say I serued y e figure of circumcision namely to put the Iewes in minde y t frō their mothers wombe they brought nothing with thē but condemnation that all y t euer was of man was cursed before God because it had nothing in it but sinne corruption Secondarily againe they were comforted forasmuch as they sawe that God promised them saluation Eph. 1.3 by the seede of man and y t he receiued them into fauour and iustified thē of purpose to haue them separated frō all y e rest of the worlde Gen. 1◠1◠Seeing the Iewes had this prerogatiue surely if they had not ment to deface Gods power as much as in thē lay they should haue made their circumcision auailable by cutting off al y t euer was of their owne nature assuring themselues y t men can not please God Rom. 1. ◠vntill they haue giuen ouer the thinges y t were their owne Hereunto had Moses an eye when he sayd Circumcise your heartes this day For their obseruing of y e figure was nothing except they cōsidered to what end God ment to lead them by it They beguiled themselues with y e visible signes and y t was ynough to thē for Satan hath alwaies this policie with him to make men busie their wits about the thinges y t they see with their eyes as whereunto he seeth them inclined For all our seeking is to content God with faire couers and though we neuer come nie him in verie deede yet would we fain pay him with a sort of pelting trifles The Iewes then esteemed their circumcision ynough too much but yet in so dooing they abused it because they regarded not y e thing y t God ment to shew thē therby but were tied altogether to y e visible signe Therfore doth Moses rebuke them saying thinke not y t the hauing of circumcision in your bodies is all y t you haue to doe for Gods giuing of y t signe vnto you was to help your infirmity of purpose to leade you further therby namely to bring you to true repentāce For when ye once perceiue y t al y t euer is of your own nature bringeth nothing but cursing you shall see that all of it is to be done quite and cleane away Therefore bethinke ye to mortifie your selues as if he should say Circumcision consisteth not in the outwarde paring away of the fleshe but the trueth thereof is within it is your heartes that must bee circumcised Moses his meaning hereby is not to condemne the outwarde signe but to shewe the true vse of it which folke had corrupted through superstition and hypocrisie Accordingly whereunto Ioell sayth Ioel. ◠◠Rend your heartes not your garments Wherin his meaning is not that men should no more shew any token of repētance by humbling themselues before God but to shew that all that euer men do by outwarde signes as by rending of the hayre from their heades and beardes by much weeping by knocking vpon their brests and by al other maner of gestures that may shew them to be abashed in maner out of comfort before God is nothing except y e hart be broken afore Euen so circumcision is vtterly vnprofitable vnles y e hart be circumcised as wel as y e body Now we see the meaning of Moses but it will become the plainer easier vnto vs if we come to our baptisme I haue already touched the likenesse that is betweene these two sacraments and it is all one as if a man should say vnto vs nowe adayes if you would y t God should take you for his people and heritage yee must be baptised in your soules What baptised in our soules Yea for south For the water that is cast vpon our bodies is nothing if wee haue not the trueth of it namely that we be so plunged vnder the water as if we werein a graue Rom. 6.4 Col. 2.12 that is to say y t it maketh vs to die in our selues so as our owne affections our owne thoughtes our owne witte our owne reason and our owne wisedome beare not any more sway in vs but y t we suffer our selues to be gouerned by God so as all our fleshly lustes bee subdued and held in captiuitie vnder him and vnder his yoke Therefore if a man would shew vs the true meaning of our baptisme he shoulde say looke that yee be baptised within And for the same cause also doeth Saint Paule in the seconde to the Romans Rom. 2.28 sette downe a difference betweene the circumcision of the letter and the circumcision of the spirite And he sayeth that the one is inwarde and the other outward Whereas he termeth it the Circumcision of the letter it is by a similitude for he hath an eye to the worde To what purpose serueth the reading of Gods Law and of the Gospel if it touch vs not inwardely Verily if euery of vs haue his Bible in print and yet let it alone what doe we else but make it vnholy by our not applying of so great a treasure to our vse by our not imploying of the same to our profite according to the intent of our God Euen so standeth the case with the sacramentes sayeth Saint Paule For they be but as a dead letter so long as wee haue no more but the visible signes it is but a gay appearance and shew before men But the whole matter consisteth in hauing the trueth before God Wil we haue the true Circumcision then must it be inwardly that is to say in the Spirite That is to say God must worke there So we see nowe that the meaning of Moses was that folke shoulde not boast vainely of the bare name of God nor of the wearing of his badge without the trueth of it so as they could shewe the power thereof but that they should fare the better by the signe that is giuen them to warrant their adoption to the entent it might appeare that God hath not without cause separated them from the heathen which were as good as banished out of his church had no acquaintāce at al with him Againe we see that this doctrin toucheth and concerneth vs nowadayes because we haue baptisme which serueth to the same vse y t circumcision did namely to lead vs to repentance Therfore must we apply it to our vse And forasmuch as God hath vouchsafed to giue vs a seale of the fatherly loue which hee beareth vs and that it pleased him to gather vs into his Church and to shew y t he hath taken vs vnto himself to be heirs of his kingdome Let not vs disappoint our selues of such a benefite through our
owne lewdenesse and vnthankefulnesse but lette vs endeuour to fare the better by it by beeing washed in our soules that is to say by mortifying our owne imaginations reasons and lustes and by offering vp of our selues in sacrifice vnto god to the ende that he may renewe vs and that nothing else but his spirite may reigne in vs so as hee may beare the whole swaye This exhortation is made vnto the Iewes because it was their dutie to apply their sacramentes vnto such ende Neuerthelesse let vs marke that it is not in our power to performe the thing y t is required here For although the Iewes ought to haue bin circūcised in their heartes yet was it verie necessary that God should worke in y t behalfe Likewise it standeth vs in hande nowadayes to mortifie our selues we be cōmanded so to do but yet must wee be faine to resort vnto God who reserueth to himselfe y e office of renewing our soules And that is the cause why it is sayd y t our Lorde Iesus Christ is only he which baptiseth with fire the holy Ghost Iohn 1.33 For if a man y t ministreth baptisme had power to regenerate then had he in himself the power maiestie glory which is giuen to y e sonne of God But our baptising is only with water y t is to say we haue but the signe of baptisme cōmitted vnto vs yet notwithstanding our doing is not in vaine for we must needes be faithfull witnesses of God And forasmuch as we doe it in his name we must not thinke y t the thing is voide vnprofitable But yet for all that it behoueth vs to resort to our Lord Iesus Christ and to consider y t our ministring of baptisme in his Church is by his authoritie therefore that it belongeth vnto him to make it auaileable that it is only his spirit wherby we be regenerate For if euerie man could wash his own soule it might be sayde that the minister baptiseth with water and y t euerie man baptiseth himselfe with truth but it can not be sayd so for that were as much as to robbe Gods sonne of the thing that is peculiar vnto him He hath reserued that honour to himselfe neuer giuen it to any creature no not vnto y e Angels of heauen Therefore let vs vnderstand that nowadayes when it is tolde vs that we must make the outwarde signe auailable vnto vs by being baptised in our soules we must therewithall immediately submit our selues vnto God praying him to performe the thing by the power of his holy spirit which he representeth to vs outwardly by the figure thereof and to mortifie and renewe vs in such wise as we may haue the trueth of baptisme sealed vppe and ingrauen in our soules In like case was it with the people of olde time True it is that here Moses exhorteth y e Iewes to Circumcise their heartes but yet we shall see hereafter Deut. 3◠6 howe he will say the Lorde our God themselues so ill as it was verie requisite for thē to be done to vnderstand that it was but a fondnesse for them to boast themselues to be Gods people Nowe to the intent we may learne to put this doctrine in practise as it ought to be Let vs vnderstande that such as will needes harden them selues in naughtinesse shal be destroyed by God who will make them to feele y e force of his power according to this saying of his If ye fall to stubbornes with me Leuit. 26.23 24. I will deale stubbornly with you againe And it is all one with this saying of the xviij Psalme Psal. 18.27 With the frowarde I wil be froward and I wil deale roughly with such as harden thēselues against me Then let vs learne that Gods intent is to lay a yoke vppon our neckes by his worde of purpose to bring vs in subiection to his righteousnesse And all is for our benefite Insomuch that although it bee so vnpossible for vs to fulfill the Lawe that wee can not so much as put foorth one of our litle fingers to the furtheraunce of it no nor once thinke a good thought yet is that yoke gentle amiable of it selfe and all the harme of it commeth of our selues For if wee will not bowe downe our neckes but strout them out as hard as if they were steele or brasse so as in steede of being as Oxen to labour or as sheep to heare the voyce of our shepherd we become sturdy buls and fall to striking with rage furie to shake off the yoke so as we not only followe not the worde but also shake off all subiection and inharden ourselues against God what excuse will there be for vs seeing wee yeelde not ourselues vnto him willingly to be taught at his hande Yet for all that we see how the world goeth God therefore must be faine to ouermaster vs to tame vs by maine hande And in verie deede looke what afflictions soeuer light vpon vs we ought to take thē as strokes of Gods hād to make vs bowe our neckes vnder him and to become tractable and obedient But when we go awke and cleane contrary after that fashion thē doth he threaten vs thus by Moses I will deale stubbornely as well as you He vseth that terme of purpose to the intent y t men should not dally with him For at the first blush the saying might seeme straunge which I alledged out of the xviij Psalme Psal. 18.27 namely that hee will deale frowardely with such as are froward For howe can that be Can God be frowarde No But it is all one as if he shoulde say yee shall finde in me a greater hardnesse than yours is Let vs incounter together and see which of vs is stoutest and best able to holde out I tell you it is you that are like to be confounded and go to wrecke And therfore let vs leaue our naughtinesse and repaire vnto God while he calleth vs and when we be come to him let vs suffer ourselues to be gouerned by his holy spirite which is the spirit of meeknesse that we may submit our selues obediently vnto him And for perfourmaunce thereof lette vs marke the lesson that Moses addeth immediatly The euerlasting thy God sayeth he is the God of Gods a great a mightie a strong God yea but let vs marke also that he doth not accept that is to say regard mens persons but iudgeth according to the truth Beware therefore y t ye trust not any more in your circūcision nor in such like thinges but beare in mind that God wil haue your seruice to be such as your hearts may be wholly dedicated vnto him and that he wold haue you to submit your selues vnto him so as he may haue you in his possession and you enioy the inheritance which hee promised to your fathers and which belongeth vnto you Gods greatnesse which Moses speaketh of in this place is the first
vs to look vpon to y e end we should refer al to our own profite For y e end of time saith he is come vpon vs and we see nowe the perfection of the things which God had but begun as then And here is mention made of Coree Dathan and Abiram y t is to wit of such as could not abide the obseruing of thinges in such sort as God had then commanded them by Moses True it is that they professed thēselues to be Gods chosen the children of Abraham mark y t for one point For they alledged y t they were sanctified their intent was that their circumcision should be as a warrāt for them that they were a holy sacred generation But yet for al y t they would none of the preesthood at leastwise not as God had ordeyned it but euery of thē would haue it to him selfe Now I pray you haue not we for our part seene the like rebellion against God his word For wherefore hath al the skirmishing bin both against the doctrine against y e disciplyne of the church with such rage but to displace the order y t God set among vs When heretikes yea euen such heretikes as brought mo blasphemies than euer were herd of since there was any christian Church came hither they were mainteyned here with tooth nayle openly yea euen by such as sate in the seate of Iustice in so much as they tooke part with them and shewed them as much fauor as Turkes shoulde haue vnder Mahomet Afterward when other heretikes came hither to bring in Freewil again to set it vp to the derogation of Gods grace blaspheming his election and Prouidence they had those mē for their Patrons Aduocats which ought to haue bin their Iudges those spake for them in our presence and that with such impudencie as if they had bent them selues like buls to strike vs with their hornes to set themselues as shamefully as could be against God and his doctrine This haue we seene Againe when thinges were shewed them so plainly by the holy scripture as would haue beene receiued euen among the very papists and when so cleare and euident texts were alledged as coulde not be gaine said which things we not only spake by mouth but also gaue them the articles in writing set downe y e sentences of the scripture whereby the truth was pointed to as with ones fiuger They were not ashamed to reiect all but stepped forth proudely still as it were to say wee will fight against God whatsoeuer come of it True it is that they spewed not out such sayings with full mouth for they protested still to hold themselues to the Gospel O sayd they our desire is to haue y e Gospel Yea but what maner of Gospell A tauerngospell There was no talking among them of the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ For it was a cōmon by word among them to say There needs no more to be knowē than y t which al of vs know that is to wit that we must loue God and our neighbour And what needeth there so much preaching for that matter If a man replyed hereupon sayd vnto thē how can y t be If yee wil haue preaching to ceasse the Sacraments to be superfluous the must the whole order which God hath set in his church be disanulled Wel would they say then let y e Gospel be preached simply w tout such storming And againe as touching y e Sacraments belong they not to vs as well as to you Why not would we y t there should be no more order kept Nay we cā minister y e supper as wel as you preachers Such things as these I say were seen and herd But if Coree Dathan Abirā be condemned here by y e holy ghost to haue intēded y e breaking of al order I pray you what shal a man say of those which haue fought so manifestly against god after this fashion for these things were not done of ignorāce Although they be so shameles as to say stil wee haue ment no such thing yet is their malice too too apparant For had no man spoken to them of it or had no man pointed thē as with his finger to y e texts of the scripture so as it might haue bin saide see here the will of God there is no difficultie in y e matter it needeth not any scanning as though there were any doubtfulnes in it see here y e opē text they might haue had some colour for their pretence But seing y t things were so shewed vnto them yet they cōtinued wilful still see yee not that it was an open making of war against God Is it not to be seene also what pretence was made by Coree Dathan Abiram Out of question their sayings were after this maner Why If Aaron haue the highpriesthod alone to himself he shal haue al superiority what shal we be Euen so standeth y e case with these men to their seeming al were marde on their side if God should beare y e sway But god will beare the sway by this order and we see it is no impeachement at all to the ciuill power which is a thing vtterly distinct from it neither can any thing better maintaine Magistrates in their souerainty forasmuch as y e order of Gods Church is spiritual so as it medleth not with y e punishing of mens bodies nor w t penalties nor with imprisonments nor with such other like things but all is referred to y e word the sacraments Seeing y t this is apparant doth it not serue better for y e stablishment of Empyres kingdomes Lordships than if there were nothing else to be had than a confused tyranny where nothing were reserued vnto God to our Lord Iesus Christ And therfore when men streine themselues to y e vttermost of their power to ouerthrow y t order do they not fal to spitting in y e face of Iesus christ to spite him withall For it is his will to reigne among vs yea he will haue his kingdom to be in vs. Now thē when he chooseth men setteth them vp to gouern his church in his name is it not too shameful an vnthankfulnes to say we will not admit it but thrust it from vs As who shold say they wold make men beleeue y t the Consistory were a thing vtterly seuered from Geneua it self wheras God hath granted vs y e grace to make it a member of the body Nowe then to dismember Iesus Christ by separating y e things which he hath ioyned together is it not a setting of themselues openly against him We see then y t these rebellions haue happened among vs who is to bee blamed for it Truly y e heads of the sedition are to be seene and y e perceiuing of thē hath not bin at some one time or a day or twaine ago but it is now a seuen or eight years since it began
with their turning away from his word when it is preached vnto them is that their so doing is through a diuelish stubbornes y t euen by y e witnes of their own conscieÌ„ces it is a worshipping of gods which they haue not knowwen For our faith must not be vncerteine it must not be an opinion or weening but it must bring a sure knowledge with it And what maner of knowledge Truely as in respect of our own wit reason if we intend to come vnto god we must worship him w t all humilitie remeÌ„ber that his secrets surmount our vnderstaÌ„ding But yet here withall it behoueth vs to stande vppon so sure a ground euen by knowledge as our owne consciences may beare record of it wee bee able to say with S Iohn 1. Iohn 3.2 we wote well y t we be y e children of God Lo here what the true Religion is It is not an vnaduised zeale or a liking that men cast to this thing or that but a sure knowen doctrine grounded vpon Gods trueth wherethrough we be able to say y t it is he which hath spoken to vs y t he is a faithfull witnesse of y e things y t are for our welfare saluation And againe whatsoeuer we alleage wee shall alwayes abide conuicted of our malice So that when wee haue once beene taught y e word of God if wee afterwarde worship gods whom we haue not knowen if we swarue aside to any superstition or if we continue not in y e pure simplicitie of y e holy scripture surely we shal iustly be accused to haue had strange Gods to haue bin forgers of them as folke y t loue the vntrueth better than y e trueth According wherunto S. Paul speaking of all such as obeyed not the Gospel 〈◊〉 1.25.28 saith it is good reason they shold be striken with horrible blindnes that forasmuch as they honored not the creator it was meete that they should become vnderlings to the creatures y t is to say to the things which they had dreamed in their own fond braine foolish fancies Now theÌ„ seeing y t our God hath taught vs let vs learn to hold our selues at a stay to his word to vnderstand in what maner he hath shewed himself vnto vs let vs benefite our selues by al the records which he giueth vs beware y t we wander not one way or other ne followe not our owne leasings For there wil be no excuse for such as would not be certified of God when he was readie to do it Now in the end Moses addeth that when the people were come into the land of promise they shoulde diuide their companie in two partes the one halfe vpoÌ„ mount Garizim the other halfe vpon mount Eâ—all that they which should bee vppon mount Garizim should pronounce the blessings that those which should be vpon mount Ebal should pronounce the curses which thing wee see was done accordingly For this commandement shal bee rehearsed yet againe in the 27. Chapter of this booke Deâ—t 27. â—â— Ios. 3. â—â— And Iosua in his eyghth Chapter declareth y t he had obeyed the coÌ„mandement of Moses The effect of y e storie is that when y e people were entred into y e land they should meete with two mountaines y e one called Hebal y e other Garizim Now god had commanded y t one part of y e people namely certaine tribes shold be on y e one side on mount Garizim y t the rest of the tribes should be vpoÌ„ mount Hebal y t the Leuites shold stand in the middes of y e host bearing the Ark of God to shew y t God was chiefe souerein there that the Leuites were as witnesses or sureties to vndertake matters in y e behalf of the people like as if there were two parties to make som solemne match or couenant a notarie or register is present to take an othe betwixt them euen so God had ordeyned y t the people shoulde be there to heare receiue y e doctrine of saluation y t they should answere on their part as in y e passing of som solemn contract to y e end they might knowe vpon what condition God had chosen theÌ„ preferred theÌ„ before al other nations of y e earth as shal be shewed hereafter in the foresaid 27. Chapter And what were y e blessings They were a rehersal of y e same thing that God had spoken afore namely al such as keepe my law shal be blessed Al such as worship me with a pure conscience shal be blessed all such as hallow my name shal be blessed al such as obey their fathers mothers shal bee blessed all y t liue chastly shal be blessed all y t abstaine from deceit extortion al maner of euil shal be blessed God then on his parte promised blessing after y t maner Hereunto the people answered Amen Amen y t is to say So be it whereby they ratified y t which had been spoken by the mouth of God Again on y e contrarie part y e curses were vttered on mount Hebal in this wise Cursed be he y t turneth aside after strange gods Cursed be he y t dishonoreth his father or his motheâ— Cursed be hee that offendeth in theft or in whoredom Cursed be he y t performeth not all y e coÌ„mandements conteined in this booke Amen Amen said y e people When the curses were vttered after y t fashion it behoueth euery man to answer AmeÌ„ And so ye see what is said in this text Now let vs mark y t by that meanes god ment to touch y e people neerer to y e quicke by their agreing to such a couenant And the same belongeth vnto vs. For although wee haue not y e same cerermonie y t was obserued at y t time yet haue we y e trueth howsoeuer the world go whensoeuer Gods word is preached vnto vs although we receiue it not yet shal it not fal to y e grounde but it shal light vpoÌ„ our heads spite of our teeth it shal be an intolerable burthen to sink vs down to y e bottom of hel Therfore when we receiue gods word into our harts let beware y t we like wel of it y t we ratifie the promise of our saluatioÌ„ which he maketh vs. Nowe hee adopteth vs to be his children and if we be his children we be also his heires Therfore when we imbrace the preached word by faith obedience although our mouth speake not a worde yet doe wee confirme Gods truth to our saluation according to this saying of S. Iohns that as many as beleeue in the only sonne of God Iohn 3.33 haue set to their seales that God is true Thus ye see howe the full measure of our saluation and of the promise is accomplished hath his full effect power when we on our side do aunswere rightly Amen And
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
safetie doe thinke it better to behaue themselues after another sorte and to chaunge their state and what a kinde of dealing is that It is a diuelishe rage that we be caried away withall when wee cannot bee quiet in our selues at such time as god hath giuen vs outward rest and holdeth our enimies locked vp so as although they be round about vs yet he suffereth them not to make any chaunge to disquiet vs with all and yet we our selues cannot abyde to sit in quiet Wherefore let vs marke wel y t seeing God is so gracious to vs as to grant vs libertie to serue him purely it is our dewtie to holde our selues quietly vnder his obedience without attempting any thing at all But the Papistes haue well shewed in this case that they cannot find in their harts in any wise to submit themselues vnto God and that their intent is not to yeeld him any obedience For first of all they looked not what God ment by the olde figures of the Lawe and yet they followed the things that Moses cōmaunded concerning lightes perfumes and apparell And why was that Bicause they considered not that all those things were referred to our Lord Iesus Christ. They were much more brutish than the very Iewes that had no faith at all For the Iewes at leastwise held themselues to the rule that was giuen them In deede they knewe not the right vse of their Ceremonies but yet had they an expresse commaundement from God durst not attempt any thing against the same But as for the Papistes notwithstanding that Iesus Christ bee manifested and haue accomplished all the thinges that were betokened in olde time yet haue they vtterly ouerthrowen that good and substantial foundation and thrust his death and passion vnder foote They fall to taking vp of lightes And what needes that The holy ghost hath shewed himselfe visibly in the person of our Lorde Iesus Christ Ma◠3. 〈…〉 Act. 1.3 and afterward vpon the Apostles to doe vs to vnderstand that we must no more looke for any outward figures bicause we haue the truth and substance of them But what The Papists haue abolished the infinite grace of God and vtterly made a mocke of it They will needes offer sacrifice and haue attyred their priestes thereafter disguising them as though it were to the playing of an enterlude And all this geere is but gugawes for they bee not commaunded of God and besides that they be done as it were in despite of him All that was doone in the law was of Gods setting vp these men fall to setting vppe of newe fashions such as God neuer spake of Againe they place a mortall man in y e roome of our Lord Iesus Christ as who shold say that the office of our Lord Iesus Christ were not welynough knowne and apparant vnlesse it were figured out with newe and straunge toyes It is all one as if a body should shew forth the picture of a man when the partie himselfe is present and shoulde saye Behoulde this picture and yet the man is there himselfe who can much better shew himselfe what he is than the picture can doe Euen so doe the Papists in setting forth of y e picture of Iesus Christ. He is named the liuely image of God Although the father be incomprehensible in his owne maiesty yet hath he so vttered himselfe in the person of his sonne ◠Cor. 〈…〉 He 〈…〉 2. Cor. 〈…〉 as wee may behold him there face to face as sayth Saynt Paule in the second to the Corinthians But the Papistes drawe a Curteine before it and tell vs that wee must bee contented with pictures It is therefore a turning of all thinges vpside downe and a bringing in of diuelish confusion Neuerthelesse wee see that in the Popedom there is no harkning what God saies but all is doone at the appointment of man Looke whatsoeuer they do they terme it by the name of Gods seruice Yea but how is God dewly serued God sayth ye shall not doe whatsoeuer seemeth good to your selues seeing that I haue set you downe a certaine order bee contented to bee gouerned by my woord But what say the Papistes Mee thinkes this is good This we take to be excellent euery man castes to his collup and in all Gods woord a man shall not finde one syllable of al the things which they terme Gods seruice and which they will needes haue to passe in their account For let a man search all y e things through which are comprised vnder y t name in y e Popedom he shall find thē euerychone to bee forged and builded by men and that God not onely disclaymeth them but also condemneth them bicause he hath shewed vs his certaine and infallible truth which is the thing that we must frame our selues vnto Wee see then howe all this doctrine hath beene wickedly throwen downe in the Popedome and that is bicause they haue peruerted the true vse of the figures of the Lawe and taken inordinate liberty to doe whatsoeuer came in their heades without hauing any regarde to the witnessinges that God giueth vs whereby they might haue said These be the thinges which we ought to do Now so much the more diligēt ought we to be in marking this place For were wee still in doubt nowadayes what to doe so as wee knewe not what thinges God alloweth then might wee haue some fancie to make vs to sway to and fro But seeing that God hath tould vs what hee requireth at our handes that ought to be ynough for vs. And now hath hee abolished the Ceremonies of the law that were of his owne appointing Col. 2.14 Yea And wherfore To shew vs therby y t he wil not haue vs any more intangled in the outward figures Col. 2.17 The reason is added bicause we haue them throughly fulfilled in Iesus Christ. Now then if we wil not deface the glory of our Lorde Iesus Christ and ouerthrowe the benefits that he bringeth vs we must put away the old figures Marke that for one point Againe wee see that God is contented with fewe ceremonies For it is not his will that wee shold haue any more deckings lights perfumes Cakes sacrificings of beastes nor other such thinges but his wil is that in our baptisme we should haue such an assurance of our washing clensing by the grace that is purchased for vs in our Lord Iesus Christ Eph. 5.26 as should continue with vs for euer Haue we that We must hold our selues contented with it For God could haue added more if he had listed but he listed not so to do And so ye see heere is a bridle which must reine vs backe to gather vs home to GOD or else he shall neuer be able to weeld vs. Now what haue the Papistes done Tush this simplicitie of baptisme pleased not them they would needs adde this that to it at their own pleasure What say they Should there be but sheere water
worse than madde if wee proceede on still What excuse will there bee for vs when God shal haue shewed vs the ditche and bidden vs beware that wee fall not into it and yet we bee so wilful in wickednesse that he cannot winne so much at our handes as to make vs turne backe againe from it Moreouer wee see by this text that it is but a simple shift to say Other men doe so as well as I and yet a greate number of sillie soules beguile themselues with it euen at this day If a man warne the Papistes of their superstitions to bring them to Gods trueth O say they I am not alone there be many others in the worlde They beare themselues in hand that they may by and by disappoint God with the multitude of their partakers But Moses telleth vs heere that all shall bee tyed together in one bundle and one of them shall not helpe to acquite another or to diminishe anothers fault but that all of them shall bee rooted out together according to this saying of our Lorde Iesus Christ Mat 15.14 Luke 6.39 If the blinde leade the blinde they shall both fall into the ditche What shall I haue gained by it when a great number of people shall haue perished with mee Then let vs not thinke our faults the lighter for the greatenes of the number of them that offende with vs but rather let vs marke on the contrarie parte that there is not a worse thing than euill custome and it is the thing that wee had neede to beware of as long as wee liue in this worlde For wee see verie fewe of that sort of men which guide vs the right way but on the contrarie part the multitude is infinite of those that thrust vs out of the way so as if wee leane vnto men wee shall scarsely finde one among a hundred which walketh aright but all of them doe go astray Also when the Prophet Esaie speaketh of the disorders that reigned eueriewhere Esa. 56.11 hee saieth no more but that euerie man had turned aside after his owne wayes Whereby hee doeth vs to vnderstande that we neede not to be beguiled by others for euerie of vs beguileth himselfe too much Therefore when men followe their owne imaginations then are they quite and cleane out of the way of saluation And sith it is so that we shal finde verie few that can amend vs and all the rest doe but draw vnto euill what shall become of vs if we grounde our selues vpon custome If wee say O there be thus many and thus many that take this or that to be good yea but God misliketh it and it makes no matter what men doe for wee see they bee all giuen to naughtinesse and are corrupted in their vnderstanding Againe their hearts are ful of malice so as they dragge cleane backe from that which God hath shewed them And if wee alledge It is not nowalate that this thing came vp it hath beene vsed of custome in all ages long agoe verily it is all one as if wee shoulde say the worlde is hardened in naughtinesse But yet hath it not gotten so sure holde that it can displace God from being Iudge that he shoulde not condemne them as they deserue And therfore let vs marke wel howe it is shewed vs here that if we followe the steppes of such as haue gone astray when God hath punished them wee also must come to account after them Yea and wee deserue double punishment when wee fare not the better by the corrections that God hath shewed vnto vs for it is all one as if we resisted him wilfully The matter in effect which wee haue to gather vppon this saying where Moses speaketh of the snares that are laide for vs is that when our Lorde hath once warned vs and we haue seene the verie examples themselues before our eyes we should set our minds vpon them that wee intangled not our selues in the curse that is prepared for the despisers of Gods word And it is saide further that men shoulde not inquire after their gods Heereby hee doeth vs to vnderstande that men are oftentimes turned away from well doing by their foolish curiositie For when wee bee once instructed in the pure simplicitie of Gods worde if wee holde our mindes imprisoned that is to say if wee holde our selues contented with Gods trueth then are wee sure that our Lorde will confirme vs more and more so as though all the worlde were on a broyle yet shoulde wee bee knitte still in good agreement of faith But our wittes are so fickle that they bee alwayes rouing wee cannot holde our selues from inquiring of this and that not for any benefite that wee reape by it for wee wote not what is the reason thereof but yet our desirousnesse so tickleth vs and so prouoketh vs that wee cannot holde our selues in quiet to say let vs obey our God Therefore Moses meant plainely to condemne the vice that reigneth ouermuch in men and is too deepe rooted in their nature which is that in steede of sobernesse to holde our selues in simple obedience to Gods worde wee bee continually turmoyled with vaine fancies and all our seeking is who did this and who did that that wee might bee cunning in iudging thereof As for example wee see a great sort that woulde faine knowe al the Religions of the worlde And to what ende It seemeth to them that they bee not sure of the Christian faith vnlesse they knowe Machomets Alcoran and al the diuelishnesse that hath reigned among the Paynims and Papistes and haue their heads full stuffed and besotted with all the dotages of the Iewes Thus doe they play the beastes through their wicked curiositie and it appeareth well that there hath beene nothing in them but vtter vanitie and hypocrisie Wherfore according to that which Moses hath declared heere let vs learne not to be too inquisitiue of the thinges that are not good for vs. Wee see that euen in reading Gods worde 1. 〈…〉 〈…〉 wee must vse this modestie of forbearing to seeke thinges needelesse which serue not to edifying what will come of it if wee disguise Gods worde by ripping vp the thinges which cannot but infect our mindes and corrupt them and turne them from the pure trueth True it is that such as are to make warres are faine to be inquisitiue of the force and policy of their enemies that they may beware of them but when wee be so eager that without any occasion or neede wee will needes knowe that which doeth not touch vs nor concerne vs is it not a tempting of God is it not a casting of our selues into the snares which wee see that Sathan hath laide for vs Therefore when men haue beene taught the Gospell purely let them abide quietly therein let them bee contented with this that they are approued of God who cannot deceiue them and let them refuse all manner of trumperies which can serue to no purpose but
bâ—t also to the ende wee shoulde staye vppon them and bee so grounded vppon them that if all the troubles of the worlde shoulde rise vp against vs wee shoulde still holde our owne and continue stedfast and inuincible If this were sayd to the people of olde time which had not so large instruction by a great deale as wee haue much more dooth it belong to vs nowadayes God gaue the Iewes sufficient instruction so farre foorth as was requisite for their welfare That is true but yet did he teach them vnder shadowes and figures which maner of teaching was darkesome in comparison of that which we haue nowadayes For in the Gospell we haue the sunne of righteousnesse shining as it were at nooneday Mal. 4.2 So then Gods worde must serue vs not onely to shewe vs the right way but also to inable vs to withstand all the temptations of Satan and his vpholders We must say I be so armed as we may fight and put backe all errors and falsehood so as after we haue once knowen God we may stick to him stedfastly to the vttermost And that is the cause why Saint Paul treating of the vse of the Gospell Eph. 4.14 sayth that we must not be lyke little babes which are drawen too and fro so as we should no sooner see any trifling toye to beguile vs but we should by and by be gadding after it and what a thing were that But we must sayth he be so setled in the fayth that if there come any cousiners that goe about to leade vs by craft and to deceiue vs wee may bee fenced against them and not bee shaken by them ouersoone True it is that we must needes haue a begetting in our Lord Iesus Christ and that at the first our faith may be so weake that we shall be lyke little babes But we must growe still and dayly gather new strength vntil we come to mans estate that we be perfect to meete with our Lord Iesus Christ. Thus yee see what force the doctrine of trueth ought to haue when it is taught vs. That is to wit we must not onely count it good in consenting to it but also be so well assured of it that the diuell doe what he can may not be able to remoue vs by reason of the certeintie which wee haue whereby wee bee inabled to beate backe whatsoeuer shall be set against vs. And doubtlesse wee see by the example of our Lorde Iesus Christ that such as haue bin faithfully taught may well repulse all the wiles of Satan Matt 4.7 For when Iesus Christ was tempted wherewith armed he himselfe but with the holy Scripture Wee see that if there rise vp neuer so many false Prophets among vs yet if wee be throughly well grounded in faith setled in it as we ought to be we shal coÌ„tinue stedfast the diuell shall win nothing at our handes True it is that now then we shal find some impedimeÌ„ts for Gods seruauntes shall bee sure of trouble that serueth to humble theÌ„ but yet whatsoeuer it be their faith is alwayes the better prooued by errors heresies such other lyke thinges whereby our Lord sheweth that we haue profited well in his schoole that wee can neuer be led away vnto wickednesse whatsoeuer betideth Also we heare what Saint Paul sayth when hee armeth vs against all spirituall battels that may befall vs Eph. 6.12 16.17 hee giueth vs the sword of Gods word hee deliuereth vs the Shield of faith and hee giueth vs the helmette of hope And thereupon hee inferreth that wee shall not onely be inabled to withstand all the assaultes that Satan can make vppon vs but also bee defended from his fiery dartes when there is no lykelyhoode for vs to escape from his subtleties Now therefore whensoeuer the Gospell is preached vnto vs or that wee reade the holy scripture let vs learne not onely to receiue the thinges as true which are told vs out of the mouth of God but also to bee so fully resolued of them in our selues as we may not be trayned vnto wickednesse nor turned aside from the right way when the diuell stirreth vp any heresies And so ye see what is told vs in this text For our Lord thinkes it not enough that the faithfull should serue him and hold them to his trueth when they bee in quiet without temptation but also hee will haue them to yeeld such trust vnto his worde that if the diuell fall to sowing of his darnell to marre al and wicked men rise vp to deface the truth by al the meanes they can and to turne it into lyes such as haue learned what the true religion meaneth should not change nor be fickle and vnconstant but shewe that the thinges which they know are of God and an abiding trueth so as it is not for men to swarue or start from them in any wise Now theÌ„ let vs beare this warning wel in mind and euery of vs examine himselfe and when we haue once vnderstoode y e things y t haue bin told vs and are necessary to our saluation let vs not imagine our selues to haue a perfect and right faith as is requisite vnlesse wee bee so constant and fully resolued in the thinges that our Lorde hath shewed vs that we abide by it and followe our course still whatsoeuer come of it For whosoeuer fleeteth or starteth aside at euery matter sheweth that hee neuer knewe Iesus Christ as hee ought to doe And therefore Saint Paul in another place vseth two similitudes to shewe of what force Gods word ought to bee with vs to hold vs fast vnto him in his obedience Hee saith that wee must be throughly grounded and rooted For many haue a kinde of faith but that is but in outward shewe and appearaunce as for inwardly it hath no liuely nor deepe roote For if a man haue but a faire braunch couered with flowers to what purpose is that One blast of wind will deface it But if a tree bee well planted the roote of it will hold it fast in the middest of all stormes Euen so must wee bee rooted in our Lorde Iesus Christ and we must be throughly well grounded vppon him so as men may perceiue not onely that wee haue knowledge but also that our heartes doe yeeld record of our playne dealing And marke here the cause why so many men are so greatly hindered and indeuour no further but to purchase themselues credit among men When they come to a Sermon where the Gospell is preached for the most part they thinke they haue well profited when they can skill to talke of it and there are very feawe that haue a care to be so grounded in it as to lay it vp in their hartes that GOD may be witnesse of it there are very fewe that indeuour to atteine to that steddinesse And therefore doth God abhorre that foolish vaine gloriousnesse wherethrough men seeke but onely to win themselues
surely it is a great grace of God to haue power to redresse a mischiefe that hath bin knowen of long afore and therfore it must not be let slip without prouiding for it in time conuenient Moreouer we must heare what a simple shift it is to alledge pitie when men marre all thinges by giuing cause of offence For what kinde of pitie is it to spare two or three to cut y e throtes of a whole nation On the contrarie part if they that be so wickedly bent be repressed that they may no more haue their own swinge but rather be vtterly rooted out it is a purging of the whole nation it is a healing of a common sore So then if wee loue the welfare of all men lette vs not giue head after that sort to such as intice men to forsake the right way But wee must goe backe againe to the matter which I haue spoken of alreadie and which Moses goeth forwarde withall still in this text to wit that the worst corruption which can befall a nation is to haue despisers of God that falsifie the true religion or to haue vpholders of Satan that leade men into superstition and ydolatrie to abolishe the pure doctrine and the trueth which they hadde receiued True it is that if there bee gluttons drunkardes whooremongers and such other like folke it is an infection that is wel worthie to be feared meet to be redressed out of hande least the mischiefe growe too strong But as for those that put all thinges out of order shewing themselues to be bent to spite God and to make men to yeelde no more reuerence to his maiestie it is as a gathering of all sinnes togither into one heape and a packing of them vp in one bundle For there can be nothing pure when Gods seruice in taken away and when men walke not in his feare all other thinges must needes be out of order For the knowing of God and the worshipping of him as he deserueth is the verie brydle that holdeth men in all holinesse and honestie But if men turne their backes vppon him they must needes play the beastes and their life must needes become so loose and lothsome that a man shal see as it were a gulfe of hell among them And therefore not without cause are we so straitly commaunded in no wise to beare with men when they become wicked and goe about to inuegle folke to doe seruice to ydolles Let vs marke then that if we be desirous to liue as wee ought and in good concord we must aboue all thinges haue Gods seruice in estimation as the thing wherein it behoueth vs to vse seueritie and rigor or els all will go to wrecke and confusion That is the thing which we haue to gather vpon this place and would to God that it were better in vre now adayes For as I haue touched heretofore men are moued at the thinges that concerne and touch themselues Insomuch that if we perceiue that the suffering of an offence will turne to our harme or losse euerie of vs cryeth out to haue it punished And why Because wee haue no regarde but of our selues But if GOD his honour bee impeached that is let slippe and we say it is not so great an euill And why For our purses are not pinched by it and therefore it seemeth to make no skill at all Nowe see heere on the contrarie parte howe GOD punisheth vs as we deserue For thinges become so farre out of order among vs that wee wote not which way to turne vs. And good reason it is that it shoulde come so to passe euen because we haue forsaken GOD and beene more mindefull of ourselues than of his maiestie so as we haue not yeelded him his dewe honour whereof hee is worthie and which hee requireth at our handes Thus much concerning this text And it is sayde that all that euer is in the Citie must be brought together on a heape and set on fire be taken as a cursed thing and be made a sacrifice vnto God Heere Moses sheweth howe hatefull a thing ydolatrie is and consequently whatsoeuer ouerthroweth the true seruice of God and the pure religion and that is done to moue men so much the more But you will say that when such a fault is committed the Citie it selfe the cattell and the houses are not to be blamed for it And why then will GOD haue all to be destroyed It is to the ende that folke shoulde learne to abhorre ydolatrie the more that wee might vnderstand that the wicked folkes whom Satan dryueth to giue themselues to ydolatrie are so little to be borne with that we must euen abhorre the verie place where they haue dwelled yea and the verie sight of them and thinke with ourselues beholde this is a place wherein Gods wrath hath beene prouoked and that was ynough to haue soonke vs all to hell Wee see then whereat God aimed For hee knewe that we see nowe with our eyes namely that we haue not such zeale to maintaine his glorie as wee ought to haue we passe not for it euerie man is occupied about his owne gaine and about the thinges that concerne himselfe Nowe because we be so colde God on the other side quickneth vs vp and telleth vs that the corrupting of his seruice is a great misdeede yea and so horrible a thing as might make the hayres to stand stiffe vpon our heades That is one point which wee ought to marke And herewithall we haue to marke also that the rigour of this Lawe is not to be obserued of from point to point as it is commaunded heere to the people of Israell But yet the substance thereof abideth still in force as I haue declared heretofore intreating of ydolatry Deut. 12.2 where I told you that wee were commaunded to put away all places that haue serued to superstition Nowe then we in these dayes be not in such thraldom but that we may vse a Church that hath beene one of Satans brothelhouses Ydolles haue bin worshipped heere and GOD hath beene blasphemed heere and yet for all that wee bee nowe come heere together in the name of our Lorde Iesus Christ. This place then is newe dedicated according to the saying of Saint Paul 1. Tim. 4.5 that all thinges are sanctified vnto vs by faith and by calling vpon the name of God And therefore if a place be put to such vse that God is honoured there it is a kinde of hallowing of that place But vnder the Lawe God helde the people in greater and more slauishe bondage commaunding them to make cleane rid daunce and vtter dispatch of all thinges that had beene vsed in the seruice of ydolles So is it in this text where GOD commandeth that the whole Citie shall bee rased and neuer inhabited anie more And the straitnesse of this bonde serued for the time wherein the fathers were gouerned like litle children Gal. 4.1 But yet doeth the substaunce thereof abide
vs a greater priuiledge than he gaue to y e Patriarkes Prophets After y e self same maner is it w t the things y t Moses addeth here For yesterday he treated of the meats y t were foule and vncleane in those dayes And hee sorted them into their seuerall kindes You shal eate of such beastes sayd he but in any wise beware y t ye touch no swine nor any such like things Nowe he treateth of strangled meats as of flesh y t dieth alone w tout killing and w tout letting of it bloud And no doubt but y t his setting downe of this is to shew that in so doing there is a double abhomination according to y e lawe For first formost when a beast died so alone of it self it was vnholy aforehand the very only touching of it was able to make a mā vncleane And y t was the cause why God did so forbid his people to eate therof Again the bloud of it was setled in it we haue seene already how it was not lawful for y e Iewes to eate bloud that was bicause y t in the bloud wee haue as it were a liuely image of y e soule of the life Gods meaning was to teach his people to abstaine frō all crueltie And hereof we haue y e reason expressed in Genesis Gen. 9.4.6 at such time as Noe and his ofspring were forbidden to eate bloud where it is added y t we must spare men bicause a man is y e image of God whosoeuer doeth any outrage vnto him shal not scape vnpunished Now then Gods care was not for the beasts when he forbad y e Iewes y e eating of their bloud but his intent was to teach them by y t meanes to abstaine from all crueltie so as they should be loth to do any outrage and specially any murther But as for vs in these days we bee not in such bondage Col. 2.14 For our Lord Iesus Christ hath freed vs by his death and passion Neuerthelesse howsoeuer we fare y e groundwork abideth still so as a man may forbid a little child to handle a knife least he should hurt himselfe w t it and yet an elder body also is to be foresended from hurting of himselfe wheras yet notwithstāding the handling of a knife were not euill for a child but in respect aforesaid Gal. 4.1 And therfore God who tooke y e Iewes as little children forbad thē streitly the things y t are permitted vs at this day Howbeit the finall end is all one both to them vs insomuch that we must consider that if Gods wil was to haue the Iewes kindharted to know y t the shedding of bloud is a detestable thing the same ought also to be regarded of vs at this day although the figure therof be abolished True it is as wee reade in y e xv of the Actes y t the Apostles forbad y e Gentils to eate bloud or any thing that is strangled Act 15.20.21 but y t was not for any sin y t was in so doing It was to auoide occasion of offence bicause as it is there alleaged Moses was read openly the law was published abrode in all Cities so as they heard it there forbidden The Iewes could not abide at y e first to see them eate bloud which named themselues Christians for y t was a lothsome thing to them Therefore men were faine for a time to forbeare y e libertie that God giueth nowadayes to al the faithfull accordingly as S. Paul speaketh therof 1. Cor. 6.12 10.23 saying that the things which are lawfull for vs are not alwayes expedient for they edifie not We haue in deede our consciences free before God but yet if I see my brother offended it behoueth me to beare w t him if his so doing be through infirmitie and in any wise I must haue a consideration whether a man be already throughly instructed in the faith or no. The intent of the Apostles then was not to make a grounded law wherewith to tie mens consciences to hold thē in bondage but only to auoide al occasion of causing folk to stumble But this hath bin ill marked of a great sort of ignorant persons For they haue thought it to bee deadly sinne to eate y e bloud of any beast as wee see it mainteined still at this day and that was a foolish beastly superstition For as I said afore our Lord Iesus Christ hath cancelled the obligation of the Lawe of Moses so as we be no more bound vnto it Col. 2.14 But yet for all that it behooueth vs to liue in concord one with another and to haue a regarde what our neighbours are able to beare There is not the like reason for vs noweadayes to forbeare the eating of fleshe vppon frydayes for it is a meere deuotion and it was forged and inuented without any likely hoode of reason yea and it was matched with a kinde of Idolatrie for as much as the Papistes haue surmised themselues to serue God by that meanes in forbearing to eat fleshe vpon certaine daies which was too grosse a folly Neuerthelesse if a christenman shold come among the Papistes and goe about to teache them that are yet altogether blinded the point y t he should begin at must not bee the eating of flesh vpon frydayes for that would scare them quite away bicause they neuer heard that it is lawful to do it and therfore could neuer conceiue the truth of it and besides that they should see him go about to breake a law which they take to be most holy without informing them of the true meaning of the whole Such dealing therfore should be contrary to Gods meaning and to Christen liberty And therefore order and measure are to bee obserued in those cases But by the way let vs remember that wee haue cause to giue thankes to our God for exempting vs from y e bondage that our fathers were subiect to vnder the law that we must also benefite our selues by those figures by learning to liue friendly with our neighbors abhorring all murthers and outrages not onely actual murthers but also hatred which is likewise condemned for murther before God though it be neuer so secret and close kept as saith S. Iohn 1. Ioh. 3.15 That is the thing which we haue to note when it is sayd vnto vs that God vttereth his will without any shadow and not in darke speeches as he did to the fathers but as one that speaketh with open mouth and therefore let vs hold our selues contented therewith Now after this commaundement Moses addeth that wee must not seeth a Kidde in his dammes Milke but woorde for woorde it is but in Milke It hath beene commonly vnderstoode that a man shoulde not seeth a Kid in his dāmes milke or make sawce with Goates milke to eate Kiddes fleshe withall And thereuppon the Iewes who will needes bee alwayes adding of
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
faile not to do well and to deserue wel at Gods hand though they go not to worke with a free corage nor with hartie and substantiall soundnesse Let not such follies runne in our heads For God not onely reiecteth such thinges as pelting baggage of no value but also auoweth them to be all abhominable before him and that he will not suffer his seruice to be so shamefully disguised with out taking horrible vengeance for it And therefore let vs know that he will haue euery of vs to examine our selues sith we see al our thoughts and affections to be corrupted so as there is nothing in them but dung and vncleannesse let vs pray him to reforme vs in such sort by his holie spirite as he may be serued and honored by vs and wee apply to good and holy vse the thinges that he giueth vs and that therewithall he make vs to profite more and more in his obedience vntill we bee come with a free will to serue him with so good a corage as wee may be wholly dedicated to his honour 1. Pet. 1.19 And that we may so doe let vs repaire vnto our Lorde Iesus Christ that our spotes and steines may be scowred away by his purenesse and perfection as he hath promised vs. If wee shall doe so then will our God approue of our life Now let vs kneele downe before the maiestie of our good God with acknowledgment of our faultes praying him to make vs so to feele them that wee may from henceforth fall to amendement and resort to his mercie and that in the meane season he reforme vs in such sort to the obedience of his Law as it may shine forth in all our whole life and hee also beare with vs in our frailties vntill he haue ridde vs quite and cleane of them And so let vs all say Almightie God heauenly father c. On Munday the xviij of Nouember 1555. The Ciij Sermon which is the second vpon the seuenteenth Chapter 2 If within any of the Gates which the Lorde thy God giueth thee there bee found either man or woman that hath wrought wickednes in the sight of the Lord the God by transgressing his Couenant 3 And hath gone and serued straunge gods and bowed himselfe before them whether it bee the sunne or the moone or any of all the host of heauen which I haue not commaunded 4 And it is told thee and thou hast heard of it then shalt thou inquire diligently And if it be true and certaine that such abhomination hath beene committed in Israel 5 Thou shalt cause that man or that woman which hath committed that wicked deede to bee brought out of the gates and thou shalt stone them with stones till they die 6 At the mouth of two or three witnesses let him that is worthie of death dye but at the mouth of one witnesse let no man dye 7 The hands of the witnesses shal be the first vpon him to kill him and afterward the hands of all the people And so thou shalt ridde away that euil from thee Deut. 13.1.6 WE haue seene heretofore that if there were either man or woman which went about to counsell others to peruert the seruice of God they shoulde die for it Nowe here is a Lawe yet more sharpe that is to wit that if there be any ydolater founde among the people whether the same bee man or woman it must cost the party his head and his life yea though hee haue not gone about to corrupt others or to intice them to leawdnesse Truely this seemeth rough dealing at the first blush as we see howe they blame God for vsing such seueritie against such as vppon deuotion did any act contrarie to his trueth Because wee wey not Gods honour as it is worthy wee make greater account of a mortall creature than of the liuing God For if a man haue practised against his Prince or gone about to alter the publike state hee shall be condemned to death without any sticking Againe if a man bee vnderstoode to haue had secrete conference with his Princes enemie to haue shewed him fauour or to haue conspired with him no bodie will excuse such disloyaltie and yet for all that all this dealing is but against men But if a man turne away from the seruing of God to gad after ydols men thinke hee ought to bee borne withall as though it were a thing of nothing Whereby wee bewray that wee passe not for the diminishing of Gods honour or for the defacing of his maiestie But wee bee no competent Iudges in that case Therefore let vs remember what is saide heere and not thinke that God passed measure when hee did set such price vppon his honour Nowe it is saide If there be founde either man or woman to the intent that no frailtie should bee a shrowding sheete to any euill doing For else it woulde bee saide it is a womans deede If a man of wit courage and vnderstanding had done it it had beene to haue beene regarded but seeing it is done by sillie soules that are easie to be deceiued is it meete that they shoulde bee haled to death for it at the first dash See I pray you howe we bee wont to qualifie thinges But God on the contrarie parte intended to preuent such shiftes by telling vs that wee must not passe whether it bee man or woman but that the deede of it selfe is so detestable as that it ought not abide vnpunished Yet notwithstanding before wee proceede to punishing he will haue vs to vnderstande perfectly howe the matter goeth and hee will haue the truth of the thing tryed out And therefore hee saith When it is reported vnto thee inquire diligently thereof and if thou find it true then shalt thou take the partie which hath committed such crime and stone him to death Hereby our Lorde sheweth vs as he hath done afore that wee must not bee hastie to proceede rashly vnder pretence of any good will or zeale Deut. 13. â—â— but vse aduisednesse that thinges may bee well knowen And that is well worth the noting For wee see howe vnaduised zeale doth often carie men away and make them to offende GOD. And when it is done then they say I did it of a good intent Yea but GOD telleth vs heere that in this behalfe wee must behaue our selues discreetely And in deede God meaneth not that men shoulde so falsely abuse his name For what a vile thing is this that I shall suppose that I serue GOD and yet in the meane season haue no equitie nor vprightnesse in me Is it not a soule iniurie so to intermingle Gods holy name with mine owne follie and lewde imagination Wherefore let vs well weigh y t God by this place hath condeÌ„ned that same too too violent heate which men haue when they suffer themselues to bee so caried away by their zeale as they say without any moderation or stay at all Let that serue for one point And it
y t are executed by the authority of God I say if we continue without amendment our sinne increaseth so much the more God warneth vs by a great many of instructions yea of chastisements also which he executeth and wee make none account of them nowe is it any wonder if in the ende wee see our Lorde sende so great and excessiue disorders that wee wote not where to become Then let vs learne to profite in this schoole as oft of GOD lifteth vp his hande to punish the wicked and let vs vnderstande that he teacheth vs by their example wherfore let vs stoope let euery of vs yeelde to obey him with true meekenesse Now let vs fall downe before the maiestie of our good God with acknowledgement of our faultes praying him to make vs feele them more and more so as we may all of vs seeke to frame our life according to the rightnesse which hee sheweth vs and not looke to be drawen thereto by compulsion of the earthly sworde but rather that the sworde of Gods worde may haue such power in our heartes as it may make vs to sacrifice ourselues vnto GOD killing all our fleshly lustes and renewing vs to such a kinde of life as our whole desire may bee to haue God reigne ouer vs and that we may be wholly reformed according to his holy will and that therewithall we may followe the orderly policie and spirituall gouernement of his Church and that all the things which he hath ordeined for our benefite may be so mainteined obserued as both great and small may submit theÌ„selues therunto That it may please him to graunt this grace not onely to vs but also to al people nations of the earth Reducing all poore ignoraunt people out of the bondage of errours and darkenesse wherein they are holden That so he he may bring theÌ„ to the knoweledge of his trueth And that for this purpose it would please him to raise vp true faithfull ministers of his worde c. On Wednesday the xx of Nouember 1555. The Cv. Sermon which is the fourth vpon the seuenteenth Chapter 14 When thou art come into the Lande which the Lord thy God giueth thee and enioyest it and dwellest therein and sayest I will set a king ouer mee like as all the nations that are rounde about mee 15 Then shalt thou make him king ouer thee whome the Lorde shall choose from among thy brethren him shalt thou set ouer thee to be king and thou maiest not set a straunger ouer thee which is not thy brother 16 But he shall not multiply horses to himselfe nor sende the people againe into Egypt to increase the number of horses forasmuch as the Lorde hath sayd vnto you yee shall neuer hence foorth goe any more againe that way 17 Neither shall he take him many wiues least his heart turne away Neither shall he gather him much golde and siluer 18 And when he is set vpon the Throne of his kingdom he shall copy out this Lawe for himselfe in a booke before the Priestes the Leuites Deut. 16.18 HEretofore Moses hath spoken of the Iudges that were ordeined in euery citie to gouern the people and specially of the cheefe Iudge to whom all thinges were referred Nowe he addeth that if y e people be disposed to choose a king he sheweth what manner a one he ought to be And first he ordeineth that he must be taken of the linage of Abraham and secondly he declareth his duetie to him to the intent he should not go beyond it nor play the Tyraunt in steede of playing the king That is the meaning of Moses generally But here we must consider what is the cause why God setteth not vp a king by his owne authoritie but rather leaueth it to the likeing of the people For if he allowed the state of a king or if it were a thing that he liked wel of ought he not to haue shewed the way that the people might haue obeyed whatsoeuer he had coÌ„maunded them But he sayeth When thou art come into the Lande which thy God giueth thee and inioyest it if thou wilt choose a king as other NatioÌ„s haue Hereby it should seeme that God was not willing there shoulde bee any kingdome in Iewrie but that if the people were so desirous of a king that they could not be helde from it then he granted it them by way of sufferance Notwithstanding this wee heare howe it is sayde in Genesis Gen. 〈…〉 that the scepter should not be taken from the tribe of Iuda nor the gouernour from betweene his legges vntill the person that was to be sent were come had appeared This prophesie was not a cuâ—se that should come vpon the people nor a vengeance of God but rather a singular and special fauour aboue all other For in saying so Iacob declareth that God would set vp an euerlasting king by whom saluation should be sent throughout all the world And vntill the time of the manifesting of our Lorde Iesus Christ it behooued the people so be mainteined still in hope of him and God gaue vnto him the kingdome of Iuda and that whole tribe We see then in fewe wordes that this kingdome was a figure of our Lorde Iesus Christ and as a warrant which God gaue to that people that he himselfe reigned ouer them and the kinges of Iuda serued alwaies to holde the people vnder Gods protection as it were in the person of our Lorde Iesus Christ. For albeit that all the Princes of the worlde be called Gods children and his lieftenauntes Psal. â—â— â— yet notwithstanding the kingdome of Iuda had that title after a more speciall and holy manner And therefore wee see it was Gods will there shoulde be a king among his people euen because it was the full perfection of all felicity that Iesus Christ should be the head of them True it is y t if disputatioÌ„ shold arise coÌ„cerning y e gouernmeÌ„t of meÌ„ it might be said y t a free state is much better thaÌ„ to be vnder a Prince but here is no coÌ„trouersie of any such mater And in deed such disputatioÌ„s are not very profitable For they y t are vnder y e gouernment of a Prince must not be fickleminded to make any alteration And those to whoÌ„ God hath giuen liberty freedom ought to vse it w t thanksgiuing as a singular benefit treasure y t cannot be prised sufficiently And as for y e kingdom of Iuda there was a speciall respect in y t as I haue said afore namely y t it was the image of the truth which was in our Lorde Iesus Christ in gathering vs to himselfe to make vs Gods Church his owne flocke For y t is better than al y e gouernment in the whole world If a maÌ„ shoulde coÌ„pare a principality or a free state of a Senate or whatsoeuer els can be imagined for a coÌ„monweale with y â— grace which God giueth vs in shewing
not themselues to bee as mortall creatures but rather as halfe Gods by reason of their high aduauncement and wee see they looke as high as though nothing were vnpossible to them so as they will not bee subiect any more to right or reason And if men doe not flatter them and honour them as Gods they thinke they haue the greatest wrong that can bee And whereof commeth that Euen of this that when a man is great hee can haue neither mieldnesse nor lowlinesse in him except Gods spirite reigne in him For this cause are kinges warned heere to beware that they forget not themselues yea and that is yet better expressed in that Moses addeth that they must not exalt themselues aboue their brethren Whereof commeth it that kinges Princes will needes set their feete vpon al mens throtes after that fashion Euen of this pride which poysoneth their heartes that they consider not themselues to be men ne knowe any more what their state is And when they be so blinde to Godward it is no maruell though the fulnesse of their pride presumption make them to tread men vnder foote and to looke that all men should stande in feare of them and stoope to their yoke That is the cause why Moses matcheth those two thinges together Nowe then if we intend to refreine from doing wrong or outrage to any man lette vs looke that we knowe ourselues For as is sayde in the common prouerb he that knowes himselfe best settes least by himselfe And it is the way also for vs to behaue ourselues lowlily and meekely towardes our neighbours But if a man forget himselfe he must needes by and by mount vp into al pride and outrage without making spare of any thing And seeing this was forbidden to kinges what is done to such as are farre their inferiours Therfore let euery man in his degree apply this matter to his owne instruction Let such as are in authoritie be well ware that they exalt not thē selues through pride if they wil not be cast down to their shame For the higher that the seate is whereon a man sitteth the sorer is his fall euen to the breaking of his necke perchaunce Therefore let those whō God hath exalted haue a care to holde themselues continually in rest and not starte aside but serue God and his people continually And it is sayde heere expresly Against thy brethren or aboue thy brethren For Kinges and Princes thinke themselues to be as it were cut off frō the company of men and that they ought not any more to be counted of the cōmon aray of thē But our Lorde skorning such disdainfulnesse sayeth Yet are they your brethren In deede this is spoken of the children of Abraham which were descended all of one race But choose mee out a king where yee will is he not a man And are not they his brethren ouer whom hee reigneth And if the case stande so with the greatest kinges of the earth what is to be thought of those that are farre their inferiours Now therefore when a man is in authoritie or hath wherwith to maintaine himselfe in credit if he be tempted to forget himselfe let him consider thus yet am I not separated from the rest of the body I am a member thereof still and they that are my inferiours cease not to be my brethren What a thing were it then if I should vaunt my selfe Were it not a despysing of God Let such as are aduaunced to any state of great preheminence remember this warning as oft as they be tempted to despise other men and to shake them off Lette them thinke thus what shoulde wee be as Lyons towardes Lambes where there is brotherhoode There is no brotherhoode betweene a Lyon and a Lambe If I haue a Lyons heart full of pride Lordlinesse and ouerweening what a thing is it Can I liue with them that are committed vnto me Esa. 33.6 Yea for we see what is sayde of king Ezechias when y e Prophet Esay telleth him of the restoring of the people to their former state And no doubt but he had an eye to this text to shewe howe it was the duetie of Ezechias and of all kinges to be a shadowe for the refreshing and easing of their people a fosterfather to the poore and fatherlesse Esa. 49.23 and a comforte of them that are in distresse and sorrowe And for a conclusion he sayeth that the feare of God shall bee a treasure in his time according to that which I haue shewed already So that if kinges will behaue themselues as they ought they must sette their mindes vpon this lesson as it is shewed them by the Lawe of God It was applyed to the person of Ezechias but yet must all other men looke to themselues And if our Lorde tell this lesson to y ◠great ones without sparing them what temptations soeuer they haue what will come of it when the meaner sort wil needes play the loose coltes and not be bridled but kicke and spurne against God Doe they not shewe themselues to be very much blinded with pride And therfore let vs learne to profite so by the thinges that our Lorde teacheth vs as all men both great small may submit themselues euery one according to his degree state calling that God may be honored of al men and y t there may be one general obedience from the formost to the hindermost Nowe let vs kneele downe in the presence of our good God with acknowledgement of our faultes praying him to make vs feele them better than we haue done y t by meanes thereof wee may be drawen to true repentance to mislike of all our vices transgressions to rid ourselues of thē till God haue so wrought in vs that we be throughly clothed with his righteousnes that in the meane while hee so beare with vs in our weakenesse as wee may not faile to obtained fauour at his hande although wee liue not in such perfection as were to be wished That it may please him to graunt this grace not onely to vs but also to all people and Nations of the earth bringing backe all poore ignorant people out of the captiuitie of errours and darkenesse wherein they are helde that so he may leade them to the knowledge of his trueth And that for this purpose it would please him to raise vp true faithfull ministers of his worde c. Leuie then are as a body torne in peeces And yet doeth God turne their punishment into an honour And therein appeareth his goodnesse forasmuch as he maketh the thinges to redound to our benefite and saluation which should haue beene to our condemnation Loe howe God worketh towardes those that are his Insomuch that although hee punish them for their sinnes yet doth he make them feele his goodnesse therwith by turning the thinges to a contrary ende which should haue beene to their shame After the same manner befell it to all the posteritie
warrant to shew that God accepted the petitiōs of his people That then was the cause why it is expresly said that those which abode in the Temple serued the name and Maiestie of God And heerewithal mention is made also of Gods presence as we haue seene before which is a ratifying of the thinges that hee had taught afore that the people should not bee disappointed in resorting to the temple to call vpon him there bicause the Leuites should alwayes be there ready to succour such as fled to him for succour Now this was in the time of the figures But wee must marke that if wee resorte to our God in the name of our Lorde Iesus Christ in whome dwelleth the whole fulnes of the Godhead Col. 2.9 God will shew his face vnto vs that is to say we shall finde by the effect that he regardeth vs and that the dore is not shut against vs but that we may preace into his presence And besides that to the end we may be guided by our Lord Iesus Christ we must put the thing in vre which he hath told vs that is to wit wee must come together in his name to the intent that hee may bee among vs. Then if wee wil bee heard of God and that our seruice should be wel accepted of him wee must meete together without hypocrisie with a true pure heart and then will our Lord Iesus so beare sway amongst vs that God also wil therw tal reach out his hande to helpe succour vs. And when we haue so offered vp our prayers vnto him and euery of vs hath put himself into his hand let vs not doubt but y t he regardeth our doings As for example for as much as we knowe y t these our present doings in meeting together to heare his word and to seeke him are comaunded by him Let vs not doubt but we be before his eyes and he loketh vpon vs with pitie and will consider all our necessities to prouide for them and to succor vs in them And let vs on our part also so mount vp vnto him by faith as wee may bee out of all doubt that he sheweth vs his face that is to say that he maketh vs to feele his presence specially when we come to him by the way which he sheweth vs for thē wil he make vs to come in such sorte that he wil keepe vs still vnder his protection vntill he take vs vp into his kingdome Now let vs kneele down before the Maiestie of our good God with acknowledgement of our faults praying him to make vs feele them better yea that we may be so striken down in our selues as we may seeke him with true repentāce rest vpon his promises not doubting but y t he accepteth vs howe wretched so euer we bee bycause we come not to him vpon trust of our own deserts but vppon his meere goodnesse wherethrough he hath elected and chosen vs and that moreouer he suffer vs not to be defiled with any of the corruptions of our flesh but that seeing he hath called vs to his Priesthood hee will also graunt vs the grace to dedicate our selues to him by offering vp all our thoughts affections desires yea euen our whole bodies soules vnto him that he may bee honored more more by them that such as are yet farre off from him may be brought vnto him to the end wee may all together worship him in his only sonne And for the bringing thereof to passe it may please him to raise vp true and faithfull Ministers of his word c. On Wednesday the xxvij of Nouember 1555. The Cviij Sermon which is the second vpon the eighteenth Chapter 9 When thou art come into the Land which the Lorde thy God giueth thee thou shalt not learne to doe after the abhominations of those Nations 10 There shall not any bee found among you which maketh his sonne or his daughter to go through fire nor any witch that vseth Witchcraft nor any man that is a regarder of times or that regardeth the flying of foules 11 Or that is a Sorcerer or a charmer or that asketh Counsell at spirites that are called familiars or that is a soothsaier or which asketh Counsell at the dead 12 For all they that doe such things are an abhomination to the Lord and for such abhominations sakes the Lord thy God driueth them out before thy face 13 Be perfect therefore before the Lord thy God 14 For the Nations which thou shalt possesse giue eare to regarders of tymes and to witches but the Lord thy God hath not taught thee to doe so 15 The Lord thy God will rayse vp a prophet like vnto me from among thy brethren him shall you obey IT is in vaine for God to giue vs many lawes lessons if we determine not with our selues to obey him in all pointes For the first point wherat we must begin is to know Gods authority to learne to submit our selues to his word without any gainsaying If the Law in generall haue not this force to what purpose is it for God to speake of this thing or of that thing Therefore let vs beare well in mind that we must bee disposed to receiue whatsoeuer God inioyneth vs before we can benefite our selues by any one sentence of the holy Scripture As for example when a man commeth to a sermon though he heare the matter yet shal it not touch him to the quick vnlesse he know aforehand that Gods truth must be receiued and that it is not to be incountered with disputing And surely wee see many which are sufficiently conuicted that the things which are told them are true and that they be not able to reply against them and yet passe not to make a mocke of them And why is that Bicause they be not touched with y e maiesty of God and therfore they cannot thinke that wee ought to submit our selues to him that made vs fashioned vs to be obedient to him to his commaundement But on y e contrary part when we be vrged to receiue the things which we knowe to come of God his truth wil beare sway with vs. As soon as we heare that it is God which speaketh Esa. 66.5 we tremble at his speech as is said by the prophet Esay And so ye see now why God giueth this generall rule to his people that they must houlde themselues to his pure and simple wil. But for as much as men are naturally giuen to superstition seeme to seeke euen wilfully to be beguiled God here doth first withdraw vs from all errours and abuses afterward giueth vs a foundation wheron to stay to be builded that is to wit by herkning vnto him by sticking to y t which he saith Thus are there here two principall reasons The one is y ◠God correcteth the vanity that is in men in that they rather giue ouer themselues to cousinages lyings than to
the errors which they condemne they haue others as bad or worse For many of them bee starke A theistes that is to say without Religion and without feare of God whose shame must needes bee discouered at length and God must needes giue them vp to a leaud minde that euen yong children may laugh at their beastlines And whence commeth y t Euen of this as I said afore y t we shall neuer haue any certain rule vntil God haue taught vs. And y t is a point wel worthy to be noted For first we neede not to be troubled at y e impediments which hinder many men to come to the Gospell in these dayes when they see the whole worlde in a maner wilfully bent to superstition for seeing that Gods word beareth no sway among them what shal a man say but y t blind folke may wel ynough wander in darkenes Againe we see the singular yea inestimable benefite which God vouchsafeth vpon vs when he giueth vs his word and applieth it to vs for our soule health For it is the only meane to draw vs out of y e bottomlesse pit So long as we bee in this world we bee hemmed in with so many temptations of the diuel as can not be nōbred the world it selfe may well bee likened to a maze so as we cannot step one pace w tout daūger of falling down headlong to breake our neckes from the which there is none other meane to preserue vs but Gods word Seeing thē y t he vouchsafeth to looke mercifully vpon vs to open his holy mouth to shewe vs y e way of saluation howe may wee excuse our selues if wee vouchsafe not to come vnto him So then let vs learne to imbrace this treasure which is offered vs to yeeld due reuerence to Gods doctrine after wee haue once knowen what it bringeth vs and howe much it is for our behoofe And finally let vs beare in minde that by this texte where our Lord telleth vs that he will raise vs vp a Prophet he doeth vs to wit that we shal be deliuered from all errors if we receiue his worde to frame our selues thereafter And hereby we be done to vnderstand that all such as in these daies do make none account of the Gospel are wel worthy to erre of which sort a man shall see many nowadayes which shutte their eyes and stop their eares when God is so gratious as to draw them to him They haue the meanes wherby to yeelde themselues into y e way of saluation they play the deafe blind folks wilfully wittingly therfore is it meete that such folk should perish For inasmuch as they reiect Gods grace whereby they might haue been saued which could not bee sufficiently esteemed of must he not needs be reuenged of their spitefulnes in y t they bee so froward as to trample the word so vnder their feete which serued to haue deliuered them from the gulfes of hell Marke that for one point And therwithall let vs marke on our side that seeing God teacheth vs it ought to be a sufficient arming of vs against all errours and all vaine fansies in so much that although the diuell lay his snares for vs yet shall he not be able to catch vs as long as we hearken to our God and yeeld him the duetifull obedience which he deserueth at our hands which we owe vnto him And for y e same cause doeth S. Paul say expresly that if we haue y e doctrine of y e Gospel throughly printed in our hearts Eph. 4.14 we shall no more be led to daunce after other mens pipes nor play the yong chrildrē which are easily deceiued Ye see then that Gods trueth is inuincible And when wee receiue it by true faith then are we armed with the spirituall sword Eph. 6.17 For it is not for nought that y t title is giuē to Gods word We cannot be exempted frō being assailed by the diuel Matt. 4. ◠for euen our Lord Iesus Christ himselfe passed through y t battel But yet howsoeuer the world go we shal haue wherewith to resist Satan al his wiles so we receiue Gods word and sticke to it And by the way let vs marke that whereas Moses saith that God will raise vp a Prophet he speaketh of y e continual order which God intended to stablish in his Church which shall indure to the worldes ende For had there beene no more but the once publishing of the Law truely it had beene ynough to make folke vnexcusable whensoeuer they had turned from it but yet had it not beene a sufficient meane to hold them to it specially considering the frailtie of men how they slip away like water and vanish away out of hand chiefely when the case concerneth the accepting of any goodnesse Therfore if God had done no more but published his Law truly men ought to haue submitted themselues to it and to hold themselues as in captiuitie thereunto but yet wee see such was mens feeblenesse and vnconstancie that they would haue turned away from it by and by God therefore vouchsafed to adde a second helpe as if he should put to a double bond saying y t he will raise vp Prophets from tyme to time among the people As if he should say True it is y t I haue declared my will vnto you fully in my law but yet wil I send you expoūders of the doctrine and mainteiners thereof which shall be as keepers thereof that it perish not ne be buried nor bee corrupted with false interpretations So shal there alwayes be Prophets This doth vs to vnderstand that God hath not onely once vttered his will vnto vs but also y t he hath sent vs teachers from time to time to keepe his Church in obedience and by their meanes to make his word to be vnderstood And so we haue to gather y t the Church cannot stand without teaching and y t it is not ynough for mē to reade the holy Scripture for if God had knowen it to haue bin sufficient for vs he would haue gone no further But it is his will that there should be teachers to speak dayly in his name as instruments of his spirit and to be short as his owne mouth If this be not superfluous we may conclude therupon y t where no doctrine is preached in Gods name there is no Church And therby we see the desolation that is in the Popedome True it is y t their hypocrites preach now and then but for as much as they disguise themselues yea and euen falsifie corrupt all good doctrine all that they doe is but abhomination Againe we know that those which beare the name of Bishops Prelates in the Popedome are but Idols and dumb pictures For to what ende hath God set this order and policie among his people but that his woorde should bee heard and that it should bee sounded out with a loude and cleare voyce so as both
the wicked Angels For he speaketh not there of the heauenly Angels but of the diuels by name which execute Gods vengeance vpon men And therefore let vs marke that as experience also sheweth y e diuels may worke many such illusions by inchauntmentes And truely such thinges are not done but in the dark For so long as we be inlightened by GOD we neede not feare that a man shall seeme a wolfe to vs or that such trishtrash shall get the vpper hand of vs. But if we be faithles it is a iust reward for our quenching of y e light y t should haue shone into vs of our turning of our backes vnto God And when we wil not bee ruled by him then discern we no more between white and black but men seeme vnto vs to bee wolues and al things are out of order that iustly Therefore whereas here is mention made of such as mishape things by their inchantments Let vs note y t the law is not superfluous For sith y e case standeth so it is to be cōcluded y t such things may befall as whereof we haue examples But yet for al that it is abhominable before God and so likewise are Soothsayers It is a questiō whether it be possible for mā to foretel of things for it is Gods office to foreknow things to come and how then may it belong to the diuell Sure it is as saith y e prophet Esay that idols can foresee nothing Esa. 41.23 And as for Satan hee must alwayes needs be the father of lies deceiue al such as aske counsel of him Yet notwithstanding God doth nowe then suffer satan to tel of things to come and y t is for the more hardening of such as wil not obey the truth 2. Thess. 2.11 12. Deut. 13.3 as we haue seene by example in the thirteenth chapter it hath been treated of partly already Yet notwithstanding it is true also that soothsayers do ly most cōmonly and by that meanes our Lorde deludeth them y t seeke counsel of satan after y e fashion And beside let vs not thinke it strange though inchaunters soothsayers such other like do now then tel of things to come for it is gods iust sufferance to y e intent they should be y e deeplier plunged in error For asmuch as they wold needs be willingly deceiued he letteth thē be so y t they may perish Thus ye see why the law was made concerning such as diuine of thinges to come Also hee speaketh of Sorcerers And this sort conteyneth manie thinges For what a sinne is it that men shoulde forsake God and giue themselues ouer to Satan Must they not needes fall into horrible confusion Yes For after Satan hath once possessed vs and stopped our eyes and that God hath withdrawen his light from vs so as we bee destitute of his holy spirite and voyde of all reason then follow infinite abuses without ende or measure And thereof come sorceries Manie incredible thinges are reported of Sorcerers And truely when wee heare them spoken of we ought not onely to mislike of them but also bee sorrowfull in our heartes yea the very haires of our heades ought to stand vp thereat But yet therewithall we must consider that they bee reuengementes of God cast vppon such as haue forsaken him And that the same may be a cause to holde vs in awe and feare let vs learne not to tempt our God nor to play with him sith we see men become so brutishe after they be once turned away from the right path Truely if there were no moe but two or three examples hereof yet might it well seeme straunge vnto vs. But we know that in al ages and in al Nations Sorcerie or witchcraft hath borne sway yea and y e more sway for y e reiecting of Gods truth Insomuch y t where men haue once fallen to withstanding y e truth haue disdained to be taught by the pure worde of God there haue followed the moe illusions of Sathan yea and the more excessiue which haue also beene the more manifest and greeuous And whereof commeth this but of the cause which Saint Paul sheweth vs in his epistle to the Thessalonians 2. Thess. 2.11 12. namely that such as will not obey the trueth are vtterly peruerted by leasinges and that thence forth the diuell must needes worke with the greater force bycause God giueth him the bridle to carie men so away as they become ougly monsters To be short wee must beare in minde that whereas God speaketh to vs of inchauntmentes and sorceries it is to holde vs shorte vnder the obedience of his worde least wee shoulde fall into such a maze as the wretched Infidels are in yea and proceede so farre as to wander quite away when we haue once forsaken his worde Therefore let vs abide in this simplicity of obeying him and of submitting our selues to his mouth Also here is mention made of workers with Familiars As touching the which needes must Satans illusions be horrible But what There haue beene of them in all ages and wee see a notable example thereof in king Saule when he went to the Witch 1. Sam. 28.7 He as king had erst forbidden all inchauntmentes and all kinde of damnable craftes and hee had behaued himselfe vertuously in executing Gods lawe And yet in the ende he became so wretched that hee fell to running after a Witch And what was y e cause thereof but that he dispised God Whereuppon in the end he fell into despaire and gaue himselfe ouer altogether to Satan which thing hee shewed full well For if ye looke aduisedly into the matter ye shall finde that Satans illusions doe then get the vpper hand of men when their wittes bee amased by reason of sorrowfulnesse that gnaweth them inwardly for that in steede of receiuing some comfort of Gods word they bee ouerwhelmed with such anguishe that they fall into vtter despayre When doeth Sathan meete a man in some bodily shape and tangle him in his snares When a man is in some greefe of minde or in some hatred against his neighbour or when a woman spiteth her husbande Well then although such affections beare sway yet doeth not God by and by giue Sathan the bridle to raigne ouer men vntill they be come to such extremitie that they fall to chawing vppon the bit and become so wilfull in their sorowe that they fall into despaire and will no more admit anie comforte but refuse all remēbraunce of GOD and woulde that his name were buried for there is the gate open to Satan and he entereth to worke his illusions which a man is not able to withstande Hereof we haue a faire warning is Saul For hee had offended God and therefore was to be bereft of his kingdome because it was Gods pleasure it shoulde be so and there was none other shifte for him but to humble himselfe But he would not doe that And when hee sawe
maner to superstitions and cannot bee contented with Gods trueth which is the perfection of all wisedome must it not needes bee that they are possessed of Satan and worse than starke madde or out of their wits Yes truely And therefore seeing our Lord protesteth that he hath so prouided for his Church as men may well holde themselues to that which he hath done Let euerie man bee readie to heare and receiue the doctrine which he setteth forth Nowe he commeth to those that are appointed to be teachers Let no man saith he Presume to speake in my name For I must put my worde in the mouth of the Prophetes Esa. 59 2â— Hee saieth expresly I will put my word in their mouthes and therunto answereth the text of Esay which I cyted afore Whereby it is shewed vs that God raiseth not Prophets vp to lay the bridle in their necks and to giue them full libertie to preach what they list but hee raiseth them vp to be as his instrumentes to deliuer the thinges faithfully which they haue heard of him Yee see then with what condition God hath raised vp prophets in all ages namely y t he put his word in their mouthes And whereas we preach nowadayes it is not for that Christ hath giuen vp his office For he is alwayes a teacher 〈◊〉 17.5 Eph. 5.23 he is the heade of the Church yea the only head not to be as an ydoll but to rule vs with his doctrine Therfore we must not presume to alledge any thing which we receiue not of the only sonne of God Wherefore let vs marke well that as it was Gods will heere to subdue folk to humble themselues so as they should not refuse to bee taught by his worde when it is preached so on the otherside he hath prouided that such as haue commission to speake must not bring their owne dotages and dreames nor deuise any newe doctrine but onely first learne of their master and afterwarde deliuer the same faithfully to others without adding any thing at all of their owne For whatsoeuer men inuent of their owne heades is vtter corruption there needs no more Leauen to sower the whole lump of paste 1. Cor. 5.6 And if a man take heade neuer so little he shall vtterly peruert Gods truth and turne it into vntruth And this serueth also to put al men in mind vpon what condition they should heare the Prophetes For here are two extremities as in deede wee neuer keepe any meane vnlesse our Lorde drawe vs to it by force If wee keepe it not wee become heathenish and his worde is skorned of those to whom hee sendeth vs which contempt wee see in the most part of the worlde Howe deale wee when wee come to framing of our selues We vse a kinde of fond and beastly deuotion without putting any difference betweene good and euill and God will none of that Indeede hee will haue our faith matched with humilitie but not that we should be starke blockes without discretion For cleane contrariwise hee willeth vs to trie mens spirites 1. Iohn 4.1 Then must wee haue skill to examine thinges whether they be true or no when men speake to vs in the name of God The way therefore which wee must holde is that when Gods name is alledged wee must bee touched with reuerence to hearken earnestly to the thinges that are spoken and howsoeuer the world go wee must bee prepared to receiue them And when wee haue this modestie of yeelding our selues teachable by the thinges that are set forth in the name of God Wee must also pray him to giue vs his holy spirite that wee bee able to discerne aright and not be beguiled nor imbrewed with lyes vnder false pretence of his name but that although Satan transforme himselfe into an Angell of light 2. Cor. 1â— 14 yet he may not so blind our eyes but that wee may perceiue what is good That is the way which wee must holde And it is the thing whereto God intendeth to leade vs saying that although he will haue vs to hearken to the Prophets and addeth this threat that the despising of them shall not abide vnpunished yet notwithstanding hee meaneth not therefore to bereaue vs of all discretion and to stop our eyes that we should not knowe what to followe No but he wil haue vs to examine mens doctrine to â—ift the Prophetes whether they teach aright or no. We must not be so doltish as to admit al that euer is tolde vs without exception but as I saide when men speake to vs in the name of God we must serch whether it be truth or falsehood And now must we lay forth the things particularly which are conteined here First of all let vs marke that God meant not faithfully or no wee must compare the thinges that are cleane contrarie We knowe that the true touchstone whereby to try the goodnesse of any doctrine is the referring of all thinges vnto faith Rom. 12.6 as Saint Paul saith thereof and to the gloryfying of God that men be taught to put their whole trust in the grace of our Lorde Iesus Christ to mislyke of themselues and to be ashamed of their own doings to frame themselues to a true amendment Thus is it a true tryall of good doctrine when wee see y e preacher indeuour that God may be purely honored and serued and that the prayse of all power wisedome and righteousnesse be yeelded vnto him That doctrine is alwayes good and that is an infallible rule When men are condemned in themselues when they be shewed that there is nothing but corruption in their nature and that they be accursed of God when they be so beaten downe as they wote not what to doe but onely to craue forgiuenesse lyke wretched sinners that is a sure doctrine For faith leadeth vs thereunto and compasseth it as a certeine rule Againe when sinnes are condemned by Gods lawe and men are shewed what true repentance is to wit a mislyking of their sinnes a desiring to be gouerned by Gods spirit and to bee altogether chaunged that is a sure doctrine Moreouer when men are tolde that they must flee to God for refuge and call vppon him onely and not be vnthankfull to him for his helping and succoring of them the doctrine also is of the holy scripture and men cannot faile in embracing of it If it be sayd that the very vse of the Sacraments is to leade vs to our Lord Iesus Christ and to assure vs the better of the benefites which he bringeth vs that we may be partakers of them and that God also putteth vs in possession of theÌ„ that also is a trueth which ought not to be reuoked nor doubted of And hereof there is no disputing to be made for men knowe that in those pointes is nothing but good doctrine On the contrarie part a man may iudge that a doctrine is false when it darkeneth or diminisheth the glorie of God
If the thing that belongeth to God bee plucked away from him to be bestowed vpon creatures it is a practise of Satans to turne vs out of the right way Againe if one doe puffe vp men with pride and ouerweening and make them beleeue that they be able folke so rock them asleepe in their sinnes or if he teach them to serue God with pelting toyes and to forget his Lawe and in the meane while to giue mens inuentions their ful scope or if the Sacraments be vsed but as light or fond pastimes a man may easily see that such doctrine is leawd and cursed and that it was forged in Satans shop Furthermore whereas nowadayes men are inquiring whereon to stay in y e middest of these troubles and diuersities of opinions that are in the world it is no very hard thing to doe so they be attentiue and discreete in discerning after the maner that our Lord hath shewed vs. For all the whole doctrine of poperie tēdeth to none other end but to aduaunce men and to puffe them vp in such wise with their owne deserts as they may be halfe at defiance with God as though they could accuse him Againe it sendeth men too and fro In stead of putting their trust in the onely freegoodnesse of God and in stead of imbracing our Lorde Iesus Christ men are taught other infinite meanes to saue themselues Moreouer in steed of hauing the only Lawe of God for their onely rule in all thinges and for their onely holynesse and perfection men haue set out their owne trifling traditions Thus may ye easily iudge of these thinges And what is to be sayd of their Sacraments It is euident that they be meere witcheries in the Popedome so as Iesus Christ is driuen a great way off by them and men make idols of the visible signes liuelesse creatures and Satan hath so imbrued the wretched world with his illusions that men are become starke beastes Now then if a man intend to make trial of a good doctrine he shal find the thinges which I spake of afore to be sure infallible markes thereof But in this text our Lord meant onely to tel vs that he will discouer the false prophet at leastwise one way or other whereof hee setteth downe one kinde here I haue told you alreadie that there are diuers other meanes to discerne the true doctrine from the false but none of those come in question here Our Lorde hath tolde vs No no yee shall not be beguiled so long as ye indeuour to follow the trueth that proceedeth from me If a deceiuer haue any countenance among you I will make his leawdnes to be layd open I will giue you some such token thereof as ye may always keepe your selues vndefiled so ye haue the mind and zeale to sticke to my pure worde Thus much concerning this text which importeth a kinde of promise as if our Lord should tell his people that he would discouer the hypocrisie of deceiuers and not suffer them to reigne euer but that in the end they shall in some respect or other come to confusion Now we see the principall drift of Moseses wordes But here a question might be moued For heretofore in the thirteenth Chapter Deut. 13.2 it was said that if a Prophet tolde a thing to come and the same came to passe in deede yet was he not to be beleeued because God would suffer such thinges to try his people withall And here it is sayd that a false Prophet shall be knowen and iudged by the not falling out of the things which he prophesieth Now here seemeth to be some contrarietie But the solution is easie in marking that though a false prophet be knowen by his lying yet it followeth not that he should be takē and deemed a true Prophet because it falleth out that he speaketh some trueth Truely if he spake the trueth at all times and in all cases then were he a true Prophet But hee may well say the trueth in some respect which may be done for some iust punishment from God as is declared in this same text and yet he shall be but a deceiuer neuerthelesse As how Put the case that folke seeke to bee soothed in their vices and are loth to be waked and quickened vp as they should be and had rather to be borne with for such hath the fashion of y e world euer bin Well God seeing such leawdnesse suffereth deceiuers to plaster them and to beare the folke in hand which are so desirous to sleepe in their wilfulnesse that their faultes are nothing Here ye see how those men are beguiled because of the desire which they had before And God addeth the same thing moreouer namely that those false Prophetes and deceiuers shall haue wherewith to confirme their doctrine that they which were imbrued w t lyes before may become more wilful For they will thinke then y t there is no more daunger in beleeuing them And what is the cause hereof Euen Gods iust vengeance Forasmuch as men shut their eyes at the light wil needs dwel in darknesse God giueth Satan the bridle By meanes whereof it commeth to passe y t false prophets doe sometimes speake y e trueth as is to be seene euen at this day For what a number are there to be found which seek after witchcraft to abolish y e authoritie of Gods word Ye shall see on y e one side a sorte of curious heads on y e other side another sorte y t haue no feare of God yet y e mark which they all shoote at is to put away Gods word y t they might not be ruled by it And in y e meane while they wil needs haue some Wizard to tel them of their good for tunes our Lord suffereth thē to be drawen by such meanes into al y e deceites of Satan notwithstanding y t some trueth bee mingled therew tall Now thē though a false Prophet speake y e truth yet is not that a warrāt that his doctrine is true our Lord will not haue men to credit him a whit y e more for y t for we see for what cause he putteth the trueth oftētimes into the mouthes of deceiuers And so notwithstanding the thinges that are set downe here yet doth it abide true still y t when our Lord is minded to haue pitie vppon his people and not to suffer them to bee abused by false doctrine he giueth them some token whereby to find the deceiuer and whereas earst he was in estimation and might haue amazed the wretched world God bewrayeth his leawdnesse so he is found to be a lyer Thus wee see now the whole meaning of Moses concerning the thinges that are conteyned in this text These thinges were performed among the people of olde time and the examples thereof which we see ought to shewe vs the vse of them and what fruit we should gather of this warning which Moses giueth When the Prophets meant to proue
bee as thornes in your sides to pricke and to punch you or rather to put out your eyes you shall surelye finde it so bycause yee haue not doone as GOD commanded you This serueth then to shewe vs that euerye man must followe that which is appointed him and when hee once knoweth what his office and calling requireth hee must simply obey God And moreouer let vs alwaies haue recourse to this point that seeing God sheweth himselfe a friend to our friends and an enemie to our enemies we must put our whole trust confidence in him Exod. 23 2â— hiding our selues vnder his wings wee must not doubt but that he will shew in the ende what care hee hath had of our welfare For hee sayth Exod. 13.7 I am moued with iealousie I am inflamed with choler bicause of y e iniuries which my people hath suffered In deede God is not subiect to any passions he is not moued after the maner of men neuerthelesse to shewe howe dearelye hee accounteth of our welfare and bycause wee conceiue it not excepte hee doe as yee woulde say transfigure himselfe and vtter himselfe vnto vs in such wyse as wee maye conceyue some passions in him that is the verie cause why hee sayeth that hee is mooued with choler and inflamed with a iealousie to defende his people Let vs therefore settle our trust thereuppon and although he doe not by and by lift vp his hand and thunder vppon our enemyes let vs not thinke therefore that hee hath forgotten vs but let vs bee patient and sorowfull and let vs desire him to accomplish his promises And if wee so doe hee will rayse vp such men as we thought to haue beene against vs and they shall spend themselues in our defence and wee shall bee armed in such wise agaynst all our enemyes that wee shall beare away the victorie and as it is heere declared that hee was the defender of his people in olde time so he will nowadayes doe much more for vs bicause he is come nearer vnto vs in the person of his onely sonne Nowe let vs kneele downe before the Maiestie of our good GOD with acknowledgement of our faultes praying him to make vs feele them more and more and to receyue vs vnto mercie although wee bee altogether vnworthie of it and that in the meane tyme hee will so gouerne vs by his holy spirite that wee may apply both our handes and our eyes and our feete to his seruice and not attempt any thing without his worde but that whatsoeuer wee doe wee may doe it with such a zeale as hee may bee glorifyed and our lyfe may bee in all poyntes referred vnto his will without turning of our selues aside eyther to the right hand or to the left and that wee may learne to rest our selues wholly vpon him and not bee tempted to iniurie any man but that whatsoeuer wickednesse wee see in the worlde wee may alwayes walke vprightly and soundly to the intent that when wee bee vniustly and wrongfully tormented he may shewe himselfe our defender That it may please him to grant this grace not onely to vs but also to al people Nations of the earth bringing backe all poore ignoraunt people from the superstitions and idolatries wherein they are helde that so hee may leade them to the knowledge of his trueth And that for this purpose it woulde please him to raise vp true Ministers of his word c. On Wednesday the xix of Februarie 1556. The CXLV Sermon which is the first vpon the sixe and twentith Chapter WHen thou commest into the lande which the Lorde thy GOD giueth thee for an inheritaunce and possessest it and dwellest therein 2 Then shalt thou take of the first of all the fruite of the earth which the Lorde thy GOD giueth thee and put these fruites which thou bringest out of thy land in a basket and goe vnto the place which the Lorde thy God shall choose to place his name there 3 And thou shalt come vnto the Priest which shall bee in those dayes and shalt say vnto him I acknowledge this day vnto the Lorde thy God that I am come into the land which the Lord sware vnto our fathers for to giue vs. 4 Then the Priest shall take the Basket out of thy hand and shall set it downe before the Aultar of the Lord thy God 5 And thou shalt speake and say before the Lorde thy GOD My father was a Syrian a poore man and hee went downe into Egypt and soiourned there with a small companie and grewe there vnto a Nation great mighty and full of people 6 And the Egyptians vexed vs and troubled vs and loaded vs with harde bondage WEe haue in this place the Lawe of y e first fruits which was made for this ende y t the Iewes shold thereby acknowledge vnto GOD that they helde the lande of Chanaan of his mere and onely gifte as when a Lorde graunteth any Lande in Fee hee reserueth some Rent and some kind of seruice to himselfe to testifye that the Lande is helde of him So likewise GOD meant to haue a certayne memoriall among the Iewes whereby they shoulde bee put in minde to serue him for so much as hee nourished them and that whatsoeuer they had in possession they helde it of his freebestowed goodnesse In deede GOD did it not after the manner of mortall men for those which are Lordes of any land bee they neuer so riche haue neede of Rentes and reuenewes for the mayntenaunce of their estate But GOD who standeth in neede of nothing ordayned this Lawe onely for the profite and welfare of his people For the first fruites were not brought vnto the Temple as though GOD were to receiue some commoditie of them to himselfe but the bringing of them was to this intent that the people shoulde bee the better stirred vp by that meanes to discharge themselues of their duetie towardes GOD. For the first fruites went not for full payment but they serued onelye for a solemne protestation thereby to shewe that the people was much more bound vnto GOD. And let vs note that GOD by appoynting this Lawe meant to giue vs to vnderstande what great vnthankefulnesse there is in men when there must bee such meanes deuised to quicken them vp to acknowledge and confesse his goodnesse For if there were but one droppe of reason and vnderstanding in vs needed we any exhortation to magnifie and extoll onr GOD for enioying so great benefites as hee hath bestowed vpon vs Hee sheweth himselfe so liberall towardes vs that his blessinges doe euen as yee woulde saye stoppe our eyes And is there not great reason then that this bountifulnesse of his shoulde waken vs to declare that wee haue not beene forgetfull of those benefites which hee hath bestowed vppon vs Yes verily But what Wee must bee spurred forewarde in this behalfe like Asses whereby wee see what vnthankefulnesse and vnfaythfulnesse is in vs for that is the cause
meaning of this place Euery yere yea at euery feast or solemnitie y e people cōming to the tēple were to be taught in deede The sacrifices were not to be done as a vaine pompe but in such sort as men might know the end vse of thē so as euery body might vnderstād what God he serued be put in mind of the couenant which he had made with their fathers But yet herewithall besides all this God did moreouer ad a larger confirmation thereof by renewing the remēbrance thereof at y e end of seuen yeres as it were by the solemne taking of a new oth to the end y t it shold not vanish away Let vs vnderstand then y t when men had exercised thēselues frō day to day and frō moneth to moneth had all their life long studied in the lawe of God bin taught his wil yet this ceremony was neuerthelesse obserued that they did reade all the contentes of the lawe that the people might consider thus w t thēselues This is not a treasure y t may at any time perishe from among vs God hath not giuē it for a time but it is for vs for our childrē for euermore as we haue seene in y e 29. chap. Seeing it is so let vs take heed y t we continue the possession therof amōg vs 〈◊〉 29.11 y t through our own rechelesnes we be not defeated of so inestimable a benefite which ought to be preferred aboue all y e riches delectable things of this world Now wheras he speaketh of y e feast it is said At such time as al Israel shal be assēbled togither in the presēce of his god We haue heretofore often times treated of this maner of speaking it is nowe needelesse to stande long vpon it It is ynough for vs alwayes to remēber y t God in commanding men to come worship him in his holy sanctuarie meant that the faithful should haue a certein testimonie pawne of his presence to the intent they should the willinglyer resort thither vnderstand that so to do was not an vnprofitable lost labour Yet notwithstanding God ment not to hold y e Iewes in any grosse imagination as if he had been enclosed in the Arke of the couenant or as if his essence had bin betwixt y e Cherubins but his comming down was of purpose to make y e faithful to mount vp to heauen through faith that is the common maner which hee hath alwayes holden in his church For in as much as wee are not able to approch vnto him nor to haue any accesse thither because of our infirmities hee vouchsafeth to stoope to our litlenesse howbeit not to make vs to nestle ourselues here beneath or to conceiue grosse opinions as though hee were tyed to the elements of this world but rather y t by such meanes hee might raise our faith vp on hye Thus were they taught in the time of the law And euen now also doth he vse the same maner of dealing with vs at this day We haue at this day the Sacraments In deede wee haue not so great a multitude as the fathers had for it were more than needed for vs because wee haue the substance of all the olde shadowes our Lord Iesus Christ. But yet for all that God doth stil at this day apply him selfe to our rudenes by his sacraments In y e water of baptisme we haue a testimony y t we be washed made cleane 〈◊〉 5.26 〈…〉 and that we be renued by his holy spirite Now then we must not muse vpon the water but when we see the visible signe we must rise aloft vnderstand y t God accomplisheth the thing in trueth which is signified vnto vs by the visible Sacrament Euen so also it is of the Supper Wee see there bread wine but we must through faith mount vp to our Lord Iesus Christ who is y e true foode of our soules that wee may be fed satisfied in him And the same is called the presence of God And why For it is no deceitfull matter neither doth God intend to beguyle vs when he declareth witnesseth vnto vs y t we be washed fed by the vertue of his onely sonne but hee would that we should be assured of it by feeling the verie effect therof Now when God vttereth such vertue do not we feele him present Let vs note then that God is present with vs when we come vnto him being called thither hauing the meanes which he hath ordeined and in like wise when wee be assembled togither there is a presence of our God Matt. 18.20 For our Lord Iesus Christ sitteth in the middest of vs because wee bee his We must not think that he is farre off but that he receiueth al our requests that we be hard do obtaine of God his father all that is conuenient for vs. Thus ought wee to take courage When we vse the Sacraments when wee come to heare y e word of God when we make commō prayers when wee obserue the whole order which God hath established in his church let vs be assured that he is with vs that hee assureth vs not in vaine that we make no windlasses as other men do greatly tormenting themselues in following their owne fansies No no but in so doing our God preuenteth vs seeketh altogether to haue vs ioyned vnto him that hee will shew the same openly make vs to vnderstand it by effect That is the thing in effect which we haue to remember concerning the manner of speach which Moses vseth here And by the way the people are warned by this meane to heare the law with y e more heede reuerence What is the cause that when the worde of God is preached vnto vs many in the meane while doe wander in the ayre or bee at home with their houshold or else fall on asleepe and to be short that although they doe both heare vnderstand yet they bee not moued awhit the law the Gospel bee vnto them as a matter of nothing whence commeth such contempt For it is against nature that our GOD should speake that the creatures which liue by his grace which ought to dedicate themselues wholy vnto him should yeeld him so litle honor authoritie We do easily vouchsafe to heare a man if we haue him in any estimation no worde that proceedeth from his mouth shal fall to the ground but we wil as it were suck vp whatsoeuer is spoken by so great a personage in so much that before his words be fully pronounced we conceiue what he meant to speake Behold God speaketh albeit y t it be by y e mouth of men yet is it his will that his word should be of like maiestie with vs as if hee himselfe were here in person But it preuaileth not that is because we thinke not on this presence wherof Moses speaketh in
Gods worde and haue but an opinion of it as who woulde say the thinges that are conteined in it haue some reason but yet wee doe but coniecture so what a thing were it What certaintie shoulde wee haue of God or of any of all his vertues for the which hee is to bee glorified Wee shall bee alwayes in a mammering And so wee see of what importance this saying is where Moses termeth God True For hee woulde haue vs to learne to yeelde such authoritie to his worde as it may benefite vs and that as soone as wee heare God speake wee shoulde bee fully resolued and perswaded that wee shall not bee disappointed in following all that hee saieth to vs and in beleeuing the same By this meane then wee may consider all Gods workes so as wee shall haue a lampe to guide vs and to giue vs light that wee may not runne reeling in continuall doubtfulnesse But forasmuch as Gods worde is the infallible trueth to vs wee shall haue a stayed iudgement concerning the thinges that are saide vnto vs and wee shall trust in God not as the heathenish sort doe who bee shaken from it out of hande because there is no steadinesse of faith in them but wee shall haue a good staffe to stande by so as Gods trueth shall fence vs against all distrust against all grudging and against all thinges that may turne vs from the glorifying of him And therewithall wee shall also haue a good foundation of our saluation when wee once knowe that God is True For if wee imbrace not the thinges that God doeth what will become of vs There is nothing but damnation in men and the more they trust in themselues the more must they needes bee confounded Then can wee not conceiue any hope of saluation vnlesse wee bee well assured that God foadeth vs not with wordes without effect but that wee knowe him to bee faithfull and trustie so as if wee haue but a worde of his mouth it is as good as if our saluation were already shewed And thereuppon hee saieth further that there is no wickednesse in him but that hee is iust and faithfull It shold seeme y t Moses speaketh too coldly of God in this place in saying There is no wickednesse in him For who doubts of that Nay it is to cut off all the wicked imaginations that men deuise when they be not helde in awe so as they may yeeld to conclude that God is faitfull good and iust yea and voide of vnfaithfulnesse Aâ—d who accuseth him thereof But yet wee see howe that euen the holy Prophets were driuen to resist those temptations Lorde I knowe that thou art iust 〈◊〉 â— 1 〈◊〉 1.13 saieth Ieremie As much doeth Abacucke and they crie out so of purpose to shewe that they bee troubled with many incumberances when they see things so out of order in the worlde There then wee see howe they had easily beene caried away to blaspheme God and to deeme some vnrighteousnesse to bee in him if they had not beene restrained And so wee see that it is not without cause that Moses saieth heere that God is true without wickednesse There is nothing in him saieth hee but the same is praise worthie insomuch that when wee speake of his trueth and righteousnesse we must exclude all wisedome power of man And to be short he must be praised without exception and not after the common manner of men And that is the cause that when Gods word is spoken of in the Psalme it is saide to be like siluer tried seuentimes in the fire after it hath beene molten and all the drosse of it taken quite and cleane from it At the first sight this similitude may seeme to vs to bee but colde But let vs looke a little vppon our selues and we shall finde that our wits doe tickle vs incessantly insomuch that when wee haue confessed God yea euen without dissimulation to be true yet when wee come to his promises euermore we will haue some reply and we will neuer be contented in our minds nor well at rest For we haue a leawdnes which holdeth vs back and hindereth vs that wee cannot glorifie God as becommeth vs. So then let vs marke that Moses doth not heere without cause exclude all iniquitie to the ende that when we speake of God and of any of all his vertues wee shoulde doe it with such reuerence and admiration as wee may not onely not accuse him of any vnfaithfulnesse and confesse that wee perceiue not any vice in him but also be throughly perswaded and resolued that there is such perfection in him as that there remaineth no more for vs to doe but onely to worship him yea euen though we conceiue not the highnesse that is hidden from vs. Nowe let vs cast our selues downe before the maiestie of our good God with acknowledgement of our faults praying him to take from vs al hardnesse and stubbornnes and to frame vs to the obeying of him that the preaching of his worde vnto vs may not bee in vaine but that it may profite vs so as wee may become good ground and serue in such wise to the glorie of our God as that the labour and paine which he shall haue bestowed vpon vs may not be in vaine but that all may redounde to the full establishing of his kingdom And moreouer that seeing it pleaseth him that our saluation should be matched with his glorie he will also so further the same as wee may bee incouraged by that meanes to giue our selues more and more vnto him That it may please him to grant this grace not onely to vs but also to all people and nations of the earth c. On Friday the viij of May 1556. The CLXXIX Sermon which is the second vpon the two thirtith Chapter 5 They haue corrupted themselues before him by their sinne euen they that are not his children but a froward and wicked generation 6 Doest thou reward the Lorde so O thou foolish and vnwise generation Is not he thy father and thine owner is it not hee that hath made thee and fashioned thee 7 Remember the time past consider the yeares of so many generations Aske thy father and hee will shewe thee inquire of thine elders and they will tell thee YEsterday wee sawe why Moses speaketh here expresly of Gods truth For men had neede to be assured of Gods promises that they may holde themselues to them and rest vpon them and also to know that his worde is the rule of all perfection that they may receiue it with all reuerence And it is saide expresly that there is no vnrighteousnesse in him to the ende that men should learne not to measure him by their owne scantling as they be wont to doe For in asmuch as we comprehend not Gods iustice wee drawe it downe to ours by meanes whereof wee abace his maiesty too much Therfore if we will yeelde God his due honor we must separate him froÌ„
which they had seene with their eyes But beholde there followed a newe falling away euen in the life of Noy His owne children forsooke the seruice of GOD and forged ydols to them selues Nowe this ought of reason to bee taken for newe But the mischiefe continueth still and wee see that ydolatrie reigned euen in the time of Abraham Foure hundred yeares mo had passed at such time as the lawe was giuen yea there were passed about a fiue hundred yeares since the time that Abraham had beene an ydolater at home with his father Iosua 24.2 Superstition therefore had beene auncient and was become as it were rotten Men had weltered in it so long time that they might well say We in these dayes are not the first beginners thereof No but though an errour bee once waxen olde yet must not men make a custome of it neither must they of a wicked custome make a continuall lawe or rule Loe howe men beguyle themselues by sticking too stiffely to things that are growen into euill custome For why They beare them selues in hande that if a thing haue beene vsed of long time then it is lawfull for men to doe it But an euill custome is nothing else than an errour forgrowen And it is so much the woorse and the more to bee misliked because God hath beene the grieuouslyer offended by it Wherefore let vs beware that wee drawe not thinges to a consequence because they haue beene abused of long time but let vs still returne backe to the originall And this is a verie necessarie poynt for vs in these dayes For the Papistes affirme that the thinges which wee doe are newe and that they were inuented but a whyle agoe Yea but if wee aske them a proofe of their antiquitie what say they That such thinges haue beene done nowe these fiue hundred yeares Truely they lye most commonly with full mouth For the thing which they holde as chiefe and most resolute is not of so long continuance If yee seek for their confession or shrift about a foure hundred yeares agoe there was no lawe at all thereof If yee looke for their transubstantiation it is in like case They make men beleeue that the breade is no more a materiall thing but that it is God whome wee ought to worship And that is spycke and spawne newe I meane euen in accounting after the manner of men In like case is it with all the residue If wee looke vppon all the fashions which they holde at this day surely they bee but a renuing of the thinges that were in olde tyme and yet there is little or no resemblaunce in them But let vs put the case it were to bee graunted them that the forme of religion which they holde hath beene obserued by the space of a thousande yeares or mo What will a thousand yeares helpe when wee come before GOD They will not bee reckened for a day Psal. 90.4 2. Pet. 3.8 no nor for a minute as I sayde afore And where is then our true antiquitie In Iesus Christ who is the beginning of all thinges and to whome all things are to bee brought backe againe In the liuing God by whom our Lorde Iesus Christ is sent vnto vs to make his will knowen vnto vs. There must wee bee grounded if wee will haue the auncient faith For in holding our selues to men wee shall haue nothing but noueltie Score wee vp neuer so many yeares they will stande vs in no steede for all passeth and glydeth away But wee must haue him which hath neither beginning nor ending and his vnchangeable trueth must bee our rule When wee rest vppon that then haue wee the auncient faith And therefore wee at this day may well protect against the Papistes Turkes and Iewes themselues that they bee backeslyders and haue withdrawen themselues from the true and pure religion and that wee continue in the doctrine which hath beene followed in all ages worshipping the God which created vs which gaue foorth his lawe by the hand of Moses and which hath vttered himself most perfectly by the Gospel Bring wee here any newe thing Say wee that men must haue newe rules and newe fashions inuented by men at the Papistes doe For all their Religion is grounded vppon these poyntes namely that they must keepe the traditions of their elders that they must obserue the lawes of their mother holy Church that the same must bee taken in equall authoritie with the holy Scripture and that the holy Ghost was not giuen fully ynough to the Apostles but that the perfection of thinges was reuealed afterwardes to a sort of hypocrites and I wote not to whome else Those are thinges whereon the Papistes rest The Turkes are altogether Renegates The Iewes haue peruerted the lawe and haue no more of it but the dead letter because they haue refused Iesus Christ who is the soule therof as Saint Paul termeth him 2. Cor. 3.6.7 8. So then wee may well protest that our faith is auncient for as much as it is grounded vppon Gods trueth who neuer chaungeth ne varyeth and that men haue not taught vs any thing on their owne head but that wee haue the same God which hath vttered him selfe in all ages and that wee followe the doctrine whereunto hee woulde haue men to holde themselues which likewise is euerlasting Thus much concerning the first poynt And as touching the mention that is made of the fathers let vs marke that in this behalfe wee must in any wise vse discretion that wee take not those indifferently for our fathers which could not beget vs by the worde of God For the Egyptians and all the Infidels of the worlde coulde welynough say Our fathers liued so so haue they taught vs wee holde our religion of them and such sayinges might wel bee set as a sheelde to defende them But because God disclaymed their fathers therefore coulde that excuse stande them in no steede For God presupposeth heere that hee had called to him both Abraham and the Patriarkes and also that they had helde the true religion which thing did put a difference betwene them and the rest of the whole worlde Againe whereas hee sayeth that they had worshipped gods whome their fathers feared not it is all one as if hee shoulde vpbrayd them saying What I adopted and choose your fathers to bee my children and they worshipped mee as their God and will you nowe forsake mee To bee short wee must holde this for a generall rule our fathers are those whome God hath reputed and aduowed to bee his children Therefore whosoeuer seeketh any other fathers than the children of God shall finde nothing but bastardie And at that poynt are the Papistes For in speaking of the fathers they consider not that the Apostles and such other as haue beene begotten by the pure doctrine of the Gospel are our true fathers but they call hypocrites and dreamers yea and scorners of GOD which haue turned all thinges vpside downe their
and you haue abused that grace of mine I haue required to be serued and honored of you and you haue done mee all the shame ye coulde deuise you haue borne yourselues in hande that I was tyed vnto you and that I was of necessitie to continue a father towardes you without ceassing notwithstanding that you played the rebellious children against mee But nowe will I giue you ouer for such as you be doe the worst yee can and at length yee shall finde what it is to haue forsaken mee I will hide myselfe from you that is to say I will giue you ouer In steede of maintaining and defending you as I haue done heeretofore I vtterly renounce all acquaintaunce with you See nowe what your state shall be and I also will see what your ende will bee that is to say it shall bee perceiued in what plyght men are when I haue no longer care of them GOD then speaketh heere not so much of his owne knowledge as of that which shall be seene and perceiued in the ende by experience For as I sayde afore GOD is not to bee taught by the chaunge of thinges for all thinges were present with him before the making of the worlde but heere he declareth that when folke are so forsaken it will appeare by them that all the happinesse of man consisteth in beeing preserued by GOD and that on the contrary part they bee most wretched and vnhappie when God hath giuen them ouer And hee addeth the reason It is a fickle and frowarde generation Children in whome there is no trueth The first worde that Moses vseth heere commeth of a verbe which signifieth to turne and returne And so it is as much as if he shoulde say It is a generation of wickednesses for he vseth the plurall number and it importeth as much as if he should say It is a frowarde and cursed generation or else a mutable and chaunging generation and whereof there is no holde nowe heere nowe there whereby is vttered not onely the vnconstancie but also the disloyaltie of that people He addeth that there was no stedfastnesse in them The worde betokeneth vprightnesse whereby is meant both loyaltie and faithfulnesse To be short GOD declareth heere that he hadde tryed his people too much and that in the ende it appeared that there was no vprightnesse in them but all manner of treason and trecherie Forasmuch therefore as hee founde such leaudenesse in them hee sayeth hee will hyde himselfe from them But we must call to minde againe what I haue sayde afore to witte that for a time GOD may fauour vs and beare with vs and spare vs though we deserue to haue rigour towardes vs but when hee is so patient it is to make vs diligent in examining our owne faultes and to call our selues dayly to account and to looke neerely to the thinges which are to bee found fault with in vs. Also let vs marke well the saying that hath beene alleadged out of Saint Paul howe that God allureth vs to amendment by gentlenesse Rom. 2.4 when hee punisheth vs not at the first according to our deseruinges Sith the case standeth so whensoeuer God sheweth himselfe fauourable and gratious towardes vs let euery of vs consider howe hee hath liued and if we haue abused the benefites which he hath bestowed vppon vs let vs condemne ourselues for it and be sorry for our sinnes and returne to him with such sorrowe as may appeare to bee vnfained That is the thing which we haue to remēber in the first place But if we will needes discharge ourselues by flatterie to take leaue to doe euill then must hee needes execute his vnreuocable sentence of hyding away his face from vs after he hath borne long ynough with vs and of seeing what will become of vs and he must needes let vs rotte in our wretchednesse forasmuch as we could not abide that hee should reach out his hande to helpe vs. And in any wise let vs marke that GOD can not away with hypocrisie in men for among other thinges he requireth soundenesse and trueth in vs that our conuersation shoulde bee vtterly voide of all dubble meaning and that we should not be dissemblers before him True it is that our nature is full of fainednesse as we see howe Ieremy reporteth of mans heart Ier. 16.16 that it is frowarde and besnarled with all naughtinesse and that it is euen as a bottomlesse pit And therefore we must chaunge if wee will haue God to admit and allowe vs for his children and wheras we be inclined to euill so as there is nothing but bitternesse and hardnesse of heart in vs we must pray vnto God to indewe vs with his holy spirite who is the spirite of constancie and to ridde vs in such sort from all our naughtinesse and vnfaithfulnesse as we may walke on before him in pure and vndefiled soundnesse Thus yee see what we haue to remember vppon this place Nowe it is saide further That forasmuch as the Children of Israell had prouoked GOD to iealozie by the thing that was not god and prouoked him by their leazinges through the superstitions which they hadde deuised he also would prouoke them by a people which was no people and moue them to iealozie by a Nation that was no Nation Heere GOD speaketh againe after the manne◠of men like as if a man seeing his wife so wicked and leaudely giuen that he could not restraine her should say Well I must needes diuorce her and to doe her the more disgrace I will take some chamber-mayde in her steede to occupie her place Now then if a wife haue liued in honorable state with her husbande and afterwarde behaue her selfe so naughlily and stubbornely that hee casteth her off and thereuppon taketh some poore wench that was of no estimation and vseth her as his maried wife his former wife will take the more spyte and griefe at it as who woulde say What Shall such a one nowe occupie my place Must I be thrust out for her Must I be pointed at with euerie mannes finger and bee shamed and ill spoken of euerie where After that manner is this text to bee vnderstoode For thus doeth GOD vtter his minde What They haue prouoked mee to Iealozie by the thing that is no god I am the liuing GOD and besides that they ought in reason to take mee for their father because I haue shewed my selfe so towardes them declaring howe deerely I loued them in that I haue preferred them before all other Nations of the worlde and yet hereuppon haue they forged Idolles But there is but one GOD and therefore when men turne away from him they must needes forge ydolles after their owne imaginations Thus haue they prouoked me to ielozie by the thing which was not god And afterwarde he addeth their vanities As if he shoulde say If a man marke what their superstitions are and whereon they bee grounded he shall finde them to be nothing else but
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
forsaken yetnotwithstanding God spareth them beareth with them and ouercommeth their wickednesse with his goodnesse in that he rooteth them not out at the first but vouchsafeth to foster theÌ„ still and to shewe a fatherly care towardes them Let vs consider these thinges that we may be rauished with wonderment and glorifie God for his mercy which is knowen and apparaunt vnto vs euerywhere And thereupon let vs come to our selues and consider y t seeing God hath called vs to the knowledge of his trueth it is all one as if he had adopted vs to be his children Ye see theÌ„ that we be sanctified by him True it is that in respect of nature we be no better thaÌ„ other men yea and there are yet still so many wantes imperfections in vs as is pitie to see But yet doth our Lord accept vs for his children when we receiue his word by faith doe stedfastly beleeue that our Lord Iesus Christ hath not suffered his passion in vaine but that as we be reconciled to God his father by his meanes so he wil gouerne vs still If we be fully perswaded hereof let vs not dout but that God will acknowledge vs and auowe vs to be of the company of his Saints that seeing we be vnder his custody he wil guide vs and keepe vs vnder his wings and in his protection And so we see that Moses spake not for the children of Israel only but meant that Gods Church should receiue common coÌ„fort thereof to the worldes ende to the intent y t being troubled with so many stormes and tempestes and hauing so many perils before our eyes being so often threatned with deth we should yet not withstanding haue sure footing and not cease to fasten our eyes vpon the safegarde of God And seeing it is so that he sheweth his loue euen to the vnbeleeuers let vs not dout but he will make vs to perceiue that his hande is strong mightie ynough to maintaine and defende vs euen though it seeme to vs that we should perish euery minute of an houre Nowe let vs fall downe before the maiestie of our good God with acknowledgement of our faultes praying him to correct vs more more and to forgiue vs the offences and sinnes wherof we be guiltie before him that forasmuch as it pleaseth him to edifie vs dayly by his worde we may be ready to receiue it and hee make vs to perceiue the maiestie which is therein and that we may continually acknowledge that it is hee that speaketh vnto vs euen to certifie vs of his will and of the hope of our saluation so as wee may be drawen to the feare obedience of him and more and more profit therein euen vntill we see him face to face whereas wee see him nowe but in that mirrour or lookingglasâ—e which hee setteth before vs. 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 xxix of Iune 1556 The CXCII Sermon which is the second vpon the xxxiij Chapter 3 They bowe downe to thy feete to receiue of thy wordes 4 Moses hath commaunded vs the Lawe for an inheritaunce vnto the congregation of Iacob 5 And was a king among the righteous when they gathered the heades of the people together together with the tribes of Israel 6 Let Ruben liue and not die and let his people be fewe in number 7 As touching Iuda he sayde O Lorde God hearken to the voyce of Iuda and bring him in to his people let his handes suffise him because thou wilt bee his helpe against his enemies HEeretofore Moses had exhorted the people to receiue the Lawe with all obedience for he hadde sayde that they did cast themselues downe at Gods feete And it is a kind of speech that is verie rife in the Hebrewe tongue because the man that is a learner sitteth downe at his maisters feete to receiue learning at his hande Nowe we haue seene howe it behooued the people to bee as it were at Gods feete To what ende To heare the woordes of his mouth And heereby we see that GOD hath the whole souereinetie in his Church and that although he speake by the mouthes of mortall men yet doth not that abate any whitte of his right that men should therefore vsurpe his authoritie or thrust themselues into his place but that they ought to deliuer the thinges faithfully which they haue receiued of him To be short heere it is shewed vs that the Church of God is to be guyded alonely by his worde and not by the thinges which men shall haue dreamed and deuised of their owne heades And heerewithall we be also exhorted to obey God and not to striue against him when he speaketh to vs but to stoope and to yeelde ourselues wholly to that which he sayeth At a worde heere wee bee brought backe from the bondage of men to the ende that our fayth should not depende vppon this man or y t man but be grounded vpon God And by the way it is shewed vs that it is our dutie to humble ourselues vnto God and to profit vnder his worde and in his schoole so as wee may suffer our selues to be gouerned by his doctrine Nowe heereupon it followeth That Moses gaue the Lawe for an inheritaunce to the Congregation of Israell This serueth to expresse better what worde it is whereof he had made mention For euery man can well ynough graunt that GOD deserueth well to be hearde and obeyed and the wickeddest folke in the worlde will magnifie Gods worde but in the meane while there are very fewe which by their deedes doe shewe themselues throughly willing to doe that which they say And why They woulde haue God to come downe from heauen and to sende vs his Angelles to tell vs his will But he will trie our fayth after another fashion True it is that he ratified his Lawe in olde time and shewed that it came from heauen and that it was not deuised by men But nowe hee will haue his Lawe preached vnto vs by meanes of men and that the same shal be of as great force as if hee himselfe were present in his own being and maiestie As for the Gospell wee knowe it hath had his confirmation and that it is not for vs to dout whether it be Gods trueth or no. But now what are they that bring vs the Gospell They be mortall creatures so as this treasure as sayth Saint Paule is in brittle vesselles 2. Cor. 4.7 like as if a man should put a two or three thousande Crownes into a potte that is not woorth aboue a cupple of pence euen so is it in that our Lorde will haue the doctrine of saluation which is an inestimable benefite to be declared vnto vs by men like our selues which beare no great showe nor are of any estimation to the worldewarde and yetnotwithstanding he will haue his worde to
worde He sayeth immediatly in gathering the heads of the people and the Trybes of Israel together Heere hee expresseth the concorde which ought to bee in Gods Church euen from the greatest to the least Whereas hee sayeth in gathering or assembling hee sheweth that as soone as GOD hath spoken there ought to be a conformitie and true vnion amongs vs. We must not be at variaunce one drawing one way and another another but euery of vs must yeelde assemble together that none but God may haue any preheminence ouer vs and that we may be gathered together in one as it were vnder his winges That then is the gathering together which Moses speaketh of heere And therfore we may conclude thereupon that when Gods word is not preached although mē agree together yet their agreement is cursed there is nothing but confusion in it Will we thē be so knit together as God may allowe of the concorde that is among vs Let him be alwayes our head let his word be the mean to fashion vs one like an other let there be no brotherhoode but because there is one father cōmon to vs al and y t wee be his children together by one common accorde And herein it is to be seene that all the fond bragging of the Papists is but smoke leasing when they say that they agree among themselues For it is alwayes to bee considered what the bonde is Now the Papistes agree in all disobedience so as they must needes bee stubborne in refusing Gods worde and trample his truth vnder their feete or else we see that without that there is no accesse to be had vnto them Seeing then that their linking in together is but to withdrawe themselues from God wo worth that vnion But if we will haue a holy and commendable concorde such as God may allowe of let vs begin at this point namly that we hearken to his voyce and y t we followe it shewing therby that we bee his true sheepe that we take him for our sheepeheard And in so doing let vs take him also for our king as it is sayde in this text that he also may take vs for his people and Church and then we may be bolde to defie all such as behaue themselues after their owne inuentions and fancies Nowe therewithall Moses sheweth that there is no man which ought not to submit himselfe to Gods worde when he sayeth in gathering the heades and all the Trybes together Heere then is no exception neither ought y e great ones to alleage either their authority or their power for they be the folke which ought to shewe the way and which ought by their exāple to induce the meaner people to obedience Therefore when our Lord speaketh let the heads be as lowely as the inferiour sort let them lead the daunce and reach their hands to all the residue For in very deede when the great men and rich men of this worlde and such as are in any estimation despise Gods worde set light by it it is a dubble stumblingblocke because men haue an eye to them they be as it were set vp on a hygh stage The disorder therefore which they make is such that they must yeelde dubble account vnto God for y t they haue bin the cause of the backeslyding of many simple weake soules And therefore let vs learn y t whensoeuer God speaketh those to whō he hath giuen y t greater giftes of grace which haue any dignity or excellency must shewe that Gods prouoking of thē to come vnto him is not in vaine they must be the first that obey him And on the other side the rude vnskilful must not alleadge We be no Clerks we be no men of great vnderstanding for it is sayde that all the Trybes of Israell must likewise assemble together Let vs conclude then y t as the great ones must shew the way to the litle ones so all the people generally and without exception must submit them selues to God al of vs must become his scholers seeing he vouchsafeth to be our scholemaister and al of vs must be his people seeing he doth vs the honor to set his royall seate among vs. That is the effect of the thing which wee haue to remember vpon this place But let vs come to the blessinges which Moses giueth to the Tribes of Israell I haue tolde you afore that they be not single prayers made as by a priuate man but that forasmuch as God had appointed him to be his deputie he declareth that the state of the Church shal be alwayes blessed that God will haue a care therof Moses then speaketh heere not in his owne person nor of his owne authoritie but as one gouerned by the holy Ghost and as one whom God caused to shewe foorth the fatherly care which he would alwayes haue of his Church To be short there is nothing heere which ought to be fathered vppon a mortall man but by the mouth of Moses God sheweth that hee hath not chosen the children of Abraham in vaine but that hee will continue his goodnesse towardes them to the ende and shew in very deede that they be a people whom he hath adopted to himselfe and dedicated to his owne seruice and of whom he wil be the defender Howebeit forasmuch as these thinges shal be layd foorth more at large I doe but touch them shortly as nowe Let vs come to that which is spoken of Ruben Let Ruben liue and not dy We know that Ruben was Iacobs eldest sonne and ought to haue obteyned the right of the first begotten and ought to haue had a double portion and to haue reigned among his brothers but he was bereft of it by his owne leaudenesse For he committed incest which was a crime worthy of more than death he deserued to haue beene wyped out of the worlde and to haue had his name reprochfull for euer Gen. 35.22 Neuerthelesse God pardoned him Yea but not without chastisement as we see by the blessing which was giuen him and he seemeth rather to haue beene accursed For Iacob his father sayde vnto him Gen 49.3 Ruben thou wast my first borne the beginning of my force and strength but thou hast also beene the beginning of my sorrowes And therefore thou must slippe away like water and drie vp For thou diddest loose the title of thy birth right when thou wentest vp vpon thy fathers bedde and committedst incest which is a horrible crime Forasmuch therefore as thou hast beene a greefe and sorrowe to me whereas I ought to haue receyued ioye and comfort of thee thou must be banished and excluded from thy birthryght and from the dignitie which thou shouldest haue had It shold seeme y t Iacob taketh too great displeasure against his eldest son when he ouerwhelmeth him so with infamie thundereth so against him Howbeit y t is but a temporall correction For notwithstāding this yet he continueth stil a
sith he hath care of our welfare we shal be in safetie And this ought to preuaile more now adayes than euer it did For it is sayd expresly of the reigne of our Lord Iesus Christ 〈◊〉 4.4 that euery man shall dwell safely vnder his vine and vnder his figtree Seeing then that our Lord Iesus Christ calleth vs nowadaies vnto his protection let vs boldly rest vpon him Albeit y t all thinges goe against vs and worldly helpes faile vs yet howsoeuer we fare let vs stande fast and let this saying bee well printed in our remembraunce that Israell shall not fayle to be safe though hee be alone And why Because God is his keeper his welfare dependeth not vpon y e stayes of this world it is ynough for him that God hath taken him into his custodie And hee addeth immediatly that the Eye or Fountaine of Iacob was vpon a land of Corne Wine and that the heauens should droppe downe deawes Heereby Moses betokeneth in effect that if we be Gods people he will haue a care to sustayne vs and that because wee haue neede of sustenaunce hee will prouide vs thereof according to our necessitie so as hee will giue vs meate and drinke sufficient True it is that the Hebrewe word which he vseth may bee taken both for an Eye and for a Fountaine And in deede the Hebrewes call Fountaines Eyes because the springes of the water if yee marke them haue the shape of the eye in a mans body If we take it for an eye in his proper signification it is as much to say as that Gods people shal haue their fight continually vppon corne and wine and that God will giue them sufficient sustenaunce For the deawe shall come downe from heauen which shall make the grounde to yeelde fruite If we should take it for a Fountaine that were somewhat harde I grant it is sayde in y e Psalme You that be of the fountaines or welspringes of Iacob 〈◊〉 68.27 but that is because the Patriarke Iacob was the welspring of that people And it could not agree to the present text And therefore let vs content ourselues with the naturall sense of Moses which is that God will make vs feele shewe vs by experience that wee shall receiue sustenaunce at his hande as long as wee bee in this worlde Of a trueth breade and wine are not the chiefe thinges which we ought to seeke at Gods hande yet is it much when we see he hath a care of this corruptible life And that ought to make vs to stye vp higher For when we see that God vouchsafeth to feede our bodies ought wee not to conclude that it is much more likely that he will feede our soules which are much more deerer vnto him The good then which we receiue heere beneath ought to serue to make vs to sende vp our trust aboue the heauens to seeke a better life at his hand which we can not as nowe comprehende And therefore of no smal importance is this promise where it is sayde that God will alwayes make his people see and feele that he is their foster father that he giueth them corne and wine for their sustenaunce and that he will sende them deawe from heauen to keepe the grounde frō parching vp so as it may haue moysture to susteine those which otherwise should abyde a hungred Ye see then that the thing which we haue to remember vpon this place is that if we be of Gods flocke we shall not be destitute of any needefull thing For euen as in respect of this transitorie life we shal be fedde and nourished at his hande And when we obtaine sustenance at Gods hande it is to incourage vs. Let such as are poore take paines and pray vnto God to blesse their labor because it belongeth to him to susteine those that are his Lo howe the poore ought to bee stirred vp vnto prayer And if they haue litle wherewith to susteine them let them consider that God intendeth to trye their patience and yet that in the meane while hee maketh that sustenaunce of theirs as slender as it is to turne into Manna so as they be susteyned therewith Let not the rich sort be puffed vp with pride vppon that they haue their life in their owne hande but let them vnderstande that it behooueth thē to haue recourse vnto God with all their goods For if they haue not a regarde of him let them assure themselues that he can well consume the Corne in their Garners the grift at the mill the batch in the Ouen yea he will consume the bread in their bellies so as in steede of receyuing nourishment by it they haue nothing but corruption Let vs knowe then that God must be faine to performe y t which is declared heere that is to wit that our eye may be vpon a Land of Corne and wine and that it behooueth vs to consider that it is he to whome we be beholden for all thinges I graunt it may fall out that wee shall not haue such abundaunce as wee would wish and as our flesh lusteth for but yet as I haue sayd already God sheweth that he forgetteth not his seruauntes and that although hee giue them but a small and slender pittance yet they haue wherwith to content themselues because they receiue sustenance at his hand Therfore as long as we be to passe through this world let it suffise vs that God vouchsafeth still to susteyne vs and that in so doing he sheweth himselfe a father towards vs to the intent we should go on still and keepe on our way to the heauenly heritage whereunto he will bring vs to make vs inioy the thinges fully and perfectly whereof we haue knowledge as nowe but in part After that maner ought we to put the sayde lesson in practise For when the holy Ghost speaketh of the temporall blessinges which God sendeth to his children he meaneth not to hold them there as if he should say seeke no greater thinges but contrariwise because wee be rechlesse and slowe and can not step one step without stumbling except wee bee vphelde by God and specially we could not haue the steedinesse and constancie to say Let vs put ourselues into the handes of our God let vs yeelde vnto him and in our passing through this world let vs not be held backe assuring ourselues that Gods prouiding for all our necessities is to none other ende but that we should looke vppe vnto him That say I is the ende whereunto we ought to referre all the promises wherein our Lord sayth that he will haue a care of our life Wherefore let vs make this lesson auayleable wherein it is sayde That his eye shal be vpon a lande of Corne and Wine True it is that we shall be threatned with many necessities so as we shal be in continuall anguish yet notwithstanding if we haue an eye to Gods blessing we shall hope y t he will guide vs vnto the end
duitie 331. a 40 50.60 b 10. c. page 20. a 20 40 From what spring Fearefulnes doeth issue 335. a 10 How we ought to quicken our selues against Fearefulnes 335. a 30.40 How farre foorth God is contented to beare with our Fearefulnes though it be euil 335. b 10 Two places concerning Fearefulnes reconciled namely God wil destroy all the enimies whome thou fearest and Thou shalt not bee afraide of them 334. b 50.60 335. a all An admonition to fight against fonde Fearefulnes and to what ende 27. a 10 It is not possible for vs to come thither as God calleth vs if we ouercome not Fearefulnes 27. a 10 Feast What was to be done at euerie Feast or solemnitie held among the Iewes 1080. b 50 Of the Feast of all spirites the feast of all soules 495. a 20 Of the Feast of affliction vsed among the Iewes 612. a 10.20 Of the Feast of Passeouer and whereof it was a memoriall 597. a 20.30.50.60 b all Sermon 197 all Of the Feast of Pentecost the Iewish obseruing of the same Read all the 99 sermon beginning at page 608. a 10 Of the Feast of trumpets 612. a 10. and 613. b all Of the Feast of Tabernacles and the obseruing thereof with the rites and doctrines therupon depending read sermon 100 beginning at page 614. a 60. 597. a 40 Feastes The solemne Feastes of the Heathen and what solemne feastes are nowe superstitiously vsed 495. a 10.20 The three Feastes that God ordeined among the Iewes 597. a 20 Of the holie Feasts that the Iewes were wont to make at their sacrifices 500 a 10.20 To bring in Feastes after the manner of the Iewes is but a hiding or ouershadowing of Iesus Christ. 598. b 50 To what ende the Iewish Feasts serued 608. a 50.60 Feasting The cause why God ordeined the ceremonie of solemne Feasting among the Iewes 507. a 40 Feete Of casting our selues downe at Gods Feete to heare his wordes 1190. all 1191. a 10.20.30.40 1192. a 30.40 Felicitie Of worldly Felicitie and what hindereth vs from enioying eternall Felicitie 951 a 40 The full perfection of all Felicitie that wee can haue in this life what it is 108. b 30. Looke Blessednes Happinesse Fellonie In what cases wee bee condemned of Fellonie before God though excusable and blameles before the world 769. b 20.30 Fellowship That there is a common Fellowship among all men and howe it must bee maintained 223. a 50.60 Looke Friendship Fier A contrarietie noted in these wordes that wee should come boldlie to our God and that he should be a consuming Fier 152. a 50 To what end Gods vsing of the similitude of Fier doth tend 152. a 10 Of Gods appearing to the Iewes in the middest of Fier 161. b 40.50.60 The meaning of Moses by these words The voice sounded from the midst of the Fier that was seene on the mountaine 165. a 20 To what intent the flames of Fier appeared at the giuing of the law 251. a 10.20 The Fier that shone to the Iewes by night a token of Gods presence 41. a 60 The power of God compared to a consuming Fier Read how 374. b 40 50.60 c. Why God gaue the Iewes the light of Fier by night 41. a 40. b 50 The Iewes forbidden to make their children passe through Fier which may be taken two wayes 667. b 60. c. 668. a 10 That wee haue no neede of the visible piller of Fier now adayes 42. a 10 Why God willed that no strange Fier shoulde bee brought vnto his altar 502. b 50.60 How and in what cases God is said to be a consuming Fier 1139. b 30.40 50.60.1140 a 10.20 What the cloud and the Fier were to the ancient fathers 41. b 10 Why Moses doth terme the lawe a law of Fier 1188. a 30.40 God is knowen to be a consuming Fier two wayes 375. a 30.40 How God is a consuming Fier to deuoure our enimies 375. b 20 Fight We be sure of victorie if we Fight well 38. a 40.50.60 The enimies with whome wee are to Fight described 38. b 10. a 30 God doeth Fight for vs conditionally and how 42. b 10. a 60 The faithlesse do Fight against God how 44. b 10 Notable doctrine vpon these wordes Go not vp ne Fight not 54. a 20. b 10 What it is to Fight against God not against creatures 64. b 10 Fighting Al our Fighting commeth of the meere grace of the holie Ghost 38. b 20. Looke Warre Figure Against such as say that the people of old time to wit the Iewes had no more but a certaine Figure of y e spirituall good things which are giuen vs presently in these dayes 465. b 10.20 An heresie that the old testament is nothing else but a Figure 465. b 10.20 Of what things the sanctuarie and the seruice of the Leuites was a Figure 426. a 40.50.60 The Figure of the lawe written in two stones and what it shewed 421. b 30. 422. a 50.60 c. Figures The meaning of the Figures which the fathers had vnder the lawe 907 b 40.50.60 908 a 10 Figures doe not alwayes represent the full trueth Read the place 404. a 30.40 In what respectes the Figures of the lawe belong to vs at this day 429. a 30 The Figures of the law had a spirituall trueth whereto they may bee referred 502. a 40.50 The true vse of the Figures of the lawe peruerted by the Papistes 504. a 60 b all 505. a 10 The Iewes diligenter in executing their Figures and shadowes than we that haue the substance of them 607 a 50.60 b 10 Filching Of priuie Filching and that it is worse than open theft 833. a 60. b all 834. a all Looke Robberie Theft Fill. Two points noteworthie inferred vpon these words They shall haue their Fill. 469. a 30.40.50.60 b 10.20 c. When and at what time wee shall haue our Fill of all things 469. b 50.60 Doctrine for vs to mark although God giue vs not our Fill. 469. b 10.20 Vntill what time wee shall neuer haue our Fill of Gods goodnes 469. b 40 Looke Abundance Plentie Filthinesse The spirituall Filthinesse dwelling in vs vttereth it selfe euen in the bodie 907. b 60. Looke Defilements vncleannesle Finde Howe God did Find the Iewes in the wildernes in what perplexed case how he findeth vs also in no lesse miserie 1118. b all 1119. all Fine What faults are dispensable with a Fine and what not 708. a 10.20 Looke Punishment First borne Whereof the offering vp of the First-borne things sprang 695. a 40. why 50.60 How the substance of the lawe of offering the First borne to God perteineth to vs. 595. b 50.60 596. a 10 20.30 The Iewes were bound by law to offer the First borne of their cattel to God 506. a 40.50.60 and the reason why ibidem b 10 Of the prerogatiue of the First borne meaning our children 751.
10. Looke Couenants Promise of man What sinne is committed when a Promise bounde with an oth is broken 94. a 50.60 Of the Promise made in Marriage and of how great importance it is 789. b 10 Howe farre foorth men keepe touch in the thing that they Promise 94. a 10 Looke Couenant Promises of Men. When and by what default there wil alwaies bee some fainednesse in our Promises 94. a 10 The deceitfulnesse of men notwithstanding their Promises neuer so autentically made 94. a 40 Prophesie both true and false Howe â—he Iewes make their boast of the gift of Prophesie and why the same was giuen them 682. b 50.60 Two places touching the Prophesie of false Prophets comming to passe and not comming to passe reconciled 534. a 30.40.50.60 and b all Of Ieremies Prophesie touching the Iewes captiuitie in Babylon howe Homaniah went about to discredite and scorne the same 534. a 60. and b all Whether the Diuell can Prophesie or no. 533. b 50.60 534. a 10 Prophesies The blessinges that Iacob and Moses gaue the twelue tribes were Prophesies 1212. b 10. and a 20.30.40 What we must doe that wee maie not bee deceiued as in respect of particular Prophesies 533. b 10 All Prophesies performed in Christ to which intent he came 674. b 50.60 Prophet Vnto what Prophet we must not hearken and vnto whome these wordes appertaine 529. b 30.40.50.60 c. That a Prophet maie saie something that shall come to passe afterwarde and yet neuerthelesse not haue the more warran to be taken for a seruant of God 535. a 20.30 Howe euill Ieremie the Prophete was intreated for telling the trueth 538. a 60. b 10.20.30 Not the title onelie but the effect also of a Prophet must bee had and what that is 678. a 60. and b 10.677 a 20 Of a true Prophet and a false the differences of both and infallible tokens to knowe them 680. b 50.60 534. a all and 535. a 10 The meaning of Moses by these words God will raise vs vp a Prophet 664. a 20.30.40.50.60 â— 10. c. 665. a 10. 674. b 20.30 Howe Moseses wordes Yee shall obey the Prophet are meant 666. a 50.60 Notable doctrine vpon these wordes The man that will not heare y e Prophet shall die without release 675. a 30. c. Christ the great and cheefe Prophete promised to the Iewes 665. b 30. 642. a 40 False Prophet Howe a False Prophete preuailed against a true Prophet and withstood him to his facâ— 538. b 10.20.30 Howe we bee affected when the thing that a false Prophet saith to vs doth come to passe 531. a 10. and what we must do in such a case ibidem 20 Though a False Prophet speake the truth yet is not that a warrant that his doctrine is true 681. a. 30. Notable doctrine vpon these wordes Thou shalt not be afraide of such a False Prophet 684. a 20.30 Of a False Prophete that spake in as excellent a stile and manner of speech as could be of Gods vnchangeable truth 804. b 60. and 805. a 10.30.40 Prophetes Against such as holde that there is no more neede of the law and the Prophetes 463. a 30.40.50 God will haue vs to sift the Prophetes whether they teach aright or no. 677. b 50.60 and 678. a 10 To what ende God raiseth vp Prophetes and their charge 677. a 50.60 Why wee haue no Prophetes nowe adaies to tell vs of things to come by speciall reuelation 681. b 60. 682. a 10 Howe the true Prophetes did set them selues against the False Prophetes 681. b 10.20 What the Prophetes would saie when they meant to proue that they were sent of God 681. a 50. Example of Ieremie ibid. 60. b 10 Of the office of Prophets and in what pointes the same consisted 679. b 40 50.60 Ministers of the Church are in the same degree that the Prophets were and how 666. a 20.30 All the Prophetes tooke their end in Christ and he made a perfect conclusion of all 666. a 10 No more Prophetes in Israell after the time of Zacharie and Aggeus 665. b 40 That there shall be Prophetes alwaies in Gods Church 665. a 30 That God will raise vp Prophetes from time to time among the people and to what intent 665. a 10.20.30 and 67â— all What Christ meant by this saying That Iohn Baptist excelled all the Prophetes 675. b 50.60 676. a 10 Moses and his fellowe Prophetes were but seruantes and how 674. b 40 The Iewes were destitute of Prophets from Malachies time till the comming of Christ. 1247. a 40. b 10 Moses excelled all the Prophetes that were to be founde in Israell why 1246.30.40.50.60.1247 al. False Prophetes What ought to bee our refuge when there rise vp neuer so manie False Prophets among vs. 527. b 50.60.529 a 50.60 b 10 Of False Prophetes who they bee and howe wee must withstande them 528. b. 40.50.60 and 530. a 30. and 531. a 30 The order that False Prophets true Prophets vse in their admonitions doe differ and how 534. b 40.50 The offence of False Prophetes aggrauated by comparison 536. a 60. and b 10.20.30 and 537. b 10.20 Remedies for the rooting of False Prophetes and heretikes out of the Church 536. a 20.30.40.50.60 Why God setteth downe a lawe for False Prophetes 679. a 30 Howe it commeth to passe that False Prophets doe sometimes speake the truth 680.50 b. 60. 681. a 10.20 Tokens whereby to discerne False Prophetes aright 679. b 40.50.60 Two sorts of False Prophets set downe by the Lord himselfe 682. a 60. and b 10 Howe God will turne the sayings of the False Prophetes into the contrarie 682. a 40.50 The pride and presumption of False Prophetes noted and condemned 683. a 30.40.50.60 The cause why Moses saith that he wil discouer False Prophets 682. a 10.20 False Prophetes or teachers that goe about to seduce Gods people from the right waie compared to bitter rootes 1032. a 50. b all 1033. a b all To what ende God suffereth False Prophets to bee stirred vp by Satan to sowe their daâ—nell among vs. 533. a 10 Prosper Howe a man should bethinke himselfe if he would Prosper in his owne person 952. b 50.60 953. a 10.20 948 b 50.60 How it is not alwaies perceiuable that God doeth prosper them that serue him and why 324. b 60. 325. a 10 The way how to Prosper all our life loÌ„g 482. a 50.519 a 20. 551. a 30.40 345. b 10.20 How we seeke and intend to Prosper as it were in despite of God and of the ende of our drifts therein 518. b 10.20 What a kinde of contentation we must haue if God list to Prosper vs. 355. b 40 What wee haue to learne when God promiseth to Prosper vs if wee serue him 347. a 10. Looke Blessed Prosperitie Prosperitie a good trial to bewray what is in mens hearts see howe 349. a 10 From whence all manner of Prosperitie