dothe pacyfye and quiete our myndes B. For so soone as he hath geuen vs knowledge of hym selfe that we shal not nede to doubt but that our sinnes are forgeuen vs of the father through him and that we are made by hym sonnes heyres of euerlastyng lyfe what thing is there then can trouble vs yea what greater peace and tranquillitie of the mynde can there be then this Saynt Paule in his epistels persisteth muche in preachinge and setting forthe of this peace A. Moreouer this pronoune I hath a great Emphasis and force in it I saith he will refreshe you As if he shoulde say Why do ye loke for ease where it can not be founde Whye do ye seke in vaine I am he alon which can helpe you Therfore leauinge all other come vnto me alone that ye maye possesse the trewe peace 29 Take my yoake vpon you learne of mee for I am meeke and lowly in hearte and ye shall fynde reste vnto your sowles Take my yoake C. Because we se many abuse the grace of Christ whē they tourne the same to the libertye of the fleshe Christ therfore after he had promised ioyful rest to thē that laboured in their cōsciences miserably he also admonisheth that he is the deliuerer vpō this conditiō that men shold take his yoke vpon thē as if he should say I do not therfore ease you of the burthē of sin make God mercifull vnto you to the ende ye shold take libertie to sinne but that ye beīg erected lifted vp by his grace shold also take the yoke vpō you according to the spirite to restraine the lasciuiousenes of the flesh And hereby the definitiō of that rest wherof Christe spake is gathered namely that Christ here doth not exempt or exclude his disciples frō the burthē of the crosse that they might liue plesantly but rather he seketh that he myght exercise thē vnder the yoke of discipline kepe them vnder the banner of trouble And learne M. Some reade this as though it were spokē of Chryst to the ende his disciples should learne mekenes humilitie but there is an other meaning of these woordes as thus Because through the cōtumacte of the fleshe wee shonne caste of the yoke of Christ as sharpe harde he seketh to frame vs after his ensaumple This therfore is the sence and meanyng of these wordes Because Christ exhorted his discyples to beare his yoke leaste that the hardnes of the same shold make them afraide by and by he addeth Learn of me signifyinge that the yoake should not be greuouse vnto vs when as we ar accustomed by his ensample to mekenes humilitie Let vs consider that he sayth in an other place the seruaunt is not aboue his maister If he therefore vouchsafed to beare the yoake of trouble wee must not disdayne to beare the same And ye shall fynde rest C. For so longe as the flesh kycth resisteth so long we are troubled when they go about to please god otherwise in casting of the yoake of Christ they wery them selues in vayne Euen as men may se the Papistes who miserably vexe and trouble them selues because they wil not be vnder the yoke of Christ But this spirituall rest whiche the lord promyseth to those that com vnto hym can not be gotten by the studye and industry of man He saith trewly ye shall fynde but before hee saide I wyll ease you that we might vnderstand that we finde this ease by his grace power 30 For my yoake is swete and my burthen is lyghte M. Nowe he sheweth an other reason why they shall finde reste by his yoake namely because it is swete and light not harde or sharpe C. He calleth his yoake swete whē as notwithstandyng there is nothing more hard then his doctrine and crosse which he laieth vpon vs neither is there any thing more harde then the lyfe of Christians if thou haue respecte to the presente condition and state of the same A. But if thou haue respect to the spirite of adoptiō by the which the sonnes of god are led if thou consider the disciplin in it selfe it will seme bitter harde to the fleshe but to the spirite sweete easy and light As witnesseth s Iohn saying This is the loue of God that we kepe his commaundementes and his cōmandements are not greuouse for all that is borne of God ouercommeth the worlde And this is the victory that ouercōmeth the world euen our faith C. Therfore they which are regenerate by the spirite of God are framed to the obedience of his will And when they haue once tasted what Christ is what they owe vnto him there is nothing hard Bu. Last of al by this sentēe of Christ there are two sortes of men cōfuted The one sorte are they by whose wicked boldenesse and troublesome foolyshe and couetouse lawes the Church of God is oppressed The other sorte are they which so sone as they heare that mē are iustifyed onely by faith in Chryst by and by they thynke that they may reiecte all godlynes and vertue liue in Epicurisme and fylthy pleasure But the lorde requireth that we being delyuered from the handes of our ennemies should serue hym submittyng our selues to the yoke in holynesse and ryghteousenesse all the dayes of our life The xii Chapter AT that tyme Iesus wente on the sabboth daies thorow the corne and his discyples were an hungred and began to plucke the eares of corne and to eate At that time Iesus vvent C. In this hystory it was the Euangelistes meanynge and pourpose to shewe partelye of what deuelishe disposition the Phariseies were and partely to declare how they were supersticiouselye addycted to externall and triffelyng thynges in so much that they counted pure and deuoute holynes to cōsist in the same For they accused the disciples of Chryste because they in theyr iorneye plucked the eares of corne beinge by hunger constrayned therevnto as though therby they had broken the saboth daye The obseruation trewely of the saboth was a holy thyng but yet not in suche wise as they immagined namely that a man might scarse sturre his finger vppon the same without grudge of conscience Hypocrisie therfore was the cause whye they were so scrypulous in lyght matters regarded not the grosse superstitions in the whiche they wallowed euen as Chryst casteth them in the teethe that they tythed mynte and commyn regarded not the principal points of the Lawe And this is always the māner of hypocrites to seke for libertie in great matters and to be very precyse in ceremonies and outwarde tryfelinge shewes Hereupon it commeth to passe that they so seriously contende to obserue externall rytes because they seke and endeuour them selues to worship God only with carnall worshyp But malice and enuy rather then superstition pricked thē forwarde to this reprehension because they were not so captiouse and frowarde to others But it
To this efecte was the parable of the figge tree alleaged of our sauiour Christ in Luke saying Except ye repent ye shal al likewise perish he tolde also this similitude A certayne man had a figge tree plāted in his vyneyard he came and sought fruite therō and found none Then said he to the dresser of his vyneyarde Beholde this three yere haue I com and sought fruit of this figge tree find none cut it downe why combereth it the ground he answered and said vnto him Lord let it alone this yere also tyl I digge round about it and dounge it to see whether it wyll beare fruits and if it beare not then after that shall you cut it downe And in an other place Christ faith thus If any abyde not in mee he is caste out of the doores as a branches withereth men gather them and cast them into the fyer they burne 11. I baptise you with water vnto repentance but he that shal com after me is mightier then I whose shoote I am not worthy to beare he shall baptise you with the holy ghost with fier I baptise you vvith vvater C. The thre Euangelistes do reherse the selfe same wordes of Iohn the Baptiste In this one thynge Luke is more plentyfull because fyrste he dothe shewe for what occasion this sermon was made that is to saye because it was a doubte that the people would take away the honour of Christ by a false wrong opinion M. For he saith As the people were in a doubt al mē mused in their hartes at Iohn whether he were very Chryste Iohn answered said vnto thē all I baptise you with water c. C. Therfore that he might in time take away the occasion of the errour he doth plainely say that he is not Christ and so he doth disseuer him self frō him that he may bringe him that right which aparteined vnto him And truly he did this willingely that he myghte bringe disciples vnto Christ as the prouerbe is from hand to hand but he preuenteth it the soner least in holdinge his peace any lōger he shuld confirme the errour of the people C. His wordes therefore tend to this efect I cal al men to re pentance and hauing professed the same I signe them with the seale of Baptisme whereby they maye be assured that theyr sinnes are forgeuen thē if they beleue in him which shal come after me that is to say in Christe whiche onely forgeueth sinnes geueth the holy ghost printing a true faith in our hartes of remission of sinnes and mortifying also the affectiōs of our fleshe He vvhiche commeth after me This is spoken in the present tence The greke participle is doubtful so that thou maist vnderstand it that Christ was Iunior or younger then Iohn or elles that he shoulde succede Iohn in the office of preaching So the Euāgelist Iohn resiteth the same wordes saying After me there came a mā which went before me for he was before me Is stronger then I. C. By these wordes he dothe shewe that Christ was of a greter power dignitie in respect of whom he also was subiecte as if he should say The worke of Christ to come that is the redemption of mankind the kingdom which he receiued of God the father do require greater force power then I or any man els cā shew I am his minister he is the lord whiche hath receiued all power of his father Therfore in that Iohn doth acknowledge his own imbecillitie it is done to attrybute the glory of vertue power to Christ to saue and to destroy to saue the elect to destroy the reprobate also he doth admonish vs that there is no sainct or angel Christ only excepted that hath power to saue destroy VVhose shoose I am not vvorthy E. He said before that Christ was stronger then he to āplifie the same he saith that he is vnworthye to cary his shoose He vseth the common forme phrase of speche by the which he doth so extol the glory of Christ that aboue him he cōpareth nothing To the whiche ende this is also spoken He must increase but I must decrease He shal baptize you vvith the holy Here Iohn maketh Christ the authour of spyrituall baptisme but yet neuerthelesse a minister of the externall thing Here he dothe seme to preuent before secretly a question that might be obiected agaynst him to what ende pourpose the baptisme that he toke vnto him serued Neyther was it any small triffell to bringe a new vnwonted thinge into the churche of God and that specially to set forthe a new kind of begīning that shold be more perfecte and better then the law of God. Therfore he answereth that he hath don nothing rashly though he be a minister of the outwarde signe that yet he dothe nothing at al diminish the vertue power of god Wherfore we may easely gather that it was no parte of his meaning to distinguishe make a differēce betwene his baptisme that which Christ gaue his disciples in cōmandement to vse the vse wherof also he wold haue cōtinually establyshed in the churche Neither doth he compare the visible signe to the inuisible but cōparing the persons of the seruant lord together he doth teache what is proper apperteining to the seruant what also as due right is to be rendred to the lord And also herby is gathered a general doctrine that is to say what are the partes of men in baptisme also what is properly to the son of god For only to men is cōmitted the administratiō of the outward and visible thing but that trueth it self doth onely remaine with Christ The scripture somtime doth improperly assigne to men that whiche Iohn doth affirme onely to belong to Christe which he denieth to apperteine vnto men but thā he doth not way and consider what man hath specially by him self but simplely doth teach what is the force and profite of signes howe God doth woorke with his holy spirite by them Here is geuen a distinctiō betwene Christ and his ministers least that the world geue that vnto them which only of duetie and right perteineth vnto him as nothing is more ready and inclined then the world to beautifie adorne the creatures with the spoyles of God. We knowe what howe great outragiouse contentions haue ben in these days as concerning the vse and efficacy of the signes al the which may be taken awaye with this one word that the whole institution of the lorde doth comprehende the author hym selfe and the vertue of the spirite with the figure minister but when as the mynister is compared with the lord that he maye haue al we muste bring the other to nothing VVith the holy ghost It may be demaūded why Iohn did not say as wel that it was Christ which did washe our soules with his bloud
nie at hande euen so ye c. C. By the whiche woordes Chryste dothe not onely meane that the perturbation and trouble before mentyoned is as certayne a signe of his commynge as the grenenesse and buddynge of the tree is a sure token that sommer is at hande but doth also note a further matter For as the tree beinge stayed and bounde a longe whyle by the harde and byndinge rigour of the frost beginneth neuerthelesse in his tyme to budde and brynge forthe fruite euen soo his Church although it be bonde and staied for a season by the sharpe and cruell stormes of persecution yet notwithstaÌ„dynge in dewe tyme it shall bring forthe his fruite to the glory of god For as the internall sappe and moysture whiche is in euery parte of the floryshinge tree by his force doth mollifie renouate restore and reuiue that whiche was before dead and decayed euen so the Lorde by the internall and secrete woorkynge of his holy spirite maketh the corruption of man to beare and brynge forthe that fruite whiche he coulde not elles beare Wherfore the somme of Christes wordes is that we shoulde not be dismayed at the weake estate and externall shewe of the Churche but rather that we shold hope for the glorye whiche the Lorde by the crosse and trybulation hath prepared For that whiche Paule affirmeth of euery partycular member must be fulfylled in the whole body for thoughe our outwarde man perishe yet is the inwarde man renewed day by day c. 33 Euen so ye when ye se these thynges come to passe vnderstande that he is nye euen at the doores Euen so ye vvhen ye see these thinges Bu. As sommer is not come by and by so sone as we see the buddes of the fygge tree but fyrst the bud cometh then the blossome then the leafe then the figge and last of all the rypenesse of the same euen so wée muste vnderstande that all those thynges whereof Christe hathe spoken shall not come at the fyrste but by degrees in order that when we se the beginning we doubte not but that the middest wyll come shortely after and when the midst is come that we thyncke it not long vntyll the ende by fynished Euenso when the disciples of Christ sawe that manye at the fyrst exalted them selues for Christes seduced many they knew streight way that warres and rumors of warres wold followe yet notwithstandyng that Hierusalem shoulde not be destroyed immediately but that they shoulde fyrste suffer many persecutions and the Gospell be preached euery where And then they looked for the desolation of the holy citie and after that that many false prophetes and false Christes shoulde preuaile and so orderly they knewe that the ende of the worlde should come In like manner when we knowe that manye of those thinges whereof the lorde hath spoken here come to passe we ought to acknowledge that the kyngedome of god and the day of the lord is eueÌ„ at the dozes and therefore to be loked for by framing oure selues with diligence to godlynesse and vertue For if wee followe the estymation of God as in these thynges wée muste a thousande yeres with vs are before hym as one daye yea as a watche in the nyghte Vnderstande that he is nye euen at the doores C. That which Mathewe here speaketh obscurely the Euangeliste Luke more plainlye expoundeth sayinge that the kingdome of god is nie eueÌ„ at the dores And this place the kingdome of God as often times in other places is so called not of his beginniÌ„g but of his perfectioÌ„ and that accordinge to their vnderstandinge whome Christe taughte For they did not apprehende the kyngdome of God in the Gospel in the peace ioye of faith in spirituall righteousnes but they sought for that blessed reste and glorye which is hyd vnder hope vntill the laste daye Bu. It is sayd to be at the dores by an allegory because it is at hand A. So S. Iames saith Beholde the Iudge standeth before the gate 34. Verely I saye vnto you this generation shall not passe tyll all these thinges be done Verely I say vnto you Bu. Leaste any man shoulde doubte in anye pointe of these thinges or esteme them as vaine threateninges and therefore to be despysed he dothe confirme that whiche went before as coÌ„cerning the calamities to come like a Prophete with an oathe sayinge Verely I saye vnto you This generation shall not passe C. Although oure Sauioure Christe vseth a vniuersall note yet notwithstandinge he dothe not speake generally of all the miseries of the Churche but doth simplely teache that before one age or generation be â—…oon out whatsoeuer he had spoken as concerning the destruciton of the temple should be proued by the euente and successe For within fyfty yeares after the Citty was beseged the temple destroyed the whole contrye wasted and spoyled the worlde shewed it selfe obstinate against God cruel madnes also waxed whote to take awaye the doctrine of saluatioÌ„ there arose false teachers whiche peruerted the syncere Gospell with their lyes Religion by wonderfull meanes shaken all the company of the godly was miserablely vexed and molested And althoughe a longe time after the same mischiefes continued in like order continuallye yet notwithstanding it was truely saide of Christe that before one generation was ended the faithful should perceiue in very dede and by plaine experience how truely he had prophesyed of these thinges for the Apostels suffered the like that the blessed martyrs and saints suffer at this day For it was not the purpose of Christe to promise to his Disciples the ende of calamitys to be within a shorte time because if he had so done he shoulde haue beene contrary to himselfe for that he had told theÌ„ before that the end was not yet come But he rather sekinge to confirme them in sufferance and pacience plainely telleth them that it pertayneth to the generation of their time The sence and meaning therefore of the place is this as if he should haue saide This prophesy is not of those euels whiche are a farre of the which the posterity shall sée that commeth long after but it is of those plages which are now at hande and that in one heape in so much that this age shal waÌ„te no parte thereof Therfore the Lorde heapinge all kinde of plages vppon one age did not exempte their posterity froÌ„ the same but onelye commaundeth his Disciples to be prepared constantlye to suffer all thinges 35 Heauen and earthe shal passe but my wordes shall not passe Heauen and earth shall passe A. This sentence is diuersly expounded B. Some will haue it an Hebrewe comparison as if a man should saye heauen and earthe shall sooner perishe than my woordes M. Other some referre the passing away of heauen and earth to the last daye in the whiche their transitory state shal be abolished A. Of the whiche the Apostel Paule writteth in many places C. But because ther is no doubt but that Christ
that are dispersed vnder his Impery In this therfore Ioseph is commended that in a myserable state and subiecte to destruction hee kepte the hope of redemption whiche was promysed of God. Hereuppon also spryngeth the feare of God and a desyre to leade a godly lyfe For it cannot bee that any mā should serue God but hee whiche assureth hym selfe that hee wyll bee his delyuerer Lette vs also note that saluation in Christe beynge offered to all the Iewes alyke and his promyse commen to all men the holye Ghoste wytnesseth that it was recyued but of a fewe as wee maye reade here of Ioseph Whereby it appeareth that the inspeakeable grace of God was wyckedly despysed of all men for the most part through obliuion All men coulde talke in boastinge wyse of the commynge of Christe but the couenaunt of God was fixed in the hartes but of a fewe that they myght aryse by faythe to the spirituall renouation But I woulde to God the lyke myserable corruption were not in these dayes Howe many be there I praye you whiche wayte for the kyngdome of God Are not all mē for the moste parte so fastened to the earth as though there were no promysed resurrection But howesoeuer the greater part forgettyng them selues doe streye to and fro let vs remember that this vertue is proper to the faythfull to seke those things that are aboue and specially nowe that the grace of God hathe bryghtly shyned through the Gospell teachynge vs that wee shoulde deny vngodlynes and worldly lustes and that we should lyue soberly and ryghteously and Godly in this presente worlde lookynge for that blessed hope and appearyng of the glory of the greate God. Of Aramathea Saint Luke saythe that it was a Cittie of the Iewes Some saye that it is the same whiche is called Ramatha beynge sytuate on Mounte Ephraim besyde Lydda whiche was called afterwarde Diospolis VVhiche also vvas Iesus Disciple Saynt Iohn saythe that he was a pryuie Disciple of Christe for feare of the Iewes This man althoughe hee had hearde Christe preachynge and was throughlye perswaded that hee was the Messias yet for all this hee durste not confesse hym so to bee leaste hee shoulde bee caste out of the Synagoge As concernynge the whiche reade the ninthe of Iohn 58 Hee wente to Pilate and begged the body of Iesu Then Pilate commaūded the body to be deliuered Hee vvent to Pilate C. Saint Marke hathe Hee went bouldly to Pilate Here wee see that what bouldenes so euer man hathe the same commeth altogether from god Furthermore wee see that wee oughte not to dispayre of those who although as yet they doe not openly professe the truthe of the Gospell yet notwithstandynge they doe in harte imbrace the same and are secrete disciples thereof When occasion is geuen it may happen to them by the grace of God that they shall come foorthe and openly declare that they consented not to the effusion of Innocent bloude and to the resystynge of the truthe when his Disciples whiche haue alreadye the profession of truthe shall flie for feare And begged the bodye of Iesu Hee durste not take downe the bodye of Christe by his owne authoritie or power For the bodyes of those whiche are put to deathe by the magistrate are also after deathe in the power of the magistrate Saynt Marke addeth sayinge And Pilate marueyled that hee was alreadye deade and called vnto hym the Centurion and asked of hym whether hee had bene anye whyle deade And when hee knewe the truthe of the Centurion hee gaue the bodye to Ioseph Saint Iohn hathe And Pilate gaue hym lycence But our Euangeliste hathe Then Pilate commaunded the body to be deliuered This was as it were a certain preparation to proue the truthe of Christes resurrectiō leaste the false Iewes should saye that hee fayned him selfe to be dead and that he rose from that coūterfeyt and dissembled death Therefore wytnesses are brought in that he was certaynely dead But it was done by the wounderfull permission of God that Pylate should graunte the bodie of Christe vnto Ioseph 59 And when Ioseph had taken the body he wrapped it in a cleane lynnen clohe And vvhen Ioseph had taken the body A. Saint Marke hathe And hee bought a lynnen clothe God truely would bury his Christe with a glorious burial although his death had nothing but ignominie It was sumptuous and done with coste because it was a certayne preparation to the glory of the resurrection And therefore the dead ought to be buried with some honest preparation to couer theire bodies into the whiche they are put vntyll the daye of resurrection The Iewes had many ceremonies in burying their deade to whome so greate lyght dyd not shyne This onely belongeth vnto vs as well as to them not to leaue the dead carcases vpon the grounde for byrdes and beastes but to bury them in the earth where they may be kepte vntyll the daye of Christes comming He vvrapped it in a cleane lynnen cloth In that the body of Christ was wrapped in a cleane lynnen clothe and layde vp in a newe Sepulchre it was thereby declared that some newe thynge was done whiche was not hearde of before For Christe ought not to haue bene layde with other deade men because he went to opē the way to a newe life The buriall of Christe also doth admonish vs of our dutie Of the whiche the Apostle wryteth saying All we whiche are baptised into Iesus Christe are baptised to dye with hym where hee teacheth at large what it is to bee buried with Christe and also to ryse with hym agayne Saint Iohn also maketh mention of a certayne disciple of Christe whose name was Nicodemus whiche dyd helpe Ioseph in the buriall of Christe his woordes are these And there came also Nicodemus whiche at the beginninge came to Iesus by nyghte and brought of Myrre and Aloes myngled together aboute an houndred pounde wayghte Then tooke they the body of Iesus and wounde it in lynnen clothes with the odoures By the example of these men is prescribed vnto vs what wee owe vnto Christe For bothe of them to make a playne declaration of their faythe tooke Christe from the Crosse but not without great daunger and brought hym to the Sepulchre Greatly therefore is oure negligence to bee blamed if wee defraude hym of the confession of oure faythe nowe that hee raigneth in heauenly glory Saint Iohn hathe As the manner of the Iewes is to bury C. That the Iewes buryed the bodyes of the deade with swete odoures and spyces we may gather of the buriall of Iacob of the whiche it is sayde And Ioseph commaunded his seruauntes the Phisitions to imbaume his father and the Phisitians embawmed Israell fourty dayes longe for so long dothe the embawmyng laste These Balmes and odoures were vsed to kepe the carcas for a tyme frō corruption and stynke After therefore Christe had suffered moste shamefull ignominie vppon the Crosse God woulde haue his buriall to be honourable that