the Apostle Peter 2. Pâ—â— 1. 10. 21. witnesleth know this that no prophecie in the scripture is of any private 〈◊〉 for the prophec came not in olde time by the will of 〈◊〉 but hâ—lâ—◠〈◊〉 of God spake as they were mooved by the holy Ghost And likewise when of sinne is by the faithfull pastour collected and preached out of the sacred scriptures we are to teceyue the same and to esteeme of it as if God himselfe did speake vnto vs who then sheweth his face vnto vs so far as we are able to abide it but his glorious voice our fraile nature cladde with sinne and transgression cannot endure to heare without the ministerie of men as it appeareth in the Israelits who say to Moses talke Exod. 20. 19. thou with vs and we will heart but iâ—t not God talke with vs least we die And yet when we are taught by Gods ministers it is the holy Ghost that teacheth vs Of whose wysedome the Apostle saith vvee haue this treasure in earthen vesselles 2. Cor. 4. 7. even heauenly treasure pure and vndesiled for as we see the water of a fountaine when it is put into the earthen vesselles doeth not chaung his nature and qualitie that it had before And the light of the sun though it shine through a window into a darke place doth neverthelesse retaine that vertue operation which it hath from the body of the sun so the ministery of men which are the organes or instruments of the holy Ghost altereth not the nature and propertie neither diminisheth the authoritie of those thinges which they minister VVee must bevvare therefore that vvee giue not the lesse credue to the vvisedome of the holye Ghost because vvee heare it at the mouth of men For it is vvritten God 2. Cor. 4. â— that commaunded the light to shine out of darkenesse is hee vvhich hath shined in the heartes of his Ministers to giue the light of the knowledge of the glorie of GOD in the face of IESUS CHRIST And therefore vvhosoever beleeveth not men teaching as they are taughte of GOD the same beleeveth not the spirite of GOD vvho hath made them able Ministers of his holye vvill revealed in his vvoorde For CHRIST hath given that commission to his true Ministers that hee sayeth of them hee that heareth you heareth Luke 10. 1â— mee and hee that despiseth you despiseth mee Novve seeing that the Canonicall scriptures are the sayings of the holy Ghost who yet speaketh to vs 〈◊〉 oft as we heare them ministred and taughte shall wee not giue greate heede to so great a Doctour that his woordes maye perswade and take place in our heartes to the winninge of the soule for this cause this scripture vvith the rest of that Psalme of Dauid was vsually song among the lewes vppon the sabbath dayes when the church came together that it might stirre them vp to a more attentiue hearing of the law and the Prophetes And so likwise this psalme is wont to be read or song in our chruches in these dayes before the common praires and diuine exercise of the other scriptures as a preparatiue to the estectuall hearing of Gode voice And not to giue place to evill thoughtes and worldly cogitations which are wont to harden mens heartes and to cause manie to depart out of the church as wyse and with as litle knowledge as they came to it To omitte now the particulare handling of these words of the Prophet for they are afterwardes repeated and applied by the Apostle as we shal see in the handling therof let vs here consider three especiall causes why this scripture is here alledged wherof the first is that the Hebrewes might haue no I cause to glorie of their farhers and progenitours after the â—lesh For those their fathers which as they boast of had eaten Mannaâ—â—â— Ioh. 6. 31. the wildernesse tempted God faith the Prophet and therefore he exhorteth their posteritie and all that heare the same worde of saluation which was preached vnto those fathers by Moses not to harden their heart â—s as they did There is nothinge so common in the mouth of vanie and superstitious men as the prayse of their foâ—efathers and of the dayes that are past as if it were inough for vs if we could but follow the example of our fathers neuer examining how they beleeued â—r how they heard the word of God or whether they haue heard it at all And wee thinke that our sins shâ—l not come into iudgment yf wee haue learned them of our fathers But doe we not heare that God faith in the seconde commaundement that he is is a ieâ—ouse God visiting the sinns of Exod 20. 5. the fathers vpon the children vppon the third generation and vppon the fourth of them that hate him that is as a worthie teacher expoundeth Bullinger vpon the second coÌ„maÌ„demeÌ„t it yf the children walke in the crooked stepps of their fathers and thinke that their iniquâ—tie â—hall not be punished because they haue learned it ofâ— their fathers yet God will â—harplye reuenge it in the children although he touched not their fathers when they committed the same iniquitie The people that vvere left from the captivitie of Babilon obiect against the Prophet Ieremiah that vvhen they and their fathers did burne incense vnto the Queene of Ier. 44. 17. 18. heaven and powre out drincke offeringes vnto her they had plentie of victuals and all was well with them But when they left of that service wee haue had say they scarcenesse of all thinges and haue beene consumed by the svvorde and by the famine The Prophete replyeth that because they and their fathers vvith their Kinges and Princes hâ—dde doone such thinges therefore the LORDE coulde no longer forbeare Ier. 44. 20. 21. 22. it but broughte those plagues vpon them And thus doe the frovvarde people of our dayes vvhich vvincke at the lighte deceiue themselues obiecting that our fathers vvhich as they saie vvere of the olde religion had plentie of all thinges and felte no vvant And because they are touched vvith the evilles of these dayes vvhich notwithstandinge are nothing so greate as the obstinacie and vvillfull ignoraunce of this age hath deserved they run into that note of follie vvhy is it that the Eccle. 〈◊〉 12. former daies vvere better then these This hath beene the olde complainte of all ages The heathen * Ovid fastlib I. laudamus veteres sed nostriâ— vtimut annis Poet saith laudamus veteres wee are vvonte to praise the yeares of our forefathers This commeth from the darkenesse of our nature that we iudge foolishlie of those thinges whereof vvee bee ignoraunte according to this saying of a learned teacher because vvee Bishop lewell feele not our fathers evilles therefore wee imagine they had no evil at al. But though it vvere true that our fathers haue had the peace and posperitie of this worlde yet if wee will looke into that age wherein
everie word of God ought to be takeÌ„ for anoth And this phrase of they shall outer doeth aggravate the threatning For here is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a concealing of that that would bee vttered after the maner of men when one through indignation or anger or otherwise moved with some passion of the minde vttereth not out his meaning to a full and perfect serce And the meaning of this is if they shall enter into my rest my word is of no force or I am not to be beleeved when I speake Our saviouâ— Christ mourning for the Pharises because of the hardnesse of their heartes vseth the same phrase of speech in the gospell by Marke sayingâ— verilie I saâ—â— vnto you if a signe Mar. 8. 12 shall be given to this nation as if he should saie if a figne bee given them there is no truth in me or let me be a deceiver Thus as M. Bezaâ— wriâ—eth when God sweareth by himselfe he suffereth his truth In Mar. ca. 8. ver 12. and his glory to bee iudged of according to the words which he assirmeth And what doe these things teach vs forsooth they confirme Gods iust iudgementes to overtake them which harden their hearts and obey not his voice that we therby might be taught to feare brought to obedience For to vs is now preached the same Christian verity and religion that the Apostle preached to the Hebrewes in this Epistle Seeing therefore how fearefully the children of Israell were punished for their provoking and disobeying the word which was brought vnto them by the servant of God Moses how great then shall their punishment bee which harden their hearts set light by that word of grace which was brought into the worlde by the sonne of God himselfe surely as one faith we if we harden our heartes shall be Eralmuâ— so much the more greeuously punished by how much the greater he is that hath vouch safed to speake vnto vs in his owne person Seeing therfore that Christ the mediatour of the newe testament who by his owne testimony is greater then lonas greater then Salomon and greater then all the Prophets that went before him hath vttered his voice vnto vs with his owne mouth and yet the same voice is heard in our eares howe then shall we escape if we neglect so great salutation Lastly the rest mentioned in this scripture The thirde cause why this scrip-ture is aâ—leadged of the Apostle in this text to the He-brewes doth notably expresse the rest and promise of God set forth in the new testament as a figure most agreeable to the thing figured For the external rest wheronto the children of Israel were to be brought was the land of Canaan The rest of the gospel is the celestiall Ierusalem the citie of the huinge GOD described in the twentieth and one of the Reuelation into the which none vncleane thing shall enter And now as the murmuring Israelites were depriued of entering into the land of Canaan because they beleeued those tenn men which brought avile slander vppon the land and would giue no credite to the other two Caleb and Ioshua which stood for the truth so we if we go after Baals Prophets false teachers and deceiuers which are mo in number then Elyab or Caleb and Ioshua and so follow the multitude and decline from the truth shall be excluded from the rest euerlasting and shall haue our portion with the multitude of Hyppocrites and vnbeleeuers The Papistes that are against vs do bragg of the multitude of people and nations which haue followed the church of Rome and receyued their traditions but this proueth not the truth to be of their side but rather the contrarie For Christ calleth his church a little flocke And he saith that wide Luk. 12. 32. Mat. 7. 13. is the gate and broad is the way that leadesh to destruction So the whole world in the dayes of Noah consented togeither in vngodlinesse confirmed by the custome of many ages but Noah and his familie is all the Gen. 7. 1. slocke that was CHRISTES and that hadde not consented to the vngodlinesse and custome of those evill daies And Lâ—â— alone is founde righteous in a whole cittie of wicked people Caleb and Ioshua even Gen. 19. two men are found faithfull and constant in all that greate multitude of Gods owne people which came out of Egipt And in the reuelation the Lord calleth his seruants my two witnesses as yf they were the fewest in Revel 11. 3. number of all other Now here are two wayes set before thee Yf thou wilt go to hell Follow the multitude and thou art neuer out of the way But if thou wilâ— enter into life follow the example of good men though they be but one or Luke 13. 24. two amoug many thousand for Christ faith to thee striue because the gate is so straight that it is hard and most difficult to enter in there at Yet harden not thine heart neither regard what thy forefathers haue done before thee but regard and obey the Lords voice and walke not after the flesh but after the spirite and thou arte in the way to that gloriouse rest which remayneth to the people of God purchased with the blood of the mediatour of the newe testament to whom be praise in the church throughout all generations for ever The second Lecture vpon the 12. and 13. verses of the fruit of an evill heart of mutuall exhortation and of the deceitfulnesse of sinne 12 Take heede brethren least at any time their be in any of you an evill heart and vnfaithfull to depart away from the living God 13 But exhort one another daily while it is called to day least any of you be hardened through the deceitfulnesse of sinne THese wordes my brethren haue a relation to that scripture which continueth from the seventh vâ—â—se of this chapter to this twelfth verse of the same taken out of the Psalme of David as an excellent sermon of the holy Ghost and so applied by the Apostle to declare as you haue heard that the authority of men and examples of fathers can be no ground nor stay of faith or religion to any man because the best of theÌ„ haue erred as al those fathers of the Hebrews who after they had seene the glory of God and were delivered out of Egipt with signes and wonders even the whole company of them two or three men excepted provoked God in he wildernesse and would not beleeue the worde which was preached vnto them VVhere we haue also learned that if Moses the servant of the house and the lawe given by him could not bee despised without punishment for they which obeyed not were deprived of the promised rest and overthrowen in the wildernesse much more shal they bee punished which will not heare the sonne of whom Moses did beare witnesse and whose voice inviteth to a more glorious rest then the earthly rest of the lande of
be preached to al take heede brethren least at any time there bee in anie of you an evil hart and vnfaithful to depart awaie from the living God He is called the living God in two respects the one is for difference sake put betweene him and the Idols of the Gentiles which were the worke of mens handes and had no life and yet were they called Gods But he is more properlie and truely called the liuing God for excellency sake because he ever liveth and is the well spring of life which giveth to all things life and being To fall away therefore through the evill of thine owne heart from him which is to thee all in all thinges is a desperate evill case Here we learne that it profiteth vs nothing to haue beleeued the word of life to haue begunne in the spirite if afterwarde we falle by the way and seeke to be made perâ—ect by the flesh For as the Prophet saith whensoeuer the righteous man turneth away from his Ezech. 18. 〈◊〉 righteousnesse and committeth iniquitie he shall even die for the same Many haue begun wel and haue afterwarde fainted in the midst of their race departed from the living God Ioash king of Iudah began to doe well and did that which was acceptable in the sighte 2 Chro. 24. of the Lord so loÌ„ as Iehoâ—ada the priest lived but afterward he fel to idolarry departed away from the living God So Amaziab his 2. Chio. 25. sonne at the beginning of his taigne did vprightly in the eieâ— of the Lorde but not with a perfect heart For he was weary of wel doing And therefore hee was slame and â—reason was wrought against him when he turned away from the Lord. The Galathians Gal. 3. 3. Gal. 5. 7. began in the spirite did runne well for a time but afterwardes they turned away from the truth to the weake rudiments of the world and would be made perfect by the flesh Gal. 3. 3. And among other examples of this Apostasie or falling away from grace not able is that of Iulian the Emperour who for his revolting is called Apostata In his youth he was brought vp in the colledge of clergy men and profited so well in Christian learning Greg. Naz. in Iusiansi or at 1. that hee became a publique reader of the holy scriptures but afterward he sufrered himselfe to be deceived of heathen Philosophers and then renouncing Christianity he gaue himselfe to Paganisme in the raigne of the Emperour Constantius He vvas taken for a sound Christian and for his sucsesse in warre for his learning his gentlenes and many other laudable giftes that he had he was highlie renouned But when he was promoted to the empire and had full authoritie then hee shewed himselfe an Apostaia Hee was wont contunieliouslye to call Christ our sauiour Galileus the man of Gablee and by all craftie meanes to seeke the dishonour of the Christians aduancing the Paganes and such as woulde forsake Christ and his religion to honour and offices and so in despite of Christianisme he licensed and ayded the lews to build the temple at Ierusalem Greg. Naz. in lusianaÌ„ oral 2. But when they laid the foundations thereof the earth claue asunder with a great earth quake a mightie storme of wind arose that their whole worke was overthrowne many of the lews slain many of theÌ„ burnt maimed in their principal members with lightnings and fire from heauen Other tokens of Gods wrath were seene among them as also in the hoast of luliaÌ„ And so the lewes were made to desist from their wicked enterprise And lulian when he had reigned a yeare and seuen monthes or there abouts hauing receyued his deathes wound in battell against the Persians tooke his hand ful of blood and threw it into the aire saying vicists tandem Galiae thou man of Galilee meaning Christ Iesus when all is done thou hast the victory With this blasphemie vttered in despaire and in a feeling of woe he perished Here is a notable paterne of an evill heart and vnfaithfull Many in al ages haue after this maner fallen away from the liuing God and haue gone from Christ to Antichrist though not so famous as Indian It can not be vnknowne to them which by reading exercise seeke the ground of true religion how many in this land which seemed to be professors of the word of God in the reigne of the last king Edward haue fallen away againe in the dayes of Queene Mary and like the wethercocke haue turnd from the Gospel to the Masse and from the seruants of Christ became the seruaÌ„ts of the Pope rather then they would forsake either wife children lands houses or other earthly commodities for Christ the Gospels sake Againe which is more to bee lamented not fewe within these forty yeares being brought vppe in this their natiue country in schooles and vniversities of learning when they shoulde haue done good in the church of God haue contrariewyse runne beyond the seas to commite fornication with that painted harlot the false church of Rome then haue become rebells agaynst God and his eternal word against their lawful prince and their natural countrey They haue imitated lulian in apostasie And it is come vnto them according to the saying of the holy Ghost the doggees returned to his vomit and the 2. Pet. 2. 22. sowe that was washed to the wallowing in the â—â—re to leaue these men to him to whom they fall there are now abiding in this land too many that are infected with the leauen of them which haue drunke of the poysoned cup of Rome and doe wilfully withdrawe themselues from the true church and refuse â—o heare the doctrine of the Gospell least they should be converted thereby and least the savior of the world should heale them An evil heart therfore hath deceived these people And this is the iust iudgement of God to sende them strong delusion as the scripture 2. Thess 〈◊〉 11. 12. faith that they shoulde beleeuelâ—â—s that all they might bee damned which beleeued not the trueth but bad pleasure in vnrighteousnesse Nowe the remedie which the Apostle prescribeth against the custome of sinne against apostasie and falling away from GOD is exhort one another daily vvhile it is called to day least any of you bee hardened through the deceitnesse of sinne Although this dutie of exhorting doeth chieflie belong to the Ministers and teachere of the worde of GOD as Paule teacheth 2. Tim. 4. 2 preach the vvordo bee instant in season and out of season 〈…〉 prooue rebuke exhorte vvith all long suffering and doctrine yet here the holie GHOST speaking by the Authour of this Epistle wil haue all men which professe true religion to exhort one another and that daylie or every day for asmuch as there is no day nor houre of our life without temptations of infidelitie and without the snares of death laid in our waies And therefore wee are
life Walke according Mat. 3. 8. to this rule and persenere in it to the end and thou art â—â—dâ— partaker of Christ And it his appearing thou shalt receyue an incorruptible crowne of glory Let vs humble onr selues in prayer The fourth Lecture vpon the 15. verse of the necessitie of hearing the word of God how the hardening of the heart is to be vnderstood and of thâ— errour of praying in the church specially in the time of publâ—ke teaching or of common praiers 15 Solâ—â—g as it is said to day of ye hear his voice barden not your hearts as in the pâ—ovocation OF the word to day I haue aâ—â—eady shewed that it is applied vnto the time of grace that is so long as the word of GOD which is the light of the world is made manifest vnto vs. And here againe we may obserue that when the Apostle saith to day hee giveth vs to vnderstaÌ„d that the spirit of God did speake by the mouth of the holy Prophets not only for the learning instructioÌ„ of the people that liued in the daies of the Prophets but also for the learning of all men in all times and ages to the ende of the world For the Prophet David to instruct the people of his time saith to day Psalm 95. 7. and the Apostle almost eleven hundreth yeares after Dauid teaching the Hebrewes saith to day if yee heare his voice harden not your â—eartes Whereby he would haue them to vnderstand that the same scripture did then call them to the obedience of the Gospell which to the same effect was preached to their father so long ago by the Prophetâ— Dauid so at this present time you are called of God to the spirituall marriage of his sonne that you may receyue forgiuenesse of your sins and inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in him here is no more required of you but obedience and attentiuenesse to heare so long as it is called to day For now we haue the word neere vnto vs even in our mouth and in our heartes as the scripture Rom. 10. 8. saith And no man is commanded to go beyond the sea to heare it For it is not to be heard at the mouth of the Priests of Egipt nor of the Philosophers of Greece nor of the Rabbins of the Iewes to whom men in times past were wont to trauaile for to heare wisdome as the Queene of Sheba came from the furthest partes of the earth to Ierusalem 1. King 10. 1 Mat. 12. 42. To what end to heare the wysdome of Selomon Wee may easilie gather that such a iorney coulde not be perfourmed without great charges and many danger 〈…〉 and therfore as Christ witnesseth shee shall rise in Iudgement and shall condemne those that are carlesse to heare the wysdome of Christ the true Salâ—mon which he hath now blessed be his name for it sent out of Ierusalem And out of the land of Iudea even into this land and hath dispersed it over the same so that wee neede not trauaile farre for to heare it For now it is called to day with vs and now we may heare it if we will and by hearing it we may liue the houre shall come saith Christ and now is when the dead shall heare Io. 5. 2â— the voice of the son of God and they that heare it shall liue Loe heare it appeareth that we are spiritually dead and are estranged from God through sinne and therfore oppressed with eternall destruction without hope of life except we be quickened by hearing of Christes voice The Prophet Dauid had experience of this in himselfe which made him say I will neuer forget thy precepts Psal 119. 93 for by them thou hast quickened mee As if he should say before the time that I heard and obeyed thy voice I was dead but now the Gospell of thy sauing health hath restored mee to life CoÌ„sider therfore the necessitie of hearing and let that mooue you to put away hardnesse of heart It is manifest that without Io. 3. 36. faith none can be saved froÌ„ the secoÌ„d death nor froÌ„ the day of Gods wrath and faith as witnesseth the holy Ghost commeth by hearing Neither hath God appointed any other Rom. 1â— 17. meanes then the hearing of his voâ—ce for the attaining of faith and by faith salvation as it is most evident by that one and notable example of the rich man who because hee had not regarded the day of grace was after his bodily death tormented in hel Luke 16. and desiring to haue Lazarus sent to preach vnto his brethren least they also shoulde come into that place of â—orment receiveth this answere from Abrahaâ—â— they haue Moses and the Prophetes let them heare theâ— But â—er 29. when hee was yet more instant to haue one sent vnto them from the dead Abraham replyeth againe If they heare not Moses and the Prophetes neither vvill they bâ—e perswaded ver 31. though one rise from the deade againe This may suâ—â—ice any man that will vnderstande that God will haue no other way nor means for man to come to the knowledge of his wil and to be saved from the wrath to come but by hearing his voice revealed in the scriptures VVherefore so long as the time of grace lasteth let no man harden his hearte from hearing let no man looke the gate of heaven against his owne soule not become the minister of his owne death let no man as the maner of most men is be like the vaine Athenians more desiâ—â—us either to tell Act. 17. 21. or to heare some newes of other men or that coÌ„cerneth some worldly commodities then to heare the wisedome of God which yet cryeth openly vttereth her voice in the streâ—â—â— Pro. 1. 20. For the voice of this wisedome if thee bee heard and receiued vvith meekenesse saith the Iam 1. 21. scripture is able to saue mens soules and is the power of God vnto salvation to every one that beleeveth Rom. 1. 16. Herein the wisedome of God excelleth the wisedome of this world For all the counsell of the wise men and lawyers of the world al the learning of the Philosophers and sâ—â—oolemen and al the cloquence of the readiest oratours advocats though a man heare theÌ„ never so attentiuely cannot make him wise vnto salvation neither is it in them to bring the glad tidings of peace to a troubled soule disquieted with the feare of death the terror of hel for only the voice of Christ hath that pâ—eâ—ogatiue therfore al meÌ„ are coÌ„manded not to harden their hearts if they wil heare it But is it in the power of maÌ„ not to harden his heart sith the scripture saith I will harden Pharachs heart and in an other Exod. 〈◊〉 3. Revel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 place hee shutteth and no man openeth Here we must vnderstand that there is two manner of hardening of the heart to wit a divine hardening and
darkenesse of their owne heartes before the light of the truth to examine them selues what ground they stand vpon For there shineth in many now-adayes a goodlie shewe of holines equitie in their dealinges and yet are they enemies to the Gospell glad if they can find occation to do hurt to slaunder the professours therof But if this sinne of wicked frowardnes disobedience to the worde that wee heare were farre from vs then all other sinnes would soone be corrected reformed Wherefore being compassed as we haue with a cloud of many witnesses whose example if we consider them leadeth vs to obedience to the will of God we pray that everie one of you shew the like diligence to the resisting of sinne euill examples of the worlde to grow to perfect knowledge in the word of God while it is yet called to day The sixth and last Lecture vpon the 18. and 19. vâ—rses of the punishment of them that obey not the Gospell though for a time they bee borne with and liue in a flowrishing state What the tokens of Gods iudgements which befal â—n the world 〈…〉 and wherewith soâ—e men are visited should proâ—ite vs the worde of God is the iuâ—ge of men which word is to be obeyed while the day of grace lasteth 18 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest but vnto them that obeyed not 19 So wee see that they coulde not enter in because of vnbeliefe WE haue already heard of theÌ„ which when they heard the word of God from the mouth of his ministers provoked him to anger with their rebelling and murmuring against him where it was noted how great the corruption and wickednesse of mans nature is which provoketh against the wisdome of the holy Ghost setteth more by superstitious vanities then by the worde of eternall life We haue also heard of sinne and the effect thereof The sinnes of the Israelites whom God delivered from the bondage of Egypt were the cause that within fortie yeares in which they abused Gods long suffering they were with diverse plagues destroyed and consumed in the wildernesse And now to declare a further punishment of sinne and rebellion then is the bodilie punishment and the evils of this life the scripture saith here that God sware to them that obeyed not that they shoulde not enter into his rest By which wordes repeated out of the scripture of the Prophet before alledged the Apostle putteth the Hebrewes in mind not of the rest of the land of Canaan which their fathers through disobedience and vnbeliefe had lost but of the rest of the heauenly 〈…〉 salem the everlasting inheritaunce of the Saintes whereof the earthly rest and peace in the land of Canaan as also the rest of the seuenth day was but a type or a shadow therefore he saith If Iesus or Ioshua Heb. 4. 8. had giuen them rest then would he not after this day haue spoken of an other For the Prophet Dauid in his exhortation made long after the possessing of the land of Canaan speaketh of the true and perfect rest which the faithfull do enter into which God hath promised Heb. 4. 3. from the begining of the world to them that obey his voice To be excluded from this rest through vnbeliefe and hardnes of heart is a woâ—full case It is to haue thy portion with dogges Rev. 22. 15. enchanters whoremongers and murtherers idolaters and whosoever loueth or maketh lies The children of Israell to whom the Lord made his power so manifestly knowne in Egypt at the red sea and in the wildernesse were afterward when they sinned most fearfully punished destroied And moreouer as this scripture witnesseth the Lorde swaâ—e that they should not enter into his rest Here is the iust reward of sin disobedience that is to be debâ—rred shut out for evermore from en 〈…〉 ng into the â—ords rest And this is heere declared in that he denyeth vnto those perverse people the signe or sacrament of his grace signifiyng therby that the grace it selfe is denied vnto theÌ„ for the not admitting of those obstinate and vnfaithful Iews into the land of Canaan sheweth that for then vnbeliefe they are not * As no sacrament 〈◊〉 instituted of God without significatioÌ„ of an invisible grace so the taking away of the sacrameÌ„tes importeth a taking away of the grace that was signified thereby howbeit not so but that God may and doth extraordinarily saue some where the ordinary meanes of salvation and the sacraments cannot be had admitted into the perfect and eternall rest figured in the earthly rest of that promised land Which also in an other place the Authour of this Epistle whom we vnderstand to dispute here not of the shadow but of the substance not of the transitorie but of the perpetual rest inferreth with these words they to whom it was first preached entered not therein for vnbeliefes sakâ— Heb. 4. 6. This passeth all the temporary plagues punishments which befall men for their sinnes in this present life And yet this happened to them which in this world were reputed for Gods people for a time were partakers of all the signes tokens of Gods favour Wherefore that no man be deceiued in himselfe and thinke that he standeth fast because he is in the church of God when he is not of the church here we see that as Paule saith to be vnder the cloud to passe through 1. Cor. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3. 4. the seâ— to be baptized vnto Moses that is to be partakers of Gods sacraments vnder their captaine Moses to eate manâ—a to drinke of the spirituall rocke which as he interpreteth it was Christ did nothing profite the children of Israel for when they sinned and would not obey nor giue credite either to the comfortable promises or to the fearfull threatnings of God they were ouerthrownâ— in the wildernesse depriued of all hope of the rest promised to the faithfull seede of Abraham These things are written that we might learne vnderstand that our baptisme ministred to vs in the name of the holy trinitie our coming to church our common prayers our outward hearing of the word of God our receiuing of the communion of the Lords supper our names of Christians and whatsoeuer outward signes and markes of Christian religion we haue shall profite vs nothing to attaine eternall rest so long as our hearts be not cleane from the hipocrisie superstion of the flesh so long as we do not crucifie the olde Adam which is wont to rebel against the word of God because it reacheth vs things contrary to our owne wil. Whosoeuer therfore doeth not suffer the words of exhortation doeth not in sinceritie trueth obey the voice of Christ hath no part in the inheritance which is prepared for the sons of â—od notwithstanding that for a time he he partaker of the earthly sacraments and signes of the
Canaan These thinges being so alleadged by the Author of this Epistle to warne the Hebrews and in them all other people to whom the same gospel is revealed to the end that they might heereby receiue instruction to bee the more careful to heare the voice of Christ the prince of all the Prophets and the end of the law to every one that beleeveth Now he proceedeth to applie the exhortation of the Prophet more particularlie according as the time of Godes calling requireth And by this word brethren he declareth his tender affection toward them and the earnest desire that he hath to winne them to Christ Where we are to know in what sense they are called brethran Not according to nature as Iacob and Esau were 4 Soâ—tes of brethren brethren nor â—or consanguinitie sake as all the lewes vvere brethren neither are they called brethren by imitation or for their agreement in evill as Simon and Leui are Gen. 49. 5. called brethren in euill because they hadde consented to slaie a man and in this sense malefactours and vvicked menne imitating one another and consenting to doe evil are brethren But according to trueth the Hebrewes are â—heere called brethren for all the faithfull are brethren by grace It appeareth in many places of this Epistle that much people of the Ievves vvere converted to the Christian faith and had received the doctrine of the Gospell and acknowledged CHRIST IESVS for their Messias And also it is recorded in the Actes of the Apostles that manye thousande levves Act. 21. 20. did beleeue Yet the chiefest of them and for the more part the vvhole nation vvere obstinate and persisted in the blindnesse of their owne hearts and also those that beleeved vvere all zealous of the lavve of Moses retaining with the gospel the Circumcision the sabbath day the purification and other ceremonies of the lawe And therefore as the doctrine of the holy Ghost in this scripture is most forcible to perswade the vnbelieuing to receiue the grace of God in Christ so is it most necessarie to keepe and strengthen the weake members in the sinceritie of the Gospell and to teach them to forsake the ceremonies and earthly rudiments now abrogated and taken away by the death of the Messias Thus we vnderstand that as brethren by grace and indued with Christian faith he exherteth them to be ware of an evill heart of vnbeliefe There is no defection or falling away from the liuiâ—g God where there is not an evill heart And therfore where the Prophet speaketh of the prouoking and apostasie of their fathers in the wildernesse it is added with all they erre ever in their heart There Psal 95. 10. Hebr. 3. 10 is the roote of evill and insidelitie euen the heart The holy Prophet saith the heart is deceitfull and wicked aboue all thinges who can Ier. 17. 9. know it Heere we see that naturally in the heart of man there is nothinge but wickednesse and obduration and this is the cause that the children of men are accustomed to do evill and to delight in sinne For such as the tree is so is the fruit thereof And so long as this obduration possesseth mans heart his voluntarie religion is nothinge but Hypocrisie his outvvarde shewe of obedience is but dissimulation vvhen hee offereth his praiers and intercessions it is but lippe labour like the people which drew neere vnto Christ vvith their mouth and honoured him vvith their but their hearte faith he is farre from 〈◊〉 and therefore they worshipped him it vaine Simon the Sorcerer as it is in the Actes Act. 8. 11. of the Apostles beleeued and was baptised but he was not therefore the better for Peter said to him thine hart is not right in the sight of the Lorde VVherefore if you wil loue the Lorde your God you must loue him with loue out of a pure heart For that is the ende 1. Tim. 15. of his commaundement For the Lord iudgeth not as men doe after the outwarde appearance but as it is written the Lord be holdeth 1. Sam. 16. 7. the heart If the heart be not purged by grace all outwarde holynesse is but as painted sepulchers faire without and foule within or as greene grasse and faire flowres vnder the which lyeth a venimous snake that will sting you to death Christ telleth you that out of the hearte come those things that defile the whole man as evill thoughtes murthers Mat. 15. 19. 20. adulteries fornications theftes false testimonies slaunders and the like And for this cause his Apostle faith purge your heartes yee lam 48. wavering minded For while the heart is not purged there is nothing in man but a vvavering minde and as the same Apostle faith avvavering minded man is vnstable in all his vvaies He is carried from one vanitie to another he selleth himselfe to sinne from miquitie to iniquity Hee is content with Iudas to sell Christ and Christian religion for the gaine of this world and for the pleasures of sinne this is the fruite of an evill heart and vnfaithful which hateth to be reformed and will not obey the voice of the almighty The Prophet Zachariah crieth out against the people that would not heare the law of their God and saith they made their hearts as Zâ—c 7. 12. an adaâ—anâ—â— stone least they shoulde heare the lâ—we c. Their hearts were so farre from beleeving the word of the Lorde that for the hardnesse therof he compareth them to the adamant stone Plin. nat â—ist lib. 37. cap. 4. The adamant as the historiographers doe obserue is the hardest of all other stones It is so hard that no toole can breake it no fire can heate it yea nothing can overcome the hardnesse of this stone or soften it breake it but only the warme blood of the he Goat And surelie the hearts of the children of this world are rightly compared with the harde adamant which naturally are so hardened in sinne that without the dew of grace and the vertue of the bloode of Christ make them soft and renew them all our preaching all our exhorting and dehorting though we had the tongues of men and angels cannot soften nor turne the heart For as it is vvritten that vvhich is crooked can â—o Eccle. 1. 15. man make straight VVee see that the gracious and most powerfull wordes of Christ himselfe did nothing prevaile to winne tho hard hearted Iewes but ratheri hardened them in their contumacie and made them more perverse theÌ„ they were before because the vaile of vnbeliefe was laide over their hearts Beholde how great a roote of wickednes is the obduration and frowardnesse of the heart whence commeth the forsaking of life and health vttered in that desperate sentence against the counsell of the almighty departe from vs for vvee desire not the Iob. 2â— â—4 knowledge of thy waies Neverthelesse although most men haue not the heartes of brethren yet this doctrine must