wandering in the wildernesse by the space of fortie yeeres God shewed yet more harde and rigorous vengeance vppon them afterwarde in the thraldome of Babylon and other miseries that happened vnto them for the thraldome of Babylon lasted three score and ten yeares And at their returne although he shewed great and wonderfull power yet were they but a handfull which were saued according to this saying of the Prophet Esay Esa. 10.22 though thy people were as the sande of the sea yet shoulde but a small remnant of them be saued And in another place hee saith we had beene as Sodome and Gomorre Esa. 1.9 if God had not reserued a little seede yea euen a verie little one Wee see then that God increased his wrath against such as amended not at the example of their fathers And why Because they were the lesse to bee excused for they ought to haue taken warning by the punishmentes that were prepared for them Therefore did they double their offence And what thinke we of the desolation that hath happened since the first preaching of the Gospell for the refusall whereof the wretched world hath wandred so astray as all things haue bin corrupted in the Church so that in steede of Gods seruice there hath beene nothing but abhominations insteed of truth there hath beene nothing but diuelish lyes and errours and all thinges haue beene put out of order there and that the same confusion hath lasted nowe so long time All these thinges doe put vs in minde that Gods voyce ought to sounde shirler noweadayes in the Gospell than it did in the Lawe For as is saide by the Prophet Aggeus Agge 2.7 God maketh heauen and earth to quake nowadayes when the Gospel is preached And besides that wee haue all the thinges that befell to the people of olde time which serue vs as a liuely picture There must wee beholde Gods wrath to restrayne our selues from doing euil 1. Cor. 10.11 as Saint Paul sheweth vs in y e tenth of the first to the Corinthians But if wee make no reckening therof is it not reason that God shoulde punish vs sorer than hee did the Iewes Let vs learne then to hearken to Gods voyce while it soundeth in our eares and let vs beware that wee harden not our heartes least God sweare in his wrath For it is saide expresly that God sware And whie Because men thinke his threates to be vaine if hee make them not to perceiue that hee speaketh in good earnest And of a trueth we see dayly that when Gods threatnings are vttered vnto vs a great many of vs do but shake our eares at them and the number of those that are touched with them is verie smal Therefore the othe that GOD sweareth is no more than needeth euen in respect of the blockishnesse that is in men forasmuch as they bee so foolish as to make but a mocke of euerie thing that is tolde them And like as God to helpe the weakenesse of our faith vseth an othe when hee confirmeth his promises so on the contrarie part hee vseth to sweare when hee threatneth to punishe vs. And why To the ende that being afraide and abashed at it wee shoulde come to repentance For if wee bee not made to stoope that wee may take holde of Gods iustice our faultes will neuer mislike vs. Gods iustice then must become as a thunder or lightning and we must bee abashed before him that we may no more bee so drunken in our sins as wee were And therefore whensoeuer Gods threatnings do not dismay vs sufficiently let vs cal to minde the oth that Moses speakes of here and let vs assure our selues that it is we whom the same pointeth at according to that which I haue alledged alreadie both out of the Psalme and out of the record of the Apostle And therewithall let vs also marke well the words that are set downe heere by Moses None of this cursed and wicked generation saith hee shall see the good land that I haue promised Heere GOD maketh a comparison betweene lande and the people This lande then was a singular gift in token whereof hee calleth it his rest meaning thereby that he had chosen that lande to bee as a dwelling place and euerlasting inheritance for the people to rest in vnder his protection For there is no certaintie in this worlde and if wee bee lodged in any place wee may bee put out of our nest againe to day or to morrowe But God tolde them that hee had assigned the lande of Chanaan for an euerlasting possessiō to the children of Abraham to mainteine them and keepe them safe there so as no man shoulde trouble them nor euer driue them out againe Yee see then that the lande was not a common gift but a gift that deserued to bee esteemed as most excellent aboue al others But behold the people on the otherside are malicious and froward Therefore it is all one as if our Lorde shoulde say I see wel ynough howe the worlde goes I shall sooner make fire and water to agree than cause this people to like of my benefits For in my benefites there is nothing but meere goodnesse and in this people there is nothing but meere naughtinesse Let vs marke well then that to inioy Gods benefites wee must frame our selues to his will and righteousnesse for our naughtinesse and Gods goodnesse can neuer match together insomuch that if wee will needes followe our owne nature God must needes withdrawe his goodnesse away from vs. True it is that God looketh not for any worthinesse at our hands why hee shoulde doe vs good nay rather hee fighteth dayly against our sinnes and vseth mercie where as hee might lawfully vse rigour against vs. But yet for all that if hee see that we continue in our naughtinesse hee can no longer continue in doing vs good Yee see then that the doctrine which we haue to gather vppon this consideration is that there must bee as it were an accorde and melodie betweene God and vs and that when hee imparteth his benefites vnto vs we must make such estimation of them as wee indeuer to serue and honour him for them and consider that he calleth vs to him to plucke vs backe from our sinnes If wee doe so the good that he hath done vs shal be confirmed more more Otherwise it must needes bee that our naughtinesse shall cut off the course of his goodnesse Why so For as I haue said alreadie when God offreth men his benefits they refuse them of a wilfull frowardnesse it is as if fire and water should meete together But besides this wee must also marke Gods vpbrayding of the people with their saying that their yong children shoulde be a pray to their enemies They saith he shall possesse the lande yea euen to the intent that you may be proued lyers Heere it behoueth vs to marke well that when men will needes doubt of Gods trueth they must in the ende be
and rooteth them out Nowe if this were saide of temporall enemies what is to be sayde of Satan and of the enemies of our soules Are wee able to ouercome them Will the bringing of our owne free will our merites and our good workes bee able to ouercome the diuel the worlde death it selfe and hell No but the blinde wretches are well apayd that they may bee deceiued in bearing themselues in hande that they can do much that they be verie able folke Yet notwithstanding they bee disgraced heere by the holye Ghost and it is tolde vs that nothing wee be ne nothing can do of our selues but that all y e good which wee do commeth of God Phil. 2.13 and it is he that doeth it in vs. For if a man cannot stirre one finger towardes the sauing of this transitorie life can he saue his soule vnto the kingdome of heauen If a man cannot doe any thing against his aduersarie which is a mortall and fraile creature as well as himselfe howe shal he ouercome the worlde and all the diuels in hell So then let vs learne to deceiue our selues no more with these fonde imaginations in thinking our selues to haue free will to doe this and that but let vs knowe that if God reache vs his hand then shall wee be able to stand through him not through our selues Saint Paul glorieth sufficiently but howe is that I can doe all thinges sayeth hee through Iesus Christ which strengtheneth mee Phil. 4.13 He sayeth he can doe all thinges and by that meane he defyeth the diuell which maner of boldnesse wee see he vseth chiefely in the Epistle to the Philippians but yet he reserueth nothing to himselfe He sayeth that he is strengthened by Iesus Christ. Then if wee be strengthened from aboue wee shall get the vpper hande But yet as I sayd wee must alwayes acknowledge how it is God that strengtheneth vs and that it is in him and by him that wee stande out and get the victorie The thirde reason that Moses alleageth is this that God in setting his people in possession of the promised Lande had an eye to the promise which he had made and sworne to Abraham Isaac Iacob Hereby the Iewes are put in minde that God chose them not as more worthie more noble more excellent than other men as hath beene shewed alreadie but because hee had made promise to their forefathers But nowe let vs see what cause moued and led God to giue this lande to Abraham and to his seede If he had had an eye to mans worthinesse Abraham deserued much more than any other to haue beene set in possession of that lande And yet contrariwise his dwelling there was but as a stranger he was driuen out of it and hee was so farre off from hauing of it at his commaundement Heb. 11.9 that he was kept euen from water not onely when he would haue borowed it at other mennes pittes but also when he had digged pittes by his owne labour both hee and his successours were driuen from them Gen. 21.25 Lo how the holy Patriarches were tossed too and fro and how men mocked them did them many outrages wrongs and of all that while they had not one foote of grounde more than a burying place In so much that at length Iacob was driuen to pay for the grounde where he lodged and pitched his tents Gen. 32.18 33.19 46.1 and finally constrayned to goe into the lande of Egypt by reason of dearth which draue him out of the lande of Chanaan Now seeing that the holie fathers were not putte in possession of it during their liues shall wee say that their posteritie were worthier than they No it followeth then that Gods couenāt was merely of free gift and that he had no respect to any desertes of mē And why Because he loued that people Wee must not aske whether he founde any vertue in them or no but it must suffice vs that hee listed to magnifie his mercie As if he should say I seek no cause in men to doe them good But I find it in my selfe For of men that are worthie to bee vtterly reiected I choose out some and take them to bee my children to the intent they shoulde giue mee all the prayse thereof That is the thing which Moses had an eye vnto in alleaging the couenant which God had made with their fathers Nowe wee knowe as I said afore that this couenant was made before these people were borne They could not say that God regarded what they were as some phantasticall persons do which say that God foresawe what men woulde be If he doe but foresee surely he shall finde vs all diuels that is to say vnhappie and cursed creatures full of all wickednesse and such as haue nothing but vtter abhomination in vs. Those are the thinges that God shall finde in vs if he doe but foresee Nay if he wil haue vs good he him selfe must frame vs thereto for wee bee his workemanship as sayeth Saint Paul in the seconde to the Ephesians Eph. 2.10 And the same is also expressed plainly in the fourescore and fifteenth Psalme Psal. 95.6 where it is sayde that it is he that made vs. And Dauid in that place speaketh not of Gods first creating of vs when wee were set into the worlde as his creatures but hee meaneth it of his reforming of vs by his grace Nowe then if God did but foresee things then sawe he nothing in vs but vtter rebellion and wickednesse To bee short wee bee damnable in all respects and heires of endlesse death And therefore if hee chose vs before wee had done either good or euill it was to magnifie his owne grace as Saint Paul declareth in the nyenth to the Romanes Rom. 9.11 And so yee may see what Moses telleth vs here But nowe must wee come backe againe to the sayde comparison that I touched afore which is that if God woulde haue the saide couenant which hee made concerning the lande of Chanaan and the temporal succession to bee knowen to be of his free goodnesse it is much more reason that when he calleth vs to be heires of his kingdome and sheweth him selfe to bee our God and Sauiour his goodnesse shoulde haue the highest degree and all respectes of deseruing be layde awaye so as men shoulde not imagine themselues to haue I wote not what power of their owne to preuent Gods goodnesse Then let vs marke well that Gods calling of vs and his vouchsafing to inlighten vs in the beliefe of his Gospell is because he had chosen vs not onely from our mothers wombes but also before the worlde was created yea and because it pleased him to haue vs and to take vs for his owne Ephes. 1.4 euen before all eternitie And so wee haue no cause to alleage any thing at all in our owne behalfe but rather to bee ashamed of our selues that God may onely bee exalted
imagine y t there is any cause why God should loue one more thaÌ„ another saue onely that it is his pleasure so to do Moses could not haue expressed this more plainly than by saying that it was Gods good pleasure That is the verie fountaine and out of that fountaine springeth afterward the loue Let vs learne then that God must first loue vs and that we must feele the same by effect in vs and yet notwithstanding we must not stay stil at that loue But to the ende wee may the better feele y t it is a free loue we must proceede to Gods pleasure or will that is to say wee must knowe that he respected neither one thing nor other wherby to be persuaded and moued to that loue but that he sought the cause of it in him self and because it liked him therefore he listed it That is the thing that Moses hath declared in this text Howbeit for as much as we cannot as nowe proceede any farther let vs beare away but this lesson that as oft as there is any speaking of our saluation wee must not seeke y e cause of it any where else than in God that being vtterly naked of all goodnes we must confesse our selues to be vtterly accursed but that God pitying vs and mynding to shewe vs mercie draweth vs out of the cursednes wherein we were in which respect for as much as he calleth allureth vs to the saluation which he hath purchased so dearly for vs we must not dout but y t he wil bring vs thither at leastwise if we abide stedfast in his couenant yet neuerthelesse that because wee cannot haue such stedfastnes of our selues hee will hold vs vp strengthen vs by his holy spirit to the end that feeling his power in vs wee may be the more incouraged to serue him and not bee vnthankfull for so great goodnesse as hee hath shewed vs. Nowe let vs kneele downe in the presence of our good God with acknowledgement of our faults praying him to make vs so to feele them as we may continually mislike them more and more and in so doing returne vnto him as to y e onely partie that can remedie our diseases and set vs vp againe by pardoning our offences so as we may feele the sweetenes that is in him and the bitternesse of our afflictions may not make vs to mislike of his seruice but rather y t wee may be the more affectioned vnto it so as by y t means we may be framed vnto his righteousnes vnto y e obeying of him vntil we be gathered into the company of his Angels That it may please him to grant this grace not onely to vs but also to all people nations of the earth c. On Fryday the xiij of September 1555. The Lxxii Sermon which is the fourth vpon the tenth Chapter 15 Yet notwithstanding the Lorde hath through loue acquainted himselfe with thy fathers and loued them and chosen their seede after them that is to wit euen you aboue all people as appeareth this day 16 Therefore cutte away the foreskin of your heartes and harden not your neckes from henceforth 17 For the Lord your God is God of Gods and Lord of Lords a great mightie and terrible God which regardeth not anie mans person nor taketh anie giftes WEe haue to lay foorth more at large the senteÌ„ce that was begun yesterday which is that here Moses declareth vnto the Iewes that all the goodnesse which they had proceeded of Gods loue yea euen of free loue For his louing of them aboue all other people was not for that they were worthier but because it so pleased him Moreouer he addeth that God tooke not Abraham onely but also all his ofspring into his fauour so as his choosing of the people proceeded thereof Wherof commeth it then that the Iewes were so preferred before all the rest of the worlde If we say it was because they were better than the rest y t is a manifest gainsaying of God who will haue vs to acknowledge his only fauour goodnes in that behalfe Then let vs conclude y t God sought not the cause thereof els where than in himselfe But y t his will was to lay forth the infinite treasures of his mercy to shew that he was not indetted to any creature but that his bearing of good will towardes them is for y t he himselfe is good and therfore all things are to be referred to his praise according as the scripture sheweth that his chosing of his church in all ages hath beene to that end Ephes. 1.6 Nowe we see in effect what this doctrine meaneth Yesterday it was declared what was the vse of it namely that men should be humbled in them selues to exalt Gods goodnes thereupon take the better courage to serue him For how greatly are we bound vnto him seeing he hath vouchsafed to take vs for his heritage to adopt vs to be his children whereas in the meane season he hath reiected others that were like vnto vs For if it be demanded wherein we differ from other men there wil no difference be found in respect of our selues And therfore seeing that God hath esteemed vs so highly we are bound to serue him and to giue our selues wholly vnto him But by the way let vs marke that there is a generall election belonging to all this people which election deserueth well to be had in estimation But yet should not al auaile except euery man were made partaker of it particularly in himselfe This would be darkesum if it were not declared more at large But it wil become easie ynough if we cal to minde first what Moses teacheth here and which wee haue seene already heretofore namely that God chose Abrahams ofspring out of the whole worlde And why because it pleased him All the world was his as hath beene declared already and al nations were alike neere vnto him and in equall degree as that ofspring was that was to come of AbrahaÌ„ Nay which more is he chose a people y t had no being and of whoÌ„ there was no hope For Abraham was like a drie timberlogge â—om 4.19 and therefore was there no hope that euer he could haue any ofspring Sara his wife was barreÌ„ both of them drooped for age and their bodies were withered so as God chose the thing which was not and his promise seemed as it were to hang in the ayre without foundation to rest vpon And yet notwithstaÌ„ding by vertue of the promise wherein God sayde that hee would blesse AbrahaÌ„s lynage Gen. 17.6.7 there must needes come a people as shall be shewed in the next lecture See here I pray you the election of God wherby he putteth such difference betwene the lynage of Abraham and all the rest of the world that he made the same linage his Church of purpose that the signes of his fauour and of his couenant should remaine there and that his
had promised theÌ„ if they had not turned away froÌ„ him after y e fashion Psal. 132.14 For it was not without cause that y e land was called Gods resting place As if he had said y t when al the residue of the worlde were tossed turmoyled y e Iewes shold dwel at ease rest in y t land so as if any maÌ„ made war vpon them troubled them yet God wold stablish theÌ„ there Yea but they haue brokeÌ„ couenant w t him And therfore at this day as we see they be banished froÌ„ resting in any place of the whole world They be as vagabonds euerie where And what is the cause of it but their own vnthankfulnes in y t they haue forsaken gods promise through their vnbeleefe and stubbornesse and haue vtterly disanulled it to the vttermost of their power Therefore let vs bethinke ourselues Hebr. 11.13 16. True it is y t we must be as wayfarers in this world if we wil be heires of heauen as y e Apostle telleth vs. But howsoeuer the case stand if we intend to be blessed of our God to feele y t he is a good defence for vs let vs hold vs in obedience subiectioÌ„ to him Otherwise let vs assure ourselues y t although al y e whole world hold with vs yet we shall finde ourselues so persecuted and pursued as we shall finde no rest any where If a faithful man walke in the feare of God although he be persecuted tormented yet may hee rest vpon this point to say yet is God my protector and he will call vpon him by his calling vpon him he shall finde cause of coÌ„fort But on y e contrarie part if an vnbeleeuer play y e rebell against God although he haue peace to the worldward and be in fauor of men yea also dreaded yet shall he euer be vnquiet agast And the reason is because he seketh not to be at peace with God So then let vs marke that whereas Moses exhorteth the people heere to serue God all their life long it is to the end wee knowing y t God renues his mercie and goodnes daily toward vs should be inflamed to serue him with y e greater corage that froÌ„ day to day we shold always continue therin as though we were at rest We see y t euen sleepe setteth a man in good plight againe so y t when he hath wearyed himselfe with walking or working he becommeth ready and disposed to returne to his labour againe the next morning Euen so must we take corage at our Lords incoraging of vs and at his calling of vs vnto him so as it may appeare that we be willing and readie to follow him But now let vs come to that which Moses hath set down concerning the Lords ordinances and statutes The first coÌ„mandement y t he giueth the Iewes is that when they be come into the Land which they were to possesse for their inheritaÌ„ce they shoulde beate downe all the altars of the heathen breake and deface their ydolles burne all the grones where they had vsed their superstitions and vtterly root out the remembrance of them Here we see again how hatefull a thing ydolatrie is vnto God and that he can not abide y t his seruice should in any wise be corrupted Let vs marke I say that God accepteth not any seruice at our hands when it is mingled with any abuse or folly of our owne heades but as we must serue him onely so must we serue him not after our owne fashion but according to his owne wil coÌ„mandement allowance Wherein we see how a great number of ignorant wretches beguile themselues nowadayes For hauing protested that their intent is to serue y e only one God they put to many patches of their owne bearing themselues in hand that y t is not amisse And why So long as mine in deuour be to serue God say they that I do it of a good intent why shold it be condemned Yea but we heare how our God can not away with any companion Esa. 42. â— as he declareth euerywhere and euen in this text we be taught the same expressly ynough for God will haue all remembrance of ydols vtterly rooted out For why As long as ydols haue their vse God is defaced ouercouered that he can not be discerned and likewise all things in the world are confounded by it Therfore it is all one as if meÌ„ shold go about to spoile him of his maiestie glory And euen y e papists themselues auow the same thing in their coÌ„mon byword when they say that God is not knowen for the Apostles And it was Gods will that they should make a common prouerbe of it to shewe that they cut their owne throtes with their own knife in that they can alleadge no excuse at the latter day For they say they ment it not no but will not their prouerbe proue them liers Yes for their owne wordes shall iudge them Howsoeuer they fare let vs note that if Gods seruice be not kept in the owne purenesse all is marde so that although men worship him neuer so much yet hee misliketh it as wee see by his speaking thereof in his prophete Ezechiell Ezec. â—â— â—â— Goe serue your owne Gods sayth he for I haue done with you As if hee should say belong altogether to the deuill if you will Seeing that ye hold ye not all wholly to me but that I must haue companions ioyned with me and ye make me but as one of the common sort so as I must bee as good as no body I renounce you and giue you ouer y t ye may goe to the deuill for I will haue no more to doe with you So then let vs marke well that to serue our God aright wee must yeelde such preheminence to his maiestie as to depende all wholly vppon his worde and doctrine without adding any thing to that which hee commaundeth as shall be declared more at length in the next Lecture Nowe furthermore whereas it is sayde that the very remembraunce of ydolles must be rooted out it is to the end that folke should be the better aduised Truely God sheweth vs on the one side as I haue sayde howe greatly he hateth all ydolatry seeing hee willeth men to burne the woods all that euer hath serued to the mainteinance thereof insomuch that hee will haue the very stones beaten to pouder and the golde and siluer broken so as all may be quite cleane done away Seeing that God doth so condemne the creatures which are good as in respect of theÌ„ selues because they haue beene instrumentes of superstition thereby we see well that hee can in no wise away with ydolatrie Besides this hee hath alwayes respect to the frailetie of men for as soone as we meete with any thing by and by we be miscarried wee be euer starting one way or other And what is the cause Naturally we be inclined to ydolatrie
friendes 1. Thess. 4.13 he saith expressely Sorrow not as the vnbeleeuers doe In deede Saint Paul sawe well that we can not bee senselesse for in verie deede it were no patience if wee felte no greefe If wee were starke blockes it were no vertue at all If a man shoulde laugh at the death of his wife or of his father it were a beastly brutishnesse Therefore it behoueth vs to feele the inconuenience and to be touched with it so as it pinch vs and greeue vs But yet must God assuage it againe because we know that he hath all superioritie ouer our liues and wee must suffer him to dispose of vs as hee thinkes good Againe we must goe boldly vnto him being well assured of his goodnes and mercie and we must not doubt but that death shall bee to our saluation and that whether we liue or die al shal without fayle turne to our benefite and welfare so we be in Christ Iesus Thus yee see what we haue to beare in mind To be shorte that we may benefit ourselues by this lesson of Moseses let vs vnderstand first of all that vntill God brydle vs our affection wil euer be inordinate whether it be in mirth or in mourning If wee haue prosperitie by and by it makes vs to forget our selues what we be so as we thinke not our selues to be mortall men And wee see howe all men fall to flinging as it were in despite of God when they haue their ease and delightes Likewise on the contrarie part if our Lorde afflict vs whether it be by the death of some kinseman or friende of ours or by some other aduersitie we be piteously forlorne wee cannot measure our greefe wee be so ouerwhelmed with sorrowe as is pitifull to beholde and finally our heart is full of bitternesse and poyson Wee see howe a number doe spewe out blasphemies against God Let vs consider all these vices in our selues and seeke the remedie of them as it is set vs downe here Let vs beare in minde I say that our Lorde commaundeth all of vs to holde our selues as in captiuitie that if our nature be faultie in that behalfe we shoulde not nourishe the euill but withstand it asmuch as is possible This cannot be doone except we vse force in subduing our selues to the obeying of God and euen streyne our selues to the vttermost And one of the cheefest sacrifices that God requireth of vs and whereof he liketh best 1. Su. 15.22 is that wee consider that wee must not sorrowe out of measure when we be afflicted but flie vnto God praying him to giue vs the grace to submitte ourselues wholly to his wil so as if the husbande be bereft of his wife he may beare it patiently And why Because he knoweth it is Gods will to trie his obedience in that behalfe Let the wife doe the like by her husbande and let euery body submit themselues to this order of Gods that wee may bee able to say that like as he hath set vs in the world so also it is good reason that hee shoulde take vs hence againe not at our pleasure but at his For it is not without cause that he hath limited the race of our life that it pleaseth him to take away one rather than an other Psal. 39.5.6 We be mortall before we come into this worlde for a yong babe may die as well in his mothers wombe as after here is borne Sith it is so as soone as God giueth vs discretion let vs applie our indeuour to vnderstande that death beseegeth vs euerie minute of an houre and that we must not promise our selues life till the nexte morrowe nor set any terme to God for his daylie prolonging of our life is but so much respiting of vs. But howesoeuer wee faâ—e let vs bee mindfull of our owne frailtie and let the same leade vs to consider that if GOD take vs out of this worlde sooner than wee looked for it is meete that he shoulde haue vs at commaundement and that euerie of vs shoulde offer vp our owne bodies to him in that manner of sacrifice in suffering GOD to separate vs asunder that what friendshippe or bende of kinred soeuer there haue beene betwixt vs yet wee may not faile to glorifie God when he taketh away our kinsefolke and friends nor vse this beastly impatience in pulling our selues by the hayre of our heades and in scratching and disfiguring of our faces as though wee knewe not what it were to liue in the obedience of God and to die in the same likewise And moreouer as well in this as in all other thinges let vs take heede to that which is tolde here to the Iewes by Moses namely that when God is so gratious as to dedicate vs to him selfe and to gather vs together to bee his people we must giue our selues so much the more earnestly vnto him True it is that in respect of nature we differ nothing at all from the sillie ignorant vnbeleeuers For our being of Christs Church befalleth vs not by the right of inheritaunce Indeede the promise extendeth to a thousande generations but yet for all that it is of his freegoodnesse that we haue the prerogatiue to bee of his house Sith it is so let vs acknowledge the honour that he doeth vs in separating vs from the heathen and vnbeleeuers though we were forlorne and damned as wel as they and let vs benefite ourselues by that grace that it perishe not through our owne wickednesse Thus ye see for what purpose Moses said Thou art a people shooled out to thy God haue a care to maintaine thy selfe in thy calling acknowledge the good that is doone vnto thee goe not about to bereaue thy selfe wilfully of such fauour Let vs thinke vppon it say I and that in such sort as God may be glorified in vs accordingly as hee hath vouchsafed to call vs. And Moses speaking here expressely of God his election or choyce whereby hee had chosen the Iewes addeth That they must bee a holy people For God gathereth not the ofskowringes of the worlde to keepe them in his Church his intent is not to haue his Church to bee as it were a Swine stie so as there shoulde bee nothing but filth and infection but hee purgeth vs from all vncleanesse Nowe then whereas God calleth vs vnto him it is with condition that we should worshippe and serue him in all purenesse True it is that he findeth vs as it were drowned in the depth of all leawdnesse so as by nature we haue nothing but vtter vncleanesse and we be altogether so defiled that we be euen loothsome to him but yet doeth hee purge vs and make vs cleane by his holy spirit and it behooueth vs to lead a holy conuersation al the time of our life And so yee see howe hee woulde that men shoulde ratifie their free election 1. Pet. â— â—â— as Saint Peter speaketh of it And that is a thing which
e certainer And for the same cause he poynted out the moneth y t answereth to March or April Howbeit not to eyther of them but bicause wee cannot make a certaine report of y e monethes of the Iewes to cōpare them w t ours The reason wherof is for y t they had their moneths intermingled one with another bicause they tooke them according to y e Moone so as they were interlaced together This moneth therefore was sometime sooner and sometime later was named in hebrew Abib which signifieth an eare of corne when it beginneth to shoote foorth at the first Not when the eares of Corne are full ripe but when the corne beginneth newly to spindle In deede the time of it selfe importeth nothing but yet did it serue greatly to the instructing of the people bicause the setting of it down made them to behold the matter the more presently Gods putting of thē in remembrance of it was such as they could not but know y e meane wherby their fathers were brought out of the land of Egypt And the very night it selfe was marked to y e end they shold cōsider how god had deliuered them from the thraldom of Pharao On the other side had the moneth been marked at the pleasure of men they wold haue thought it might wel haue beene chaunged for the commoditie of the people But God commaunded it to be kept to the end they should know he would haue no part of his ordinance chaunged nor any man attempt to alter it in any wise And nowe we haue to marke in effect that by the ordeining of y e Passeouer day God ment to set downe a memorial of his doinges among his people that they might acknowledge his grace in deliuering them out of the Land of Egypt after that fashion and that their children myght know that that was the meanes whereby they were come into the inheritance that had beene promised them Neuerthelesse it was not Gods intent to be honoured and serued with a trifling Ceremonie but his mind was that there should be teaching that men might be edified by it and that the Iewes might know that Gods calling of them to him was to bee serued by them as their redeemer and father And therefore he would not haue the Pascall Lamb eaten by vnholy and vnbeleeuing folke but that it should bee giuen alonly to such as were circumcised and were already of the body of the Church And seeing it is so Let vs remember that in all signes which God giueth vs we must haue instructiō annexed to lead vs vnto him And for as much as we haue the true passeouer in our Lord Iesus Christ as shall bee declared to morrow wee must nowadayes step further And although we haue not the old Ceremonie yet let vs hold fast the truth therof which is brought vs by the sonne of God as it is declared vnto vs in these dayes by his Gospell Now let vs fall downe before the maiestie of our good God with acknowledgmēt of our sins praying him to make vs to perceiue in what state we were when he vouchsafed to call vs to him so as he hath plucked vs out of the gulfe of death in such sort as we haue now cause to glorifie him and to giue our selues ouer to his seruice all the time of our life And for as much as he not only sheweth himselfe to be our father and sauiour in this transitory life but also calleth vs to the euerlasting inheritance of heauen according as hee had chosen vs thereto before the creation of the world let vs tend alwayes thitherward and bee the more prouoked to labour to that end seeing we haue the helpes and Remedies which he giueth vs and that the badge is kept among vs as he hath commaunded vs by his word That it may please him to graunt this grace not only to vs but also to all people nations of y e earth c. On Wednesday the vj. of Nouember 1555. The XCviij Sermon which is the second vpon the sixteenth Chapter 2.3.4 And thou shalt sacrifice c. 5 Thou maist not sacrifice the Passeouer within any of y e gates which the Lord thy God giueth thee 6 But in the place which the Lord thy God wil choose to set his name in there shalt thou offer the Passeouer at euen about the going downe of the Sunne iust at the time that thou wentest out of Egypt 7 And thou shalt roast it and eate it in the place which the Lord thy God shall haue chosen for himselfe And the next morning thou shalt returne from thence and goe home to thy Tentes 8 Six dayes shalt thou eate vnleauened breade and on the seuenth day which is the solemne feast of the Lord thy God thou shalt doe no manner of worke IT was declared yesterday how y t by keeping y e feast of the passeouer the Iewes were put in minde of the deliueraunce of their forefathers made by God And I toulde you howe it was to double ende For GODS will was to put his people in rememberaunce of the fauour which he had shewed to them alreadie and againe he ment to leade them to the hope of our Lorde Iesus Christ. It was then but a temporall deliuerance which God had made of them out of the land of Egypt but when he sent his onely sonne thē deliuered he his people out of a farre worse bondage than that which we haue spoken of And therfore let vs mark y t the Pascall Lamb was a figure of our Lorde Iesus Christ which thing S. Paule witnesseth in expresse words saying Christ our Passeouer is offered vp 1. Cor. 〈…〉 Also we knowe the sentence that is alleaged out of the twelfth of Exodus by S. Iohn where it is said Iohn 〈…〉 Exod. ◠4◠Ye shal not breake a bone of him For there he declareth how they came to our Lord Iesus Christ to haue broken his bones after the accustomed manner and found him alreadie dead And that came to passe by the wonderfull prouidence of God whose will it was that the thing which had beene figured in the Pascall Lambe should bee layde open to mens eyes in Iesus Christ. And so Saint Iohn applyeth this sentence to the person of our Lorde Iesus Christ in saying it is written Yee shall not breake a bone of him Yet but God speaketh but onely of the Pascall Lambe which was offered in those dayes Yet notwithstanding his intent was to shew y t there was an agreement betweene Christ the Passeouer and that in that visible sacrament he ment to foreshewe the redemption that was not yet seene and that all this was fully accomplished in our Lord Iesus Christ. True it is that the Iewes haue not profited by this admonition for they were the more inhardened by it But let vs on our side learne to referre the thinges that were done by our Lord Iesus Christ to the things that were for figured in the lawe
murdered Saint Paul and had conspired together by a solemne agreement did not they make a vowe But who will say nowe that they are bounde by their vowe 〈◊〉 â—3 1â— and that God liketh of it They make a solemne vowe not to eate nor drinke vntill they haue put Saint Paul to death Truely this is all one as if they would make God a companion of their murder See what a diuelishe agreement is made and they confirme it by and by with a solemne vow Yea but if our wittes be setled we will condemne all such vowes Nowe then wee see when vowes are to bee performed But Moses said not without cause When thou doest vowe a vowe to the Lorde thy God appointing God in this place for the partie which accepteth that which shall bee presented and offered vnto him for without that all shall bee of no value and of no effect But nowe what do the Papists in their vowes First they take vnto themselues some trifling toy or other and thereuppon binde themselues vnto God and they beare themselues in hande that hee is much beholding vnto them and that they deserued some recompence of ouerplus at his handes One voweth a pilgrimage to such a Saint an other maketh a ninedayes vowe an other voweth to eate no fleshe on such a day or to fast such a feastes euen Nowe let vs consider whether God liketh of anie of al these thinges Doubtlesse hee doeth not For as for going on pilgrimage it is not onely a kinde of Iewishnesse but it is also a wicked corruption And although vnder the lawe it was Gods will to haue one Temple to the which men shoulde resorte to worshippe him yet it is nowe abolished Nowe if the place which GOD had chosen which was ordeyned by his owne mouth is no longer in force but wee must call vppon God eueriwhere throughout the whole worlde without going either vnto Mount Sion or to any other place which men shall choose I pray you howe may men of their owne brayne make such holy places That is to say howe may they according to their owne fancie hallowe Rome or Saint Iames of Compostella or I knowe not what And secondly for eating of fleshe on such or such a day we know it is mere superstition Seeing our Lorde hath ordeyned that men shoulde feede on all meates soberlie without any questioning concerning this meate or that meate as though one meate were vncleane in comparison of an other and that whosoeuer doeth otherwise serueth the diuell a man may well alledge his deuotion but out of all doubt the diuell settes him a worke and hee must pay him his wages Asmuch may bee saide of all the other pelting baggage which the Papistes vse when they fast And so wee see that these things are not vowed vnto God and that although his name bee therein pretended yet hee will neuerthelesse disalowe of all For why None of it is ruled by his worde Againe the Papistes vowe that which is not in them to performe as the Monkes and the Priestes vowe perpetuall chastitie as they say Nowe I graunt indeede that all men owe chastitie vnto GOD but this chastitie is not an absteyning from marriage but the leading of an honest life by keeping himselfe vndefiled in the state wherein he is but among the Papistes there is no other chastitie but the abstayning from marriage They vowe this vow vnto God but is it in them to performe it Nay it is a diuelishe arrogancie But if a man haue the gift of continencie hee must vse it with all humilitie committing himselfe alwayes into the hande of GOD knowing that whatsoeuer God hath giuen vnto him to day he must be fayne to continue it vnto him to morrow or else al wil slip away like water in a minute of an hour And further we know not how God will dispose of vs in this behalfe Againe it is not all one to abstaine from marriage and to abstayne from a thing which God hath not permitted vnto vs. A man may haue excellent vertues as if hee were an Angell of heauen and yet marrie for all that God calleth him thereunto hee hath libertie to vse marriage for a remedie therefore let him vse it But howesoeuer the worlde goe let vs beare in minde that which our Lorde Iesus Christ sayth namely Matt. 19.11 that the gift of continencie is not giuen vnto all And S. Paul as a faithful interpreter of that which his maister had saide 1. Cor. 7.17 warneth euerie man to walke accordingly as hee is called Therefore it is a diuelishe arrogancie in a man to presume that hee hath in him selfe and as it were in his owne sleeue the power of absteyning from marriage And if hee make a vowe thereof it is all one as if hee did openlie defie GOD and say hee passeth not for him Wee ought to offer vnto GOD. But of what Of the benefites which hee hath bestowed vppon vs as I tolde you Nowe wee knowe not whether hee will graunt vnto vs the benefite of abstayning from marriage for all our life time or no. And howe then can wee promise that vnto him which wee haue not receyued For wee must alwayes make account to say Lorde I offer vnto thee that which thou hast giuen mee Euerie man therefore must haue an eye vnto himselfe and to his owne abilitie Moreouer when a Fryer voweth pouertie is it not a notable mockerie Some of them vowe pouertie but after what manner Forsooth they will sticke to their bagge and wallet they will haue a common gathering they will be as bloud hounds to smell out the best collections they will conuey other mens goods vnto theÌ„selues from all sides Therefore they mock God euen to his face when they vowe pouertie and that is to doe nothing but to waxe greasie and fat at all other mens costes Others goe and lurke in a stie as these monkes doe who are wel landed and rented and whereas they be readie to burst with eating drinking yet for all that they vowe pouertie And doth not this pouertie please God well thinke yee Nay what is to dalie plainely with God if this bee not Lastly they vowe obedience And to whome To an Abbot or to a Prior. But in the meane while they will be priuiledged from all obedience of God and men I meane from that which appertayneth to anie rule of gouernment Ye see how God hath put children in subiection vnder fathers and mothers but they may shake off this yoke vnder shadowe of being in monkerie God hath put men in subiection vnder Magistrates and vnder such as haue the sword of iustice and a Monke will exempt himselfe from all this It must bee lawfull for him to breake all the bonds and listes which God hath set vnder colour of forging in his owne shoppe a newe obedience whereof God in no respect liketh Wee see then howe the papistes generally and particularlie mocke God with all vowes which they
declared heretofore and he confirmeth it with an othe For this speech to lift vp the hand to heauen is as much to say as to Sweare not that God can lift vp his hande after the manner of men for besides that hee hath no hande there is nothing higher than his maiestie but it is a figure taken of the custome among men and wee knowe it is verie common in the holie scripture Because we comprehende not God as he is in deede but finde him to be a thing farre passing our reach therefore is hee fayne to applie himself to our rudenesse Euen so in this text he saith that he will lift vp his hande that is to say that hee will sweare Now there is no need that God shoulde sweare For the cause why we haue othes among vs is our owne naughtines There is so much craft and suttletie among men as is pitifull to beholde They bee fleeting they bee full of lightnes and vnconstancie and it is harde to bring them to vpright dealing In these respectes and for that wee be so giuen to deceitfulnes othes are faine to bee ministred to vs But Gods swearing is for our infirmities sake And truely wee bee greatly to blame in this behalfe in that we compell God to sweare For nothing is more peculiar to him than trueth and if hee had not that hee were not God Seeing then that hee is the infallible trueth it selfe if when hee hath once spoken wee stand doubting still and examine whether it bee so or no can there bee a more horrible blasphemie than to call Gods trueth in question after that fashion Is it not all one as if wee woulde bereaue him of his verie beeing And yet for all that wee see howe men stande as in a mammering when God speaketh to them For if hee threaten vs wee make no account of it If we were throughlie perswaded that all that euer proceedeth out Gods mouth is of such certaintie as there ought to bee no replying against it truely wee woulde tremble and quake out of hande for feare as soone as hee threateneth vs but wee know how hardhearted wee be in that behalfe On the other side if our Lorde promise to bee mercifull to vs when wee haue done amisse and intreate vs as his children and call vs to the hope of euerlasting saluation wee bee so tangled in this worlde that euerie thing of nothing holdes vs backe and we despise the inestimable benefites which God offereth vs. Wee see then that men do not the honour to God to count him faithful For then woulde they holde themselues wholie to his worde they woulde bee touched to the quicke yea they woulde quake at his threates and they woulde set all their ioy and delight in his promises That is the cause why GOD warranteth and confirmeth his worde with an othe Nowe in this case as I saide afore wee our selues are much too blame seeing that God is faine to yeelde to such condition as to abace himselfe as though hee were a mortall creature to the entent hee may winne vs and that wee may no more wander away but bee fully perswaded in our selues that this speaking to vs is in good earnest Seeing then that our Lorde is faine to frame himselfe vnto vs after that fashion thereby wee see our owne malice and frowardnesse and yet doth God beare with vs in y t case But when he sweareth it is as much as if we sawe heauen and earth shaken nature changed the Sunne darkened and all the starres bereft of their light And therefore if wee bee not touched with y e othes which God maketh after y t maner it is certaine y t the diuel hath as it were bewitched vs and that wee bee become starke blockes or rather that wee be horrible and vglie monsters Therefore let vs benefite ourselues by the othes which wee reade in the holy scripture And when God sweareth that he will bee auenged at his enemies let it abashe vs as though we sawe his vengeance and wrath take effect out of hande and as though we sawe him readie and in a forwardnes to execute the thing which hee hath vttered with his mouth And when he sweareth that hee will be friendly to vs and take vs for his children confirming with an othe the heauenlie heritage which hee hath promised vs ought not the doing of those things to assure vs to withstande all temptations Although Satan and the flesh tempt vs to distrust yet notwithstanding let vs set this for a shielde against them and say No seeing that God hath sworne shall we doe him such wrong and dishonour as to cal the truth of his word in question Let that bee far from vs. That is the thing which wee haue to note in this text where God saith that he will lift vp his hande to heauen and say I liue And he sweareth by himselfe accordingly as the Apostle toucheth it in the sixt to y e Hebrewes When we sweare we call God to witnes as our Iudge if we lie Hebr. 6.13 But it is not so with God he cannot finde a greater than himselfe to sweare by He saith therefore I am aliue as if he should say Nay whosoeuer he be that holdeth not himselfe to the sentence which I doe nowe pronounce he derogateth my glorie as much as if he meant to abolish me quite and cleane and to declare that I am no more God But if I be God it must needs be perceiued in the execution of the thinges which I doe nowe speake I am contented that men shall hencefoorth take mee but for an idol or a deade thing if they finde not my sayinges true in deede When God speakes after that fashion ought it not to make the haire to stande vp vppon oâ—r heades if wee esteeme not his worde to be verie certaine Yes And so we see my former saying yet better confirmed namelie that it is not for vs to replie any more when God hath once spoken but wee must take the matter to bee out of all crie as though wee sawe the thing alreadie done before our eyes But let vs see nowe whereat God amed for it is certaine that hee sweareth not but for our welfare It is not for his owne sake hee taketh neither good nor harme by it but hee hath regarde of vs. And in token thereof hee saith That hee will whet the edge of his sworde that it shall bee as a flaming sworde and that hee will take Iudgement in his hand that is to say that he will hold his assises to shewe himselfe to bee the Iudge of the worlde and that as then all his enemies must bee confounded and all aduersaries bee brought to nought And whereas God speaketh here of the edge of the sworde we must not imagine that hee vseth any material sword for that cannot agree to him but wee knowe hee hath all sortes of punishmentes to chastice men withall as seemeth good to himselfe For in verie deede all
had heard before Now let vs learne hereby to bee the better quickened vp and sith wee see it hath bin Gods will that euen from the beginning of the worlde his trueth should haue some certaine record among men and that he hath not ceassed to set it forth still and to raise it vp againe when men haue gone about to burie it by their spitefulnesse let vs acknowledge his wonderfull goodnes in so doing and be moued to receiue the things that shall be spoken vnto vs. Marke that for one poynt But to the end wee may bee the better disposed we must also weigh this saying which Moses addeth Euen according to all that God had commaunded him Nowe by this preface he sheweth that he brought not any thing of his owne ne meant to subdue the people to his owne dotages nor to any thing that he could haue deuised of his owne reason and wisedome as in respect of men but that he did simply obey God as a faithfull trustie messenger without swaruing aside either to the right hand or to the left Nowe if Moses who had so excellent a record as wee see Deut. 34.10 insomuch that God neuer raised vp any Prophet equall or like vnto him If Moses y e prince of all Prophets next vnto Iesus Christ and the chiefe of all vnder the olde Lawe doe neuerthelesse protest that he putteth not forth any thing of his owne head I pray you what shall others do May they compare themselues with him No but put the case that they be as highly aduanced and placed as he yet notwithstanding the furthest that they ought to goe is but to set forth the things that God hath commaunded them And therefore let vs learne that here all mens traditions are shut out of doores And hereby it appeareth that the Pope hath marred and corrupted the whole order of the Church by his taking vpō him to be a Law-maker to deuise lawes to lay them vpon mens necks at his owne pleasure to forge contriue newe articles of faith and to inforce men to receiue his inuentions as the holy scriptures Was not this a turning of all things vpside downe Yes for God neuer ment that men should haue such libertie and sway in the Church as to set forth any of their owne inuentions there but he himselfe onely will be heard there Marke that for one point But there is yet more in it for it is not onely saide that Moses spake according to the charge that was giuen him but according to all that euer the Lord had commaunded him He sheweth then y t he did not as it were make a medlie or seeke by any meanes to bring in what he himselfe thought good or to separate himself from Gods worde but that he followed Gods will from point to point to the vttermost Ye see then that there was a great singlenesse of heart in Moses insomuch as he not only gaue forth the things that he had receiued at Gods hand but also continued throughout in the same singlenes of keeping himselfe within his boundes so as he raunged not abroade to say this is good or that is good thus or thus doe I thinke of this matter No but in all points he ruled himselfe according to the charge of his commission vttering his message according as he had heard God speake it Marke that for the second point Nowe herewithall wee be warned to receiue the doctrine here conteined not as comming from a mortall man In speaking vnto vs Moses protesteth that he himselfe is not our schoolemaister though he rehearseth our lesson vnto vs but that must alwayes be God and his holy spirit that must be euen our Lord Iesus Christ in whose hand the Lawe was giuen Gal. 3.19 as S. Paul speaketh of him For he was the gouernour of y e Church at all times Ye see then that the thing which we haue to consider here is that we must reuerently and carefully receiue the things that were giuē vs by the hand of Moses Not that wee may think that any thing came of himselfe but that God sent him and ordeined him to be his instrument so that when we receiue any thing that was spoken by Moses wee may warrant our selues that God guideth and gouerneth vs by his owne pure trueth and that our faith resteth not vpon men nor vpon any mortall creature but that the liuing God is the author and will also be the warranter thereof Now after he hath spoken so he saith That his rehearsing of all these things was in the fortith yeere the eleuenth moneth and the first day of the moneth As if it had bene saide when the people drewe nigh to the land of promise and were readie to enter into it then did he repeate the Lawe of God and make an abridgement of it and rehearse all the exhortations and warnings which he had made to them before Not that Moses had helde his peace and kept silence euer since the giuing of the Lawe in Horeb for as I haue tolde you alreadie he ceassed not to call vpon the people continually bicause he sawe them so wilfull and stubborne and so stiffenecked and hard to be bowed But in the end forasmuch as he drewe neere to his long home and had as good as finished his race and should anon after depart out of this world as wee shall see that he did in the end of this booke he made a rehearsall of all the doctrine that he had preached by the space of fortie yeeres of purpose to ratifie confirme it in such wise to the people as their successours might bee edified by it after his decease and the profit thereof redound vnto vs at this day and wee be taught all the lessons conteyned therein Neuerthelesse we see moreouer that the people ought ere that time to haue bin throughly subdued and to haue submitted themselues better vnto God than they did For fortie yeeres are a good reasonable time to dispose a man to goodnesse if euer he will be good When we see a man hath bin let chawe vpon the bridle by the space of fortie yeeres and yet will giue eare to no counsell nor reason it is then high time or neuer for him to bethinke himself and to fall to better disposition and ripenesse of discretion than he hath done afore if he be told of his fault God therefore perceiuing his people to be so wilde gaue them time and respit to become tame led them about by y e space of fortie yeeres which thing he did to thē for their stubbornnesse sake as we shall see hereafter But y e thing that we haue to marke at this present is no more but that the cause why Moses spake now vnto the people was for that he drew neere his ende and God was at the point to take him out of the worlde and also for that the people should be as it were renewed at that time For it had bin saide to
vs without any cause why Thus ye see at what end we must begin Againe men must be exhorted warned not to despise such a benefite but to receiue it therewithall to inforce and indeuer themselues to answere God when he calleth them This is the order which wee must obserue in this text of Moses Drawe hence sayth he and march foreward As if he should say Go to your God hath called you longer time than you be aware of For in deede the promise of saluation was giuen vs before we were created yea euen before the creation of the world did God choose vs Ephe. ◠1. Pet. 2. as S. Paul auoucheth and againe he hath fetched vs backe to him when wee were as cattell gone astray Loe how Gods meere free goodnesse sheweth it selfe We cannot alledge here any strength or any worthynesse of our owne We cannot say oh God hath payed vs our wages for our comming vnto him There is no such thing at all But at such time as we were forlorne and damned our God opened vs the gate of saluation when we were in Satans bondes he did set vs free when we were become his vtter enemies were banished out of his kingdom he made vs heirs therof Therfore lyke as he hath freely preuented vs and sheweth vs stil that it is of his owne meere grace that we can attayne to saluation so we on our side must not be negligent and slothfull but seeing he hath spoken vnto vs we must also answere vnto him seeing that he sayth Go march on let vs be going our way out of hand When there is any talke of doing good or of seruing God the Papists imagine by and by that men earne the kingdome of heauen by their owne desertes or merites but the holy scripture holdeth the cleane contrary order as wee see here For why It is not sayde that men bynde God to them by their meritorious deedes but after that the inheritance is set before them and that of free gift and after it is shewed them that nothing beareth sway in that behalfe but onely Gods goodnesse then is it sayd vnto them March foreward And so wee learne to doe good and to giue our selues to the seruing of God to become holy through his righteousnesse not of purpose to make him beholden vnto vs but to followe his holy calling least wee should reiect his grace howbeit that we cannot stirre one finger without Gods working in vs by his holie spirit For wheras it is sayd Get ye hence and march foreward it is not for that the people was able so to doe but when God hath once in couraged vs he printeth his doctrine in our heartes and to the intent the same should not be vnauaileable he quickeneth vs vp and to be short he worketh so mightily in vs that after he hath once giuen vs willingnesse hee giueth vs also performance therewithall according as S. Paul auoucheth in the second to the Philippians Phil. 2.13 Yet for all this wee must beare well in minde the thing that I haue touched alreadye which is that Gods offering of his grace vnto vs is not to the end we should as it were fall asleepe and make none account of it but to the ende wee shoulde be quickened vp to doe good 〈◊〉 2.11 according to this saying that his goodnesse and loue which hee beareth towards men is vttered to the intent to purchase him a holy people fit for good workes and to the end that we should walke in all purenes wayting for the discouerie of the lyfe which he hath promised vs. And if this had place vnder the shadowes of the lawe much more must we doe it now in these dayes So then let vs marke well that Gods setting of the infinite riches of his goodnesse and mercie afore vs and his opening of the gate of heauen vnto vs is to the ende we should mount vp vnto him and rid our selues of all earthly affections seeking nothing but to lift vp our heartes on high and to passe out of this worlde and to be discharged of all bondes and fetters that hinder vs and hold vs back indeuouring with all our might to come vnto him as they that know how this present lyfe is but as a race and that men must not loyter and linger here but rather go still foreward according to gods calling of vs who sayth Come Come drawe neerer to me And if wee goe to him we shall no more be in daunger of wandering here and there but we shall keepe on our way to the mark that God hath set before vs and we wil neuer rest till wee be come thither Now herewithall to the intent to incourage the people Moses telleth them that they shal not trauel in vaine Go sayth he and possesse the land and that is one poynt more well worth the noting For if we should bestowe our labor not knowe that we shal fare euer the better by seruing God we would become lazie and our hartes would fayle vs euey minute of an houre But when we be sure that we runne not in vaine and that God will reach vs his hand so as wee neede not to feare but our matters shall come to passe though Satan streyne himselfe to hinder vs when we stand vpon such a sure ground that our Lord will put vs in possession of the thinges that he offereth vs it giueth vs an inuincible courage and constancie to outstand all temptations And therefore let vs wey wel these wordes where he sayeth Get yee hence and possesse the land God sayeth not singly to his faithfull ones goe your wayes see what ye can doe trye your strength and in the meane while leaueth them at all aduentures no but he sayeth to them Go to possesse As if he should say doe but onely apply your selues to serue me and let me alone with the doing of it for I will worke after such a sort as he that endeuoreth to followe me shall not lose his labor he shal not take paine in vain I will make all his doings to prosper That then is the thing that wee haue to marke vppon this streyne And therefore what excuse is there for vs if we followe not our Lord whither soeuer he call vs considering that this voyce Goe and possesse ought to sound in our eares And if it were spoken for y e land of Chanaan much more shall it be auowed and verified still at this day Wherefore whensoeuer we be slowe to obey God loath to part from this world or astonished with distresses let vs enter into such thoughts as these Alas is it possible for to me to come vnto God how may I ouercome so manie and so great distresses It farre surmounteth all my power and strength When we be so incombred and brought in perplexitie and doubt let vs bethinke our selues thus well seeing it hath pleased God to shewe himselfe to me it is good reason that I should be contented with
wee may not cease to followe our good GOD whither soeuer hee calleth vs notwithstanding that the worlde bee blinded with neuer so outragious confusion and disorder That it may please him to graunt this grace not onely to vs c. On Fryday the xij of Aprill 1555. The fift Sermon vpon the first Chapter 19 Then departed we from Horeb and went through the wildernesse which is great and terrible as you haue seene along the way of the hil of the Amorrhytes as the Lord our God had commaunded vs and we came to Cades barne 20 And I said vnto you come ye to the Hil of the Amorrhytes which the Lord our God doth giue vs. 21 Behold the Lord thy God setteth the Land before thee Goe vp and possesse it as the Lord the God of thy fathers hath saide vnto thee Shrinke not neither be afraide IN this text Moses rehearseth after what sort he had exhorted the people to take possession of the Lande that God had promised them and by what meanes he would haue incouraged them to it And that is to the ende that the people shoulde knowe their owne vnthankefulnesse and naughtinesse in reiecting the benefite that was offered vnto them and in that they obeyed not God but were giuen too much to their owne sensualitie This then which Moses doth heere is as it were an vpbraiding of the Iewes to y e end they might knowe howe it was long of none but themselues that they inioyed Gods blessing no sooner and that they might afterwarde yeelde themselues more pliable and not bee so wilfull any more in their owne frowardnesse but simplie submit themselues to God as soone as they shoulde heare him speake That is in effect the intent of Moses Neuerthelesse hee interlaceth also another matter therewithall which is that he telleth the people they be so much the lesse to be excused because they had had experience of Gods goodnesse in that he had led them with his mightie hande For their passing through the horrible and dreadfull desert was not without the assistance of a singular and vnaccustomed power of God where as they notwithstanding forgetting the goodnesse which they had felt and which they ought to haue borne in minde for euer did grudge at God and became wilfull and woulde not goe forwarde when he was redie to haue led them to the end And that is the cause why Moses saith expresly that they had seene As if hee should say you wrought euen against your naturall senses when you went not on as your God commaunded you The reason is this So long as you suffered your selues to bee gouerned by his hand and so long as you walked in the way that hee appointed you did you not euen see with your eyes that hee made you to ouercome all hardnesse Was not the wildernes wherthrough you passed a verie gulfe And yet notwithstanding you scaped out of it And how came that to passe but by the wonderfull working of your God among you Seeing y t you heard his voyce you were sure that hee was come among you Then said I vnto you now is there no more for vs to doe but to inioy the lande which our God hath assigned to vs for our heritage Goe let vs fight our God hath promised it vs and hee will not disappoint vs. Wee knowe he hath wrought mightily for vs hitheâ—to and surely he will goe through with his worke These and such other things did I alledge vnto you And yet you followed not them as you ought to haue done Wherefore acknowledge your vnthankefulnesse in that you refused to enter into the inheritance which God had promised to your fathers and which he hath prepared for you Nowe by the way the first good lesson that wee haue to gather here is that forasmuch as God hath alredie vttered his goodnes towards vs in making vs to feele his blessing wee be the more worthy to be blamed if we rest not wholly vpon him or put not our whole trust in him to walk on boldly without douting For although God had neuer shewed himselfe to our experience yet ought wee to giue credite to his holie worde And it is good reason that we shoulde do him the honour to beleeue whatsoeuer he saith or speaketh vnto vs for as much as he is faithfull and his worde is better tryed than either gold or siluer Psal. 12.7 as it is saide in the Psalme And therefore if there were no more but Gods vttering of his worde with his owne mouth it were ynough to condemne the whole world for their disobeying thereof But seeing that God hath confirmed his sayings by deeds and hath shewed vs as it were to our eyesight that his making of his promises vnto vs is not in vaine but hee hath made vs to feele the thinges with our hands so as we know in effect what his power is and that it neuer faileth those which are his if after all this teaching we fall to checking still and be so stiffenecked as we will not bow to submit our selues to the thinges that hee speaketh nor haue any will to obey him I pray you doth not the greater condemnation lye vppon vs What is to be done then Let euery of vs consider aduisedly the good turnes that God hath done him let him marke them and note them that hee may beare them in minde Verie well God hath succored mee at such a pinch I haue felt his helpe in such a case I haue beene ayded at his hande and he hath made me to perceiue his mightie power after such and such fashion After this manner must wee make rehearsall of Gods benefites and of his helping of vs all the time of our life And after as hee hath vttered himselfe vnto vs so must we be the more confirmed to trust to his promises and to rest wholly vpon them Herewâ—thall let vs be stablished in inuincible constancie to goe which way soeuer he leadeth vs without feare of any distresse Why so For my God which hath neuer forsaken me to this day will not giue me ouer now As I haue felt hertofore that he giueth strength to those that are his so am I sure that hee will reach me his hande and succour me still So then there is no more for me to doe but to commit my selfe vnto him I see that this thing that thing may cumber me there are a number of temptations which may make me turne heade but yet forasmuch as my God hath succored me hitherto at my neede I doubt not but hee will doe the like vnto the ende Thus yee see that the way for vs to eschewe the blame of vnthankefulnesse is to call Gods benefits oftentimes to our rememberance thereby to strengthen our selues still in trust that he will neuer faile vs vnto the end Also this wil serue to make vs ouercome al temptations and although the diuel haue neuer so many meanes and stoppes to turne vs out of the right way
children were muâ—thered of purpose to make cleane riddance of them and to wipe out the very remembrance of them Euen at this pinch did God haue compassion vppon the people Could any greater goodnes haue bin shewed And when as he saith by his prophet Mich. 6.3 My people what harme did I thee in bringing thee out of the land of Egypt doeth it not appeare thereby that they were too too malitious and frowarde I planted a vine sayth God and looked for good fruite now thou wilt choke thy maister with thy sowernesse Now then seeing that this deliuering of them out of the land of Egypt was a singular warrant of Gods goodnesse loue and mercie towardes them must it not needes be that they were stark mad when they twited God with his bringing of them out of Egypt charging him that he did it of hatred towardes them Were it possible that men should ouershoote themselues so farre if they were not become starke deuils No but as I sayd afore this doctrine is written of the Iewes that were in the time of Moses to the intent that we should profite in the feare of God by their example and beare in minde that they which will needes stand so wilfully in their vices shall in the end fall to flat spiting of God and blaspheme his name turne good into euill deface his mercie as much as they can mingle heauen and earth together and make a hellishe confusion of all thinges Wherefore let vs stand in awe and walke on in humilitie and warinesse glorifying God Againe when we haue committed God any fault let vs be afrayd yea and euen mourne for it and not pretend any matter or quarell against God but rather flee to his onely mercie for refuge being vtterly ashamed and cast downe in our selues And so ye see what we haue to marke vppon this text where it is sayd that the Iewes murmured in their teÌ„ts saying that Gods bringing of them out of the land of Egypt was because he hated them Now furthermore it behoueth vs to marke that the cause of their rayling was for that they knewe not Gods power notwithstanding that it was apparant to them For although they had felt it enough more than enough to haue coÌ„firmed theÌ„withal yet neuertheles as soon as they heard speaking of the talnesse of their enemies of their walled cities of their strong holdes by and by their hearts failed them and they were vtterly dismaid And why Surely God had giuen them proofe of his mightie power to the intent they should haue trusted to him as I haue sayd heretofore But what for that They shut their eyes at all those thinges and therewithal fell to grudging assoone as they heard of any distresse And euen so doe we For when God calleth vs or commaundeth vs to goe we will see aforehand whether there be any lettes or no. How shall I goe say wee for there is this let and that let and as for me I haue no strength at all And in the meane season we consider not that God is strong enough for vs and that it is his power which maketh vs to walke on and to ouercome all that euer the deuill trumpeth in our way Now then wee can neuer yeeld God his due honor to trust in him to put our selues into his hand and to hope that he will helpe vs and giue vs the vpper hand of all thinges that may turne vs out of the right way except we haue an eye to the benefits we haue receiued before And so we see that Moses rehearseth not here a single storie y t we might the better know what God hath willed vs to doe but rather that he setteth before our eyes what we be together with the vices that are but too common among among vs to the end we should learne to put our trust in Gods strength What is to be done then We see our owne frailetie howbeit not so much as were requisite but yet that which we se ought to make vs hang downe our heads Neuerthelesse when we knowe once y t there is no power in vs to follow Gods will let vs step to the remedie let vs not be out of hart for it neither let vs doe as they doe which thinke themselues quit because they haue not wherwith to stead y e turne saying oh syr I am of flesh and bloud I am a man And what is that to say but that thou art in sin and vncleane but manie men say so to the intent to washe their handes of it They may well say as for me I haue not so great strength true it is that I ought to doe it but I am not able Yea marie but is there not a God y t can do it for vs yes and therefore when we once knowe our owne weaknesse let vs learne to seeke the remedie forasmuch as god hath promised vs y e spirit of streÌ„gth that being grounded thereupon wee may not doubt but that wee shall ouercome all our enemies and all the assaultes that can be made vppon vs. Furthermore let vs also consider y e power of our enemies and the greatnesse of temptations For wee haue not to doe with fleshe and bloud they that fight against vs are not mortall and transitorie men but they be all the powers of the ayre and the prince of the worlde practiseth all y t he can to discomfit vs. Now therefore when we once knowe the force of Satan and the meanes that he hath to breake vs and to vndoo vs let vs not faile to take courage and to bee of inuincible constancie And why for we know y t our God hath promised vs the vpper hand of al that euer SataÌ„ shal practise against vs. And therfore it is he y t we must trust vnto Thus we see generally how we ought to put this doctrine in vre Now haue we to goe through with the rest of the similitude which I glaunced at here before which is that we must consider that seeing God doth call vs nowadayes not to the possessing of the lande of Chanaan nor to be lodged here in this world for a fewe dayes but to come to the heauenly lyfe and to the immortall inheritance it becommeth vs to take courage and to acquaint our selues with this doctrine And seeing that God hath told vs 〈◊〉 138.8 Phil. 1.6 that his reaching of his hand once vnto vs is not in vaine and that he will goe through with his worke wee on our part must determine fully to goe through with our course and not to shrinke in the middes of the way Thus ye see first of all that we be more to blame than the Iewes of olde time if wee hearken not to Gods mouth considering that his intent is not only to giue vs an earthly dwelling place to lodge in but to call vs right foorth to the kingdome of heauen and to the immortall glorie â—om 8.23 whereof wee bee made partakers aforehand by
we desirous that God should guide vs hold vs vnder his protection withstand our enemies to giue vs victorie against them Let vs walke in obedience and learne to leade our lyfe according to his will For whosoeuer roueth abroad at randon forsaketh Gods helpe Againe let no man beguile himself vpon trust of men forasmuch as they are commonly disapointed of their enterprises And it is good reason that God should laugh them to skorne when they fling forth so at al aduenture and keepe neither way nor path But lyke as most men are so ouerlustie that they can away with nothing worse than to beare the yoke that God layeth vppon vs so euery man would haue libertie to doe what he listeth and it is seene that all men make warre against God and his worde so as their iollitie cannot be daunted but they be worse than wilde beastes And therefore doe most men abuse themselues with their owne deuices for they regard not what God permitteth them to doe When a man will aduaunce himselfe for vaineglorie he regardeth not what is lawfull but pilleth polleth and filcheth by hooke or by crooke He hath an eye to the ordinarie custome of the world but as for to frame himselfe after Gods lawe he hath no minde at all He neuer thinketh thus with himselfe beholde my God giueth me no leaue to doe this thing and therefore I must forbeare it He hath no such thought with him Wel may men coakes themselues for a time and beare themselues on hand that all the world fauoreth them but in the end God will make all their enterprises to vanish away so as they shall be all confounded And why Because they ranne gadding about and kept not the right way Now then if we will be guided by Gods hand and succored by him at our neede let vs learne to rule our lyfe aright and to submit it wholy vnto him If wee be not at that poynt let vs not looke for any helpe at his hand but rather to haue him against vs as we bee worthie Thus much concerning the first point But yet for all this the matter lyeth not altogether in being desirous to serue God to absteine frō the foolish attempts y t cary men away For there may be some that are pliable enough which would faine doe the thinges that God commaundeth but therewithall they be puffed vp with a fond selfe weening bearing themselues in hand that they be able to compasse the things that they haue to doe and trusting to their owne reason But our Lord cannot abide to be robbed of the honor that belongeth vnto him For what haue wee whereof it is lawfull for vs to boast When we haue gathered all our powers vnto vs wee shall finde them to be nothing but a vaine and fond shew And therefore wee must bee faine to put to the second poynt which I haue touched Which is that here we be warned to submit our selues to the obedience of God so as we seeke the thinges that he giueth vs leaue to seeke aske counsell at his mouth what things he lyketh and alloweth to the intent that knowing our selues to bee ouerweake yea and that there is no wisedome strength nor towardnesse in vs but that al our powers fayle vs wee may pray him to guide vs and to giue vs good direction and to hold vs vp with strong hand so as wee ground not our selues vpon our owne weening or opinion but altogether vppon the assuraunce of his worde Hath God promised to helpe vs then let vs not doubt but he will doe it Haue we no promise at his hand then must we needes be at our wittes ende till he comfort vs and strengthen vs by shewing vs his wil. Thus yee see what wee haue to marke vppon this text of Moses And therefore although it be vnpossible for a christen man to step one step without falling yet must wee not be out of hart The reason is because wee haue Gods promise that he will fight for vs. Eph. 6.12 Our fighting sayth Saint Paul is not against fleshe and bloud beholde all the powers of the ayre are against vs. For the diuil is named the prince of the world he is aboue vs and holdeth vs as it were betweene his pawes and in his throate so as he is lyke enough to swallowe vs vp euery minute of an houre lyke a lyon and we haue neither strength nor sense to withstād him But yet for all that we must conclude that forasmuch as we be in the protection of our God we be sure of the victorie if we fight wel Therefore let this saying be well printed in our minde that the Lord our God will fight for vs. When there is any question of doing well the Papistes cling to their own freewill and it seemeth to thē that God layeth the brydle in their necke so as they be able to doe this and that whereby they ouerthrowe themselues as they be worthy But contrariwise let vs flee to our God and hope to haue him doe the thinges that we cannot doe Furthermore let vs marke well that this doctrine could not stande vnlesse wee were vnable to fight for our selues For were wee of power to resiste our enemies Gods fighting for vs were more than needed Then doth it follow that his fighting is because wee haue no power at all because our armes are as good as broken and because wee bee lame from the sole of the foote to the crowne of the head And in good sooth if the Iewes hauing to doe but onelie with mortall and transitorie enemies needed to haue God to fight for them what had we need of I pray you when wee see Satan and all the worlde readie to giue assault vpon vs yea and that he hath alreadie gotten the forehand of vs and in the meane while wee haue neither wall nor banke to holde them out but which is worse all our owne lustes are as dartes wherewith Satan may serue his turne to wound vs with all can wee defend our selues hauing so hard a battell to beare out No and so wee see how the poore papistes are deceiued in presuming vppon their owne free-will and in bearing themselues on hand that if they haue neuer so little helpe of God they can well enough get the vpper hand of Satan On the contrary part it is not sayd that God will supply some little default with his power and that wee must fight first to preuent him it is not sayde so but that it is our God that fighteth for vs. It followeth then that all that euer wee doe is done by the onely power that hee giueth vs so as it is borrowed of him True it is that wee would fayne runne that wee make great indeuers to serue God but whereof commeth that but of this that knowing our selues to be vtterly vnable wee presume not vppon any power or abilitie of our owne but doe feele that we be not yet come to
be that I had his helpe to saue me during the time that I was as good as senselesse And afterward he shewed me the lyke fauour againe when I had not yet any discretion to acknowledge it and to honor him for it Now if I haue receiued so many benefites of him ought I not to hope that he will continue to doe so to me still hereafter Let euery man then bethinke him of the benefites that he hath receiued at Gods hand as well for his soule as for his body and then shall wee be sufficiently conuicted that he hath powred out the riches of his goodnesse vppon vs and that in such sorte as we may well trust in him that he will neuer forsake vs nor put vs out of minde After this maner must wee put this text in vre where Moses speaketh to the Iewes and sayth thus consider what you haue found at the hand of your God vnto this houre How hath hee dealt with you how mightily hath he ouermaistred the lād of Egypt and deliuered you from the bondage wherein you were And besides this Moses noteth here a double circumstance whereby the people were conuicted of gods mighty working in their behalfe For sayth he He hath fought for you in Egypt yea euen before your eyes As if he should haue sayd that the miracles which God had wrought were not darksome nor done in hudther mudther but so openly and apparantly as the people could not say we knowe not how the case standeth God then shewed himselfe after a visible manner in that behalfe so as yee cannot but knowe that he reached out his arme That is the first of the two circumstances The other is this where hee addeth that from the time of the peoples deliueraunce God had maintained them yea and that with such kindenesse and gentlenesse as a father that had borne his childe in his armes could not haue done more for him Now these two poyntes belong to vs. For they bee the too meanes whereby God procureth and furthereth our saluation vntill he haue brought it to full perfection On the one side hee fighteth for vs for wee shall neuer bee without enemies as hath bin declared already If wee be not acquainted with God the deuill will reigne peaceably ouer vs and wee shall delight to bee vnder his tyranny as they that are naturally giuen thereunto But if God call vs to him then shall wee feele the deuill vtterly against vs and wee shall see the world inflamed with deadly hatred towardes vs. To be shorte there will be such a sorte of enemies to bidde vs battell as wee shall not knowe on which side to turne vs. Lo in what plight Gods children are Now then his power must bee fayne to maintaine vs and to fight the battell and if he haue done it for the Iewes hee must be faine to doe it now for vs too Thus yee see that the first meanes whereby God sheweth himselfe to be our Sauiour is that hee armeth vs against our enemies or rather that hee himselfe is our shielde our strong holde as he nameth himselfe oftentimes in the scriptures Psal. 91.2 our bulwarke our captaine and to be short all that euer wee bee Mark that for one poynt Now herewithal when God hath so strengthened vs and giuen vs the vpper hand of all assaultes that could be put vnto vs he must bee faine to vpholde vs still within For else shoulde not we bee able to goe one step and wee should want all that euer belongeth to our saluation And euen as a young childe should dye if it were not succoured euen so is it with vs. If a little childe be let alone hee will cast himselfe into the fire or into the water hee coulde not take one bit of bread to feede himselfe withall hee must be borne in armes hee must bee swadled he coulde not dresse himselfe he would starue for cold sooner than come to the fire and to be short wee see that a young babe before hee come to some age is the miserablest creature that can bee deuised and euen so is it with vs in respect of our God Let vs set as much store by our selues as we list as wee see that men doe glorying maruelously in their owne opinion and yet is there more infirmitie in vs than in little infantes He must be faine to rule vs he must be faine to feede vs he must be faine to cary vs he must be faine to clothe vs he must bee faine to doe all for vs. For if wee haue any witte at all it is of his gift if we haue any strength it commeth of him if wee haue any abilitie or helpes it is he that giueth them True it is that wee could not inioye the least benefite in the worlde but by fayth I meane to our profite but yet for all that it is hee to whome wee be beholden for all Now therefore when wee once perceiue that God hath giuen vs strength and stoutnesse to outstand the temptations that Satan hath stirred vp against vs that wee haue not bin woūded to death by his venemous darts and arrowes that we haue not wallowed in the mucke of this worlde that wee haue not bin caught in the snares of the wicked that their practises and wiles haue not preuailed against vs and that God hath succoured vs at all assayes I say when wee haue perceiued that let vs also consider that God hath borne vs that he hath fed and nourished vs that hee hath clothed vs and y t he hath as it were put our meat into our mouthes The thing then whereupon wee must sette our mindes that wee may well bethinke vs of Gods benefites is that the same must serue vs for a warrant and confirmation of our fayth both in lyfe and in death But yet the similitude that Moses vseth where hee sayth as a father beareth his childe deserueth to be well weyed Truely if there were no more but this that God compareth himselfe with a fleshly father it were a singular record of infinite and incredible loue What a one is GOD if he be taken in his maiestie Are wee worthie to come to him so familiarly Now then seeing hee taketh vppon him the person of a man and a creature and lykeneth himselfe to them that beare their children therein we see how he humbleth himselfe of good wil to accept vs in like case as if we were his owne children And what a token of loue is that Now as for vs wee be nothing woorth needes then must wee acknowledge an inestimable goodnesse in our God when he putteth off his maiestie to make himselfe lyke a man Neuerthelesse hee contenteth not himselfe with this similitude onely as wee shall see hereafter in the song Deut. 32 For there he lykeneth himself to an Eagle which stretcheth out his winges to cary his young ones and to trayne them to sore in the ayre Seeing that God putteth himselfe as it were vnder the shape of
man his right without taking away of any mans goods without committing of any extortion or outrage and wee peruert the order of nature and are worse than the wilde beastes which make countenance one to another when they be al of one kind For the woolues are not at such variance among themselues as men are And therefore let vs learne that although there be not any neere kinred among vs yet notwithstanding in asmuch as we be men there ought to be some cōmon bond betweene vs and a certain brotherly loue But there is yet another consideration among Christians for God hath adopted them to bee of his housholde and that ought to auaile more than all the kinred on the earth For seeing that God hath tolde vs that he intendeth to take vs to himselfe because that being of his Church wee bee as it were his owne children and call vpon him as with one mouth saying our father if wee neuerthelesse agree as cattes and dogges among our selues may it in any wise be borne withal specially considering that wee cannot clayme him for our father vnlesse we be gouerned by his holy spirit No surely For either his spirit must cry in our hartes or else we shall haue our mouthes shut Rom. ◠15.16 Againe on the other side by what title can wee clayme so great a benefite and honor as to be the children of God if we be not members of Iesus Christ But wee be not of his body but vppon condition aforesayd Whosoeuer then hurteth his neighbor whosoeuer is voyde of louingkindenesse and pitie whosoeuer layeth to catching and snatching on all sides the same as much as in him is rendeth Iesus Christ in peeces And therfore let vs marke well that when God alledgeth kinred we be warned to consider in what degree God hath put vs and what vnion hee hath set among vs euery of vs to discharge himselfe faithfully thereof to y e intent y t whereas God hath set vs together to maintaine vs in good agreement and loue wee make not a confused disorder Let that serue for one poynt But if wee consider the common trade of the worlde how it should seeme that men haue conspyred to doe cleane contrary to Gods commaundement it is so farre of from neighbors to thinke that Gods placing of them neere together is to the end that euery man shoulde serue his neighbors turne and all imploy themselues to the common profite without hurting or greeuing one another that euen brothers thinke it lawfull to shift euery one for himselfe and there is none other lyfe with them but to drawe still to themselues without any pitie or compassion How then shal the neighbors be brethren which haue but some acquaintance a farre of seeing y t they which were borne all in one belly and are all one mans children beare no more friendship one to another than wilde beastes but rather much lesse Truely it should seeme that some will needes be brethren euen in spite of God For if it be to doe some mischiefe or to playe some diuelish pranke to the ouerthrowe of all goodnesse then they can skill to alledge wee haue this and wee haue that wee be countrymen wee be neighbors children borne all in one towne Loe how the wicked can finde themselues to be cousins and brothers And what to doe To rise vp against God to put all thinges out of order to make quarels and frayes to maintaine themselues in all loosenesse and to procure all manner of stumblingblockes that Gods name may be blasphemed and all honestie peruerted These are the brotherhoods and cousiningships of the worlde as is to bee seene too much But when it commeth to the poynt that euery man should helpe his neighbor and absteine from doing him harme or anoyance men be so farre of from absteining or from thinking that God vnited them together or that God hath created thē after his own image or agayne that they be bound yet w t a straiter bond inasmuch as he hath adopted them by his Gospel to be members of his sonne Iesus Christ and heires of the kingdome of heauen men I say are so farre off from thinking any such thing that they peruert the whole order of nature with worse than beastly furie But yet is this text sufficient to condemne men if they walk not in all mildenesse and be not more kindhearted one to another than they be Now let vs come to that which is added here in the second place which is That God had giuen Mount Seir in possession to Esau. True it is that when he compareth Esau and Iacob together ◠1.2 he sayth by his prophet Is not Esau Iacobs brother And yet haue I placed him in a hillie countrie in a stonie and barrein countrey and I haue giuen you a fruitefull and fatte lande Hereby the people of Israell are put in minde that God had bestowed many mo benefites vppon them than vppon those that went afore thē For Esau was the elder sonne and yet did God disherit him of the land that he had promised to his graundfather Abraham and to his father Isaak And why did God so wee see none other reason but for that hee listed to vtter his free goodnesse towardes Iacob and his linage The people of Israell coulde not say wee were the more noble and excellent for the byrthright belonged to Esau. They could not say wee were better No for we see they were a people set altogether vppon malice and vnthankefulnesse Now then their inheriting of the promised land befel them not for any worthines of their owne but through Gods meere mercy And besides this God had also prouided for Ismael who was halfe a bastard For the matching of Abraham with Agar was not a lawfull mariage And although it was no aduowtrie yet was not that mariage altogether allowed of God But yet did God prouide for Ismael in asmuch as hee sayd I haue heard him If the case stoode so with Ismael much more reason was it that Esau shoulde haue some place and that God should extend his blessing euen to those that were of his linage And for that cause did hee giue him mount Seir. Now therefore in this consideration the people of Israel ought not to trouble him but to let him alone with the portion that was assigned him from heauen Here wee haue a good lesson to gather which belongeth to vs all Although mention be made here precisely of the linage of Esau which were called Edomites and Idumaeans ◠32.8 yet notwithstanding as we shall see hereafter in the song God declareth that according as he made the partitions and stretched out his meeteline so were the realmes and countries deuided Let vs not thinke that the world is ruled by fortune and that thinges are so intangled but that God guideth all by his prouidence and power Hee then hath stretched out his meeteline to appoint euery people their countrey to dwel in But yet for
if any man doe vs wrong wee must bee reuenged and wee consider not that in so doing Satan winneth greatly at our handes Nowe then as I saide afore wee see that this doctrine was written for our vse and instruction so as wee must alwayes beare in minde the likenesse that is betweene vs and the people of olde time Wherefore first of all let no man couet to possesse any thing which hee hath not receiued at Gods hande according to our dayly asking of him our ordinarie breade Then let vs not goe about to inrich our selues by vnlawfull meanes crafte and violence neither let vs practise one thing or other by suttletie but let euerie man followe his trade simplie and meddle with nothing but that which GOD giueth vs leaue to doe and let vs learne to rule our liues according to his worde wayting for such bessing as it shall please him to giue vs. And let such as haue goods be always readie to forgo them whensoeuer it shall please him and let such as haue not the worlde at will beare their pouertie patiently That is the thing which wee haue to marke in the first place Secondly when the case standeth vppon aduenturing let our hardinesse bee that wee dare bee bolde to doe whatsoeuer GOD commaundeth vs specially when wee haue his promise as is saide afore That is the thing as I haue declared alreadie heretofore which putteth difference betweene the true wisedome of the faithfull and the rashnesse of such as playe the loose coltes and runne galloping astray For the faithfull doe waite for warrant from GOD and that the ende of the thing which they take in hande shall bee good and when they once haue his promise then goe they forwarde without attempting any thing to the contrarie But the vnfaithfull take a toy in their heade and when they haue laide their platte they conclude to doe whatsoeuer seemes best to themselues without inquiring of Gods will and thereupon they sticke at nothing In so doing there is nothing but presumptuousnesse to ouerthrowe themselues But the true foundation is to haue God promise and to rest vpon the same doing the things that hee commaundeth vs. And if wee haue that regarde with vs then shall wee take the contrarie way to that which I haue spoken of For where as nowe wee be fearefull in the good quarrels that God alloweth and wherein wee ought to hazarde our selues wee shall haue an inuincible constancie and euerie of vs shall haue an eye to his duetie to say beholde my God commaundeth mee to doe it in deede I shall haue many assaultes and manie incomberances and I may perchaunce bee greatly hindered by men but it is ynough to mee that God is my warrant seeing he hath appointed mee to doe it it is not for mee to sticke at it Besides this we haue also a promise God neuer saith to vs Doe this but he telleth vs also that hee will be with vs. Nowe then seeing we know that hee is able to mainteine vs euen in spite of all the wicked and of all them that are in a chafe against vs what neede wee be afraide to do wel And if wee bee afraide doe wee not wrong vnto God as though hee were not of power to defende vs So then wee see nowe howe bolde and hardie wee ought to bee in mainteining of good quarels forasmuch as wee bee sure that GOD will not faile vs specially when wee bee to incounter against Satan and against all the things that hee practiseth as well against our selues as against the whole Church Therefore if wee play the dastardes and shrinke away when wee shoulde enter into such incounters as wee see most men doe who seeke startingholes and cannot finde in their heartes to beare any burthen for the honour of God is it not too shamefull trecherie yes for wee cannot step out of the way but our vnbeleefe bewrayes it selfe What causeth vs to bee so colde in performing our dueties It is for that wee beleeue not God For were wee throughly perswaded that hee will keepe touch with vs and that wee shall not bee disappointed in wayting for the thing that hee hath promised it woulde make vs to forget all feare and all the goodlie shiftes that wee deuise to turne the catte in the panne And therefore let vs learne to glorifie our GOD in yeelding to him the title of foothfastnesse and then shall wee bee hardie ynough not to followe our owne fancies but to obey his commaundementes Wee shall haue a holy presumptuousnesse if wee holde vs to this line and rule of trusting in God and of hoping that hee will performe whatsoeuer he hath saide or vttered with his mouth Thus yee see howe this lesson is to be put in practise Furthermore let vs marke heerewithall how God addeth heere that hee will strike such a feare and terrour into these peoples hearts as they shall be dismayed when they doe but heare of the fame of the Iewes Heere wee see that God holdeth mens heartes in his hande to weaken them or strengthen them at his pleasure True it is that men imagine themselues to haue this vertue of manlinesse in themselues And the verie cause why they despise God is that euerie of them makes his account to compasse his matters by his owne power But so farre off are the common people from hauing any stoutnesse or manhood in them without that God giue it them that God holdeth euen the heartes of kinges and princes in his hande Prou. 21.1 and although they seeme to themselues to haue much more strength and courage than others yet doeth God make them to slip away like water when hee thinkes good So then let vs marke well that it is not in any mans power to bee valiant vnlesse GOD strengthen him And therefore wee may applie this doctrine to double vse The one is that although a man see himselfe to be weak he must not be out of heart for it for there is a remedie readie for it if we list to seeke it I say we must gather strength of mind by seeking it in God yea euen whensoeuer we be hindered to do our duetie for want of courage As for example God perchaunce calleth vs to glorifie his name hee sholeth vs out from this worlde accordingly as it is his will that euery man shoulde renounce himselfe and that wee shoulde forsake our owne lustes Nowe wee see howe possible it is to obey yea and wee knowe howe farre all our abilitie stretcheth Againe we see also a great number of hazards and the diuell will face vs with this inconuenience and that daunger where at we shal be as good as dismayed so as we shall not dare to stirre one finger to obey God and to execute his commaundement And what is the reason It is for that we be too faintharted Now it is not for vs to sticke still in this myre but wee must seeke for strength where we can finde it Let vs consider say
it was reasoÌ„ that the whole land should first haue bene conquered ere any partition had bin made But therewithall it is saide that the two Tribes of Gad and Ruben excused themselues for y t they had much Cattel it was a Countrie fit for grasing their desiring to be setled was not to separate theÌ„selues froÌ„ their brethreÌ„ or to be in better taking thaÌ„ they For they protested that they would goe with the rest of the people to fight with them against all their enemies and that they would neuer rest in the land that was assigned them vntil all the residue were setled as well as they Vpon the making of this promise Moses agreed vnto them For before he said vnto them behold ye increase the heape for your sinne For heretofore when ye spied out the land ye would not enter into it at such time as the way was opened for you And nowe ye bring new lets it should seeme ye seeke nothing but to resist God and to shut his grace out of the doore Moses then spake sharpely after this sort against the children of Ruben and Gad vntill they had shewed that their meaning was not to forsake their brethren but to holde themselues still in the vnitie of the bodie and in the meane while to leaue their Cattell at a stay to the ende they might not bee too much combered with their wiues and children And euen in this wee haue to marke the goodnesse of God For had not he beene the defender of them that were to dwell in that Countrie what had come of it Behold a sort of women and yong children are left behinde with their Cattell Nowe we know that al the neighbours thereaboutes were desirous to destroy the people of Israel and a generall hatred or rather burning fire was kindled euery where against them Therefore if the women and children had not bene preserued vnder the hand of God and vnder his protection had they not perished a hundred times And yet being so forsaken they were not troubled by any man Nowe then the people ought by all meanes to haue acknowledged Gods grace herein to streÌ„gthen themselues thereby against the time to come and therewithal to vnderstand that there was nothing of their owne to boast themselues of but that it was good reason that God should be praised and they acknowledge that all that good came of God Thus ye see what the intent of Moses was in this text And wee also in these dayes may well apply this lesson to our instructioÌ„ For seeing that God did so preserue the women and little children which were destitute of defence and succour inuironed with enemies that were their nexte neighbours and which were able to haue swallowed them vp at one chop as I haue tolde you before let vs assure our selues that our safetie consisteth not in the multitude of worldly defences Though we haue neither wall nor bank nor any thing else to defend vs yet if God haue the leading of vs and take the charge of our safetie wee haue ynough so as wee may defie all our enemies Contrariwise if wee bee destitute of Gods tuition we may well prouide all the defences in the world and yet wee shall bee neuer the neerer all of it must needes tumble downe vpon our owne heades Therefore let vs learne to call vpon our God and to put our selues into his handes And forasmuch as he saieth that he will receiue the poore that are in aduersitie so as he promiseth to support those that are destitute of all helpe and succour of the world let vs goe to him assuring our selues that wee shall not haue the gate shut against vs. Be we once come thither wee may boldly trust that he will maintaine vs. And although wee be hemmed in with enemies on all sides and it may well seeme that we cannot escape their handes yet will God be our defence though there bee nothing but vtter weakenesse in vs. Thus ye see what wee haue to remember vpon this example Yet notwithstanding it is not to be doubted but that herewithall Moses doeth couertly vpbraide the children of Ruben Gad with their ouer great hast And although he accept their protestation and thereupon doe graunt their request yet were they not to bee commended in that they sought to haue their possessioÌ„ so soone in that Countrie In deede their pretence was honest but yet should they haue helde themselues still vnder Gods prouidence and not haue attempted any thing So then as wee haue seene here before if wee will haue God to blesse vs we must hold our selues simply to his word without attempting any thing at all so as wee steppe not one pace foreward to do any thing that he liketh not ne swarue to the right hand or to the left But the Rubenites would needes bee shifting aforehand and sought to settle themselues before it was meete for them They asked not whither it were lawfull for them or no they came not to Moses with submission saying let it bee considered by generall aduise whether it be good or no but they would needes determine the case them selues at the first dash Wee haue great store of Cattell say they this Countrie is fit for vs therfore it is meete that it should be giuen vs in partition Herein they are not in any wise to bee excused True it is that they were made owners of that fat and fruitfull soyle but yet did not God blesse them in al points It had bin better for theÌ„ specially for the halfe tribe of Manasses to haue bene ioyned with their brethren than to haue had a possessioÌ„ so by themselues For by y t meane they were cut off from the tribe of Iuda they were bereft of y e prehemineÌ„ce of being matched w t their brethren y e children of Ioseph And therfore if they had taried with the rest and waited Gods leisure as they ought to haue done it is certaine that they had bene blessed much more abundantly than they were consequently the others to Wee see how the Prophets speake of theÌ„ Psa. 22 1â— Amos. â—â— The fat Buls of Basan say they haue their eys stopped w t greace Bicause they liued at their ease in a fruitful abundant Country there was nothing but pryde and stubbornnesse in them Let vs learne therefore to forbeare the seeking of our owne commodities and not be selfwilled in seasing vppon one thing or other but let vs tarie for the blessing of God Wee see howe it fell out with Lot for he had the like respect in choosing to dwell in Sodom Gen. â—â— That plaine was as an earthly Paradise there was nothing but pleasure there was nothing but fruitefulnesse in it Lot gate him thither but our Lorde made him to pay verie deare for his shotte Although he was one of his chosen although GOD pitied him euen to the ende and although hee made his children to feele his grace notwithstanding that
thinke they feare God well wheÌ„ they haue some fond deuotion towardes him as wee see in Poperie where euerie man sayes that his intent is to serue God but after what fashion Euen euerie man after his owne fansie But y e obedience which God requireth at our hands in yeelding our selues wholly to his worde and the reuerence which wee owe him as to our Father and King are things vnseparable Wherefore let vs marke well that if we be minded and desirous to come together as wee ought to doe Gods worde must haue all authoritie ouer vs so as our receiuing thereof bee not onely to confes it with our mouth but also to frame our liues wholly thereafter For if wee will needes liue after our owne swindge and euerie of vs doe what seemeth good to himselfe God holdeth scorne of vs and disclaimeth vs though wee protest to feare him and serue him neuer so much For it is no reason but that he should be heard specially seeing he taketh paine to teach vs. That therfore is the first point Againe let vs vnderstand that our keeping of Gods Lawe Psal. â—6 â— and our walking according to his will doe not aduauntage him at all for what can he receiue at our hands But it is to the end that the world may know that we feare him that is to say that wee take him for our maister that we would faine be wholly his and that he should gouerne vs. That is the effect of the matter that Moses sheweth here Howbeit forasmuch as Churches are oftentimes defiled with hypocrits and wicked folke which crowde in couertly who notwithstanding are worthie to bee euen thrust out of the world Psa. 5â— â— Let vs marke what is saide in the fiftieth Psalme where God declareth that he separateth his true seruantes from such as falsely abuse his name so as his voyce thundereth to summon those that feare him aright and haue not couenanted with him vnfeynedly nor serue him onely with Ceremonies but also in very deede them will he assemble together And on the contrarie part hee vpbraydeth those that take his name in their mouth and yet notwithstanding doe take part with robbers murderers theeues and traytours Therefore when men will needes match GOD and the diuel together after that fashion as it appeareth that most men doe God complaineth of it and protesteth that it shall not scape vnpunished Now if he shewe such a separation aforehand Let vs bee well assured Matt. 25.33 that when the day commeth wherein the Goates shal be put asunder from the Lambes the shame of such as haue preaced after that sorte into Gods Church shall then bee discouered and they shal be abhorred of all creatures as they deserue But in the meane while let vs see that wee separate our selues from them as neere as we can and when we see such vncleannesse at leastwise let vs beware that wee mislike them and let vs pray God to rid and cleanse his Church of such infections Howsoeuer the case stand let vs be mindeful of the thing that Moses speaketh in this text whensoeuer we intende to meete together in the name of God Afterward hee addeth that when wee our selues haue walked in the feare of God euery of vs must teach his children to do the lyke Wherein we see that it is not enough for euery man to discharge his duty in liuing orderly himselfe but that we must to y e vttermost of our power procure the coÌ„tinuance of Gods honor and seruice after our deceases And in good fayth is it reason that Gods name should be buryed with our death We know how flightfull our lyfe is but Gods glory must indure for euer without decaying Esa. 40.6 1. Pet. 1.24 Iude. 25. Therfore let vs learn our owne duetie that is to walke righteously all y e time of our lyfe and to indeuer to traine vp our children aright so as religion may florish and prosper when wee be dead and God be alwayes honored in the world that his name may be called vppon purely And that is the very cause also why God commaundeth fathers so straightly to teach their children For the coulde well send his creatures into the worlde though no man had any speciall care of them but hee chargeth fathers to bring vp their children And why To the ende they should knowe that they must yeelde an account of them And for the same cause also doth he communicate his name vnto them Mal. 2.10 For the title of father belongeth to himselfe alone but yet hee honoreth men so much as to grant them the name of fathers And to what ende Matt. 23.9 That they should be the earnester and carefuller in teaching their children their dueties So then let vs doe our indeuour that there may remaine a good afterspring after our decease so as Gods Church may florishe still and his name be worshipped from age to age And wee ought to labour so much the more in that behalfe because wee see how the diuil practiseth to ouerthrow all that euer is builded in the name of God So farre of is it that the fruite which ought to come of the Gospel doth ripen that men doe labor to plucke it vp or else to marre it and to turne it out of the owne kinde Sith wee see this ought we not to bee the more prouoked to doe the duetie that is commaunded vs here Without going any further what is to be seene heere among vs The Gospell hath bin preached to vs now a long time and yet for al that what maner of ones are they which haue bin borne of all this time to whome God hath grauÌ„ted the grace to be suckled with Gods word euen from the teate and to bee brought vp in it lykewise so as they being then but little babes did neuer see any of the diuelish abhominations of poperie and therefore ought to bee euen throughly soked in the doctrine of saluation what maner of ones are they doth it not appeare that most part of them are so frowarde as if they were the brood of Serpents The world may see that they despise God openly and commit such wickednesse and lewdenesse that there is much more honestie and more shewe of Religion among the Papistes than there is among these Seeing then that thinges are so farre out of order and the diuill indeuoreth to put all to hauocke ought we not to be the more inflamed to doe our indeuer that there may remaine at leastwise some little seede after our decease so as the remembraunce of the Gospell be not vtterly abolished nor the thing that hath bin set vp so happily in the name of GOD and by his wonderfull power be decayed and pulled downe againe by the enemies Now then seeing that God hath graunted vs the grace and priuiledge to bee called to the hearing of his worde and to haue it set forth in the pure simplicitie among vs let vs vnderstand that we be the more
and not to stand aloofe vnderneath the hill as is sayd heere And it is the same thing the Apostle sheweth in the Epistle to the Hebrewes when he sayth Heb. 22. â— that wee be not come to the mountaine where there was nothing but fire where nothing was heard but thundering and tempest where lightninges flashed where trumpets sounded and where there was nothing but terriblenesse wee be not come to that mountaine we bee not nowadaies called to bondage but wee bee heere in the presence of our God where we haue friendly felowship with the Angels wee be matched and knitte in companie with the holy fathers and with the soules whom God hath already taken out of the world and we be all called to the end we should with open mouth call vppon God as our father Then if we bethink our selues hereof let vs goe boldly to our God Moreouer let vs alwayes beare in minde how it is tolde vs here that Gods inioyning of vs to keepe his lawe is by way of couenanting with vs. And that ought to giue vs the more â—ourage True it is that if God did simply vse his authoritie euen in shewing vs our duetie towards him and delt with vs by playne rigor saying yee must obey mee spyte of your teeth yet ought wee to doe it and it were not meete for vs to gainesay him But now when wee see that Gods subdewing of vs vnto him is in such wise as hee vouchsafeth therewithall to be our sauiour and father couenaunting as it were by mutual consent with vs and binding himselfe to vs in requiring vs to come to serue him ought it not to moue vs greatly if wee were not woorse than blockishe Ought it not to prouoke vs to giue our selues ouer to our GOD seeing that hee vouchsafeth to ioyne with vs yes and therefore let vs alwayes marke well this word Couenaunt And that worde ought specially to touch vs to the quicke in these dayes when wee compare the lawe with the Gospell For if God in those dayes made a couenaunt with the people of olde time it is in farre other taking with vs nowadayes â—ebr 8.6 that is to say infinitly better And for proofe thereof the pledges of those times were earthly and serued to keepe folke alwayes in feare True it is that God did alwayes set to his mark so as the auncient fathers had an eye to the Lorde Iesus Christe â—â—b 11.2 and were not destitute of this warrant that hee of his free goodnesse was their Sauiour howbeit that was done but as yee would say aloofe But nowadayes God vttereth his couenant vnto vs so largely that wee be sure of the forgiuenesse of our sins and that although there be many thinges amisse in vs although wee haue a number of incomberaunces by reason of our infirmities although wee limpe and hang our winges yea and although wee stumble and take many a fall yet shall not all this let him to vse that inestimable goodnesse of his stil towards vs Iere. 31.9 whereof hee speaketh by his prophet namely that hee will not deale roughly with vs no more than a father doth with his children Seeing then that wee perceiue that our Lord of his free fauour accepteth our seruice though it bee vnperfect and full of faultes wee ought to bee the more willing to giue our selues vnto him euen with all our power And sith wee see it hath pleased him to stoope so lowe as to shewe himselfe to be our father and teacher dealing more familiarly with vs than hee did in old time with the fathers vnder the lawe let not vs on our side be slothfull in comming to him but let vs labor the more earnestly in his commaundementes and striue to withdrawe our selues so from the worlde as nothing may keepe vs from atteining to the holy vnion which is conteined in the couenant that God hath made with vs on the behalfe of our Lorde Iesus Christ. Now let vs kneele downe in the presence of our good GOD with acknowledgement of our sinnes praying him to make vs feele them better that wee may mislyke of them in such wise as after wee haue condemned our selues for theÌ„ our whole seeking may be to feele the mercie that hee hath promised vs not onely in not imputing our faultes to vs but also in correcting them by the power of his holy spirite that wee may all liue in his obedience And so let vs all say Almightie God heauenly father c. On Thursday the xxiii of May. 1555. The xxiij Sermon which is the fifth vpon the fourth Chapter 15 Therefore shall yee take good heede for your selues that yee saw no maner of image in the day that the Lorde your God spake vnto you in Horeb from the middes of the fire 16 That you marre not your selues ne make you anie grauen image or representation of anie portraiture bee it the likenesse of man or woman 17 Or the lykenesse of any beast vppon earth or the lykenesse of any byrd that hath winges which flyeth vnder the skye 18 Or the lykenesse of any thing that creepeth on the ground or the lykenesse of any fishe that is in the water vnder the earth 19 Also that when thou liftest vp thine eyes vnto heauen and beholdest the Sunne and the Moone and the starres with all the hoste of heauen thou bee not deceiued and bowe downe before them and serue them seeing the Lorde God hath imparted them to all people that are vnder the whole heauen 20 But as for you the Lord hath taken you and drawen you out of the yron fornace of Egypt to be vnto him a people of inheritance as you be this day WE haue seene already heretofore the care that God had of his people in willing them to take heede to themselues and to watch well for their soules For by those words he sheweth howe deare chare our soule health is vnto him Here we see the like againe Take heede to thy selfe saith he and keepe thy soule If God did not beare a singular good will to men he would not speake so And therefore wee haue a sure and infallible warrant that God seeketh our saluation to the end that we on our side shall thinke vppon it also But wee must marke therewithall whereof he treateth here that is to wit of the worshipping of God purely without disguysing of his maiestie Then is it a token that the same belongeth chiefly to our saluation and that wee runne to ruine and destruction when we swarue aside from the pure religion and fall to deuising of any thing that beseemeth not God If wee doe so the diuell reigneth among vs and GOD must needes forsake vs. Wherefore let vs learne that the holding of religion purely in such sorte as God alloweth it as a thing of no small importance For this kinde of speach were vnexpedient if to make images were either lawfull or but a small and light fault and surely God would not
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
inclined to euill as there needeth not any thing to thrust vs out of the way and therefore it were expedient for vs to come together dayly in the name of God But what We see that men wil scarse meete vpon the Lord his day and that moste of them must bee held to it as it were by force Considering then that there is such infirmitie in vs let vs vnderstand that this order was not made al onely for the Iewes that they might haue some day wherin to come together but also for vs so as it belongeth to vs as well as to thē But yet herewithall we haue to marke that this is not all for it were a very slender order to haue a rest of our handes and feete and to go no further than so What then we must apply this rest to a higher purpose we must refraine from our owne businesse which might hinder vs from the minding of Gods workes and wee must call vpon his name and exercise our selues in his worde If wee spende the Lordes day in making good cheere and in playing and gaming is that a good honoring of God Nay is it not a mockerie yea and a very vnhalowing of his name Yes But when the Shopwindowes are shut in on the Lords day and men trauel not as they do on other dayes it is to the ende wee shoulde haue the more leasure and libertie to intend to the thinges that God commaundeth that is to wit to be taught by his worde to meete together to make confession of our faith to call vppon his name to exercise our selues in y e vse of his Sacramentes That is the purpose whereunto this order ought to serue vs. But now let vs see if those which name themselues Christians discharge themselues as they ought to do Behold a great number thinke to haue y e Lordes day most free to followe their owne busines reserue that day for the same purpose as though there were none other day for them to appoynt vppon of all the weeke long And though the bell tole to bring them to the sermon yet it seemeth vnto them that they haue nothing else to doe but to thinke vpon their busines and to cast vp their accounts concerning this and that matter Othersome fall to gluttonie and shut vp thēselues in their houses because they dare not shewe a manifest contempt in the open streetes but yet the Lord his day is to them but as a couert to shrinke aside in from the Church of God And hereby it appeareth what affection we haue towardes all Christianitie towardes y e seruing of God seeing we make that thing an occasion of withdrawing our selues further of from God which is giuen vs for a helpe to bring vs neerer vnto him And againe be we once gone astray it serueth to pul vs quite and cleane away And is not y t a diuelish spite of men yet notwithstanding it is so cōmon a thing as is pitie to see and would God that examples were more rare and further of to be found But y e worlde sees how all thinges are vnhallowed insomuch that most folke haue no regard at al of y e vsing of that day which was ordayned to withdrawe vs from all earthly cares and affaires that wee might giue our selues wholy vnto God Furthermore wee must vnderstand that the Lord his day was not appoynted al onely to the hearing of Sermons but to the ende wee should apply the rest of the time to y e praysing of God Yea verily For although he feede vs euery day yet doe wee not minde his gratious benefites sufficiently to magnify them In deede it were a poore thing if wee minded not Gods benefites but vpon the Lordes day But because we be occupied too much about our owne affaires on the other dayes therefore wee bee not so much giuen to serue God in them as vppon the day which is assigned wholy therunto The Lord his day then must serue vs for a tower to mount vp into to vewe Gods workes a farre of as a time wherein we haue nothing to let vs or to keepe vs occupied but that we may imploy all our wits to consider the benefites and gratious gifts that he hath bestowed vppon vs. And if wee can put this thing wel in vre that is to say if we can consider Gods workes vpon the Lordes day surely we shall be the more giuen vnto it all the reste of the weeke after and the minding thereof wil as it were fashion and polish vs aforehand so as our musing vppon his workes long afore to the intent wee may knowe how to fare the better by them wil leade vs to yeeld thanks vnto our God vppon the munday and all the weeke after But if the Lordes day be spent not onely in games pastimes full of vanitie but also in thinges quite contrarie to God so as men thinke they haue not kept holy the Lorde his day except God be offended diuers wayes if the holy order which God ordeyned to bring vs to him be broken after that fashion is it any woonder though men play the beastes all the weeke after What is to be done then Let vs assure our selues that it is not enough for vs to goe to some Sermon vppon the Lordes day to receiue some good instruction to cal vpon the name of God but we must also digest the same thinges and bende all our wittes to consider the gratious thinges that God hath done for vs and by that meanes wee must frame our selues to the thinges that may leade vs to our God without further trauel on y e Munday or of all the weeke after And to the intent we may not doe aught else than record y e thinges by good leasure which we had learned afore let our mindes be discharged of all things that may hinder vs or plucke vs backe from the considering of Gods workes Thus ye see what the order is which we must keepe at this day It is not to keepe the ceremonie so straite as it was vnder the bondage of y e lawe for we haue not the figure or shadowe any more But it serueth to cal vs together that we may be inured according to our infirmitie to apply our selues the better to y e seruing of God and to dedicate that day wholy vnto him so as we may bee vtterly withdrawen from the worlde and the same may stand vs in stead all the rest of the weeke as I sayd afore Yea and wee haue to marke also that it is not enough for vs to thinke vpon God and his works vppon the Lordes day euery man alone by himselfe but that wee must meete together vppon some day certeine to make open confession of our faith In deede this ought to be done euery day as I haue sayd afore But yet in respect of mens rawnesse and by reason of their slothfulnesse it is necessarie to haue one speciall day dedicated wholy thereunto It is true that
companie to open a gap to Satan by acquainting theÌ„selues together so as they may bee caught in his nette and giue themselues ouer vnto him in bondage it is whoredome before God And although there be no deed done no nor any thing fully agreed vppon yet will not God leaue such doings vnpunished for it is too manifest that they were attempted And hereby it appeareth how fond and childish a shift it is to excuse ones selfe by saying that it is not euill to doe this or that so there be no intent to doe euill As for example such as delight in dauÌ„cing and dissolutenesse is that so euill a thing say they so long as there bee no whoredome committed yea truely It is all one as if they would mocke God of set purpose and blindfold his eyes to buffet him and in the meane while bid him gesse whether it be euill or no. It is well knowen that dancing can be no better but a prelude to whoredome to open an entrie purposely vnto Satan and a crying out alowd vnto him y t he should be bold to come in That is alwayes the very effect and substance of dauncing If thou say I meant no euill thou makest God a lyer Behold S. Paul auoweth that lewde wordes corrupt good manners 2 Cor. 15.33 Yea and hee alledgeth that saying of an heathen man of purpose to make vs the more ashamed Menander If we admit not the doctrine giuen by S. Paul let vs goe to schoole to y e wretched infidels and idolaters for thy coulde good skill to alledge that vnhonest speech corrupteth good manners Now when mens tongues are infected with naughtie and vnchaste talke and there is nothing in their behauiour and wordes but signes and marks of vtter dishonestie if they say hereupon that they had none euill meaning is it not a manifest belying of the holy Ghost Yes and therefore let vs marke that whereas al whoredome is forbidden it is meant that wee should behaue our selues modestly both in our wordes and in our gestures that there should be no inkling of loosenes in vs that may tend to whoredome or whorishnesse It is true that all thinges are cleane to them that haue a cleane conscience â—â—t 1.15 but yet for all that we must beware that Satan ouertake vs not least hee make some breach vpon vs. Thus ye see y t this precept ought to be considered in such wise as we must haue an eye not onely to the very deede of whoredome but also to all that matcheth with it to al appurtnances of it to all that commeth neere it and to all that may intice or induce vs to it To be shorte wee must come backe to that which I touched euen now out of S. Paul namely that as wee must not doe any man wrong either in his person or in his goods so must wee also liue honestly and put away all loosenesse and disorderednesse from vs. And lyke as all lewde talke and dauncing and other vnchaste dealinges are condemned before God for kindes of whoredome so let vs marke that all other loose misbehauiours shall be condemned lykewise Yee shall see a sorte of drunkardes that cram themselues lyke brute beastes And when they be so full that they be ready to burst theÌ„ fling they themselues into all maner of filthinesse till they euen stincke again not perceiuing their own shame Therefore wheÌ„ men behaue themselues so beastly y t they play the drunkardes and gluttons and moreouer abandon their bodies to all villanie thinke wee that they shall scape Gods hand and not be cursed as whoremongers though they commit not whoredome in actuall deede Yes Yee see then that the sobernesse which Paul speaketh of doth tell vs that if wee will bee chaste and stayed before God wee must not onely absteine from whoredome it selfe but also vse our eating and drinking soberly for our nourishment and not to prouoke vs to lecherie so as wee should haue no more stay nor holde of our selues That is a thing which we haue to marke further But now it will be alledged and howe then can we absteine from al vncleannesse considering the frailtie that is in our fleshe For we see how little stay men haue of themselues whereby it appeareth doe what they can how sinnefull our nature is True it is that men be not able to be chaste for our Lorde will haue vs to feele the cursednesse of Adams sinne in that behalfe that is to say in the vnrulynesse of y e flesh if hee himselfe preserue vs not by speciall gift accordingly as it is sayd that it is not giuen to all men 1. Cor. 7.7 but euery man must consider what GOD hath giuen to himselfe 1. Cor. 7.9 and he must vse the gift that hee hath assuring himselfe that hee is so much the more bound vnto God But yet howsoeuer he fare mariage is prouided for a remedy to all such as haue no stay of themselues Although then that God list to leaue this marke of infirmitie in vs yet doth hee appoynt a conuenient remedy for it Is a man fraile in his flesh or a woman lykewise In deede it is a vice and although it bee as it were a naturall inclination yea proceeding of the corrupt nature that wee take from Adam yet is it to bee condemned of it selfe For all such vnstayednesse is farre off from the excellent dignitie which God did put in mankinde of purpose that wee should haue borne his marke haue bin as Angels Therefore all vnrulinesse of the fleshe is sinne Notwithstanding forasmuch as our Lorde beareth with vs he hath ordeyned a meane whereby y e sayd vice shal not be imputed no stead we must be faine at length to come to account before y e heauenly Iudge and theÌ„ shall wee feele how it was not for naught y t he sayd by his prophet Zacharie Zach. 5.3.4 y t his curse shal light vpon the forsworne person and vppon y e theefe y t is to say whersoeuer we offend what poynt of y â— lawe soeuer it bee hee will finde meanes well enough how to punishe vs for it Men then may well either iustify or flatter themselues but yet for all that God will in the end vtter his wrath both against forswearers and against theeues Howbeit to the intent wee may know Gods will the better let vs marke that hee vseth the worde Theft to make vs hate all deceite and robbery and all maner of wrong that wee can deuise to doe to our neighbor as hath bin shewed heretofore in the expounding of murder and aduowtrie If a man call one theefe he will take displeasure at it for it is a worde of iniurie insomuch that hee will not abide to bee so dishonested before the worlde Now God to bring vs to the hating of all fraud couin deceit guile harme hurte extortion which we may doe to another man in his goods setteth them all downe by the one name
be a traitour to God and yet if he crie out against them by and by he shal bee answered what now The Gospell teacheth you to win all men by gentlenes Did not Iesus Christ cal sinners louingly vnto him by forgiuing them their faultes Nowe then shoulde the preachers of the Gospel vse such rigour Verily as who shoulde say that Iesus Christes will were that men shoulde abuse his grace to stablish the kingdome of Sathan that sinne might haue full scope 2. Cor. 10.4.5.6 and men winke at it and let it passe vncondemned Nay contrariwise he saith that by the Gospel hee exerciseth a iurisdiction to condemne the whole world Beholde the thing that he ameth at is that when we be tolde of our naughtinesse wee shoulde bee so ashamed of it as wee shoulde not knowe whither to flee for refuge but onely to his grace and that wee shoulde bee vtterly confounded in our selues Therefore let vs marke well howe wee bee forbidden to diffame our neighbours vpon any hatred or euill will but yet wee bee commaunded on the contrarie part to blame the euill and to rebuke them lustily that doe amisse to the ende wee may assay to bring them to good againe and also make other men take heede that they bee not corrupted by euill examples This wil be the better vnderstoode if on the one side wee take y e meaning of our Lord Iesus Christ where hee saieth that whosoeuer calleth his brother foole Matt. 5 22. shall bee in daunger of hell fire and whosoeuer doeth but grunt at him is alreadie damnable And on the otherside whereas it is saide that wee must rebuke the fruitlesse workes of darkenesse Eph. 5.11 let vs abhorre the euill as sainct Paul himselfe saith auouching to the Corinthians that if the Gospell bee preached as it ought to bee 1. Cor. 14.24 25. they that heare it shall bee constrained to glorifie GOD by casting themselues vppon the earth that is to say by beeing ashamed of their sinnes And why Because they be brought to light where as they were hidden before Whereas their sinnes were not knowen they see themselues as it were diffamed before GOD and that it is not for them to hide themselues any more Then if I doe but grunt of ill will against my neighbour yea though it cannot be saide that I haue called him naughtipacke vnthrift or foole but that I haue but onely nodded my head at him or made but a flirt at him with my finger behold it is a false witnessing before God And why For I despise my neighbour and am desirous to shame him And what moued me thereto The misliking of him which I haue conceiued against him But on the contrarie part if I bee desirous to giue my neighbour good counsell and to seeke his weldoing so as I am not ledde by any euill affection but I woulde procure his welfare as much as in me is I may well say vnhappie man looke to thy selfe it seemeth that thou intendest to sell thy selfe to the deuill wilt thou bee a slaue vnder that cursed bondage Thou shewest indeede that thou art witlesse and starke madde seeing thou wilt receiue no warning Wilt thou needes perish so vnhappily Go like a wretch as thou art euerie man ought to spitte in thy face I may alledge all this to a man and yet doe him no wrong For why I coulde not otherwise reclaime him When I see that Sathan hath so hardened him that hee had neede to bee quickened vp with maine strokes of the hammer I may deale thus vehemently w t him and it is the next way to couer his faultes For to what intent doe I so but that they shoulde be pardoned at Gods hande and that he should no more be diffamed to the worldward It greeueth me to see him pointed at with the finger it greeueth mee to see him a laughing stocke to al men it greeueth me to see him set as it were vppon a scaffolde for all men to gase at I say this geere greeueth mee and therefore I labour to bring him into the right way againe In so dealing there is no wrong at all But yet for all this we must not take leaue to bee ouer bitter For although wee bee verie well minded and bee not caried with any euill intent yet may wee soone doe amisse Gal. 6.1 if we be too sharpe in rebuking And therefore doeth Sainct Paul warne vs expresly to deale mieldly in rebuking such as haue offended And why Consider saieth hee that thou thy selfe also maist fall Therefore let vs bee mielde and gentle to our neighbours as wee woulde they shoulde bee to vs in like case But howe soeuer the worlde goe let vs speake of vyces without colouring of them and let vs indeuour lustilie to correct offenders according as they bee able to beare and after as wee see them disposed and let charitie and brotherly loue moue vs thereunto for if wee pray God to guide and gouerne vs in this case by his holy spirite the thinges that are spoken roundly and charitablie cannot bee counted an iniurie Yee see then that the way for vs to keepe this commaundement is to beware that wee doe not so much as once open our mouthes to speake one worde of rayling or slaundering vppon enmitie or euill will and yet notwithstanding to rebuke offenders plainly and mieldly as wee would that others should do to correct vs in like case if neede required If we vse this vprightnes then shall we not bee false witnesses against our neighbours Furthermore let vs marke that where as Falsehoode or Falsenesse is spoken of wee bee not onely forbidden to inuent or forge any lye so as the thing that wee speake shoulde bee contriued without any colour of trueth but if a man doe maliciously marre deface or disgrace the thing that is not euill of it selfe beholde it is alreadie a false witnessing According wherevnto it is saide that the parties which gaue euidence against our Lorde Iesus Christ Matt. 26.60.61 that he had saide Destroye yee this Temple and in three dayes I will builde it vp againe were false witnesses and yet not withstanding it is verie certaine that Iesus Christe had saide so and that hee had spoken the selfe same wordes with his owne mouth Why then are the reporters of them called false witnesses The reason is because they wrested the wordes of the sonne of GOD to another sense than hee had spoken then and therevpon went about to ground their owne furie and to charge him with wicked slaunders as though hee had spoken of the meteriall temple of Ierusalem whereas he ment his owne bodie Col. 2.9 which is the very temple wherein dwelleth the sulnesse of the whole Godhead for he is God manifested in the flesh 1. Tim. 3.16 So then we see in fewe wordes that the falsenesse which God condemneth here is not the contriuing of some lie nor the forging of some thing that was neuer done
their condemnation and finde themselues all accursed Therefore they must haue none other refuge but to Gods mercy they must vnderstand that when they haue inforced themselues neuer so much to liue according to Gods Law yet shall God owe them nothing at all neuerthelesse hee will not faile to performe his promise to them euen of his owne mere and freebestowed goodnesse And so ye see how this text is to bee vnderstoode Nowe forasmuch as here is mention made of the Land that was promised to the Iewes let vs marke that we nowadays ought to bee much more prouoked to serue God Iohn 4â—â— seeing hee hath dedicated the whole earth to himself wil haue his name to bee called vpon euery where For the bloudshed of our Lord Iesus Christ hath saÌ„ctified the whole world which was then in vncleannesse For we knowe there were no moe lands but this which God reserued to himselfe and wherein he would reigne til the comming of his sonne But when our Lord Iesus Christ was once come then got hee the possession of the whole worlde Psal. â— â— Mat. â—â— â— Colos. â—â— so as his kingdome was extended from the one side thereof to the other specially at the publishing of the Gospel Seeing it is so let vs marke that we nowadayes are so much the more straitly bounde to serue God because he hath sanctified the whole earth by the precious bloude of his sonne that wee might dwell in it and liue vnder his reigne and beware that we addict our selues vnto him as well as we would that hee should haue vs in his protection and safekeeping Howbeit forasmuch as men are alwayes so ticklish that as I haue saide alreadie they cannot bee bridled ynough to restraine them Moses confirmeth the whole doctrine that hee had vttered heere saying Harken therefore O Israell the Lorde thy God is one God Hee had saide afore Hearken he had saide take heede hee had saide that it behoued them to keepe the law but heere hee confirmeth the whole matter much better by setting downe expresly that the God of Israel is the one God And hereby his meaning is to exclude all the Gods which the world forged to it selfe and to shew that it is not lawfull for vs to conceiue any thing in our owne imagination whereof wee haue not warrant in Gods woord Therefore whereas the God of Israel is called the one God it is all one as if Moses should compare the God that had set foorth his lawe who had also manifested himselfe before to his seruant Abraham and to the Patriarkes with all those whom the worlde weened to be Gods and should set him against them all For in deede God had beene called vpon in all ages and that name was common to the heatheÌ„ But what for that The Heathen wandered at rouers so as euerie man said I worship God And yet in the meane while what was it they did nothing but dreames and fantasies for when men take vpon them to worship God without knowing him no doubt but they worship idols The Turkes at this day doe say they worship the God that made heauen and earth but yet is it but an idoll which they worship And howe so They name him the maker of heauen and earth and they haue none images That is true but yet for all that they haue but an idoll in stead of God bicause they admit not our Lorde Iesus Christ Col. 1.15 Hebr. 1.3 1. Ioh. 2.23 who is y e liuely image of God his father And we knowe how S. Iohn saieth that he which denieth the sonne denieth the father too Therfore they haue not God but an idoll As much is to be said of the Iewes The Iewes boast of their hauing of the lawe and of their worshipping of the God of Abraham Isaac and Iacob But what for that Rom. 10.4 Col. 2.17 They bee but backsliders and haue renounced Gods lawe for as much as they haue reiected Iesus Christ who is the soule of the law It is he in whom God the father intendeth to manifest himselfe vnto vs It is he whom he will haue to bee worshipped And in that respect he saieth Kisse the sonne whom I send vnto you And againe Psal. 2.12 Ioh. 5.13 he that honoureth not the sonne honoreth not the father that sent him Let vs marke wel then that here Moses meant to compare the God which vttered himself by his word with al the Gods that are honored through the whole world and to shew that in them all there is nothing but mockerie and leasing And why For wee can neuer worship God aright vnlesse we first knowe him And wee must alwayes haue an eye to this saying of Iesus Christ which hee spake to the woman of Samaria Iohn 4.21 yee knowe not what ye worshippe Iesus Christes vsing of such speach is as much as if he shoulde spit at all the worshippings which y e world had set vp in those dayes There was not that nation which boasted not themselues to serue God but Iesus Christ reiecteth quite and cleane the things which meÌ„ tooke to bee good and holy Ye knowe not what ye worship saieth he Hereby he sheweth that it is expedient for vs to be told of it We must not goe to it at all aduenture but wee must bee sure which is the God whom wee serue And seeing it standeth vs on hand to knowe God if wee will worship him and serue him aright let vs consider from whence this knowledge coÌ„meth Groweth it in our owne garden as they say May wee get it by our owne trauell or policie Is it lawfull for euerie man to imagine what he listeth and to say I knowe God No no but God must bee faine to vtter himselfe and to come vnto vs. And so the onely meane to knowe God aright is to be taught by his woorde And that is the cause why he saieth The Lord thy God For this people had receiued the lawe and beside the couenant had bin made with their fathers God had shooled out that flocke from the rest of the world Iustly therefore doeth Moses here bring back the people to the knowledge of God to the ende they shoulde restraine themselues from all the superstitions of the heathen and haue nothing at all to doe with the vnbeleeuers but know that in as much as God had manifested himselfe so familiarly vnto them they had the certaine and infallible trueth Now although this was spoken in the time of the lawe yet doeth it agree better still to vs. For although God gaue the Iewes sufficient warning that they should not haue to doe with the defilings and idolatries of the heatheÌ„ yet haue wee a much larger light nowe adayes since the comming of our Lorde Iesus Christ. Col. 1.15 Hebr. 1.3 Hee is the liuely image of God his father as I haue sayde alreadie and we may well agree to this saying in the first of Saint Iohn Iohn
and then doe wee knowe him And this certaintie of being fully resolued that we worship not a new forged god or a god that is brought in by men but the same God to whom all praise is due is the verie foundation of all Religion Herewithall let vs beare in minde that he will bee worshipped all alone not onely by reseruing to himselfe the name of God but also by hauing all that is his that is to wit all that belongeth to his Maiestie and as ye woulde say to his office I speake after this maner to expresse the better that God hath not respect alonely to his being His will is not that men should onely call him the euerlasting or confesse him to be the maker of the world but that they should also knowe him to bee almightie and that it is he to whom the gouernment of vs belongeth it is he in whom is all vertue wisedome goodnesse and righteousnesse it is he to whom wee must runne for succour it is hee in whom we must put all our trust it is he to whom wee owe all glorie Yee see then how Moses in shewing that there is but onely one God meaneth that men should commit themselues vnto him knowing that they be in his hand that they bee maintained by his onely power that it is he at whose hand they must looke for saluation and all welfare and finally that it is he in whom they haue their lyfe moouing and being and therefore that it is he whom wee must honour Act. 17.28 Psal. 50.14.15 as well with prayer and supplications as also by praise and thansgiuing And nowe to shewe his meaning the better Moses addeth Thou shalt loue the Lorde thy God with all thy heart with all thy soule and with all thy strength In these wordes wee see the thing that hath bin touched alreadie that is to wit that Gods intent is to hold vs wholly to himselfe and to possesse vs in such sort as wee serue him not by halues ne wander in the meane while to and fro Then like as God of his gratious goodnesse giueth himselfe to vs so doeth it behooue vs to bee altogether his possession and inheritaunce That is the summe of the thinges contained in these wordes of Moses where he speaketh of the louing of GOD with all our heart with all our soule and with all our strength As if he shoulde say There is no meane way in this case deceiue not your selues by imagining to serue God by parcelmeale and by making any restraint from him for he will keepe his owne right throughout in all points What is to be done then You must giue your hearts wholly vnto him so as ye reserue not any peece of it to idoles For that were a corrupting and a bastarding of his seruice eyther he must haue all whole or else he will haue none at all accordingly as we see how he renounceth the people in Ezechiel for mingling of superstitions with his Lawe Goe your wayes saieth he and serue your owne idoles I will no more of you He giueth them leaue and casteth them vp to Satan telling them that hee liketh not any of all the things which they doeâ— for he will not bee matched with idoles What an outrage and blasphemie is that Thus then we see now the meaning of Moses Now as concerning these words Soule Minde and Strength the Iewes did misunderstaÌ„d them Their saying is that Thou shalt loue God with all thy soule is as much to say as thou shalt not spare thy life for the loue of thy God but thou shalt set so much store by his glorie that in comparison thereof thou shalt not esteeme thine owne lyfe so as if neede require that thou shouldest die to shewe the loue which thou bearest vnto God thou shouldest doe it Againe Thou shalt loue thy God with all thy minde or Heart betokeneth with them but as it were a comparison so as a man shoulde preferre GOD aboue all other things And finally Thou shalt loue God with all thy strength importeth among them that thou must loue him with all thy substance and with all thy goods so as if the case required that thou shouldest bee impouerished thou shouldest rather giue ouer thy worldely goods than forsake thy God But this exposition is too straite laced and attaineth not to the verie meaning of Moses For proofe whereof there needeth nowe no long discourse For what better expounder of the Lawe is there to bee found than our Lorde Iesus Christ by whose spirit it was giuen For it was at his hand and by his authoritie that Moses receiued the Lawe which wee holde of him So then we must fetch the exposition thereof at his mouth and we must receiue it without gainsaying And for the same cause doe the three Euangelists S. Matthew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 30. â—â— 10. â—â— in the 22. S. Mark in y e 12. and S. Luke in the 10. set downe this louing of God to be the whole summe of the well keeping of the lawe True it is that he addeth Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe Howbeit in answering he saieth thou shalt loue thy God with all thy heart with all thy soule with all thy minde and with all thy strength Our Lord Iesus Christ addeth there one woorde more not to make a new sense but to assure vs the better of the same thing that Moses meant by the wordes Soule and Heart So then he setteth downe Soule Heart and Minde as if he should say The man that intendeth to keepe Gods Lawe well must yeeld himselfe wholly and throughly to the obeying and louing of God Nowe wee see that in our soules first there is the power of thinking when wee conceiue thinges to iudge and discerne of them That is the first power of the soule namely that vpon the insight of things we enter into deliberation and iudgement and conclude one way or other Gods will then is to restraine all these thoughtes to himselfe Againe there is the soule which is not onely the life but also the meane betwixt the thoughtes and the heart For the Heart betokeneth the affections desires will It is one thing to think a thing another thing to desire it and to set a hartie affection vpon it Ye see then that the heart is matched with the thoughtes to shewe that we must loue our God with all our mind And there is the Soule which is as it were betweene both as if it were sayd that whether wee debate and take counsell of our owne affaires we must alwayes begin at the loue of God and referre all thinges thereunto or whether wee couet one thing or other in seeking our own profite Gods loue must alwais gouerne vs so as al our desires be as it were restreined and bridled vnder it Yee see then that the whole soule with all the powers thereof ought to bee throughly possessed with the loue towardes God And the word strength serueth to
shewe yet better that God admitteth not any exception neither may wee reply in this behalfe and say is my doing of this or that an impeaching of any part of my loue towards God No no if thou doe neuer so little a thing that al thy thoughts tend not to the louing of God so as the loue of God doe guide thee all is mard and there is nothing but sinne in thee in all thy whole soule For hast thou any strēgth or power there which is not giuen thee from aboue No. Therefore must thou reknowledge it vnto God of whome thou holdest it Now then seeing that our Lord Iesus Christ hath expounded vs this text wee neede not to make long discourse of it as I sayde afore but onely to holde vs to the authoritie of him which is the very Lawegiuer Now remaineth the practising of this doctrine that is to say to knowe how wee should put it in effect and execution And let vs marke first of all how this onely one text sheweth vs sufficiently that Gods law passeth al our abilities so as it is not possible for vs to fulfill it to discharge ourselues of it or of the hundreth part of it as long as wee liue here beneath For why doe we knowe God throughly as we ought to doe No no wee come farre short of it Then is it impossible for vs to loue him with all our strength and with all our affections for knowledge goeth before loue If our knowing of God bee but in part so as wee be wrapped as yet in much darknesse our louing of God must also be weake lykewise Moreouer wee see what the fondnesse of our minde is for in stead of seeking heauenly thinges wee looke alwayes downeward And if wee be desirous but so much as to lift vp our head wee must be faine to striue and to goe to it by maine force and yet wee returne still to our owne nature How fickle are our desires and how fight they one against another So as men are tossed and turmoyled without ende or measure and haue no rest at all but are tormented with vnquietnesse of ambition on the one side and of couetousnesse on the other Againe they would faine liue at ease and in pleasure and they would faine be had in honor and estimation Finally they be combered with fleshly lustes and such other lyke thinges Hereby then it appeareth enough and too much that wee come farre short of louing God with all our heart and of giuing our selues wholy ouer vnto him as wee be commaunded here And so let vs marke that the righteousnesse of the Lawe respecteth not what men can doe but what they ought to doe We be bound to loue our GOD with all our heart with all our minde and with all our soule Although we haue no such perfection in vs as to come any thing neere it yet notwithstanding wee bee bound vnto it If any man say How so why should God require more of vs than we be able to performe we must consider from whēce the mischief springeth namely euen from our owne fault The originall sin that is in vs is the cause thereof so as we take it by byrth And is it meet y t because we be naughtie and frowarde therefore God should bee bereft of his seruice and lose his right No. If a man haue played the vnthrift and wasted away both his owne goods and other mens shall his creditor bee bound to bring him his obligation and to say take thee here thy bond thou owest me nothing The creditor will at leastwise keepe still his obligation and although the vnthrift haue not wherewith to pay yet ought he to doe homage to his creditor and to stand bound vnto him still and not to deny him his dette Now God deserueth well to bee much more priuiledged than mortall men Wherefore let vs consider that we owe him a hundred thowsand fold more than al the debts of gold and siluer in the world So then Gods righteousnesse is an inuiolable thing so that the order of nature ought rather to bee abolished Now then if men bee lewde and froward doth it follow therefore that they should pluck the sonne out of the skie or make the earth to bee confounded True it is that there happen many confusions by reason of our sinnes insomuch that our Lorde sendeth both raine and thunder hayles and tempestes and such other like thinges but yet for all that the order of nature continueth vnappayred after such turmoyling Therefore wee must vnderstande that although wee bee lewde and there is nothing but vnrighteousnesse and naughtinesse in vs Yet must Gods iustice and righte continue perfecte and vnappayred as in respecte of the commaundementes and we must needes stoope to them and suffer our selues to bee condemned for not dischardging our dueties Do we then heare this summe of the Law Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with al thy hearte with all thy soule with all thy minde and with all thy strength Let it make vs conclude that we be all damned and accursed before God and that there is none other shifte for vs but to flee to his mercie aad that we bee not condemned for any one sinne or for two or three but y t God findeth vs guiltie in al pointes al respects And for proofe therof let vs examine wel y e best works that we can haue done in all our life and there wil be stil some fancie or other to turn vs away so as we shal not goe on so freely towardes God but y t there wil be some temptatiō mingled therwith or som toy to pluck vs back the diuel shal haue endeuered to coole vs. And when it fareth so w t vs it is a plaine corruption to infect y e thing y t shold be good and commendable in our works Ye see then that wee take not any deliberation any counsel or any desire in our whole life but the curse of God is with vs and vpon our heads Were this well printed in our heartes all glorying to the worldeward should bee beaten downe in vs and there would be no more so much meriting wherewith the Papists are so bewitched that to their owne seeming they may enter into account before GOD. Alas they shoulde then see that they be far off from their account Howebeit forasmuch as the Diuell hath blinded them with such pride let vs on our side make our commoditie of this text And sith wee heare that God requireth that we should loue him perfectly with all our heart with all our minde and with al our soule let vs be of opinion that hee condemneth vs vtterly vntil hee haue acquit vs of his owne infinite goodnesse But yet for all this we must plucke vp our hearts and quicken vp our spirites sith wee see that our Lorde prouoketh vs after that fashion For what maketh vs so cold and negligent It is our bearing of our selues in hande that wee
labours are not lost before him but are made account of and redound to our benefit Nowe then we see what is y e meaning of these wordes where Moses sheweth the people that y e Lande had bin promised to their forefathers by othe before they whom he speaketh to were borne Now for a conclusion let vs come to this saying That thou maiest driue out all thine enemies before thee Herein Moses doth the people to wit that no let can hinder them from possessing the land so they serue their God True it is that the land of Chanaan had people in it at that time to keepe possession of it we perceiue how y e spies brought word y t they were Giantes and such as would haue swallowed vp the people of God It shold seeme therfore to haue bin impossible for thē to haue set foote within y e land But God told them y t although his people were barred from al enterance to mans vnderstanding yet would he open them the way by his infinite power so they inclined to serue him Now remaineth that wee apply this to our own vse First of all let vs mark that whensoeuer God calleth vs to his seruice his promising of reward vnto vs not onely in this transitorie lyfe but also in the kingdome of heauen is not to puffe vs vp with selfweening or to make vs to beleeue that wee haue deserued aught but onely to quicken vp our slouthfulnesse and bicause wee bee so lasie in seruing him his intent is to spurre vs forewarde by that meanes Therefore let vs take courage and seeing wee loose not our labour in imploying our selues in Gods seruice let vs goe to it diligently and lustily And whereas he behighteth vs reward let vs assure our selues it is not bicause our workes deserue it Rom. 3.20 Eph 2.9 but bicause that he of his own infinite goodnesse taketh them in good woorth and giueth that tytle vnto them Let that serue for one poynt And let vs marke heerewithall that whereas God calleth vs to his inheritance although he doe it freely yet is it with condition that wee behaue our selues as trew children towards him Eph. 1.4.5.6 2.10 and consider that hee calleth vs vnto holynesse And in deede the very ende why hee calleth vs to bee his people and of his flocke is not that he will haue vs to be intangled and held backe still in this worlde but to sanctifie our selues vnto him that wee may liue holily vnder his obedience for as much as he hath washed and clensed vs by the blood of our Lorde Iesus Christe And Gods calling of vs thereunto is not for our woorkes sakes but for his owne mercie Now if vnder colour heereof wee will needes stand facing with him I haue tould you already what will come of it Therefore let vs haue regard to marche the thinges together which are inseparable that is to wit the free goodnesse of our God and the condition thereunto annexed which is that hee be serued and honored at our handes And besides this although wee see neuer so great lettes which may seeme to barre vs from all entraunce into the kingdome of heauen and that wee be cast vp heere for a pray vnto Sathan and we haue so many enemies that our life is as it weere in hazarde euery minute of an houre yet let vs not cease to hope and to beleeue that our Lorde will keepe vs safe and sure Psal. 8 5.10 if wee walke in his feare Then let vs not passe for all the worlde Although it seeme that all thinges should be turned vpsidowne yet let not all the troubles and incōberances which we see in the world stoppe vs frō going through to the end but let vs reason thus with our selues who is he that hath taken vs into his keeping Is it not our God Is it not he which hath promised vs the inheritaunce of the kingdome of heauen Yes Then is it his office to holde vs by strong hande True it is that wee on our part are feeble but yet his onely power will bee ynough to strengthen vs. True it is that we be inuironed with many enemies but yet our God is a good shield 2. Sa. 〈…〉 he wil be an inuincible fortresse for vs so wee put our trust in him We haue his promise that hee will neuer fayle vs. Thus yee see that God hauing once begun the worke of our saluation will goe through with it in suche sorte Phil. 〈…〉 as wee may glory that his calling of vs vnto him is not in vaine nor to disappoint vs of our hope wherein hee will haue vs to continue vnto the ende Now let vs kneele downe in the presence of our good God with acknowledgement of our faultes praying him that whereas heeretofore we haue abused his power and might too much we may hensefoorth be more diligent in practising his iudgementes and corrections and so make our commodity of them as the warninges which hee hath giuen vs may neuer out of our remembraunce and that as long as it shal please him to maintaine vs in prosperytie and quiet we may be watchfull and stand vpon our garde so as wee turne not from the right way ne tary till he powre out his vengeance vpon vs but indeuour to preuent it as we bee warned to doe and also that in al our lyfe we may continually so repent vs of our sinnes as we may still trauell the better towardes him vntill hee haue gathered vs fully to himselfe to frame vs to the perfection of the righteousnesse whereunto wee tend as nowe 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 Wednesday the last of Iuly 1555. The L. Sermon which is the sixth vpon the sixth Chapter 20 When thy child asketh thee in time to come saying What are these testimonies Ordinaunces and lawes which the Lorde our God hath commaunded you 21 Then shalt thou say to thy chyld Wee were Pharaose bondfolke in Egypt but the Lord brought vs out of Egypt with a mightie hand 22 And the Lord wrought signes and miracles great and euill vppon Egypt and vpon Pharao and all his house before our eyes 23 And brought vs out thence to bring vs in hither and to giue vs the land which he had sworne to our fathers 24 And the Lorde commaunded vs to keepe all these ordinaunces and to feare the Lorde our God that wee might alwayes prosper and liue as wee doe this day 25 And it shall bee counted vnto vs for righteousnesse if wee keepe and doe all these commaundementes before the Lorde our God as he hath commaunded vs. HEere wee haue two reasons to marke why Moses commaundeth that such as were to come after that time should be tolde why God gaue his Lawe to the Iewes and why he woulde haue them gouerned after that maner The one is that it is good reason that Gods
vppon our aduersities is not to knowe them to be as rods wherewith God beateth vs for our chastisement No it is but to frette and chafe against him and to gather matter to grudge at saying what will become of this Shall I alwayes be new to begin It should seeme that God inteÌ„deth to confound me presently for my affliction was great enough afore and was it meete that hee shoulde increase it yet more After y t maner doe we gather a summe of all the miseries which we haue felt from our childehode to our old age Howbeit that is but to sharpeÌ„ our selues against God whereas we should rather thinke thus Goe to my God hath not ceased to chastise me euen from my childhood vpward and if I had returned vnto him surely he would haue spared me but he was faine to dubble his stripes to hold on still because I haue alwayes waxed harder harder rebelled against him ought not y t to haue suffised me if I had not bin quite paste grace But yet for all this I hold on still mine accustomed trade neuerthelesse he ceaseth not to waken me vp with afflictions He is loth that I should welter in mine owne dung and yet doe I continue still in my stubbornnesse and what will come of it in the end After this maner say I must we quicken vp our selues call to rememberaunce the whole time of our lyfe or else we shall neuer bethinke vs of the aduersities that we haue indured but with murmuring grudging against God In lyke case is it with prosperitie If God make vs to prosper afterward cast some affliction vppon vs wee be the more greeued at it insomuch y t in stead of saying with Iob wee haue receiued good at the Lordes hand Iob. 2.10 why should we not receiue euill also for when he doth vs good he is not vnwilling to continue it his ceasing of it is not for that he is become nigardly or vnable to doe vs good any more but because he knoweth it to be expedient for vs to be so exercised that he may try our patience so ought we to thinke But what we on the contrary part say thus it comes to my minde that I was well at mine ease and I had this that To be short wee coulde finde in our heartes to serue Satan so wee might haue prosperitie we seeke to make our selues merry bearing our selues on hand in y e meane while that it is but lost labor to serue God Thus wee see how men turne to the cleane contrary both the prosperitie the aduersitie y t God sendeth them But when we should learne any thing our rememberaunce is very short for if God haue afflicted vs for a time we neuer think of it after In deede as long as the crosse indureth wee can skill to sigh to play the hypocrites to pretend that if God would voutsafe to abate his rigor we will become little Angels but as soone as he withdraweth his hand from vs our nature falles by and by to his olde byasse wee doe but shake our eares a little we neuer thinke more vpon his corrections to doe our selues any good by them If God send vs any prosperitie we haue forgotten them out of hand Insomuch that wheÌ„ we haue once crammed our selues full in stead of yeelding him thanks we fal to kicking against him lyke ouerpampered iades as shall be declared in the two thirtith chapter ye see theÌ„ that our wittes are very short in remeÌ„bring the way wherethrough God hath led vs. Deut. â—â— As touching goods they serue vs not to stirre vs vp to loue our God and to put our trust in him to call vppon him As touching aduersitie it serueth not to humble vs nor to make vs renounce y e world nor to cause vs to bethinke vs of our sinnes that wee might be sory for them and craue forgiuenesse but rather to the cleane contrarie Now then seeing we be so faultie wee haue the more neede to marke well this text the exhortation that Moses maketh to vs here that we may remember the way whereby God leadeth vs. So then let vs dayly haue an eye to y e things wherof we shal haue had experience during this transitory lyfe How hath God dealt with mee euer since I was borne I haue waded through ten hundred thowsand miseries he hath deliuered me from them all ought not this to make me thinke him to be my father and to put my selfe wholy into his protection Againe I haue bin cumbred a number of wayes and God hath alwayes had an eye to me brought me home againe to himselfe How oftentimes haue I tempted him casting my selfe vp to the spoyle and running into the snares of Satan And yet my God would not let me perish Nowe ought not I to perceiue his goodnesse therein Ought I not to betake my selfe to his keeping with the surer trust Moreouer my God hath visited mee with a great sorte of afflictions and shoulde I stil rebell against him Shall I not bee tamed for all the stripes that I haue receiued at his roddes Shall God haue lost his labor in chastising me After this maner must we bethinke vs both in our prosperitie and in aduersitie and that not for once and away but with such imprinting of it in our hearts as we may haue it so inregistred there y t it may neuer be blotted out That is the thing which wee haue to remember vppon this text of Moses Now hee speaketh expressely of the afflictions which the people had indured in the wildernesse as if hee shoulde say that these afflictions heere are profitable for men so they can vse them well and referre them to their right end It is not without cause that Moses vttereth this thing here inasmuch as it seemeth at the first that we caÌ„not thinke vpon our aduersities without griefe and grudging so as they should prouoke vs to repine against God and consequently to shrinke away from him For we know there is nothing more against our nature than to bee poore sicke diseased or afflicted with any miserie they bee thinges which wee hate And therefore when God smiteth vs it seemeth to be the next way to withdrawe vs from him But Moses telleth vs that if we were so wise and wel disposed as wisely to apply to our vse the afflictions that God sendeth vs thy shoulde rather teach vs to returne home to him The Lorde thy God sayth he hath scourged thee And to what end To knowe what was in thy heart and whether thou wouldest keepe his commaundements or no. Here Moses sheweth â— Pet. 4.12 first that Gods afflicting of vs is as an examination to trye what we bee and how wee be minded In deede prosperitie also is a good triall to bewray what is in mens heartes For if a man be any thing at ease he ouershootes himselfe and pleasures
of For hee had spoken of Afflictions and hee had spoken likewise of Gods benefites and of his leading of the people al the time y t they were in the wildernesse Now therefore to all those matters he applieth this finall sentence saying know thou that thy God hath nurtured thee after a gentle and louing fashion so as thou needest not to wander farre or to make long vagaries to know whether thy God hath beene with thee or no he hath applyed himselfe to thee as familiarly as may bee Is not the instruction that hee hath giuen thee so familiar as no man can shew himselfe more familiar That therefore is the meaning of Moses And whereas he saieth Know thou in thy heart It is to the end that men should bee the diligenter in applying y e things to their instructioÌ„ which God teacheth them For it is pitie to see howe dull wee bee of our selues Although God vtter himselfe familiarly vnto vs yet doe not we see him a whit And what is the cause thereof A man that is dulsighted and hath sore eyes discerneth not things well though they be layd afore him Nowe wee bee not onely dimsighted but also starke blinde in Gods workes True it is that he must bee faine to inlighten vs but yet must wee also doe our indeuour and apply our mindes to iudge well of his workes when it pleaseth him to shewe them to vs. And so it is not a needelesse speech of Moses to say know thou in thy heart As if he should say euerie man must enter into himselfe and indeuour earnestly to know the grace and goodnesse of God We must not slumber in that case but euery of vs must do his diligence to the vttermost To bee short these sayinges Let men inforce themselues and let men streine themselues are well woorth the noting For when God teacheth vs by and by euery of vs must enter into his owne heart And now againe whereas hee sayth that God taught or trained his people as a man doth his Children It is to cut off aloccasion of starting holes that men might not pretend any ignoraunce For in as much as thinges are declared here according to our rudenesse wee cannot excuse our selues by saying that our wit is too dul and that we be vnable to mount so high for this doctrine is giuen vs familiarly ynough To the end therefore that no man might take occasion of excuse Moses sayth at a woord what hath not thy God taught thee after a commoÌ„ fashion and as men doe When a father intendeth to teach his child will he do more than thy God hath doone to thee Nowe sith it is so these thinges were not spoken for that time onely but our Lorde woorketh after the same maner yet still at this day so as wee may perceiue the thinges that Moses telleth them heere Rom. 〈…〉 In deede Gods woorkers are likened to a bottomlesse pit and it is not lawfull for vs to bee so inquisitiue of his doings as to seeke to know all the reasons of them for we be not able to conceiue them and therefore as we haue seene in Iob Iob. 16â—â— we must be contented to see the outleetes of his woorkes And this similitude importeth much where it is saide that wee see but the outleets that is to say the outermost partes of Gods woorkes As for to attaine to the middes of them or to search al that which lyeth hidden within that is vtterly vnpossible And let vs beware of rushing so farre for God would surely punish our rashnesse But yet must wee looke vppon the outleets and listes or bondes of Gods woorkes and take such taste of them as wee may learne so much of them as may bee for our welfare and saluation If wee doe so wee shall perceiue that God applyeth himselfe to our rudenesse and that hee dealeth with vs after the maner of men that teach little children instructing vs in such wise as wee cannot say to him yea but I am not as an Angell of heauen to comprehend Gods doings For as I said God vouchsafeth to stoope to vs to the intent wee should vnderstand his workes he becommeth familiar with vs. Of whom is it long then y t we profit not by the instructions that he giueth vs For wee cannot say but y t he manifesteth himselfe to vs so many ways y t there is no more excuse for vs if we knowe him not Verily euen by the order of nature wee may knowe him generally as by the seasons of the yeere by the growing of fruites vpon the earth and by the shining of the Sunne the Moone and y e starres Euen by these thinges may we see that our Lord hath applied himselfe wholly vnto vs and to the feeblenesse of our vnderstanding and that he hath as it were transfigured himselfe by taking vppon him the person of a man to the end that we might know him Again when he scourgeth vs doe wee not see that hee handleth vs as a father handleth his owne children If he see a man wax ouerlustie and malapert after hee hath borne a while with him he taketh the rod in his hand For on the one side he warneth vs by his word And afterward if he smite vs with his hand doth hee not vse the greater kindnesse towardes vs to the intent wee shoulde receiue his corrections to our benefite Againe when he sendeth vs of his benefites it is all one as if a father being desirous to winne his childe by gentlenesse shoulde say vnto him My Sonne what wilt thou doe Who shall maintaine thee when thou art gone away from mee Here thou hast alwayes whereon to liue thou seest howe I take paines for thee get thee to a straunger and see if hee will deale better with thee Nowe then like as a father will speake after that manner to his childe so doeth our Lorde shewe him selfe vnto vs and hee matcheth his worde with his deeds that is to say whereas he sendeth vs prosperitie and quietnesse he telleth vs also that it is to allure vs to him that his gentlenes might winne vs to him and make vs to returne familiarly vnto him and to depart from our sinnes Sith it is so let vs learne that there will be no excuse for us if we take not instruction by al the order which God keepeth to teach vs withall in this worlde For why Hee behaueth himselfe like a mortal man towards vs and worketh not after the manner of his owne incomprehensible maiestie because it woulde confounde vs. Wee be too weake to mount so high and therefore hee stoopeth vnto vs. Seeing then that hee dealeth so friendly on his behalfe Let not vs be so slouthfull as not to enter into our owne harts and to consider thinges accordingly and to inforce our selues to beare Gods benefites well in minde so as we take instruction by them as wee ought to do Thus ye see what we haue to mark vpon that place Nowe Moses sheweth
that they be nothing nor nothing can do and make them to feele it spite of their hartes Therefore were the people of Israell fed after a wonderfull fashion by the space of fortie yeeres together in the wildernesse to the intent that when they were come into the land that had bin promised them and did eate meate they shoulde thinke thus True it is that as nowe God giueth mee meate but it was not alwayes so the time hath beene that hee fed mee with Manna therefore must I needes conclude that mine own power hath not purchased me the things that I possesse I cannot say that I my selfe am y e founder of them I must do homage to my God for them and hold them al of him I must accept them as of his free gifte that he may let me inioy them still for I am worthy to bee bereft of them if I acknowledge not that they come of him Now albeit that this instruction serued for the people of olde tyme yet belonges it also vnto vs to the end that such as possesse goods may vnderstande that they haue none other interest in them than bycause God hath blessed them and powred out his fauour bountie vpon them True it is that God respecteth not the worthines of men in this case for oftentimes he giueth riches to the wicked to y e intent it should turn to their sorer condemnatiō Forasmuch as he hath shewed himselfe so liberall towards them they must come to accoūt be punished dubble if they benefite not themselues by the fauour that was shewed them Yet notwithstanding we must take this for a general rule y t men attaine not to riches by their owne power wisedome or trauell but onely by Gods blessing whereof it hath pleased him to giue a continuall president which serueth not onely for the Iewes but also for vs so as it behoueth vs to vnderstand that although some seeme to be inriched by their greate diligence yet is it Gods blessing which worketh with them after that fashion and that wheras othersome are riche before they be borne so as their auncetors haue purchased them great possessions yet doe none of these things happen to them by chaunce but Gods prouidence ouerruleth all We must say I referre all these things to that which is told vs in the Psalme 〈◊〉 127.2 namely y t a man may well rise earely and go late to bed drinke water eate browne bread not half his fill yet shall he nothing auaile by it vnlesse God reache out his hand and goodnes On y e contrarie part sometimes he will cause goods to light vpō his children as they lie asleepe And y t sheweth vs y t men beguile themselues if they thinke to inrich thēselues by their owne power and y t they be stark mad if they become proud as though their goods came to thē by their owne meanes For in so doing they blaspheme God rob him of his peculiar honor therefore is it good reason y t they also should be bereft of the things y t he hath giuen them As for example if a Vassall shoulde step vp against his lord to whō he hath promised fealtie homage refuse all the dueties y t he is bound vnto his goods should be seased he be turned out of all y t euer he hath wel worthy Now behold here God dealeth his benefits vnto vs as vnto his Vassals reseruing y e royalties still to himself so as he wil be knowne to bee chief Lord of y e fee it is good reason y t he should be so specially seeing he doth it not for his own benefit but for ours Now if we be so malitious and froward as to defraud him to set him besides his right should he not bereaue vs of the goods y t he had giuen vs and make vs poore againe y t he may driue vs of force to sue vnto him Yes so ye see whence y e chaūges come which we beholde in the worlde that whereas a house is riche and wealthy and neuer like to decay a man shall be at his wits endes to see it consume and ebbe away I speake not onely of houses of meane Citizens but also of y e houses of great Lordes which haue so many thousande poundes of yeerely Rent it is a wonder to see howe they waste away first to the halfe then to a third part finally to nothing And how may this come to passe It shoulde seeme that God makes pastime and taketh pleasure in turning of worldly thinges vpside downe howbeit that is bicause of our vnthankfulnesse For as much as men hold not the things with good conscience which he hath put into their hands it is meete y t they should be dispatched of them Therefore it standeth vs so much the more on hand to mark well this doctrine y t is contained in these words Thy God afflicted thee yea euen of purpose that thou shouldest not now say It is mine owne hand that hath gotten me this abundance That if loue good will cannot perswade vs to come to so much reason as to glorifie God by acknowledging our selues to holde all thinges of him at leastwise his scourging of vs may make vs to thinke it and driue vs by some meanes to bee mindefull of his grace so as wee may fare the better by the examples that hee hath giuen vs at all times and not onely haue an eye to the things that wee haue seene in our owne life but also to the thinges which are reported to vs in the holy scripture to haue bin done long ago I say let vs call them to remembrance bicause God will haue them to serue for our instructiō Now if we be vnthankfull to our God in these small things what wil wee bee in the greater things much more vnthankefull as the worlde seeth And if wee haue neede to bee tamed by afflictions owne And therefore when wee thinke vppon the corruption wherein wee bee by the sin of Adam and consider that God hath cleansed vs frō it Rom. 3.26 5.15 Eph. 2.8.9 let vs assure our selues it is Gods free gift as wel as is his continual maintaining of vs and his strengthening of vs at our neede After that Moses hath spoken so he addeth That if the people turne away from GOD and serue straunge Gods God will bee angry with them and they shall perish as the people did whom bee was about to cast downe before them You shall perish after the same maner sayth hee Moseses adding of this threat is to waken them vp the better which cannot thinke vppon God when they bee too full fed with the good that he hath done them And it happeneth well neere continually to all men that if God warne them gently and deale friendly with them and let them sit at rest as it were in his lap then it is no speaking to them for they giue him the deafe
worthinesse and desertes Ye be a stiffenecked people euen such a one as can not bowe vnder the yoke and obedience of your GOD. Whereby it appeareth that you bee not worthie to bee chosen of your GOD or to haue such an heritage allotted you or to bee preferred before other nations forasmuch as ye haue not beene any better than they And he rehearsed the thinges that were yet fresh in remembrance and the rebellions which they had committed in the wildernesse concluding thereupon that they were the lesse to bee excused because they had forgotten the miracles which GOD had wrought in deliuering them from the bondage of Egypt for that made their sinne the haynouser Remember therefore sayeth hee howe yee prouoked God to wrath whyle yee were in the wildernesse And he addeth that the people did it not for once onely but that they went on still from euill to worse and neuer ceased their hardening of themselues in their wilfulnesse and therefore they deserued full well to be vtterly cutte off And so wee must needes conclude that GOD vsed exceeding greate mercie in that he reserued that people to himselfe and brought them into their promised heritage and that he gaue them the inioying and possession thereof of his owne meere goodnesse That is the effect of the thing that is conteined here Nowe wee haue to note first of all that men will neuer come to confesse their faultes and to humble themselues vntill they bee conuicted to their faces I say till they be conuicted as an offender that is arrained at the barre For as wee see that offenders doe shamelessely denie the faultes that they haue committed as farre as they can euen so doe all mâ—n deale when they be cited before GOD they doe alwayes shrinke backe and vse fonde excuses rather than openly stande to the deniall of it The knitting vp of the matter is that they neuer serue him but by constraynte That is the cause why GOD discouereth our leaudenesse to make vs ashamed of it For if hee shoulde not vse vs after that sorte he shoulde neuer compasse vs to make vs to stoope For first wee be combered with pride and secondely wee be blinded with hypocrisie And therefore forasmuch as men are so high minded that they can not finde in their heartes to bee acknowen of their owne wretchednesse and therewithall so besotted that they flatter themselues in their owne sinnes it is requisite that GOD shoulde bring them to it after such manner as wee see heere so as he shoulde arraigne them and lay their faultes afore them For men doe not onely endeuour to iustifie themselues but also proceede so farre as euen to accuse God And that is the cause why he sayeth by his prophete Esaie Well then let vs goe to lawe together and let there be some vmper betwixt vs Esa. 43.26 to see who shall haue the better hande True it is that God can not be subiect to any iudge or vmper for his maiestie can not beare it But hee laugheth mens cursed statelinesse to scorne in y t they repyne so against him and would bring him downe as it were to the barre againste them to weete who had the better case God therefore in respect of such presumptuousnesse sayeth I am contented to haue the matter debated and discussed I will alleage my reasons and you shall alleadge yours and men shall discerne who hath the right and who hath the wrong Nowe hee speaketh not after the same fashion heere but he telleth the people in one worde that if they pretende any righteousnesse of their owne he can well disproue them And for certainetie thereof knowe yee sayeth Moses that yee bee a stiffenecked people We see that this doctrine is more than needefull nowe adayes For if euer men were puffed vppe with pride if euer they were setled in hypocrisie wee see it is nowe in these dayes GOD is mocked with open mouth and yet the wickeddest sorte will needes be highliest exalted and that no man shoulde bee so bolde as to open his lippes against them So muche the more therefore hath this doctrine neede to bee set foorth that all loftinesse may bee beaten downe and no man presume anie more to exalt him selfe to that poynt must wee come Wee see that euen among the Papists they that holde this opinion most namely that men are iustified by their workes are leaudest loselles in all their conuersation Looke me vpon these hypocrites and vppon all the doctors of poperie when they intende to maintaine their owne merites and that men are not iustified by fayth they crie out with full throte and open mouth What Ought not Christians to be a holy people sanctified vnto God And ought not the holie Ghoste to gouerne vs Ought we not to leade an Angelicall life And yet for all this yee shall see them to be whooremongers drunkardes periurers traytours full of vnfaithfulnesse guyle and extortion so as there shall not be one sparke of feare towardes GOD or of honestie towardes man in them And yet notwithstanding they pretende to bee the earnestest defenders of merites and the deuoutest persons that can be insomuch that to heare them yee would thinke there were nothing but holinesse in them when as in the meane whyle their life is most detestable and shamefull as all the worlde may playnely see But yet doe men deceiue themselues after that fashion And for that cause hath Moses sette downe this text not onely for his owne time but also as a rule for vs to practise to the worldes ende Therefore when wee bee tempted with ouer weening so as our fleshe prouoketh vs to presume I wotte not howe to magnifie ourselues lette vs remember what is sayde heere and let vs thinke thus with our selues Howe nowe Consider what thou arte and howe thou hast liued If thou shouldest come to account before GOD couldest thou go through with it Considerest thou not that thou arte one of the miserablest kaytifes in the worlde And when thou goest about to aduaunce thyselfe is it not a robbing of GOD of his righteousnesse that he might not be knowen to bee as he is in deede Yes For Gods righteousnesse can not otherwise shine foorth vnlesse we be vtterly confounded so as we be condemned and hee onely iustified and that wee acknowledge the same willingly Hee then that will haue anie righteousnesse of his owne doeth certainely defie GOD and make warre against him And therefore must wee haue an eye to this warning How nowe What is thy life Art thou able to make aunswere when thou shalt be cited to the iudgement seate of thy maker And therewithall lette vs consider howe it is sayde that for euerie poynte which wee bee able to alleadge for our selues GOD is able to alleadge a thousande against vs so as we must needes be confounded Thus yee see howe men shoulde be ledde to the considering of their liues when they bee puffed vppe with any pryde and bee desirous to iustifie
all others he had giuen them his doctrine he had shewed them his lawe and yet for all that they giue ouer themselues to so cursed a thing Although then that God come vnto vs yet is it certayne that we may start way if hee hold vs not backe not onely by his teaching of vs but also by the power of his holy spirite Now the law had bin published to this people so as they sinned not through ignoraunce neither could they say We wote not how to serue God we are to bee borne withall though wee deuise wayes on our owne head for beholde GOD had vttered his will plainely vnto them and therefore they shoulde haue stayed thereuppon and obeyed it simply without adding any thing vnto it But notwithstanding all this teaching they cast away his whole doctrine and ceasse not to ouershoote themselues as much as if they had neuer knowen any thing Seeing it is so let vs learne that men may well preach vnto vs but when we haue had our eares neuer so much beateÌ„ with Gods truth yet shall we not faile to turn the clean contrarie way except he print the things in our heartes which men shall haue vttered vnto vs with their mouthes I say imprinted them in our hearts made vs to vnderstand y â— that is the thing which wee must sticke vnto That is the thing which we haue to remember vppon that text And whereas Moses rehearseth howe hee was vppon the Mount by the space of fortie dayes and fortie nightes together without eating or drinking let vs note that that was doone for the better authorising of the lawe that it might be receiued with the greater reuerence and that men might knowe it was not a worldely thing And hereby we see that the communicating of Gods word vnto vs is a matter of great importance so as we neede not to doubt but it commeth of him and that we ought to submit our selues vnto it If we haue not that there will bee no religion among vs. Indeede wee may well ynough surmise our selues to haue it but the cheefe groundworke of religion that is to say of faith and of the seruice of God is to be sure of our doctrine For if wee go but by weening as y e paynims Turks al Idolaters doe and as the Papists doe in dreaming vppon their good intentes it is but a toye it is but a building in the aire and vpon imagination Therefore let vs marke well that the first enterance to serue God and to be allowed of him is to bee throughly sure of our rule so as we say not I thought this had beene good it seemed so to me it was tolde me so but that wee haue Gods woord for our guide and then let vs go on hardly wee cannot go amisse as long as we followe that way for our leader will neuer deceaue vs wee shall not be beguiled in obeying him That then is the thing which wee haue to beare in minde for as much as we see that God hath so auowed and authorised his woord as he sheweth plainly that men ought no more to call it in question or to doubt of it But although we see that this is verye needefull for vs yet doe wee see that the worlde makes none account of it Whereof comes it that the Papistes are so wilfull at this day but bycause they shut their eyes at the thinges that I haue nowe touched For if a man examine throughly all that euer they haue surely hee shall fynde that they can alledge none other reason than their owne imagination They can not mayntaine the thinges which they terme Gods seruice and the articles of their faith otherwise thaÌ„ by their owne reason onely bicause other men haue saide it and they beleeue it without further inquirie Therfore are they alwayes in a mamering without any stay or stedines And yet ye see they be so wilfull y t they raile against God his word worke it all the spite they can if a maÌ„ go about to shew them their faults ouersights they be so stubborne as he can nothing preuaile with them Wherefore let vs be y e circumspecter in marking the things y t are set heere before our eyes which is y t we knowe not what Religion or Christianitie is or whether our faith be substaÌ„tiall or no vnlesse we be sure y t we haue the rule of Gods seruice from God himself that our religion is grounded vpon the same Marke that for one point But wo worth vs if we despise the law and make no account of it seeing it hath bin published with such warrantise as Moses reporteth in this text Behold the law is auowed by God himselfe and what surer warrant shoulde men require than y t Could God deuise to warrant his law more than he hath done no and yet notwithstanding after the hearing of y e doctrine contents therof we do but nod our heads at it or rather we be not moued nor touched at al w t it nay we see there is nothing but coldnesse in vs a great number of vs do euen spite it and gnash our teeth at it Now then if wee rebell against God after hee hath so warranted the truth of his lawe what excuse shall wee haue It is not a fighting against the maiestie of GOD Yes verily And therefore all the despisers of GOD may well pretende what excuse they list but yet are they conuicted of open warre making against GOD and against his eternall maiestie and against his diuine and heauenly power Why so For God in publishing his law came as neere men as he could and as neere as they could away with In deede God shewed not himselfe as hee is for wee bee not of capacitie to receiue such knowledge of him but it is certaine that he shewed himselfe according to the small abilitie and slendernesse of men specially at the publishing of his lawe And I meane not onely the Lawe but also the prophets which were added as an appurtenance thereunto bicause they be the expounders thereof Againe what proofe is there of the Gospell God did not only shake the earth at that tyme but also as faith the prophet Aggeus Agge â—â— â— Heb. 12. â—â— and as is alleaged by the Apostle in the Epistle to the Hebrewes hee did shake both heauen and earth so as there was a greater maiesty vttered at the preaching of the Gospell than at the publishing of the lawe Nowe then sith it is so sayth the Apostle y t the Lawe which bringeth nothing but terror vnto men was so magnified what ought the Gospell to bee For the law was but a shadow figure of the things which we haue nowe shewed vs perfectly in the Gospell Col. â— 1â— In the Gospell God sheweth himselfe face to face 2. Cor. 3. â—â— to y e intent y t we should be transformed to his glory Sith it is so what a curse pul we vpon our
had none other foode but Manna God had warned theÌ„ enough that they shoulde no more prouoke him they should at leastwise haue learned it by experience seeing they felt the blowes But they hardened themselues againe against God and although he had made them to feele his hand so roughly yet say they what shall become of vs â—â—mb 11.6 â—3 our soule withereth and wee pine away to the death For here is nothing for vs but Manna we would faine haue some fleshmeate Well They haue their desire but that is to their coste For while the meate was yet in their mouthes Gods wrath fell vppon them so as they were driuen at length to know y t they ought to haue bin contented with so good and happie a state as God had giueÌ„ them In remembrance whereof the same place was named the Graues of Luste 〈◊〉 17.4.7 Also there was another murmuring for water insomuch that whereas they should haue craued water of God they fell to storming against Moses would haue stoned him For these causes it was Gods will that the markes of their disobedience should be printed vpon them that they might remeÌ„ber their naughtinesse as long as they liued vppon the earth therefore hee named those two places the one Masa and the other Meriba As if he should say yee haue striued with me and are entered into contention against me as though yee would bid me battell Ye haue tempted me because ye knowe not yet my power which hath shewed it selfe so many wayes vnto you Thus much concerning the stories which Moses rehearseth here In deede they derserue to bee layd forth more at length Howbeit forasmuch as we haue here but a rehearsall of them as it were at a glaunce we must deale so as we may profite by them and take so much of them as may serue for our instruction Now then seeing that God was so sore greeued with the murmuring of that people in that they abode not the trauell patiently which hee had layde vppon them let vs note that there will be neuer the more excuse for vs nowadayes if we bow not downe our shoulders to beare the burthen meekely without striuing against God First there is this earthly wayfaring whereunto God hath made vs subiect in this worlde Although God gaue many men rest so as they neuer goe froÌ„ home nor as ye woulde say out of their nests yet are we misaduised if we passe not through this world as birdes vpon a bough be not as straungers in it For else God disclaymeth vs giueth vs ouer Sith it is so they that setle themselues in this world as though they should neuer goe out of it doe banish themselues from Gods kingdome and shewe y t the kingdome of heauen belongeth not vnto them And let them not beguile theÌ„selues by protesting that their intent is not so for God hath auowed it to bee so and the Apostle sayth expresly Hebr. 11.16 y t forasmuch as y e fathers were as poore straungers here beneath therefore did God also voutsafe to call them his children Now then as for them that are ashamed to be called straungers in this world they must goe seeke their inheritance with the diuell for they haue neither part not portioÌ„ with God And now must we apply y e thinges to our benefit which it pleaseth God to send vs. Wee see what miseries doe coÌ„monly hem vs in insomuch that euen y e tenderest sort such as seeme to haue y e world at will are most feeble weake and are troubled w t a nuÌ„ber of griefes vexations Howbeit let euery man looke vpon himselfe and according as God dealeth with vs so let vs patieÌ„tly receiue y e afflictions y t he sendeth vs. If our state be hard and combersom let vs not thinke y t if we murmure at it our murmuring shall vanish away into the aire but y t we must come to a reckoning for it before God For if God send not down fyre from heauen after the same maner y t he did visibly punishe the Iewes for their murmuring it is so much the woorse for vs. For if he winke at it punish vs not out of hand his vengeance must needes be y e sorer more terrible And therefore let vs learne to liue vnder obedieÌ„ce to our God Although wee be not handled as we would be in this earthly and flightful lyfe but are faine to be trotting vp and downe so as when wee woulde liue in rest God driueth vs from place to place and when we would faine be discharged of care then are we most vexed let vs receiue all that euer God sendeth vs and let vs make our reckoning to passe through this worlde after the same maner that this people were conueied through the wildernes And let vs learne to practise this saying of our Lord Iesus Christ Matt. 10.38 16.24 that we must beare our crosse after him Lyke as when a man goeth into the countrie hee takes vp his trusse vpon his necke and caryeth such thinges with him as he shall haue neede of so must we bee loden with such fardell as God listeth to lay vppon vs. And let vs not looke one at another for God intendeth not to handle vs all alike Let such as haue most vexation of al vnderstand that God doth it not without cause And let such as haue lesse thanke God for his bearing with their frailtie But yet for all that howesoeuer we fare let vs beware that wee stand not in contention with God by grudging that hee letteth vs not alone in such quietnesse as our fleshe woulde wishe and desire for we wote not what is for our owne profite Marke that for a speciall point But on the contrarie part we see how men are giuen not onely to their ease and commoditie but also to superfluitie and wantonnesse so as it should seeme that they wil needes be merie driue away all care whether God will or no. Whereas by the aduersities which God sendeth vs he putteth vs in minde of our sinnes and laboreth to withdraw vs from this world as though he spurred vs forward to make the more hast vnto him we not only caÌ„not abide it but also seeke meanes to rush forth into all inordinate pleasure euen with open rebellion against him If God spare vs theÌ„ are we the more vnruly wheras we should call our selues home vnto goodnes and liue in the greater awe And therefore let vs be aduised to benefite our selues by the example that is contained here As concerning the Temptation or Strife let vs vnderstand that if necessitie pinch vs so as we be driuen to any streite and know not where to become we must resorte to our God with all lowlinesse beseeching him to prouide a remedie for our neede but yet in the meane while wee must be contented with his good will If it please him to haue vs to languishe let vs hold downe our neckes
knowing of them wee shoulde craue forgiuenesse of them and fall to such repentance as may wholy tame vs and make vs flee vnto him and not be giuen any more to our vices But that is vnpossible for vs to doe vntill wee haue so ouermastered our selues as to mislyke our owne affections with full purpose to renounce them Vntill a man bee subdued after that fashion it is vnpossible for him to yeeld obedience vnto God how faire apparance of vertue soeuer he haue But what So farre off are wee from minding these thinges that by all lykelyhoode wee doe nothing else but blindfolde our eyes that wee might not see our sinnes to seeke conuenient remedie for them See here how the Iewes were condemned for requiring of water and yet were they ready to dy for thirst Yea but the cause why they were not to bee excused was for that they required it with murmuring Whereas they should haue sayd Lord thou knowest what is expedient for vs better thā wee our selues doe and therefore wee referre our selues to thee prouide thou for vs in steade of vsing such humilitie they fall to repining and storming Now wee must not doe so but wee must patiently tary Gods leasure when hee giueth vs not thinges so soone as wee aske them for hee can well skill to prouide for all our needes In deed if it pleased him hee could well content vs and giue vs all our wishes but his will is not to maintaine vs here in such abundance as wee might take occasion to holde skorne of the good that hee doth vs and to despise it by treading it vnder our feete Hee will haue vs to be meeke and lowly that wee may learne to resorte vnto him When a man is in poore estate he beareth himselfe on hand that if God would giue him wherewith to maintaine himselfe plenteously he would be wholy giuen to be thankefull towardes him for his pitying of him But let him once come to wealth and let God deale bountifully with him and what will he doe He wil lift vp himselfe against God and forget him in such sorte as if hee were not the same man that he was before And this vice is tootoo common insomuch that that more our Lord increaseth his benefites towardes vs the more doe we seeme wilfull in despising him and his so doing sharpneth our vnthankfulnesse and malice And therefore let vs consider that the thinges which are tolde vs concerning y e Iewes belong vnto vs forasmuch as we haue the lyke or greater vices in vs than were in them we must vnderstand that Gods intent is to teach vs by them And specially whereas mention is made of their wilfull stubbornnesse at Cades Barne Numb 14.4 where they refused to goe foreward to enter into the inheritance that was promised them let vs vnderstand that we be no lesse worthie of blame at this day before God for that he cannot hold vs in to make vs goe through with our course To what purpose hath GOD called vs into his Church It is as I sayd afore to the end that in passing through this world wee shoulde not be wedded to it but vse it altogether as a wayfaring and as a straunge countrie trauelling still through it towardes heauen For beholde our Lord cryeth to vs both early and late that wee should goe on still to come vnto him But we on the contrary part voutsafe not to remoue one foote to goe to him but in stead of setting forward we retire back or else sit snugging still in our owne slothfulnesse We see it is so Now then forasmuch as our Lord findeth vs so lazie and stubborne that in stead of plucking vp a chearefull courage to goe foreward and to hold on our course vntill wee bee come to the ende of it wee resist him and are loth to passe any further Let vs vnderstand y t this story is told vs to cast vs vtterly down in our selues so as we should not seeke any worthinesse in our owne persons as in deede there is none in vs But yelde God the whole prayse of his benefites knowing that he is not bound at all on his side but that hee doth all thinges of his own meere free goodnes and infinite mercie and therefore that wee on our side ought to sigh beseeching him to correct vs and reforme vs according to his will And for the better perceiuing hereof I pray you after what sort goe we forward when God calleth vs Wee partly limp and partely make many a false step Let euery man examine himselfe and see how foreward hee hath bin since the time that God hath reached him his hand True it is that euen before wee knew the Gospell wee were already without excuse of our rebelling against our God Rom. 1.20 but now seeing hee hath inlightened vs by his word and shewed vs the way of saluation and setteth his will before vs saying come and reacheth vs his hand to guide vs if of all this while wee haue not voutsafed to come vnto him how shall wee excuse our selues Let euery of vs consider how hee dischargeth himselfe and afterward let vs haue an eye to the common state Wee can well speake of Gospellyke reformation and it is a maruell to heare how wee will talke but yet for all that our filthinesse is so stinking as is lothsome to beholde and GOD needeth not to goe vp into his iudgement seate to giue sentence of it for the very infidels and ignoraunt sorte can bee our Iudges And of a trueth they may bee a great shame to vs seeing our lyfe is so leawde and wicked that euen the silie blinde sorte of Papistes may laugh vs to skorne And surely if vtter confusion shoulde fall vppon our heades wee haue well deserued it For by our meanes Gods name is blasphemed and yet notwithstanding wee regarde it not Howbeit the more that wee besotte our selues after that fashion in our vaine selfeflatterie the more will GOD make vs feele in the end that hee will not suffer his chastisements to bee lost To bee shorte let vs remember how Moses sayth heere Euer since the time that I haue knowen you you haue alwayes bin rebellious against God And this Rebelliousnesse whereof he speaketh is expressed lykewise in this saying that they resisted the mouth of God distrusting him and in countring his will Now then if we wil know what it is to be rebellious let vs first of all looke what God hath spoken For the thing wherein hee intendeth to trye vs is whether wee be willing to submit our selues simply in all respectes to his worde after hee hath beene so gratious vnto vs as to teach vs. What else is the holy scripture but an vttering or declaring of Gods will And therefore all that euer is conteined there is as though GOD opened his holy mouth to tell vs what he requireth at our hand Then if our lyfe bee not fully correspondent to Gods worde whereof wee make profession
name should be called vpon there so as he offered the promises of saluation to them that descended of the same race and linage the redeemer y t was to be sent into the worlde was set forth vnto theÌ„ that they might be gathered together vnder him Loe here I say a general election that belonged to al the children of Abraham and yet was that grace to be confirmed by faith but in a parte of them in some of them For we see that many of them were cut off not for that they were not Abrahams children in respect of the fleshe and the worlde But for that they were not his children in spirite and before God which was the chiefe point Rom. 2.28 9.7.8 as S. Paul declareth As for those which were vnbeleeuers and vnthriftes and imbraced not the promise that was made vnto Abraham with true faith those were set beside the inheritance In deede they were accounted for his children howbeit that was but as Ismael was who was not lawfully begotten Now then Gods generall election which extended to the whole people was not sufficient But it behoued euerie man to be partaker of it in his own peculiar behalfe And how was y t to be done by faith But let vs see from whence faith proceedeth but only of Gods wil in that he vouchsafeth to confirm his fauor towardes whoÌ„ he thought good Therfore chose he whom he listed out of this people Eph. 1.13.14 and sealed his promise in their hearts by his holy spirite so as they were made partakers of his trueth it tooke full and perfect effect in them Lo here the double election of God The one extendeth to the whole people because circumcision was giuen indifferently to all both smal and great and the promises likewise were common But yet for all that God was faine to adde a seconde grace by touching the hearts of his chosen namely of such as he listed to reserue to him selfe and those came vnto him he made them to receiue the benefit that was offered them And in deede we see that the greatest number of that people haue bin cast off and as it were banished from Gods fauour so as there remained but a small remnant of them not onely at some one time but also euen after the captiuity of Babilon according to this foresaying of the prophet Esay Esa. 10.22 Although thou wart neuer so many in nuÌ„ber so as thy folke were as the sande of the sea yet shall the remnant of you be very small y t God wil saue For the hypocrites abused Gods promise falsly And because it was sayd y t the people shold be in multitude as the sande of the sea they bragged at the sight of a great number and in the meane while dispised God But he telleth them that he coulde aswell diminish them as he had multiplied them so as there should remaine but a small portion of them And so it came to passe insomuch as the prophet sayth Esa. 1.9 y t if God had not reserued some seede the countrie of Iuda had bin as Sodom Gomorre God had vtterly rooted them out as they had well deserued Now is this very profitable for vs. For nowadayes when it is tolde vs y t we haue the pure doctrine of y e Gospell preached vnto vs we haue the sacrament of baptism for the warrant of our saluation y t is one choice that God maketh of vs. We be no better than other men y t are drowned in ydolatrie abhominations on whoÌ„ God hath not vouchsaâ—ed to looke w t such pity as to make y e truth of his gospel to shine vpon theÌ„ but hath let theÌ„ alone as destitute of all things so as there is nothing but horrible coÌ„fusion amongest them yet in the meane season he taketh vs between his armes and into his bosome vouchsafing to cause his word to be preached vnto vs whereby we see Iesus Christ who inlightneth vs as y e day-sun of righteousnes we haue the sacramentes whereof we knowe the vse Lo here one choise y t God maketh of vs which is well worthy to be esteemed wherin it behoueth vs to coÌ„sider Gods only infinite goodnes for y t he espieth nothing in vs for y e which he should preferre vs before such as are nobler thaÌ„ we haue much more thaÌ„ we to outward appearance But yet is it not ynough for vs to be so choseÌ„ of God as y t he taketh vs into his house admitteth vs to bee of his flocke dwelleth among vs euery of vs must haue an eie to himself so as y e gospel be not preached in vain nor we beare the bare name of Christians without shewing y e effect of it in our deedes For vntil our adoptioÌ„ be sealed by y e holy Ghost let vs not thinke y t it auaileth vs any whit to haue herd the word of God but it shal turne to our double condemnation because y t when God had chosen vs we offended him wheÌ„ he had entered into a couenant with vs wee brake our faithfull promise which wee had made plighted vnto him and therfore me must be punished y e more greuously But wheÌ„ we haue once a warrant in our hearts y t his promises belong vnto vs are behighted vnto vs by reason y t we receiue them w t true obedience sticke to our Lord Iesus Christ suffring him to gouerne vs 1. Pet. 1.10 y t is a sure seale of Gods chosing of vs so as we not onely haue the outwarde apparance of it before men but also the truth of it before our God And like as AbrahaÌ„ was made the father of all y e faithfull before God Rom. 4.11 so are we made his children in spirit truth and not only as in respect of adoption to y e world Thus we see what we haue to gather vpoÌ„ this text vpoÌ„ this declaration y t Moses maketh here to the Iewes And for the same cause he addeth the exhortation which we haue read in that he willeth the Iewes to circumcise their heartes and to beware that they harden not their neckes any more Good reason it is that men should submit themselues to God after y â— maner by forsaking theÌ„selues seeing that his seeking to win vs to him is not for any coÌ„moditie to himselfe as was shewed yesterday but because hee is desirous of our welfare so as hee putteth vs not to the doing of any thing which redoundeth not to our own benefit profit Seeing then y t God respecteth nothing but vs in his alluring of vs to come vnto him should we drag backe in that case Or should wee haue proude and loftie heartes to aduaunce ourselues against him Nowe for the better vnderstanding of this doctrine let vs note that Moses had an ey to the outward signe that was giuen at that time to the Iewes after the same maner that wee haue
for as much as fewe folke doe call vppon God when the world fauoureth them therefore doth God also make no account of them Beholde it is the widowe the straunger and the fatherlesse that are constrained to make their mone vnto him and when they haue looked about them they finde no fauour nor helpe among men They shal be dalyed withall and although some fayre promises be made them all is but holy water of the court as they terme it in so much that the poore soules wote not where to become This kinde of intreatance driueth them to God he hearkeneth to their sighes complaints And so we see that by such examples Moses hath well confirmed the lesson which he had set downe namely that God respecteth no persons For the things that are despised in the world are precious in his sight and whom men hold scorne to bestowe a looke vpon them doth he giue good care vnto Sith it is so let vs mark for the first point that if wee vexe such as are without defence in the world God will set himselfe as an aduersarie against vs. And surely were wee well perswaded therof we wold be more afraid to offend a poore fatherlesse child a widow or a straunger than to offend those that are best friended and are able to reuenge themselues to the worldwarde But what Our vnbeliefe bewrayes it selfe in that behalf in so much that if there be a man that is riche mightie and well propped vp we dare not withstand him And although he haue doone vs some wrong yet we put it vp meekly dare not complaine of it much lesse dare we lift vp our hand against him But as for a poore man we will not tarie till hee haue doone vs some wrong or outrage we wil be at hoste with him aforehand For why Wee feare not that he will be euen w t vs he may not bee so bolde as once to murmur against vs. And if he doe wee can put a barre in his way with who are you sir He shall obtayne no right in Law And if he doe yet shall he haue the worse end of y t staffe Thus stand we in feare of men if they be armed with any power but in y e meane while we feare not God who declareth himselfe to be the defender of all poore folkes y t are destitute of help If we beleeued y e holy scripture surely this only one saying of Moses would more abash vs than all the worldly consideratiōs that could befall vs. On the contrary part when we be so bold in troubling poore folks it is a tokē that we belieue not any whit of al that is conteined in the holy scripture and that we bee worse than heathen folke And yet for all that it is the cōmon fashion of y e world But herby it appereth y t nowadays vnbeleef ouerfloweth y e whole earth like a water flud In deede it is a horrible thing but yet is it so it cannot be denied What is to be done then Let vs loke into our selues If the Armes of a common weale or of a prince bee set vpon a house or vpon a peece of land no man dareth presume into it for it were a breaking of his aleagance and not a priuate offence Behold God setteth his armes or badge vpon y e widowe the fatherles and the straunger he telleth vs that hee hath taken them into his protection Now if a man fal to troubling of them deale outragiously with them is it not an open despising of God and a defying of him as it were to bid him battaile In deede we wil not take it so but God wil not referre himselfe to our vaine opinion and fancie Whatsoeuer come of it let vs marke well that although the widowes bee shaken off as to the worldward though fatherles children bee put to the spoyle though poore straungers be skorned and troden vnder foote yet doth God set neuertheles store by them but hath his eyes continually vpon them and will surely maintayne them And therefore vnles we purpose to haue God our aduersary and that he should shew himselfe to bee our deadly enemy let vs abstaine from all wrong dealing extorsion outrage deceite and malice towards those that are friendlesse in respect of the world and vtterly destitute of all shiftes and after a sorte set open to the spoyle as I said afore Let vs not oppresse them least God set himselfe against vs shew himselfe to be their continuall shield Mark well this first fruite which wee haue to gather of the said lesson that was giuen to the Iewes in old tyme to the end that if we feare not the punishment of men we may yet be afraid of the determinate sentence that God setteth downe which is that hee will not ouerslip the wrongfull trubling of poore folke without shewing of himselfe to be on their side and that he hath taken their quarell in hand according to this saying that he will doe them right He saies not only that he loueth them or that he pitieth them but that he will doe them right Now then if we see that the Iudges on earth do but mocke poore folks when they come to them for succour and y t in stead of helping them they do but skorne them let vs vnderstand that those Iudges must come before the heauenly Iudge who will surely punish both those whome he had put in commission to defend poore folke and also those that haue abused the liberty which they had in this world by dooing the more euill bycause they saw they might scape vnpunyshed God therefore looketh vpon them and yet maketh as though he saw them not for a time so as if men misintreat poore folkes be they widowes fatherlesse or straungers in deede he setteth not himselfe against their dooings at the first but when hee hath let them take their pleasure a while then layes he his hand vppon all such as haue passed their boundes in doing outrage to the feeble and little ones and specially vppon such as haue not doone their office when they were in authoritie to doe Iustice nor haue succoured poore soules when they were oppressed For God must needes redresse such enormities and shew such persons their negligence by setting himselfe against them as against the corrupters of the lawe when it was put into their hand And so ye see what Moses ment in saying y t God doth right to such as are wrongfully trodē vnder foote and are not regarded in the world By the way wee haue also great comforte to receiue of this text so that if wee be destitute of worldly helpes our God here taketh vs into his tuition yea and he taryeth not till we come vnto him but telleth vs that he is our defence and y t he will be our maintainer Now then although poore folk be wronged and haue neuer so much violence offered them so as they be in maner troden vnder foote haue they
born in Adam For what is our original Whence doth God draw vs when he vouchsafeth to haue vs to be of his flock Frō our mothers womb we bring nothing with vs but vtter cursednes we be heires of endlesse death wee be forlorne damned if God should iudge vs after our deserts he should needs be our enemy and aduersary and imploy all his power against vs. Now if our nature be so gracelesse frowarde that as long as it beareth sway in vs it bendeth it selfe against God must we not needs also wage battel against him Yes for looke how many lusts be in vs so many defiances are there as if our purpose were to arme him to vengeance against vs. Yet notwithstanding it hath pleased him to pull vs backe When God taketh vs so to him to be his people and of his houshold it is more than was his deliuering of the Iewes out of the thraldome of Egypt For that was but a figure of this redemption that is wrought by our Lord Iesus Christ. For his deliuering of vs is not from thraldom to some earthly mortal prince but from the gulf of hel from Satans bonds Where doth God take vs when he vouchsafeth to call vs to him to make vs feele his grace Must some messenger be faine to bring vs newes from farre Let euery of vs looke vpon himselfe and we shall finde that as in respect of our selues our state is nothing but eternal death Therefore to applie this doctrine to our vse wee must vnderstand y t when God calleth any of vs to him it is more than if hee had rid vs out of all the bondages and slaueries of this worlde yea euen of the cruellest that could bee indured Let vs know that and also let vs apply our selues aduisedly to the cōsidering of Gods works for that is the thing whereto the scripture bringeth vs to make vs perceiue the benefites that he hath bestowed vpon vs that wee may fare the better by them And it is also a way to bring vs to y e knowing of God and to prouoke vs not onely to worship him as our God and to make vs stoope vnder his glorious maiestie but also to beare him such a childly loue as to come vnto him willingly and to yeelde him such reuerence as he may accept vs and auow vs to bee his for our Lorde Iesus Christs sake Now let vs cast our selues downe before the heauenly throne of our good God acknowledging our wretched sinfulnes y t we may be wholly cast downe before him yet notwithstanding praying him to vouchsafe to admit vs in y e name of our lord Iesus Christ so as we may not be shakē off at his hand though we be worthy of it but rather y t he beare with vs of his infinite goodnes vntil he haue conueied vs quite cleane out of this world clothed vs againe with his owne righteousnes with y e perfection which he hath promised vs. And so let vs say Almighty god c. On Munday the xxiij of September 1555. The Lxxv. Sermon which is the second vpon the eleuenth Chapter 5 And what hee did for you in the wildernesse vntill yee came vnto this place 6 And what hee did to Dathan and Abyram the sonnes of Eliab the sonne of Ruben how the earth opened her throte and swallowed them vp with their householdes and Tentes and with all the substance that was vnder their feete in the middes of all Israell 7 For your eyes haue seene all the greate workes of the Lord which hee hath doone 8 Therfore keepe all the commaundementes which I commaund you this day that yee may bee strong and goe in and possesse the Land whereunto you goe to possesse it WE haue seene heretofore howe Moses hath tolde vs that such as haue bin witnesses of Gods wonders are much lesse to bee excused than such as haue but only heard y e things by report and haue not seene them with their eyes For when God hath beene so gracious vnto vs as to shewe vs his power to our faces it must needs be that we bee too blockish if wee bee not mindfull therof When our children shal but heare of it it shal becom thē to be moued at it what ought then to bee done in the very presentnesse of the things Hitherto Moses hath shewed after what manner God had delt with his people through his goodnes for he had behaued himselfe as an vtter enemie to y e Realme of Egypt to shew him selfe to be the sauiour of the linage of Abraham It is a benefite that ought to bee very highly esteemed when God chooseth vs after that sort to be his which is not for any worthines that he findeth in vs but of his owne onely goodnes in that he vouchsafeth to prefer vs before others so that although we bee no better than they yet he taketh part with vs and fighteth for vs at our neede If folke doe trouble and torment vs and God be alway ready to succour vs is it not such a bond as if we keepe it not vnbroken the verie world may condemn our malicious frowardnes Nowe after he hath spoken of the wonders that were wrought in Egypt in the passing of the red sea he telleth them briefly that they ought to consider well how God handled them in the wildernesse And vnder that speech hee comprehendeth the thing which we haue seene expounded heretofore that is to wit both y e great number of benefits which they had receiued at Gods hand and also his chastisements for both of them ought to teach vs to feare God to walk in his wayes If he do vs good it is to draw vs to him by gentlenes y t we should worship him And if he correct vs for our faults it is to meekē vs y t we may learn to beare his yoke to serue him as becommeth vs. Moses therefore comprehendeth here both twain of them As if he should say Seeing y t God hath fed you w t Manna without any trauell or labor of your own ought ye not to giue your selues al wholy to y e seruing of him If a mortal man had kept you in his house maintained you w t foode apparel should ye not be so bound vnto him as your whole life might bee answerable to such a benefite Behold God hath maintained you in y e wildernes Exod. 16.4 by sending you Manna from heauen Now then if ye shold forget such a gracious good turne what an offence were it Nay he hath not only sent you Manna but he hath also preserued your garmēts Deut. 8.4 so as thei haue not bin marred nor outworne by y e space of forty yeares together He hath shewed himself to be your guide in y e night Exod. 13.21 in giuing you a visible sign by fire he hath kept you likewise a day times from y e heate of y e sun by spreading his
the law the ceremonies such other lyke thinges but yet they wanted not the substance trueth also Now then Gods setting forth of the land of Chanaā to the Iewes was not to the intent they should stand poring vpon y t lyke swine that stand musling with their groyns in their swiltrough but vnder the earthly inheritance which he had promised to their fathers he gaue them a taste of the heauenly heritage accordingly as we see y t in their sacrificing although they offered brute beastes yet were they made partakers of the redēption that is purchased for vs by our Lord Iesus Christ and their offering of y e brute beastes in sacrifice directed thē to y e redemption y t was wrought by the sonne of God Hebr. 9.23.28 11.13.14 when he sheaded his holy bloud to washe away our spottes and sinnes And after the same maner was it w t the land of Chanaan For such was their slender capacitie y t it behoued thē to be guided that way The land of Chanaan then was to thē not onely a pledge but also an earnest penny of the heauenly lyfe endlesse welfare which the fathers hoped for as well as we inasmuch as they had the sme faith that we haue So then let vs marke well that whereas here is mentiō made of the land of Chanaan and of Gods mainteining of his people there in wealth it serueth not to the end that the Iewes should looke for nothing els but earthly things but to the end that by tasting of Gods goodnes in this trāsitorie life they should vnderstād that he had prepared thē another heritage in heauē which was more worth than al the world But our Lord vseth no such maner of dealing with vs nowadayes 1. Tim. 4.8 True it is that as faith Saint Paul vnto Timothie if we walke as becommeth vs we haue promises both of this present life of y e life to come God telleth vs y t he wil not only receiue vs into y e euerlasting life but also y t he wil neuer forsake vs so lōg as we be in this world and in this earthly pilgrimage but will stil haue a care of vs to doe vs good and to succor vs and prouide for vs in all our needes howbeit the heauenly lyfe is the chiefe thing and that is the place whereunto our Lord draweth vs notwithstanding that he ad this present lyfe to it as an accessorie And that is done because wee haue a greater light nowadayes than our forefathers had vnder the Lawe Iohn 1.51 For Iesus Christ is come downe from heauen and hath opened the euerlasting kingdome vnto vs he is gone vp thither as in our person for he is risen againe in y e nature of man which he took of vs. Ye see then y t heauen is now opened and therefore it is not to be wondered at though God speake in a larger language now thā he did in the time of the law For it behoued the people of those dayes to bee led as we see little children are as saith Saint Paule we be come to mans estate Gal. 4.4 in comparisō of them Yet notwithstanding we may gather hereupon that God intending to incourage his people to serue him with the better will telleth them y t he will shewe himselfe a father towardes them euen in respect of this world howbeit not in all pointes but onely so farre forth as may giue them some taste and feeling of his fatherly loue that they may lift vp the eyes of their faith yet higher and vnderstand that God hath reserued the true blessednesse and perfection of glorie for them till they be taken out of this worlde and out of this corruptible lyfe Thus ye see in effect what we haue to gather vppon that text Yea and it behoueth vs to marke wel this saying That thou maist be strengthened Hereby Moses declareth that God for his parte is faithfull and that when hee hath once spoken the worde we may well assure our selues of it But forasmuch as we drag our legges after vs and although he allure vs to him so gently and draw towards vs of his owne accord yet are we lazie slow in comming vnto him we haue need to be strengthened That is the very end y t al y e promises of the lawe do tend vnto It is not meant that God should binde himselfe vnto vs as our detter it is not for that he looketh whether wee haue deserued any thing at all or no neither is it of purpose to bargaine or indent with vs as though he should take vp hackeneies among vs to serue his turne withall by constraint but forasmuch as he sees wee be feeble and haue not so resolute a minde as were requisite but are intangled in this world and held backe with a number of vanities and wicked affections and to be short are not so liuely as to yeelde our selues vnto his obedience his purpose is to strengthen vs and to help vs. He seeth our default and he remedieth it Be strōg therefore And how Euen by considering thus with your selues Go to Our Lord might commaund vs peremptorily at one word for he hath full souereintie ouer vs and we be his by nature And when we haue all of vs streined our selues to the vttermost of our power yet can wee not doe as we ought to doe Yet notwithstāding he will not be serued at our handes w tout recompence but he saith y t if we doe but a peece of that which is due to him he bindeth himselfe to vs for it Sith we see this are we not too leawd if wee bee not touched to the quick amend not all slothfulnesse to go forth vnto God lustily without stopping for any worldly impedimēt or hinderance That is y e strength which Moses speakes of here And he addeth hereunto that it is not enough to be entred into the land but wee must also abide and dwell there for if wee haue once receiued the promise of saluation and God hath blessed vs made vs to prosper to y e worldward we must not thereupon fall a sleepe but wee must still folowe our cause We know that this life is a way and therefore wee must still goe on foreward 2. Cor. 5.6 And whither is it that God calleth vs Saith he to vs when ye haue gone on a little way tary still intangled in the world No but we must trauel stil vpward to the heauenly lyfe And that can not be done without forsaking the world continually more and more Then let vs marke well how it is told vs here y t when God hath once put vs in hope of saluation so as he hath taken vs into his Church and into his flocke and begunne to doe vs good we must not fal asleepe vpon it but proceede on stil assuring our selues y t al is to no purpose vnlesse wee hold out to our liues end without ceasing or
from the common order And therefore whosoeuer hath any zeale and affection to serue God must doe that which is commaunded here in seeking the place that God hath appointed that is to say he must not holde skorne of any thing which he hath ordeined for the confirming of our faith That is one point Againe we must alwayes beare in minde that when God vouchsafeth to plant his name amoÌ„g vs we must not serue him after our owne fashion and after our owne rude manner for his seruice is alwayes spirituall and the thinges that he sheweth vs here beneath must draw vp aloft to heauen And hereby a man may see howe the wretched world hath bin beguiled For y e greatest naunce must bee after such a sort as therewith we must find some further taste of the goodnesse of our God and ioy in him for that hee is our fosterfather of whom we haue our dayly bread as wee professe by asking it at his hande And when we haue taken our repast wee must proceede to take sustenance of y e good things that are prepared for vs in heauen against wee departe out of this worlde that wee may haue some beginning of them afore hande and trauell towardes the attaynement of them dayly more and more That is the thing which Moses ment plainely in this place saying When yee haue offered sacryfice to your GOD yee shall make merry there in his presence For the people were woont to make feastes at their sacrifices And what maner a ones Holy feastes not that God was honoured by their eating and drinking but for that it was a testifying that it behoued them to beare in mind that they were all their life long in Gods sight So as it behoued them not onely to think vppon him at the beginning of the yeere or a three or foure times a yeere when they came to Ierusalem to do sacrifice but also to thinke thus with themselues continually Although wee bee farre off from the Temple so as wee cannot bee there to doe our sacrifices yet doth not our GOD fayle to regarde vs for hee watcheth ouer vs and wee bee in his protection Therefore whensoeuer wee eate or drinke let vs assure our selues that hee seeth vs and we cannot hide our selues out of his sight neither ought wee on the other side to forget him as men commonly doe when they be minded to make merry They friske it out in such sort as if they thought they could get away from him But on the contrary parte Gods will was to doe the people of old time to vnderstand that whensoeuer they did eate and drinke they should thinke that God sawe them Wee in these dayes haue no such Ceremonie of feasting in Ierusalem and in the places neere about the Temple but yet doth the truth thereof continue still to vs which is that we be done to vnderstand y t after we haue beene at the Church and haue mette there together in the name of our God when euery of vs returneth home to his house to dinner we must not let god alone in the Church and take our leaue of him but we must beare in mind that God guideth vs and when we be come home to take our repast euery man by himselfe we must behaue our selues as in the presence of our God our mirth must be after such a sorte as he may bee the witnesse of our gladnesse For we know that if our mirth be vnholy it is cursed of God Therefore let vs learne to beare alwaies in mind that our God is our guide euery where and that he neuer forsaketh vs to the intent that we on our part shold not be as beastes that runne astray That is the thing which wee haue to marke vpon this text The Ceremonie thereof was in force during the time of the Lawe But as for vs nowadayes let vs bee contented with the truth therof learne to vnderstand y t sith our Lord Iesus Christ is come we neede no more any materiall Temples to tell vs that God is with vs. For our Lord Iesus hath not for naught taken to him y e name of Emâ—â—uel as the Prophet Esay calleth him that is to say Esa. 〈…〉 God with vs. And forasmuch as our Lorde Iesus Christ telleth vs y t he wil be with vs continually to y e worldes end let vs not feare but y t God will accept vs for his childreÌ„ so y t in passing through this transitorie life we haue our eye alwaies vpoÌ„ him and goe foreward still towards his heauenly kingdom For then wil he make all the rest to be dedicated to his honor so as euen our eating drinking shal be a peece of his seruice he will take it in good worth like well of it so that we do wholly worship him looking to be fed at his hand not onely with this corruptible foode but also with such nourishing foode to himselfward as wee may liue with him the same life that he himselfe liueth Nowe let vs kneele downe in the presence of our good God with acknowledgement of our innumerable faults which we coÌ„mit dayly against his Maiestie without ceassing praying him to make vs perceiue theÌ„ better than we haue done and in the meane while to beare with vs vntill he haue rid vs quite cleane from all vices and vnited vs throughly to his righteousnesse And so let vs all say Almightie God heauenly father c. On Munday the vij of October 1555. The Lxxxij Sermon which is the third vpon the twelfth Chapter 8 Yee shall not doe according to all the things that you doe heere this day that is to wit euery man as he thinketh good 9 For as yet you be not come into the resting place and the inheritaunce which the Lord your God giueth you 10 You shall go ouer Iordan and dwell in the land which the Lord your God will make you to inherite And he wil giue you rest from all your enemies round about you and you shall dwell in safetie 11 And when the Lorde your God shall haue chosen a place there to put his name in Ye shall bring thither all that I commaund you that is to wit your burnt offeringes your sacrifices your tenthes your Heaue offringes and all the choise of your vowes which ye shall haue vowed to the Lord. 12 And ye shall make merrie in the sight of the Lord your God both you your selues and your sonnes and daughters your Menseruauntes and your Maide seruauntes and the Leuite also that is within your gates for he hath no part nor inheritance with you 13 Beware that thou offer not thy burnt offeringes in all places which thou seest 14 But in the place which the Lorde will choose in one of thy Tribes There shalt thou offer thy burnt offerings and thither shalt thou bring all the things that I commaund thee ALthough Moses haue treated of this matter heretofore yet is it not without cause that he goeth
that maner Againe on the otherside let the poore bethinke them thus Wel God giueth vs not wherewith to finde our selues and therefore it behoueth vs to beare our poore state patiently and not giue head to our lustes for then shall we but prouoke Gods wrath by following our deintie desires such other like thinges wherefore let vs be well aduised to content our selues with the little that he giueth vs. Thus ye see that although the rich enioye their ease haue wherewith to maintaine their delights for the present time Yet they must bee of such mind that if God list to bereaue them of all things the next morrowe they must not repine to giue ouer al but so humble theÌ„selues as they may say Lord I wil liue to day according to the blessing which thou hast giuen mee and if thou list to impouerishe mee to morrowe doe thy good pleasure onely graunt mee the grace to learne to content my selfe with anie other state of liuing than I liue in to day Whereas to day I fare according to mine abilitie if thou list to bring me downe to browne breade let mee abide to be brought thereto and let my necke be pliable to receyue thy yoke That is the effect of the thinges which we haue to marke vppon this sentence of Moseses where he declareth that euery man must moderate his dyet and fare according to gods blessing that is to say according to the abilitie that God giueth him wherewith to doe it And wee bee further warned to beware that we deuoure not all that euer wee can get by pilfry and wicked trades for that is no blessing of people shoulde beware in anie wise that they defrauded them not of their right And not without cause For as I haue told you before God had appointed them of purpose to serue him and the greater part of them also to teach his people that his lawe might be knowen Seeing it was so it was good reason that they shoulde haue wherewith to find and maintaine them For in very deede a part of the inheritance belonged to them because they were descended of the linage of Abraham But GOD had put them from it to the ende they shoulde not bee troubled neither with tilling of the grounde nor with any other businesses but onely giue themselues all wholly to the doing of their office And it is not without cause that Moses plainely exhorteth y e people to doe their duetie in this behalfe for wee see the vnthankfulnesse of the worlde The Idolaters can finde in their hartes to maintayne their priestes and they spare for no cost but as for them that serue God purely there is commonly no account made of them as hath beene seene in al times We see how God himself complaineth that he was defrauded both of his first fruites and also of his offeringes and of all the residue which he had appointed to himselfe in his lawe But if a man had inquired howe the heathen behaued themselues towardes their idols he should haue founde that they were willing to spende the most part of their substaunce in their superstitions We see then as I haue told you alreadie that the worlde is so thankeles towardes the liuing God y t if men be not throughly quickened vp they let slippe al that euer God commaundeth and coulde bee contented that such things should neuer be spoken of Specially as for those whom God hath ordeined to preach his word men can find in their hearts not onely to set light by them but also to forsake them vtterly And why It is because god rebuketh vs for our faults but we wold he were further off from vs that he would lay the bridle in our neckes so as euery man might do what he listed therfore it greeueth vs to be touched by Gods word But yet for al that if those y t haue that charge coÌ„mitted to them do their duety they must be importunate in calling vpon vs by rebuking exhorting and reprouing vs that they may ouercome vs by their liuely rebukes sharpe threatnings Now that is not y e thing which the world coueteth desireth Nay y e world had leuer to maintaine such as shoulde neuer speake worde of it than to haue a preacher that woulde rebuke sin liuelyly And if it were in y e worlds choice it had alwayes leuer to maintaine a whole couent of Munkes Chanons to houle out with ful gorge than to find one preacher that would speake as he ought to do Men can be contented to haue Organs And why For they put men to no griefe by rebuking their sins But as for such as preach Gods worde to the quick men could find in their hartes that they were rid out of the worlde if it were possible And therfore it is not w tout cause y t our Lord saith he will not haue them forsaken which beare abrode y e true doctrine in his name For by that meanes folke bereaue themselues of the foode of life in that they refuse to mainteyne those that bring them the doctrine of saluation which is all one as if they ment to starue themselues for hunger And that is the cause also why Saint Paul standeth so much vpon y t warning Certaine it is that he sought not his owne profit 1 Cor. â—â— 15 Insomuch that he forbare to take his due wages in some places because he sawe that men grudged at it And he chose rather to take it of other Churches where he serued not than of y â— Corinthians because of the vnthankefulnesse which he sawe among them Nay he chose to labour with his owne handes rather than hee woulde giue them any occasion to speake ill of him Thus haue we a man that is not giuen to his owne profite but rather forbeareth willingly euen that which God had granted vnto him and yet he ceaseth not to tel them that y e preachers of Gods worde ought to be found mainteined And why is that Because wee see the diuelles suttletie who desyreth nothing so much as that the Churches shoulde bee destitute of good shepeherdes Againe Saint Paul hath an eye to the spitefulnesse of the worlde And that is the cause why he standeth so much vpon the said point That those to whome God hath committed the charge of the preaching of his world should be faithfully mainteined It is a great matter saith he that we for bringing our spiritual goods vnto you should haue wherwith to susteine our bodies 1 Cor. â— â—â— It is a very faire recompence And yet if y t mislike you you shewe great malice and that yee set but litle store by the inestimable treasure sent you of God Now we see to what purpose Moses commendeth here the tribe of Leuie vnto them It was not so much for the profite of those that were to be mainteyned by the offrings first fruites and tithes as for the common benefit of the whole people For it was to
not eate any manner of lothsome thing 4 These are the beastes that ye shall eate of namely the Oxe the sheepe and the Goate 5 The Red deere the fallow deere the Bugle the wilde Goate the Vnicorne the wilde Oxe the Chamoyse 6 And all maner of beastes that deuide the hoofe and cliue the hoofe into two clawes and chaweth the cudde also among the beastes them shall ye eate 7 But as for these yee shall not eate among those that chawe cudde or doe but onely diuide their clawes that is to wit the Camell the Hare and the Cunnie For inasmuch as they chewe cudde and yet diuide not the hoofe they shal be vncleane to you 8 Also the Swine because he cliueth the hoofe and yet cheweth not cudde shal be vncleane to you Yee shall not eate of their fleshe nor touch their dead carkesses 9 These are they that you shall eate of all that are in the waters namely whatsoeuer haue finnes and scales 10 And whatsoeuer hath not finnes and scales yee shall not eate thereof but it shal be vncleane to you 11 Of all cleane birdes yee shall eate 12 But these are they of which yee shall not eate namely the Eagle the Ospray and the Fawcon 13 The Gleade the Kite the Vultur after their kinde 14 All manner of Rauens after their kinde 15 The Estrich the nightcrowe the Cuckowe and the Sparehauke after their kinde 16 The Skritchowle the great Owle the Swanne 17 The Cormorant the Pellicane the Dopchicken 18 The Storke and the Heronsewe in his kinde and the Lapwing and the Backe 19 And all creeping foules shall be vncleane vnto you and yee shall not eate of them 20 But of all cleane foules yee may eate WE haue here two cōmandements to expounde which God gaue vnto his people The one is that when anie man died among them they shoulde make no excessiue mourning and lamentation for them in disfiguring their bodies after the ceremonies and fashions of y e heathen The other concerneth meats for it was not lawfull for the Iewes to eate of all meates indifferently there was a difference set them betweene cleane beastes and vncleane beastes Nowe as touching the first Moses telleth them that they be a people chosen of God to bee separated from al other Nations of the world Wherevppon hee concludeth that they must not then disfigure themselues for inasmuch as God had set his marke vppon them they ought not to do anie wrong or violence to their owne bodies And therewithall this commaundement is so moderated that if a man haue forgone any kinsman or friende of his hee must not lament for him out of measure as wee see men doe who are wont to be too excessiue in their passions When a body is deade we see what sorrowing is made for him yea euen with grudging against God so all is out of order and there is no reason a◠all in their dealinges Moses therefore commaundeth the Iewes to be patient when it pleaseth God to bereaue them of their kinsefolke or friendes And therewithall he telleth them it is a shame for them to disfigure themselues after the manner of the heathen for asmuch as it was a defacing of Gods image which was in them because they were made holy from among all the people of the worlde Nowe as touching the first point for as much as this inconuenience reigneth as well nowadayes as it did at anie time heretofore that is to wit that men are too excessiuely giuen to making of sorrowe this is not superfluous for vs. In deede this ceremonie of rending folkes hayre and of scratching their faces to disfigure themselues is no more vsed but yet wee see howe God is grudged at in y e greefe that men take for y e death of their friendes insomuch as they martyr them selues without regard of submitting themselues to God There is no dealing with them to comfort them they bee caryed with such rage as God cannot bee hearde whatsoeuer yee say to them they bee deafe Nowe then seeing that this misdealing continueth still at this day wee must vnderstande that this doctrine concerneth vs also And here we haue to marke first of all that if the heathen and the vnbeleeuers and the poore ignoraunt soules which haue not beene trayned in the worde of God were not excused for this vice wee on our side offende God much more greeuously and without all excuse For he hath separated vs from all the worlde Yet notwithstanding men may well sooth themselues for there is not any thing where God tryeth our obedience more than by the liuing and dying at his pleasure so as wee knowe that our liues be not in our owne handes but that it belongeth to him to dispose of them and euerie of vs is readie to departe out of this worlde Rom. 14 8.9 whensoeuer it pleaseth him to call vs Or if hee take away our kinsefolke or friendes from vs we be well contented with it And indeede why pray wee dayly that his will shoulde bee doone but to protest that we bee willing to holde all our affections in captiuitie and to keepe them in awe Sith it is so surely they that vexe themselues with immoderate lamenting for the decease of their friendes are sufficiently conuicted by the onely order of nature that they striue with God and rebell against him Neuerthelesse as I saide afore if the sillie ignorant soules torment themselues after that fashion they bee to bee pitied For they knowe not that our dayes are determined and that God reserued the authoritie and priuiledge of calling vs vnto him when hee sent vs into the worlde They knowe none of all this and therefore it is no wonder though they vse such excesse in their mourning Moreouer they haue not wherwith to comfort themselues for none of them hath euer had any vnderstanding of the euerlasting life To their seeming if a man bee once deade all is lost hee is vtterly forlorne hee is quite and cleane come to nought And that is the cause why they conceiue so excessiue and vnmeasurable greefe Othersome goe at aladuenture and although they haue some imagination of the endlesse life yet are they not assured of the saluation of the parties and therefore they cannot comfort themselues with the fauour of God But as for vs wee knowe that death is but a parting of the soule and bodie asunder to the ende that God may shewe his inestimable power in raysing vs againe And we knowe also that hee is a faithfull keeper of our soules when hee hath receiued them and therefore that wee may well put them into his handes assuring our selues that our Lorde Iesus Christ dyed not for vs in vaine Seeing wee haue such comfort is it not too great an vnthankefulnesse to torment our selues after the maner of the heathen and the infidels when God taketh any man away from vs Yes And therefore when Saint Paul exhorteth the faithfull to haue patience in the departure of their
vs nowadays yet notwithstanding we may gather a very profitable lesson of that which is therin contained y t is to wit that he which hath any superioritie ouer others ought to forbeare all tyranny to be kyndharted towardes those whom God hath put in subiection to him so as he reigne not ouer them with crueltie ne inforce them to all that euer he may but deale gently with them as with his brethren And although wee bee not nowadays all of one linage as the Iewes were yet must it suffice vs that wee haue all one father one master in heauen Eph. 6.9 Col. 3.10 as is declared vnto vs. For by meanes of our Lord Iesus Christ wee be so vnited togither that there is such a brotherhood betwixt vs as cannot be broken without forsaking the adoption which God hath made of vs. And therfore as many as intend to be taken for Gods children must louingly beare with all those whō they may commaund Againe we must come to account so as if wee will obtaine mercie at the hand of God be borne withall by his gracious fauour wee must looke to doe the like to such as are in subiection to vs. But nowe Moses addeth an exception to the law wherby he had commanded to set seruants at libertie after sixe yeres seruice and he sayeth that if any seruant be so well contented with his state that when his master is readie to sende him away to giue him reward he will say vnto his master Nay sir I had leuer to tary still in thy house because I finde myselfe well at ease then shall his master take an Aule boare through his seruants eare in token that hee is his for euer Yet was not this done without consideration of the case as is written in the xxi of Exodus For there it is sayde expressely that the master shall call to the Iudges Exod. 21.6 that the matter may bee inquired of by them For otherwise euery master might haue made the worlde beeleeue that his seruaunt was desirous to bee his for euer Therefore it behoued the thing to bee prooued and then was his eare boared through at the doore to the ende that the matter might bee done openly to the sight of all men For in such cases there might haue beene much collusion yea and also compulsion and a man might haue beene so vrged by constraint of much beating that hee woulde haue consented to haue beene in perpetuall bondage But when the thing was done in open sight so as the Iudges were called to the matter then was there no deceite neither coulde they bee beguyled which did so yeelde themselues into bondage And as touching the marking of them it was a common thing in the East countryes And it is seene in other Coūtries also that such as were marked were of worse state and condition than other bondeseruauntes were but in this place there is no meaning of any harder bondage than the rest And because God had graunted that priuiledge among his people he addeth that if any man woulde needes be a bondeslaue of his own wil then he should beare some marke therof But yet was this marke made without any wounding as if the tip of a mans eare should bee boared with a pinne or with an awle that were sharpe it coulde put him to no payne and it was no more but to make the matter knowen And whereas God sayth that he should be so for euer Leui. 25.39 we must vnderstand that the yeere of Iubile was excepted as we may see in other places And in very deede the compasse of fiftie yeeres was called a worlde and the worde that Moses vseth is taken sometimes for the age of a man His meaning then is that he which consenteth to be a bondeslaue shall abide in that state for euer that is to say euen vntill the state of the countrie be renewed as well concerning mens Landes as their persons at which time euery man entered againe into his owne heritage that God might alwayes be knowen to be both souereigne Lord and as it were the onely Lorde of the soile that the inhabiters were not owners and freeholders Leui. 25.23 but onely as tennauntes at will or farmers for those are the verie termes that our Lorde vseth Therefore his will was that the parting of the Lande which was made by his commaundement shoulde bee kept the meane whereof was that euery man shoulde returne to his owne inheritaunce possession at the fiftith yeere at which time the whole state of the Realme was chaunged in all other thinges Thus see we now what was the effect of this Lawe And heere wee haue an example that masters ought to behaue themselues gently for or if hee serue mee amisse I can send him away and that were more for my profite And therefore it seemeth preiudiciall to my right to giue rewarde nowe to a slaue A man might alleage after that fashion as men are alwayes suttle in seeking of starting holes If the case concerne eyther their profite or their losse they can bee brought to no vprightnesse or reason For this cause our Lorde saith here Howe nowe Thinke yee not that a slaue doeth yea double the seruice of an hyred seruaunt Yes for if a man hyre a seruaunt for wages if hee finde him not meate and drinke hee must giue him so much the more money that hee may finde himselfe after his owne liking And againe if a man find him hee will looke for a large pittance and yet he will grudge at it and say this is no fare meete for a man that takes wages The man then that is hyred for wages must bee maintained after a more courteous and liberal fashion than a slaue Moreouer when the hyred man hath done his dayes worke hee is dispatched and he goes his way to bed till the next morning that hee come againe to his worke But the slaue is in a harder case For the similitude which our Lord Iesus maketh in Saint Luke Luk. 17.7.9 is taken of the cōmon fashion that reigned in those dayes True it is that hee treateth of a farre greater matter to shewe howe wee bee bounde vnto God But yet doeth hee alleage this similitude saying Behold if one of you haue a bondseruaunt whome you sende to labour in your vyneyarde or in your feelde when this seruaunt commeth home at night starke wearie of his labouring to doe you seruice I aske you whether his master will saye to him Come sit thou downe thy turne take here my place and I will serue thee Nay his master will say further to him Sirrha go fetch mee such a thing and goe doe such a thing And the seruaunt dares not bee so bolde as to replye why so I haue laboured in the feelde all day and must I nowe take paynes stil when I am come home at night Yee see then to what purpose it is sayde nowe that the rewarde of
him for fashions sake but in deede make none account of him so as we should make a faire face of it to the worldewarde and in the meane while foster some secret poyson within but that we come right foorth to our God as he commaundeth vs. Thus ye see in effect what we haue to remember vpon this sentence of Moseses where hee speaketh of the firstborne Besides this our Lords meaning was that the first borne should be valued at a summe of mony as well of the cattell as of other things so as the thing that was alwayes aimed at was the mindefulnesse of Gods benefites But as concerning these things we will not enter into them as now for this text requireth it not neither doth y e time serue for it It sufficeth vs in fewe words to know that our Lordes meaning heere is that when we haue receiued any gratious good turne or that he hath bestowed any benefit vpon vs the remēbrance thereof should continue with vs not for a day or two but for euer and that the fathers should tell their children the same to the ende that he may be honored among vs for euermore Finally let vs not offer beastes vnto him in sacrifice as they did vnder the Lawe as appeareth by this figure but let vs assure our selues that y e acceptable sacrifice which God requireth is the offering of ourselues vnto him both in bodie and soule Rom. 〈…〉 1. Cor. 〈…〉 so as our whole seeking may be to be guyded and gouerned altogether by his holy spirite and that all that euer wee haue be dedicated to his seruice and applyed to the vse which he hath shewed vs that he may be glorified in all points Nowe let vs fall downe in the presence of our good God with acknowledgement of our faultes praying him to make vs feele them better and that seeing there is nothing in vs but all manner of frowardnesse leaudnes we may seeke to be renued in such sort that as long as we liue in this mortal life our whole seking may be to be guided to the happie ende which we looke for in heauē and y t in the meane time we may liue after such a sorte in this worlde as he may be glorified in vs and that whē it shall please him to take vs hence wee may yeelde our selues obediently into his handes assuring ourselues y t sith he sheweth him selfe so gratious and liberall towardes vs as to gouerne vs in this transitorie life of his goodnes giueth vs al things behoouefull necessary wee neede not to doubt but that he will make vs to attaine to the perfection of the thinges which are nowe hidden which shall not bee opened vnto vs vntill the comming of our Lorde Iesus Christ. That it may please him to graunt this grace not onely to vs but also to all people and nations of the earth c. On Tewsday the fifth of Nouember 1555. The XCvij Sermon which is the first vpon the sixteenth Chapter THou shalt keepe the moneth of new fruites that thou maiest keepe Passeouer to the Lorde thy God For in the moneth of new fruites the Lorde thy God brought thee out of the Lande of Egypt 2 And thou shalt sacrifice the Passeouer to the Lorde thy GOD euen Sheepe and Oxen in the place which the Lorde thy GOD will choose to put his name therein 3 Thou shalt eate no leauen breade in that feast Seuen dayes shalt thou eate vnleauened bread euen the bread of sorowe For thou camest in haste out of the Lande of Egypt to the ende thou be mindefull of the day of thy departing out of the Lande of Egypt all the dayes of thy life 4 And there shal no leauen be seene in thy house during the seuen daies in all thy coastes Also ye shall not leaue of the fleshe that is sacrificed from the euening of the former day till the next morning THis present chapter treateth of the three feasts which God ordeined among the Iewes that is to wit the feast of Easter or passouer y e feast of Pentecost or Whitsontide the feast of Tabernacles or Tentes First hee treateth of the Passeouer God ordeineth that it should be diligently obserued for it was a memorial of great importance whereby the people were put in mind how they had beene redeemed put in possession of the inheritance that had bin promised vnto them It was behoouefull that y e same should be knowen for it was the fundation of all the benefits which the Iewes had receiued at Gods hande which they looked for afterwarde Without that they had bin no people separated dedicated to god neither had they had any hope of saluation for the couenāt made with their fathers had bin disfeated Therefore is it not without cause that God would haue that day kept holy with such ceremonie In like case was it with the feast of Tabernacles as wee shall see heereafter For it serued to put the Iewes in minde of their going out of Egypt and that whereas they had dwelt long time in the wildernesse without house or home and yet God had euer preserued them it behooued them likewise to acknowledge y e same benefite But we will treate of euery feast in his dewe order Presently we haue to speake of the passeouer But before I go any further we must marke also that God respected not only what he had done already but also ment therewithall there should be a figure of thinges to come whereof we haue now the trueth substance since the time y t our lord Iesus Christ hath bin discouered to y e world That is the cause why S. Paul telleth y e Colossians y t these thinges were but shadowes Col. 2 17. y e body wherof is in Christ Iesus True it is y t he speaketh not there expresly of Easter day by name but yet vnder the name of Sabbat he comprehendeth all the feastes likewise al the Ceremonies that depended vpon thē To be short God had a double respect in ordeining the day of the Passeouer The one was to do the people of Israel to vnderstand y t they came not into possession of y e Land of Chanaan by their own power but y t they had bin led in thither by the hande of God And because they had bin deliuered by miracle out of y e land of Egypt Gods wil was y t the same should be declared Againe forasmuch as the same deliuerance was a figure of the deliueraunce y t was to be hoped for by our Lorde Iesus Christ this feast of Passeouer extēded yet further y t is to wit y t whē the people ate of the pascal Lamb as they called it they should thinke thus with thēselues This is a shadow figure of the Sacrifice which shal be once offered vp wherby the world shal be reconciled set free And although the thing were not yet apparant to the eye Yet behoueth it the
which would haue al men indifferently both tag and ragge to be admitted to it but such folkes neuer wist yet howe to vse the Sacramentes aright For as shall be declared hereafter the Supper of our Lorde Iesus Christ is to vs at this day the same that the Pascall Lambe was to the people of the Iewes Wherefore let vs marke in fewe wordes howe our Lorde hath shewed that this Sacrament was a warrant giuen of him to his people that he took theÌ„ to be his Church and therefore that it ought not to bee set foorth at aduenture to all commers True it is that Circumcision likewise was a Sacrament but there was diuersitie of respectes betweene the one and the other For by circumcision folke were receiued into the number of Gods people so as it was an enteraÌ„ce into the Church as Baptisme is at this day by meanes whereof such as by nature are not noÌ„bered in y e coÌ„pany of Gods children are receiued and incorporated into theÌ„ by Baptisme And so stoode the case with y e Iewes for circumcision But as for the Pascall Lambe that was to be kept to the Iewes themselues Now it is also sayde that it was not to bee eaten throughout the whole Countrey but that it was to bee doone in the place which the Lorde had chosen to put his name in And truely this was not shewed them at the first day insomuch that they had beene a long time in the land of Chanaan eare the Arke had any certaine resting place there was no such place assigned to it But yet it behoued them alwaies to be obedient to the ceremonie of resorting to y e place where the Arke was Deâ—â— 12.11 vntil mount Sion was marked out And then were al men bound to repaire thither euen from the vttermost borders of the Countrey all men were to come to Ierusalem except they were letted by sicknesse or old age And why It was not to giue a president for the Pilgrimages which y e Papists inuented afterward For in so doing they shewed themselues to differ nothing at all from the Iewes Againe it is not for them to excuse themselues by the example of the Iewes for y e Iewes had a commaundement of God but the Papistes made their vagaries for their own pleasure wherin they vtterly renounced Iesus Christ ouerthrew that which is sayd in the fourth of S. Iohn 〈◊〉 4.21 namely that y e time was come y t god wold no more be worshipped in any place certain but would haue his name called vpon euery where throughout y e whole world Besides this we must marke that there was a speciall reason why God would haue the Iewes to resorte to Ierusalem to sacrifice the pascall Lambe there namely to the end y t no man should attempt to alter any thing in y t order which he had set by the Law And as I haue said this ancient ceremonie was a thing of great importance as wherby the people were informed of their Redeemer euen that he had brought them out of the land of Egypt that he would send theÌ„ yet another redeemer by whom the whole world should be redeemed Loe heere a ceremonie that imported a wonderfull secret therfore it was meete y t it should be kept purely For the doing wherof god called al the Iewes into one body y t hauing y e SaÌ„ctuary the temple there before their eyes they might be the better put in mind y t it was not lawfull for them to adde any thing at their owne pleasure but that it behoued them to follow y e commoÌ„ doctrine to vnderstand y t God represented himselfe there â—â—â—d 25.8 and dwelt among theÌ„ by meanes of the Arke Seeing then that the people were so gathered together they could not but be restrained froÌ„ starting out into foolish inuentions and needes must the doctrine be retained therwithal as I haue said afore for y e ceremonie was nothing of it selfe it had bin but as a Maygame or a mockerie That was y e cause why y e people were draweÌ„ to IerusaleÌ„ as to y e place which God had appointed And so we see now why it was said y t they shoulde not do sacrifice in any of their cities or townes but assemble al together in the Citie of Ierusalem It is inioyned further that they shoulde not breake a bone of the Pascal Lamb. 〈◊〉 â—â— 46 And why so As if it were said y t it was a meate to bee eaten in hast as I haue shewed afore so as they were forbiddeÌ„ to boile any part of it And hereby God ment to shew yet better y e hast which the people made in departing out of y e land of Egypt forsomuch as it was not for them to set the pot vpon y e fire to boile it for they could neuer haue had time to do it Therfore were they faine to make hast to eate this Lamb halfe rosted as people preassed vpon by their enemies as folke y t looked to haue bin ouertaken euery minute of an houre by reason whereof they had no leasure to stand gnawing of y e bones or to breake them to get out y e marow as folk do when they haue time at wil. None of this could they do but were faine to eate y e sacrifice in hast to cast away y e rest We see then as nowe y t as concerning y e deliuerance y t had bin wrought alreadie things were as it were pointed out with y e finger in the Pascall Lamb for this cause y e very terme it self is expressed here for y e Hebrew worde Passah is the same y t we call Passing in Inglish And by y e word our Lord confirmed y e thing which we haue spoken of before namely y t this Ceremonie was not a fond deuise to busie mens heades withall as though they were little babes but y t it importeth instruction to edifie folk withall to the end they should think thus This day must we do homage to our God for our life bicause he preserued vs of his owne mere infinite goodnes by bringing vs out of y e land of Egypt So then God spake not simply of y e thingâ— y t were to be obserued but his meaning was to shew the end in such wise which he intended as y e people might coÌ„sider we haue made a Passage what maner of Passage Euen such a one as we had no legs to go it withall but God did list vs vp by his power and made vs to passe ouer it as a gulf of death not onely in passing y e red sea but also wheÌ„ we were yet in Egypt For before we came at the red sea there was another straite to passe which wee shoulde neuer haue scaped out at if God had not opened vs y e way with his owne hand Yea his will was that that day should be obserued to the intent that the remembrance therof should be y
bloude be not shedde in the midst of the Lande which the Lorde thy God giueth thee to inherite and that bloude bee not vppon thee 11 But if a man haue hated his neighbour and haue lyen in waite for him and risen vp against him and smitten him that he die and thereupon be fled into one of those Cities 12 Then the Elders of that Citie shall sende and take him thence and deliuer him into the hand of the next kinsman and he shall die 13 Thine eye shall not spare him but thou shalt take away the guiltlesse bloude from Israel that it may go well with thee WE sawe yesterday howe it was Gods will to haue the inconueniences preuented which are wont to be seene when men suffer occasions of euill vncut off And that is somwhat better expressed in this saying which Moses addeth Beware saith he that guiltlesse bloud bee not shed in thy lande Then it is not ynough to punish murthers after they be committed but we must also haue the wisedome to preuent them aforehande and to take such order as they may not bee committed And forasmuch as Satan needes but a small gap to thrust vs out at let vs be watchfull in this case of preuenting occasions of euill as hath bin said afore Moreouer let vs also marke this saying that the bloud shal be vppon those that suffer things to slip so For though a man can protest that hee consented not to the doing of an euill deede yet notwithstanding if he suffered it so as it came to passe through his negligence he shal be taken as accessary The olde prouerbe is true y t he which suffereth a thing to be done and may let it is the doer of it And therefore if a Iudge that hath the sword in his hand do suffer euil deeds to be done and punish them not it is al one as if he committed them himself It is not ynough for him to say I would it were otherwise but he must shew it by his doings To bee short when men beare with such as trouble the order of the common weale it is al one as if they bolstered them in it Again by such examples thinges are set at a generall libertie so as custome is taken for lawe And therefore looke what mischiefe or inconuenience insueth afterwarde the blame of it is to bee imputed to those that remedyed it not when time was That is the cause why it is saide that the bloude shall bee vppon a whole Nation when men haue not beene held short that they might not commit murthers For that maner of speech is verie rife in the Hebrue toung And in the same respect also did the Iewes say Matt. 27.25 his bloude be vpon vs and vppon our children that is to say let the blame lyght vpon vs. We must not bring here fantastical imaginations as the Rabbines that is to say the Iewish doctors doo who alledging alwaies their owne dreames do say that the soules of the murthered doo aske vengeance continually at Gods hande vntill they haue had Iustice done vnto them All such sayinges are but dotages For although their bloud cry not at all yet doth God heare them as he himselfe declareth and there needeth neither sollicitor nor attourney to require iustice at his hande hee can tell well ynough howe to doe his office without any importunate calling vppon him The very cause why it is saide that bloude crieth Gen. 4.10 is for that God hath an eye to the euill that is committed and it is all one with him as if the case were followed with neuer so great suite Worldly Iudges make no greate force of a crime when it is committed vnlesse they bee called vppon verie earnestly and that the matter bee stoutly pursewed But God declareth himselfe to be no such and that his owne seeing of the misdeede is ynough for nothing can scape him and therefore it is all one with him as if the whole worlde tooke the quarell in hande and euerie man followed the suite of it with tooth and nayle God then taryeth not for our speaking but as one y t knoweth his office welinough hee can skill to put to his hande when neede is and therefore let vs tarie his leasure And surely it is a doctrine of great comfort For although wee holde our peace when men misuse vs yet doeth not God faile to haue his hande lifted vp to succour vs. Therefore let vs bee patient in our afflictions and wrongs and whatsoeuer come of it God will not foreslowe it is ynough that he seeth meÌ„ persecute vs wrongfully let vs content our selues with that the lesse that wee speake of it the readier will he be to releeue vs yea though wee speake not one worde of it Not that it is not meete for vs to call vppon him that hee may vouchsafe to pitie vs but that wee shoulde not bee desirous of reuenge nor beare any malice to our enemies If wee holde our peace in that respect and tary Gods leasure for the succour which it shall please him to sende vs let vs not doubt but he will doe his office and therfore let vs comfort our selues with that hope Moreouer forasmuch as it is faide that the bloude shall be vppon vs let vs bee afraide of it and although wee bee not pursued nor complaind of by men yet let vs assure our selues our market is neuer a whit amended by it for God â—leepeth not but marketh all the misdeedes that are done and they must all needes come to account Therefore let vs bee pure before him and let vs not onely abstaine from euill deedes but also beware that wee consent not to any euill for then shall wee bee helde as accessaries and wrappe our selues in the same condemnation with the deede dooers as it is witnessed vnto vs heere For God speaketh not onely to the murtherers themselues but also to all the people When this Lawe is broken and murthers are freely committed for want of good execution of Iustice God saieth not that hee will require it at the hande of two or three But at the handes of all in generall Nowe then seeing the case standeth so what shall become of those that are in authoritie and reigne in the seate of Iustice when they themselues are accessaries Shall not they bee the first that shall answere for it To bee short wee haue to gather vppon this text that when an outrage or wrong is done to any man not onely the principall shall bee punished but also the whole Nation in common shall haue the curse lye vppon them and must come to reckening for it before God To our seeming it is ynough when wee can say that wee woulde faine that men should liue in peace and yet in the meane while wee see men grieued and vexed before our eyes and wee vouchsafe not to open our mouthes to succour the innocent but though wee haue both opportunitie and abilitie yet we let al slippe we beare
pastime Yet did hee see all the worlde drowned and destroyed For hee sawe it by faith because God had threatened that it shoulde bee so Nowe the same threate haue we and therewithall wee haue the proofe of it also euen in this that our Lorde punished these nations that are spoken of here at the end of foure hundred yeares when they thought not of it ne tooke anie heed of it insomuch that if a man had then threatened them any such thing they woulde haue blurted out their tongues and shaken their heads at him But their inditement was framed in heauen iudgement was giuen vpon them alreadie and the Iudge had power might to put it in execution in spite of their wilfull stubbornesse And therefore let the sight hereof make vs to stand in awe of our God And when he letteth vs alone in quiet and spareth vs let vs not thinke our selues to bee scaped his hande but let vs enter into account and euerie man quicken vp himselfe and looke into his owne faults and that in such wise as we may preuent his wrath and let vs not tarie till he be armed against vs to proclayme war against vs but let vs preuent the rigor of his iudgement that by comming vnto him whereas we shoulde else finde him our Iudge in the end wee may finde him to bee our pitifull and kinde hearted father Nowe let vs kneele downe before the maiestie of our good God with acknowledgement of our faultes praying him to make vs feele them continually more and more And for asmuch as there is none of vs which hath not prouoked his wrath exceedingly so as we be all guiltie before him let vs seeke to returne to the refuge of his mercie And seeing there is no meanes to come at him except he reach vs out his hande and drawe vs by his holy spirit let vs not refuse to goe to him when he calleth vs nor tarie till y e gate be shut against vs but let vs vse the opportunitie of the time when he causeth his Gospell to be preached vnto vs and let vs imbrace our Lorde Iesus Christ with the peace which he offereth vs resorting to his death and passion that we may haue him for the gage of our righteousnesse and the verie raunsome whereby to come in fauor with our God againe so as all our sinnes may be buried through his mercie and we labour to drawe others also vnto him that all of vs with one common accord may tend vnto our God and he be serued and worshipped of al mē And for the bringing hereof to passe it may please him to raise vp true and faithfull ministers of his worde c. On Fryday the xx of December 1555. The Cxix Sermon which is the fourth vpon the twentith Chapter 16.17.18 But of the Cities of c. 19 When thou shalt haue beseeged a Citie a long time in fighting against it to take it thou shalt not marre the trees therof by putting an Axe vnto them for thou maist eate of them and therefore cut them not downe for the life of man is the tree of the feelde to come with thee to the seege 20 Onely thou maist destroy and cut downe the trees which thou knowest to be no trees to eate of and thereof thou maist make bulwarkes against the Citie which holdeth warre against thee vntil thou haue wonne it YEsterday was shewed why God gaue so rigorous sentence against the Nations that had dwelte in the Lande of Chanaan It was tolde you that hee had borne with them ere that time and suffered them till such time as they were condemned and thereupon that we must benefite our selues by such examples partlie that wee abuse not Gods patience when hee spareth vs and delayeth the execution of his iudgements giuing vs leasure in the meane while to returne to repentaunce and partly that when wee see him execute so extreeme rigour vppon men Rom. 2.4 we shoulde assure our selues it is because hee knoweth them to bee vtterly past grace and haue heaped vp such condemnation vppon their heades a long time afore hande Now remaineth to note that GOD appointed the Iewes to bee the executers of the saide sentence so as the Chananites and such like were to bee rooted out by the hande of the Iewes And why It is saide expressely in the Text As the Lorde thy God hath commaunded thee Then was it not for the Iewes to enterprise it on their owne heade except they had had Gods worde for their warrant for it is not lawfull for vs to attempt anie thing vnlesse it bee our duetie and that God haue commaunded it And it is a generall rule for vs to beare in minde and to obserue all our life long For men may doe goodly and commendable thinges which notwithstanding shall not bee reputed for vertues before God when they passe their boundes that is to say when they holde not themselues within the listes of that which God hath vttered vnto them For if a man shoulde say It were good to doe thus and therefore I will applie my selfe thereto and yet in the meane while God calleth him not to it neither hath he anie word y t commands him to deale so his vnaduised aduēturing vpon things after that sort shall alwayes be condemned at Gods hand If we alledge that the deede is good and excellent of it selfe that is not enough for god wil be obeied at our hands whatsoeuer come thereof And therfore let euery man haue an eye to himselfe consider how farre his duety wil beare him If a man that hath but a little household to gouerne should take vpon him the office of a magistrate what were to bee saide vnto it There would be verie great confusion in that Likewise if he that is a seruant in a house should take more vppon him than belonges to him yee see that all were out of order Againe if the wife shoulde ouermaster her husband and make him her vnderling y e honestie of nature were quite goone So then it behooueth all men to holde themselues warely within their boundes and to followe what way soeuer God calleth them And when we haue Gods commādement we must not be helde back nor letted by men If God bid vs goe we must goe though all the worlde should set themselues against vs yet must wee not turne head but goe on still As for example in these dayes the Magistrates ministers of Iustice haue the sworde in their hand Rom. 13.4 and that not in vaine as saith Saint Paul for God wil haue them to punish offenders Now if they do nothing therein and yet in the meane season will needes alledge some excuse to God they deceiue themselues For in asmuch as our Lorde hath set them in office he hath tolde thē also that hee will haue them to be stout and full of courage in maintaining their state And so looke what commaundement was giuen to all the Iewes in olde time for
hath threatened them which made warre against the citie of Ierusalem hee turneth his threateninges against them also which holpe it not when it was in necessitie For there must bee no ventershippe in this behalfe We must be either friendes or enemies Therefore if we minde to escape the vengeance of God whensoeuer wee see the Church stand in neede of our helpe let euery of vs employ himselfe faithfully and let vs endeuour to aduaunce that which is belonging vnto GOD and to ayde them which seeke him and labor to come vnto vnto him Let vs endeuour I say to assist them and to quicken them vp to goe on alwayes more forewarder If wee doe not so doubtlesse wee shall be guiltie of hauing bin too retchlesse and negligent in the Churches behalfe But as I sayd afore if we help and fauour men when they lay their heades together to destroy all surely wee not onely bewray our selues to bee open enemies of God and of his Church but also wee shewe our selues to bee double enemies and so it must needes bee that double vengeance shall fall vppon our heades as it is in this place declared vnto vs. Now let vs kneele downe in the presence of our good God w t acknowlegement of our faults praying him to vouchsafe to make vs feele them better than we haue done so as wee may bee alwaies quickened vp more more to resorte vnto him he so strengthen vs to resist the temptations which are bent against vs in this worlde as we may withstand al the enimies which cease not to molest vs and all the vnderlinges of Sathan which rayse troubles and offences among vs This good GOD of ours graunt vs grace not to bee discouraged with such thinges but that wee may continually proceede in the way whereunto God hath called vs vntill he haue put vs in possession of that saluatiō which he hath promised vs in the kingdome of heauen That it may please him to graunt this grace not onely vnto vs but also to all people and nations of the earth c. On Fryday the xvij of Ianuarie 1556. The Cxxxj. Sermon which is the second vpon the three and twentith Chapter 3 The Ammonites c. 4 Because they met you not with bread and water in the way when ye came out of Egypt and because they hyred against you Balaam the sonne of Beor of Pethor in Mesopotamia to curse you 5 Howbeit that y e Lord thy God would not hearkē vnto Balaā but the Lord thy God turned his curse into a blessing vnto thee because y e Lord thy god loued thee 6 Thou shalt not seeke their friendship nor their welfare at any time for euer WE saw yesterday howe that although God did not punish y e spitefulnesse and crueltie of the Ammonites and Moabites at the first yet notwithstanding hee did beare it still in minde Lykewise when as he winketh at faultes it is not because he hath forgotten them but that euery thing shall be reckoned for in his due time Whereupon I tolde you that they which haue offended must not flatter themselues if GOD beare with them and lay not his hand vppon them at the first but that they must consider y t he allureth them vnto repentance when he is so patient Rom. 2.4 yea and that he stayeth to see if men wil perceiue their owne wickednesse and be sory for it We declared with all why God commaunded the Israelites to execute his vengeance and in what sorte they should doe it It remaineth now that we see the reason which is contained here which is that the Ammonites Moabites though they issued out of the stock of y e Iewes did notwithstanding shewe themselues their mortal enimies by stopping of them from comming into the land of Canaan It is true that this poynt hath bin cōsidered of as concerning those which rayse offences to turne Gods children frō comming vnto the inheritance which is promised them who are by good reason condemned in the person of the Moabites and Ammonites But now we must consider that which Moses toucheth concerning the curse He sayth That the Moabites hyred Balaam the son of Beor to curse the people Numb 22. Marke here the meane which the Moabites vsed to roote out thē whome God had chosed and to sparre the doore against them that they might not take possession of the land of Canaan which was promised them The Moabites sawe full well that they could not be the better men if they came to handy strokes and therefore they hired a false Prophet to curse them And in what sorte forsooth in the name of God Now in the first place we see that they which had no true pure religion had yet some seede thereof yea and that they had this printed in their hart that God gouerneth the world y t all thinges are ordered according to his will y t they whom he fauoreth do alwaies prosper that they to whom he is contrary are vnhappy vtterly confounded That is y e cause why the Moabites hired Balaam in this sort to curse the Israelites in the name of God For although all this which they did be disallowed that they falsly pretēded y e name of God like trecherous caitifes as they were so as this deede of theirs was in thē a cursed defilement yet notwithstanding al this proceeded frō a good grounde namely y t they yeelded vnto God all power of ruling y e worlde howbeit y t they abused it afterward Now when we see this if we think to cōpasse y e things which we take in hand w tout calling on y e name of God so as one putteth his trust in his owne paines taking an other in his wisedome a thirde in his strength we are worse than these blinde wretches which neuer knew one word of the law and there needes no other witnesses to condemne vs before God This therefore is a point wel worth the noting Seeing God would y t such light shold remaine among y e vnbeleeuing as y t they shoulde knowe y t he gouerneth the life of men heere belowe and y t all thinges are in his hande much more ought wee to yeelde y t honour vnto him vnlesse wee will be worse than those which were without all true religion But let vs also take heede that when we haue some good seede we corrupt it not For y e matter consisteth not altogether in imagining this or y t of God but we must haue a sound pure knowlege of him For there is nothing more easie thā to snarle ourselues because wee are so enclined vnto vanitie the deuill also forgeth vs many deceits to intangle our mindes w̄tal so as y e truth is by and by turned into a lie except we stande heedefully vpon our gard And therefore let vs learne to call vpon God to the intent y t if he opē himselfe vnto vs we may not swarue neither to the right hand nor to y
match themselues with such as were remoued from God for that had bin an infecting of themselues to peruert the grace of God Likewise nowadays being assured y t God hath giuen vs his word it is to the end we should walke not as blinde men in darkenes but as folke y t are enlightened haue the sunne of righteousnes our Lord Iesus Christ. Yee see then in effect what Moses treateth of in this place to wit that y e people of Israel being elected of God should keepe possession of that grace which was granted vnto them Now if a man had seene y e estate of y e children of Israel at y t time he would haue scorned y e forbidding which is set down here For alas poore men they had wandered alreadie in the wildernes fortie yeres they had not one foote of land of their own they were hunted out of al places yet for all y â— as if they had bin of some great nobilitie in some high dignitie God saith vnto them make much of the benefit which I haue bestowed vpon you receiue not the Moabites for they are your open enimies but receiue the Egyptians Edomits in y e third generatioÌ„ Yea but what should y e Edomites haue gained by coÌ„ming to such a wandring vagabond people again as for y e Edomites they were in peaceable possession of their inheritance no man troubled them therfore this might seeme superfluous But let vs note y t God valueth more the fauour which hee bestoweth on men when hee calleth them into his church than if they had all y e riches honors all y e delicate pleasures in the world Ye see then y e reason why God forbiddeth y e Iewes to receiue them whom he had cursed reiected For y e question is not whether y e Moabites Egyptians should aduantage theÌ„selues the more as touching earthly commodities by ioyning with y t people of God that coÌ„meth not into account but whether it would not benefite them to come vnto y e inheritance of saluation if they were meÌ„bers of the church of God if they were partakers of y t adoption which God made in the person of Abraham That was the thing which was to be considered Therfore albeit we be now despised of the world yea scorned also as we see how this heathnish kind of men are ful of pride make such triumphes to y e worldward y t they wil scarse vouchsafe to make vs their foot stooles to tread vpon although say I that wee see our selues brought into such contempt yet notwithstaÌ„ding let vs know y e 〈◊〉 God hath bestowed so inestimable a benefite vppon vs as to looke mercifully vpon vs to draw vs to him y t at this day we are of his 〈◊〉 Surely it surmounted al that euer men do customably esteeme of in y e world Esa. 43.3 For y t which is said by Esay y e Prophet shal always hold namely that we are more esteemed before him than are all y e great kingdoms of y e world So then let vs learn to coÌ„tent our selues with the fauour which God hath bestowed vpon vs in y t it hath pleased him to gather vs into his house as his own children and let vs beare patiently y e want of all other things not be ouerpensiue or grieued though y e world make no account of vs. For it ought wel to content vs y t our Lord sheweth himselfe our father y t he hauing adopted vs calleth vs to our heauenly inheritance although in this world we be most miserable as it should seeme none in worse estate condition than we Let vs come now vnto y t which is said of the Edomites Gods wil is That in the third generation they should be receiued yea euen to be accounted of the Church if they offer themselues therunto And he addeth That they are brethren that is to say kinsmen of the children of Israel For we know y e Esau from whome the Edomites came was the eldest sonne of Isaac so y t by nature he should haue bin preferred before Iacob if God of his freebestowed goodnesse had not made a change therin Now y e Moabites also were kinsmen of the children of Israel by reason of Lot But we haue seene why God did cut them off to wit because they enforced themselues to y e vtmost of their power to hinder the children of Israel from coÌ„ming to their inheritance Those then which should haue bin neere by bloud estranged themselues wholly fâ—om the people of God For they troubled the gratious fauour which God had bestowed on his people or at leastwise it was not long of them that it was not troubled For they hyred Balaam endeuoured to annihilate the blessing of God to abolish his promise Yee see then in them an vpardonable offence But as touching the Edomites there was no such reason And so God remembred still that hauing made the promise to his seruaunt Abraham hee extended his fauour to his whole stocke Yea albeit that Esau was for a tyme depriued of it yet notwithstanding he would not haue him so farre remoued from it as other nations were In deede if wee consider both these people as they are either in his estate wee shal see that to be true which is saide by the Prophet Malachie 〈◊〉 â— 2 for God vpbraideth the children of Israel with their vnthankfulnes in this behalf y t they considered not what a priuiledge he had giuen them What saith he haue you forgotten y e loue which I haue shewed you And wherin There he bringeth in the children of Israel as wicked folke such as had cast vnder foote y t which they had receiued I pray you saith he was not Esau Iacobs brother and yet I loued Iacob your father and hated Esau. My will was he should bee shut vp as it were in the deserts hilles I haue giuen you all this countrey in possession Yee see theÌ„ how God magnifieth his goodnes towards y e stock of Iacob in comparison of Esau. But heere Moses saith y t if the Edomites wold yeeld themselues into the church of God they might bee receiued in the third generation yea bee incorporated thereinto altogither For he which offered himselfe to be circumcised was alwayes receiued but he was not yet accounted of y e bodie of the people vntil the third generation Let vs therfore diligently note that here the children of Esau be not made equall vnto the stock of Iacob But it is said that if any of them would renounce his own kinred he should be accounted in the number of this blessed stocke which God had shouled out to serue him and be receiued in among them Now we are here to call to minde that when God made his promise it was vnto the whole stock of Abraham not that al were partakers of the promise of saluation but that
haue such a care among vs as all infections of whoredome may be remoued and wee cleane purged from them For that is the very thing which GOD aimeth at Now indeed it is true that this is a ciuill lawe but yet for all that it belongeth vnto the third commaundement of the second table where it is sayde Thou shalt not commit adulterie Why are the people of GOD forbidden to haue a stewes among them Because fornication is a detestable thing in his â—ight for his will is that wee shoulde bee wholly dedicated vnto him both in our soules and in our bodyes So then whereas God detesteth whoredome what shall we thinke when open stewes are suffered and no punishment or chastisement appointed for adulterers What shall wee thinke thereof but that men in the ende will defie God and perswade themselues that whoredome is nothing Wee see then whereunto God meant to lead vs namely that we should knowe howe profitable a thing it is for vs to thinke on the wretchednesse of some men that is to wit that they fall into so outragious thinges that they forget all honestie of nature and that there would bee nothing but beastlinesse in them except they were withheld by y e hand of God Let this put vs in feare and quicken vs vp to pray God to withdrawe vs from these corruptions whereunto we are ouermuch enclined or rather wholly giuen ouer And let vs yeeld our selues fully vnto him not behaue our selues as horses which are broken loose Let vs take heede of seeking occasions of wickednesse or of graunting vnto our selues leaue of lawlesse libertie to doe wickedly either in adulterie or otherwise and let vs keepe our selues in such purenesse as euery of vs may be ready to frame himselfe vnto the righteousnesse of God and to keepe and maintaine our selues in all innocencie before him Now let vs kneele downe in the presence of our good God with acknowledgement of our faultes praying him to make vs to feele them more and more And bicause it hath pleased him to call vs vnto himselfe yea and to declare oftentimes that he is our God and to make vs also to perceiue the power of his helpe not onely touching our bodyes but also touching our soules let vs beseech him that we may be prouoked hereby to yeelde our selues wholly vnto him that all of vs examining our selues more narowly and perceiuing our owne defilements may resort vnto the holines and purenes of our Lord Iesus Christ praying him so to purge vs by his holy spirit that our onely seeking may be to offer our selues vp vnto our God both soule and body and that therewithall wee may learne to liue one with another in all vprightnes and honestie so as it may alwayes serue vs to mortifie our wicked affections and not hinder vs froÌ„ enioying those benefits which he daily bestoweth vpon his Church And that it may please him to impart these things not onely to vs but also to all people and nations of the earth c. On Tewsday the xxviij of Ianuarie 1556. The Cxxxiiij Sermon which is the fifth vpon the three and twentith Chapter 18 Thou shalt neither bring the hire of a whore nor the price of a dogge into the house of the Lord thy God for any vow for both these thinges are alike abhominable before the Lorde thy God 19 Thou shalt not giue vpon vsury to thy brother whether it bee vsury of monie or vsury of vittayles or vsury of any thing which men giue to vsurie 20 Thou mayst giue vpon vsurie to a stranger but thou shalt not giue vpon vsurie to thy brother that the Lorde thy God may blesse thee in al that thou settest thy hand vnto in the Land whither thou goest to possesse it WEe knowe it was not lawfull by the Lawe to make any offering or sacrifice of vncleane things Insomuch that the beastes which GOD had declared to bee vncleane might not bee mingled with the holy offeringes The reason was that GOD meant thereby to holde his people in all purenesse The effect then of all this is that when wee come before GOD whatsoeuer wee offer must be cleane and pure and without any spotte And now Moses addeth that if a man brought the price of a dogge GOD abhorred that likewise for a dogge of himselfe and in his owne nature was an vncleane beast as they say Nowe then if one should say he woulde not offer a dogge bicause it was not lawfull so to doe but that hee might offer the price which hee had receiued for selling of him Moses declareth that this in like manner was reiected of God as an abhominable thing Whoredome of it selfe is a wicked thing and detested of God Now if one thought likewise to bring the price of whoredome to agree with God and to bee cleared of his fault it was an abuse For God will not haue his name which is holy to bee mingled with any such filthines and vncleanes So this place containeth in effect a declaration of the lawe which I tolde you of y t we may not offer any thing vnto God which is not pure and holy Now to the intent men might knowe that God admitteth not any Sophistrie or suttleties as men doe when they fetche their by leapes and beare themselues in hand that they can so countenaunce their wickednesse as it shall not bee condemned before God Moses telleth them that it is nothing woorthe and that they must come to that vprightnesse and soundnesse whereby if a thing bee euill of it selfe then all that euer commeth thereof is likewyse abhominable before God Now then wee see what doctrine wee haue to gather in this place The first poynt is that al the offerings which wee make vnto GOD must bee pure and cleane If this was required in the time of the Lawe wee ought well to practise the same at this day according vnto that which the prophet Malachie sayth Mal. 1.11 For after that GOD had reproued the sacrifices which the Iewes made vnto him because there was much vncleanesse in them hee sayth The time shall come when my name shall bee called vppon through out the whole worlde yea when I shall bee called the great GOD when I shall bee worshipped of all men and when men shall offer vnto me a pure and cleane sacrifice Now because the prophet in that place treateth of the estate of the Christian Church and sheweth that GOD should bee exalted throughout the whole world at the comming of that Redeemer which was promised therefore this appertayneth vnto vs. Not that we must now offer sacrifices of Oxen and Sheepe or of other brute beastes for wee knowe that such shadowes are done away but wee must offer that reasonable sacrifice as saint Paule termeth it in the twelfth to the Romanes Rom. 12.1 which God liketh of that is that euery man dedicate himselfe vnto GOD by becomming newe both in heart and minde Therefore whereas wee see that God
flock and to stay men as much as we caÌ„ from departing from y e same Yea and we knowe how we be commanded not only to nourish theÌ„ which are already begotten the children of god but also to do our indeuor to win theÌ„ which are straungers what wickednes then were it to turne theÌ„ out which are already receiued vnto y e church of God I meane those which in very deede doe shew declare theÌ„selues to be y e children of god For we know y t there is a regard to be had y t al tag â—ag be not receiued into y e church For there are many which seeke after Christ to haue their bodily ease there are many deceiuers and if there be no discretion in receiuing theÌ„ in it were altogether a mocking of god as we haue too many examples in this case Therfore we haue need of wisedom in this behalf Neuertheles if we thorowe a cruelty or wickednes doe diminish the church of god we must render an accouÌ„t therof and y t not as for som smal fault but for so weighty a crime as we see God accounteth it and as the paine which he ordained vnder the law of Moses declareth it to be Yet notwithstanding wee finde many who for their owne profites sake doe in this sort disseuer their neighbors cut theÌ„ off from y e Church of God We see what marchaÌ„dise of soules is made by them which seeke as it seemeth nothing els but to rent y e world and many are not contented to steale their neighbours away but they steale themselues too For al they who for their teÌ„poral transitory profite do turne aside and w tdrawe themselues from y e seruice of God commit they not I beseech you this theft wherof I now speak There is one which belongeth vnto y e body of y e church God hath vouchsafed him y e grace to cal him vnto y e knowledge of his truth what doth he Because y t nowadayes he which is knowen to be a faithful maÌ„ is persecuted in y e world it were better to shrowd himself in a corner thaÌ„ to make a shew countenaÌ„ce of any thing he reasoneth thus w t himself what Shal I take in hand so hard a thing And is there any other likelihood but y t in y e end I shal be put beside my liuing my life O this were too heauy a burdeÌ„ for me to beare Now he beareth himself in hand y t he is so excused And thus meÌ„ steale theÌ„selues away both froÌ„ god from his church They make marchaÌ„dise sale of their own soules as it were for a messe of potage Gen. 25.32 as it is said of Esau that is to say for earthly foode they sel themselues become the bondslaues of satan And so we see y t this lawe is nowadays very ill kept and therefore we ought so much y e more to note the intent meaning of God to the end y t euery man after that god hath vouchsafed him y e grace to gather him into the number of his people may keep himself among them and y e better to maintaine y e libertie which wee haue let vs consider as S. Paul saith howe dearely it hath cost the son of God Rom. 6 17. 1. Cor. 7.23 let vs not enter againe into the bondage of satan and of sin seeing we are freed thence by the bloude of the only sonne of God but let vs walke according vnto that priuiledge which god hath giuen vnto vs and hold fast the possession therof as long as we liue And when euerie of vs shall haue had such a regarde of himselfe let vs doe the like towardes all our brethren that they whom God hath ioyned vnto vs depart not out of his house but let vs so imploy our paines as euery of vs may keepe his estate that none bee diminished that none wander nor go astray And farther let vs be afraid to make marchandise of those soules which haue beene redeemed by our Lord Iesus Christ with so deare a price and let vs not seeke after our owne commoditie in that behalfe as we see howe retchlesly many giue themselues ouer in this point and so they may finde the fatter fare they care not one whit whether they remaine in the Church of God or no. Euen in this citie without seeking any farther we haue examples hereof namely y â— men haue bin sold for redy mony insomuch y t for y e pleasure of a drunkard or I know not of whoÌ„ one hath bin sold as an open marchaÌ„dise to y e same wickednes such leaudnes hath bin seene heere at Geneua But let vs not take this example for a two or three but let vs know y t God ment in this place to giue a general rule and instruction that wee ought asmuch as lieth in vs to seeke and procure y t they which are of the body of the Church may remaine therein euen vnto y e end Ye see in effect what we haue to beare in mind And if the liberty of y e bodies was held so deare of God in y e time of y e lawe let vs at this day make far greater account of y e freedome which our soules haue obtained by the bloud of our Lord Iesus Christ. Let vs come now vnto y e second law which is meÌ„tioned in this place It is said That men shal diligeÌ„tly iudge of the leprosie and take heede thereof obseruing all the things which were commanded in the lawe that the priests of the stock of Leuie shal be Iudges that the people shall stand to the iudgement which they shal giue which they shall giue I say not as they lust themselues but as God had made a declaratioÌ„ thereof as we may see in Leuiticus from y e thirteenth chapter to y e fifteenth where it is fully treted of Moses in this place speaketh of it as by y e way and saith that they shal keepe al y t order And for more ample confirmatioÌ„ he addeth Remember what GOD did vnto Marie by the way when ye came out of Egypt For because Marie Aaron murmured against their brother Moses for his wiues sake who was an Aethiopian Numb 12. they bare themselues in hand that they ought to bee aduanced in as high a degree as hee in somuch that Mary became so arrogant presumptuous that shee would needs be a Prophetise in equall degree with Moses But God punisheth her for such presumption Aaron is born withal although he had in like sort deserued to be chastised Mary therfore was striken with the leprosie and was shut vp by y e space of seuendayes And there she had bin like a rotten carrion all her life long but that Moses prayed for her her sin was pardoned Neuerthelesse he addeth there If her father had spit in her face she ought to haue hiddeÌ„ her self for hauing offended him therefore she must depart
left nothing in his lawe but wee may fare the better by it if hee giue vs the wisedome to knowe howe to vse it First wee see howe Gods will was that the houses should bee maintayned in Israell And this was not for any such respect as men haue commonly in the world for noble men would be spoken of after their death and therfore they would build vp a kinde of immortality heere on earth God meant not to foode this follie among men And verily if we were so wise as we should be we woulde consider that lyke as our lyfe passeth and glydeth and vanisheth away out of hand so GOD would not haue our heartes settled here belowe to desire to bee renoumed vpon earth but that as our inheritance is in heauen so wee should consider that it ought to suffice vs that wee haue our names written in the booke of lyfe This is it wherein our reioysing ought to bee 〈…〉 10. as our Lorde Iesus Christ telleth his disciples So then wee haue to note that GOD meant not to rocke men asleepe in this foolishe ambition whereunto they are ouermuch giuen to wit to bee of fame and renowne heere hee had another respect than so And that was that bycause the parting of the land of Chanaan was made according to his will hee would haue this order maintained and no chaunge made to the contrary so as the inheritances shoulde returne alwayes to the same they were at the first as we know they did in the yeere of Iubile 〈…〉 In respect wherof when a man deceased without children to the intent there should be some stocke of him and that the kindred should alwayes continue and that the inheritaunces should not goe out of y e name it is said that one of the kinsmen should take the wydowe to wife although in truth before y e people were come into the land of Chanaan wee see that this law or custome was vsed through out the east country to wit that a woman whē she took an husband out of any house bound her selfe in case that she had no childe but her husband departed without issure to take another husband of the same house which thing we see to be true in the example of Thamar whē she maried Iudaes sonne Gen. 38. and we must not imagine that this serued but for one house only but that it was rather a generall lawe growen vpon custome as we say It was therefore a straite bond or rather bondage for the women For if a woman married in any familie it was vnder this condition Is my husband dead I must take an other of the same house yea if he offer himselfe I must take him and he must haue children of me and that to rayse vp a stocke vnto him who is already dead For the first childe that she brought foorth bore not his name that begat it but his who was already dead Nowe when the Paynims brought vp this custome no doubt but they were ledde thereunto through this worldly vanity wherof I spake And heereby wee see that there bee many thinges lyke which notwithstanding are not of one self same qualitie And why Because their end is diuerse There are which would haue a seede and stocke raysed vnto one which is dead and why woulde they so To the intent that their name should not perish or be cleane put out So yee see that pride driueth them vnto that thing But I haue already told you that we must hasten to finish the course of this life knowing that God calleth vs vnto an euerduring estate and therfore we ought to forget this world and that if we be held backe by this vaine glory of being heere in honour and estimation it is a shutting of the gate of heauen against vs. Let vs therefore take heede howe wee wedde our selues vnto this foolish desire that men should speake of vs after our death and let vs knowe that God will haue vs to bee of no account in this world that wee may bee restored vnto our heauenly inheritaunce But let vs note in the meane time that God hath a contrary respect for when he gaue the land of Chanaan to his people to inherite hee ordayned that if a man which had taken a wife and doone his parte to leaue issue behinde him departed without issue an other of his kinsmen shoulde supply that defaulte that hee myght haue as it were an adoptiue childe after his death And why did God this To the intent that the order which hee had established by the hande of Iosua shoulde not perishe and that the partitions of the Lande shoulde continue as they were first made We see then what the intent and meaning of this law is the effect whereof was not to nuzzle men in that foolishe desire which wee haue condemned And moreouer God meant to shew the priuiledge which hee had giuen to the stocke of Abraham euen for his sake who was the cheefe of it For whē God chose Abraham he sanctified all those which were to come of his race he had chosen them for his Church he would therfore haue the Iewes stirred vp to magnifie him for vouchsafing of them such honour as to choose them aboue all the worlde hee woulde haue them to knowe howe much woorth this adoption of his was Indeede it is true that they abused this goodnesse of his as well as others For they were puffed vp with exceeding pryde as who woulde say We are the holie stocke wee are the royall priesthoode but yet for all that they minded not this point that whatsoeuer they had they enioyed it through the meere goodnesse and fauour of GOD and therefore that they ought not to bee proude of it but rather to acknowledge themselues so much the more bound vnto him Yee see how the Iewes peruerted the grace and fauour of God which hee bestowed on them and yet hee exercised them in as sundry sortes as hee might to cause them to acknowledge the priuiledge which he gaue them in choosing them for his Church and as it were for his owne children As if nowadayes we would onely make a buckler of baptisme and of the Lords supper and of the other giftes and benefites of God and yet continue an heathnish kinde of people dissolute in life and giuen ouer to all wickednesse it were a point of notable treachery in vs. For GOD meaneth not that those gifts which he bestoweth on vs shoulde bee but as vaine pictures his will is that they should bee profitable vnto vs. Therfore when we speake of baptisme when we speake of the holy supper when wee speake of the order of the church it standeth vs in hand to haue an eye vnto the vse of those thinges for which God hath ordained them among vs. Yet notwithstanding it behoueth vs to acknowledge it to be a singular yea and an inestimable benefite which God bestoweth vpon vs in y t we haue libertie to assemble our selues together in
to know that they had no other deliuerance than that which had beene promised so long before For had not that bin they might haue borne themselues in hand that their deliuerance from that bondage had happened by mere chaunce But when they were oppressed to the vttermost thē it made them to bethinke thēselues thus What Our fathers haue promised vs that God in the end will drawe vs out of this vnknowen countrie and straunge bondage wherein wee are This was then a preparatiue to make the Iewes to feele that fauour and grace which was promised vnto them For nowe the fit time was come to bring it to passe Now whereas here is speaking of the GOD of the fathers it is to bee referred to the promises least men might thinke themselues excused whē they call vpon such a GOD as hath bin taught them as the Papists nowadayes do ground thēselues vpō their fathers O say they I haue bin so brought vp I haue bin so taught from a child mine ancestors haue liued after this sort They beare themselues in hand that this is a sufficient warrant such a one as may not be gainsayd to make good whatsoeuer they doe but in deede it is starke follie because it is not for men to forge Gods vnto themselues at their owne pleasure for what else are they than very Idols But when as here is speaking of the God of the fathers it is because of y e promise that was made vnto Abraham Isaac and Iacob So then if we will call vpon the liuing God let vs returne vnto this point and say It is true in deed that there liued many men in the world before Abraham Isaac and Iacob but they neither ought nor deserue to be accounted for fathers For why They withdrewe themselues from God of whome commeth all fatherhoode and all kinred as sayth saint Paul We must therefore followe the Patriarkes and bee their children and secondly let the Apostles bee our fathers and let vs followe them and if wee frame our selues after their example let vs not doubt but that wee shall keepe the straite way vnto God and that hee also will take vs vnto himselfe Ye see then in what sense it is here sayd that the Iewes called vppon the God of their fathers And here wee are warned in fewe wordes to gather together all the proofes and argumentes that can bee to assure vs the better that all the good thinges which wee haue doe come vnto vs from GOD. For why Wee are not so sharpe sighted as it were needfull it is soone dazeled as I haue tolde you afore Yea rather we bee as blinde men wee must bee quickened vp to consider Gods benefites towardes vs or else wee shall neuer attaine thereunto And therefore let vs take as much paynes as wee can to consider it and say Go to God sheweth mee here how it is he that worketh and he giueth me a token thereof I must therefore apply it vnto mine instruction not say this happened vnto mee by chaunce I haue had good fortune but I know that my God hath holpen me that it is through his goodnesse that I prosper that it was his hand which hath succoured mee in such an extremitie Forasmuch then as wee are so rawe and weake of our selues that wee consider not the benefites of GOD except wee haue many helpes to guide vs thereunto let vs take all the proofes that wee can get to assure our selues the more throughly of them And to this ende is it that the Iewes say We haue called vppon the God of our fathers whereby first they put themselues in minde of the promise and secondly they see that God redeemed them by vertue of the same promise whereby hee freely bound himselfe vnto Abraham Isaack and Iacob And hereupon they might thus conclude We are not come out of Egypt by the hand of man that is to say wee cannot attribute it either vnto our selues or to any creature liuing but God must bee acknowledged for the onely author of our redemption and saluation Now in effect wee see here that whereas God deliuered vnto the Iewes such a sette forme of acknowledging his benefites it was to conuict them that in possessing of the land of Chanaan they could not say We haue conquered it by y e power of our owne arme we haue gottē it by our owne labour we haue bought it with our mony or wee haue some other title vnto it in respect of men No it was nothing so but we hold it of our God we possesse it vnder his hand the proprietie thereof is alwayes his Yee see then whereunto this confession whereof mention is made here did serue In deede all cannot bee handled at this time Let vs therefore learne this one short lesson that in this example God hath put vs in minde to acknowledge how much wee bee bound and beholden vnto him for all the benefits which he hath bestowed vppon vs. Wherefore considering our owne slowenesse in this behalfe let euery of vs quicken vp and pricke foreward himselfe to confesse and acknowledge in deede that wee holde all of the hand of God and let vs shewe in deede that we come to make such acknowledgement not as forced thereunto but of our owne voluntarie and free good will and that we be not vnthankfull for the good which hee doth vs in this worlde but doe attribute all vnto his freebestowed goodnesse wayting for the possession of that heauenly life whereunto he calleth vs. Now let vs kneele downe before the Maiestie of our good God with acknowledgement of our faults praying him to touch vs with such a feeling of them as our whole seeking may bee to rid our selues of all our corruption from day to day vntill wee bee renewed with his righteousnesse and that wee may grow and increase more and more therein in such sorte as wee may come in the ende into his heauenly glory and bee wholy fashioned lyke to the glorious immortalitie which hee hath already shewed vs in our Lorde Iesus Christ. And so let vs all say Almighty God heauenly father c. On Munday the xxiiij of Februarie 1556. The CXLVI Sermon which is the second vpon the sixe twentith Chapter 5. 6 And thou shalt speake and say c. 7 Then wee cried vnto the Lord God of our Fathers and the Lord heard our voyce and looked vpon our affliction our labour and our oppression 8 And the Lord brought vs out of Egypt with a mightie hand and a stretched out arme with great terror and with signes and wonders 9 And he hath brought vs into this place and giuen vs this land euen a land that floweth with milke and honie 10 And nowe loe I haue brought the first fruites of the land which thou O Lord hast giuen me and thou shalt set it before the Lord thy God and thou shalt bow thy selfe before the Lord thy God 11 And thou shalt reioyce in all the good things
before him that is to say to shrink downe our heades and although wee haue laboured to the vtmost to offer him our sacrifices and to present vnto him our owne persons and to giue vnto him of our substaunce and to doe all that we can possibly doe when wee haue endeuoured to dedicate all vnto him yet let vs say Alas Lorde In deede we would gladly doe our duetie but wee can neuer doe it perfectly wee are farre wide from it may it please thee therefore to accept at our hands that which is vnperfect and to beare with vs in our weakenesse and although there be many staynes and blottes in the seruice which wee yeeld vnto thee yet let thē not hinder thee from receauing and accepting of it at our hands Behold with what modestie men ought to present themselues vnto God when they make their offeringes vnto him Now let vs note by the way that the presence of God is here put for the sanctuarie or for the aultar both of sacrifices and of incense and for the Arke of the couenant not that God was therein enclosed but because hee meant to drawe his people vnto him by that meanes The shadowes of the Lawe then serued to guide the Iewes vnto God because wee are not able to mount vp into heauē except God reach vs forth his hand To that vse doe ceremonies serue vs. In deede we haue not nowadayes any longer the Arke of the couenant nor any thing of all the rest but we may throughly assure our selues of y e presence of God because he hath openly shewed himselfe vnto vs in y e person of his only son and because we haue now this warrant giuē vnto vs that wheresoeuer two or three be gathered together in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ Matt. 〈…〉 hee sitteth in the middest of them Wherefore let vs not doubt of the presence of our GOD when wee come to make confession of our faith vnto him and especially seeing that our Lorde Iesus Christ dwelleth in vs wee haue well wherewith to content vs forasmuch vs God sheweth himselfe there not in figure but in full force Againe wee haue the two helpes which are most conuenient for vs as Baptisme and the supper of the Lorde where GOD declareth that hee commeth neare vnto vs and that we are cloathed with our Lord Iesus Christ that wee are washed with his bloud that wee are renewed with his holy spirite that we liue in him and of his very substaunce that wee are graffed into his body Seeing wee haue such sure warrantes wee neede not doubt any longer of the presence of GOD. Yet notwithstanding wee must alwayes mount vp higher wee must not abuse those helpes which God hath giuen vs as wee see men doe in Poperie the wretched people there are become as brute as beastes and are of opinion that GOD is to be sought no farther than in the visible and outward thinges But contrarywise wee know that wee must seeke GOD after a spirituall maner And therefore let the Sacramentes guide vs higher and rayse vp our faith aboue the world And then let vs not doubt but that our GOD is neare enough vnto vs so as wee may be bold to put our selues and all that euer we bring vnto him into his handes This is it in effect which wee haue to beare in minde Now as touching that which followeth of reioycing in the presence of the Lorde it serueth to shewe vs that all the reioycings of men are accursed except they haue an eye vnto God to yeeld him thankes for them This hath bin touched afore but yet is it not without cause that Moses repeateth it here againe Wee see how men are wont to make themselues merrie that is without any thinking vppon GOD. If we haue well dyned when wee bee once full wee waxe frolike But what Wee thinke not that it is GOD that hath fedde vs. If a man be encreased in wealth by his sparing he reioyceth but God is still set aside Nay which more is wee thinke that wee cannot bee merrie except wee turne tayle vnto God and get vs away from him It is not therefore without cause that it is so often tolde vs in the lawe that we must reioyce in the presence of our GOD that is that as often as wee haue any occasion of mirth our mindes must be called backe vnto God and we must giue him thankes for all and this being done we must so vse his benefites as they carrie vs not away and as wee be not blinded by the things of the world as the wretched vnbeleeuing sorte are Loe what wee are to beare in minde as touching this worlde And itserueth to vpbraid the vnthankfulnesse of them which 〈◊〉 and cramme themselues with the benefites that God sendeth thē without giuing him any thankes for them which vice wee see is ouer rife In this place then God blameth the vnthankfulnes of men and sayth What do you For you gather the fruites of the earth and who hath giuen them vnto you but I And yet for all that when euery of you hath locked vp his corne in his garner you bring it and other fruits also to your tables and in the meane time I am no body with you you thinke you may shut me out of your doores Nay but reioyce yee in my presence or else all that euer you doe shall be imputed vnto you for theft For why We knowe that God feedeth vs with condition that his goodnesse should bee acknowledged among vs. Therefore when we burie the remembraunce thereof wee steale from him all that we haue and wee are not worthie to eate one morsel of bread So much the more heedefullie therfore ought we to marke these wordes where it is sayd Reioyce in the presence of thy God Now by and by it is added with the Leuites with the widowes the fatherlesse and the straungers Wherein wee are farther warned that they which giue thankes vnto GOD and haue their handes shut vp from releeuing the neede of their neighbours are but counterfeites and hypocrites as wee see many of this sorte which bee ready to say O praysed bee God and vse many other benedicites when they haue scraped together on this and that side and haue made vp an heape of riches Oh say they God hath blessed mee hee hath prospered mee but as for giuing of almes and kinde dealing they can no skil of them they be straunge newes to them Such folke doe but mocke GOD and anger him as often as they prayse him with their mouth And why For to reioyce in the presence of our God and to haue the company which hee hath appointed for vs are thinges vnseparable First of all hee commendeth vnto vs here such as were occupyed in his seruice and had the charge to teach the people Hee sayth therefore Thou shalt reioyce with the Leuites And secondly vnder the name of straungers of widowes and of fatherlesse hee commendeth vnto our care all
pertaineth to householde According whereunto it is saide to be but vanitie for a man to build vnlesse God builde also with him They therefore that will possesse a quiet state for themselues and their children let them turne vnto God and commit themselues wholy vnto him and to his guiding knowing that there is none other meane to attaine to the same but by his blessing so is it also as concerning cattle foode and all other thinges For wee see heere was nothing forgotten And God meant to make vs to perceiue his infinite goodnesse in that hee declareth that hee will deale with our smallest businesse which one of our own equals would be loath to meddle withall If wee haue a friende wee woulde be verie loath yea and ashamed to vse his helpe vnlesse it were in a matter of some importance But see heere God goeth into our sheepefoldes and into the stalles of our Kyne and Oxen and hee goeth into our fieldes yea hee hath care of all things else For as much then as wee see him abase himselfe so farre ought not we to bee rauished to honour him and to magnifie his bountie Moreouer let vs conclude that whereas God saith that he will blesse vs in the fruite of the earth that he will blesse vs in the fruite of our cattell it is a most sure argument that hee will not forget the principal These thinges be contemptible and of smal reputation and many times mortal men doe dispise them and yet wee see that God notwithstanding taketh care of them Seeing that it is so will hee forget our soules the which hee hath created after his owne ymage the which also hee hath so dearely redeemed with the sacred bloude of his sonne Surely no. First of all therefore let vs acknowledge Gods fauour towards vs in abasing himselfe so farre as to direct and to gouerne euery thing that belongeth to our life and sustenance and from thence let vs mount vp higher and vnderstande that hee will not faile vs in the thinges that surpasse this present life but rather that in the chiefe things that belong to our life yea euen in this worlde God will stretch forth his hande to furnish vs alwayes with all things that are needefull There is the seconde point which is that we shal be vpholden against our enemies Wee haue said y t the first point is that God prouideth for vs so as we want not any thing that is requisite for the passing of our life in this worlde But if our Grainers were neuer so full our Cellers neuer so thorowly furnished and our purse neuer so well stuffed so as we want no manner of thing yet if in the meane while our enemies be able to scratch out our eyes and we be as people set out to the spoyle so as wee bee dayly assaulted and haue no defence what booteth vs our great aboundance Therefore it was Gods will shortly to shewe heere that his blessings shoulde extende themselues so farre and wide in all cases and all respectes that nothing should be missing to such as doe him honour and seruice But let vs marke that God hath not exempted vs quite from our enimies neither did hee exempt the people of olde time For why It is impossible for vs to liue in this world without some vexation at other mens hands Rom. 12.18 True it is that as much as in vs lyeth wee ought to procure peace for our part Iohn 16.11 But forasmuch as the diuell is Prince of this worlde hee will not leaue Gods children in rest And hee hath supporters ynowe to serue his turne for al the dispisers of God al the wicked and all the hypocrites that be in this world the number of whom is in maner infinite are satans darts swordes and arrowes Seeing then that wee must dwell amongst the contemners of God and amongst the wicked let vs make our reckoning that wee shall be troubled and haue enemies let vs endeuour to appease them so much as we can and let vs giue them none occasion of hatred but yet in the meane while let vs not be vnprouided howsoeuer the matter standeth Thus much concerning that one point For God hath not saide I will vtterly roote out your enemies so as you shall haue the worlde by your selues wherein to leade a happie and quiet life and to haue all the felicitie that can bee wished hee saieth not so but hee saith Albeit that you bee compassed rounde about with your enemies yet will I not suffer them to haue the vpper hand ouer you Nowe hee saieth further that if our enemies come foorth by one way they shall flee seuen wayes Whereby hee giueth vs to vnderstande that our enemies may well conspire by great numbers so as it may bee like that wee shoulde bee swallowed vp of them but yet they shall bee filled with feare as shal be shewed more at large in another text Heere wee haue to marke that the susteining and maintaining of our life is in the hande of God and that our rest and quietnesse depende also of him And although that men doe continually deuise to hurt and annoy vs yet is God euer strong ynough to disappoint them when hee hath once receiued vs into his protection and to hinder them so as they shal be able to attempt nothing against vs but the same shal be ouerthrowen That is a thing which we haue to beare in remembrance Nowe when God permitteth vs to haue enemies thereby he calleth vs vnto himselfe we ought to be the more prouoked to call vpon him when wee see our selues driuen thereto by necessitie For if the worlde shoulde laugh on vs and reioyce at vs on all partes it woulde seeme vnto vs that wee had no more neede of Gods protection But when we be beset with perils and daungers and see that men lye in waite for vs seeking nothing else but to come in to vex vs it standeth vs in hande to resort to God and to commit vs to his tuition praying him to be our shielde and fortresse and finally to be our defendour Let vs marke therefore that God in permitting vs to haue enemies doeth thereby drawe vs vnto him that wee should pray him alwayes to succour and defend vs. But to conclude we must remember that God is mightie ynough to maintaine vs. As howe If our enemies came vpon vs with great fiercenesse it were ynough to daunt vs and to put vs out of courage but howsoeuer we fare although hee suffer them to rise against vs and to bee as furious as wilde beastes yet shall they not know what to doe but bee as folke amased And although they haue neuer so greate aduauntage at the beginning and bee neuer so full of craft and wilinesse yet will God stoppe their eyes so as they shall cast themselues wilfully into the snare and there bee taken Againe euen when they bee armed with malice and boldenesse to set vppon vs God will in the end
doth he bridle them secretly insomuch that when they would practise any thing against his people they cannot for they feele their courage broken This is to be wondred at that God sometimes doth giue the wicked the bridle so far as to cast out the fome of their rage against vs they deuise what they can and worke their spite But haue they once done that then shall it appeare that they are vnderlings to him and cannot withstand him And what is the cause thereof If God should suffer the faythlesse to haue their owne will it is certaine that the worlde should not last three dayes but that they would beare downe all things before them Therefore it is necessarie that hee shoulde restraine them with some secret bridle and not suffer their headynesse to haue full scope And we see it before our eyes Whereof comes it that we haue not bin swallowed vp a hundred thowsand times within these twentie or thirtie yeeres last past Onely of Gods defence which consisteth not in signes that may be seene but in his secret holding of the wicked as it were in prison mauger all the mischieuousnesse that is in them By reason whereof when they haue deuised any thing they wash away lyke water all their thoughtes doe vanish and they ly as with their armes broken and though they vndertake great thinges yet can they not attaine to their purpose And so yee see what Moses meant in saying that the wicked forsomuch as they bee our enemies shall perceiue that the name of God is called vppon ouer vs and thereby bee stricken in feare Whereby wee see that there is no such fortresse nor defence as to haue our recourse to God So long as hee taketh the care vpon him to saue vs let vs boldely trust that wee stand in safetie yea albeit that the wicked conspire against vs and lye in waite and watch for vs yet shall we be as in an inuincible fortresse so we can call vppon the name of our GOD and be throughly assured in ourselues that he auoweth vs to be his people whereof wee haue good warrant so wee breake not our faith which on our part we haue plighted vnto him But wee must feele the protection of GOD otherwise than the wicked doe that is to say in hearing his woorde we must embrace the grace which is presented vnto vs and rest wholy vppon it After that manner must we bee ascerteyned that the name of God is called vppon ouer vs. Now Moses doth repeate againe that which he had sayd concerning the fruite of the womb of Cattell and of the Earth Truely it had bin sufficient to haue promised at once y t al bodily blessings proceede from God But on the one side we see the mistrust that is in men how that when God speaketh vnto them they cease not to argue and to reply Yea but shall be sure of it And therefore to resolue vs the better God confirmeth the matter which he had spoken of Againe we see our vnthankfulnesse to be such that we attribute the thinges to Fortune and to our owne skill and trauel which God hath done for vs. Therefore he calleth vs vnto him and sheweth that it is he which doth it and on the other side he would haue vs to vnderstand that if we intend to prosper in all pointes wee must hearken to him and obey him For all men yea euen the wickeddest in the world are desirous to haue issue of their owne bodies increase of cattell and great reuenewes But what In the meane while wee despise God the author of all goodnesse and seeme as though wee laboured of purpose to thrust his hand far frō vs which is asmuch as if I should aske a man an almes and giue him a whyrret on the eare or as if hee should come to succour mee and I should spit in his face euen so deale wee with our God God therefore perceiuing such a malice in vs and that wee cannot be taught at the first but doe stop our eares against that which he saith repeteth the same thinges againe which he had spoken to vs before Whereby hee warneth vs that if wee want any thing wee must lay the blame thereof vppon our owne sinne and not vppon him Why so Because hee is ready for his part to blesse vs as well in issue of our bodies as in reuenue of land and in cattell and is liberall and rich enough for vs neither will hee bee streite laced towards vs of the blessings that be in his possession Let vs therefore acknowledge that the fault is in vs when hee withdraweth his benefites and giueth them not vnto vs so largely as wee would Moreouer it is a notable manner of speach when he sayth That God wil open his good treasure namely the heauen to giue vs rayne that the earth may bring forth foode Here Moses setteth forth the order of nature which wee see with our eyes that wee might the better vnderstand how God is our father and our nourisher and that although the sustenance whereon wee feed is gathered from the earth yet is it onely God that sendeth all thinges How so The earth in deede hath nature giuen vnto it to bring forth fruite but if it should continue dry what woulde come of it Wee see that vnlesse there fall both rayne and dewe the earth dooth open as though it would cry out that it were a thirst and it dryeth vp for want of moysture And therefore Dauid intending to vtter his earnest desire of Gods grace vseth this similitude saying Lorde I am vnto thee as a dry grounde Psal. 143.6 Wee see before our eyes how the earth becommeth barreine and parcheth for want of moysture and finally hath neither strength nor substance Had it so pleased God coulde not hee haue giuen propertie to the earth to haue of it selfe substance enough For as wee reade in Genesis Gen. 2.6 there was not such raine in the beginning as wee haue in these dayes but GOD caused a certaine vapor to rise vp to moysten the earth and cannot hee doe the same now or else that the earth shoulde haue some certaine moysture proceding from vnderneath And in deede wherehence commeth the rayne If yee aske the Philosophers they will say that the rayne commeth of the vapors that ascend out of y e earth which being drawen vp into the ayre bee sent downe againe vppon the earth Thus then after y e opinion of the Philosophers the vapors doe ascend But now wherefore commeth it that GOD cannot make the heauens to yeelde rayne except it come first out of the earth or the earth to keepe still that moysture which it hath so that it may alwayes haue strength and substance of it selfe What is the cause of this rising vp of the vapors that when the earth hath yeelded them forth they bee held vp in the ayre as in Bottles as is mentioned in the Psalme Psal. 18.12 What is the cause of all
nations it is not because wee bee more worthie or more able to receiue it than they be which are destitute of his grace but because it is his good pleasure so to do Now therefore let vs learne to put away all manner of pride and presumption When wee see that the Gospell is preached vnto vs at this day and that we haue some order in the Church it is an inestimable benefite But wherefore is it giuen vnto vs It is not because wee haue obtayned it by our owne trauayle nor because wee haue preuented the grace of GOD through our seruiceablenesse but for that it was his wil to shewe himselfe kinde hearted towarde vs after this manner Thus much haue we yet to beare in minde concerning this text Nowe finally Moses addeth Remember yourselues sayeth he for you haue seene the abhominations of Egypt and also the Idolatry that is among all the heathen through whome you haue gone therefore be not deceiued neither lette there be either man or woman houshoulde or Tribe among you that will turne away or slide backe and forsake the euerlasting your GOD to giue ouer himselfe vnto Idolles Heere Moses to confirme the people in the obedience of faith and to holde them vnder the yoke of good doctrine doeth vse an argument which at the first sight might seeme straunge for wee bee easily thrust out of the right way when wee see the worlde corrupted and ouerthwart Albeit that we haue some good motion and be disposed to serue GOD yet notwithstanding as soone as any stumblingblocke comes in our way by and by it maketh vs to turne heade as we see examples thereof euery day insomuch that the man which is well instructed and brought to a good point runneth after the mockers of GOD as soone as hee seeth them Another which hath tasted of the trueth of the gospell beholdeth some foolishe toye and some hypocrite seduceth him so as he is chaunged Such lightnesse and vnstedfastnesse doe wee see in many folke and yet doeth Moses take the same as a confirmation to make folke the better resolued to serue GOD as if he should say My friendes you haue the lawe which is certaine and infallible vnto you for it is the trueth of GOD which can not lye Seeing that GOD hath reueiled himselfe vnto you it is reason good that you should obserue your faith and loyaltie towarde him But if you say Why so Other people deale not after this manner wee see many fashions through the worlde euerie nation hath his God by himselfe euerie man hath a religion after his owne fantasie Well might you be astonished at these thinges sayeth Moses and well might you be offended at it if it were newe vnto you But you haue seene the abhominations of the Egyptians you haue seene howe foolishly the heathen doe worshippe their Idolles and therefore if you be nowe moued and offended through the same what excuse is there For Goddes meaning was to arme you and to furnish you afore hande against these temptations to the end you should not be in daunger to slide backe We haue a good and a profitable lesson to gather out of this text to witte that the more we knowe superstition and Idolatrie so much the more must wee eschewe the same And euen so it is of all other thinges that are repugnaunt to the will of GOD namely that we may be seduced by them by the sodaine beholding of them for want of knowing them aforehande for wee haue not the discretion to keepe ourselues from them but are surprised for want of foresight by reason whereof wee perish and Satan doth foorthwith trap vs in his ginnes and snares Let vs therefore marke that when we once knowe the corruptions that bee contrarie to the seruice of GOD and to the doctrine that is contayned in his woorde wee must take so much the surer holde that wee be not any whitte moued but goe on forewarde stedfastly following the way whereunto GOD hath called vs. As for example If wee haue once knowen the wretchednesse that is among the Papistes wherein wee ourselues also haue beene plunged in time past or if we haue seene the mockeries of GOD which are there vsed and the blasphemies and all the rest of the trash which the Papistes call the seruice of GOD we can not but perceiue that they be the verie inuentions of the deuill to turne vs away from the obedience of our GOD to darken his maiestie to cause him to bee mocked and to blind the wretched worlde Wee haue beene sufficiently warned thereof yea and we haue hadde the experience thereof Nowe if any of vs doe hence foorth turne away and yeelde himselfe againe to such abhominations is he not somuch the more vnfaithfull towardes GOD See you not howe his wickednesse is so much the greater seeing hee doth it not through ignoraunce not as a thing that is straunge vnto him but as one that is altogether saped in it Let vs therefore vnderstande that when GOD hath once made vs to perceiue the filthynesse and abhominations which are among the Idolaters the same ought to settle vs the better to obey him and to perseuere in his holy calling And I haue tolde you howe it is after the same manner in other vices When GOD sheweth vs any shamefulnesse as to bee giuen ouer to whooredome or giueth vs examples of such as are dissolutely giuen to swearing drunkennesse or such like thinges and that these thinges bee so vilanous that they make vs ashamed if we bee ouercome of them is not our damnation doubled Yes surely It is not therefore without cause that Moses sayeth heere You haue seene For thereby hee sheweth that wee may despise all that the worlde can doe and that although the misbeleeuers bee more in number than wee and doe vaunt themselues to haue all the sway as concerning the worlde so as wee bee but a litle handefull of people and they triumph ouer vs yet wee may defie them because wee doe knowe what difference there is betwixt the pure doctrine of the Gospell and all the abhominations and Idolatries that Sathan hath brought into the worlde insomuch that hauing the trueth of GOD once manifested vnto vs we ought to stay vppon the same we ought neuer to be shaken for anie thing that can happen vnto vs. Loe to what purpose this admonition ought to serue vs at this day Nowe therefore when we looke vppon al the whole worlde beholding the horrible diuisions that be in the Popedome on the one side and howe Mahomet the deceiuer hath seduced all his sect and thirdely howe blinde the wretched Iewes are thereby we ought to be the better assured that seeing our GOD hath called vs vnto him and familiarly vttered his fauour towardes vs according as our Lorde Iesus Christ doeth protest that he will call vs his friendes and not his seruauntes because the secretes of the kingdome of heauen are reuealed vnto vs by the Gospell Iohn 15.15 we
shall we not so much preuaile but that somewhat will bee still amisse Now if in stead of repressing our lustes of holding them straite curbed wee flatter our selues and nourish them is it not a wilfull throwing of our selues into destruction I knowe a vice that doeth raigne in mee and I am to fight against it that is my right exercise vnto the which God hath called mee Nowe I conspire with my naturall inclination which is wicked I see it is a disease that will kill me vnlesse I prouide for it and keepe good order and yet neuerthelesse I will as it were compact with the sickenesse and followe myne owne appetite what is to bee sayde to it The greatest mischiefe of all is this that Moses setteth downe heere namely that men bee not content to foster their lustes and to foade themselues with vaine flatteries but they do also cast themselues to the spoyle lyke madde men and become drunken to bereaue themselues of discretion yea they become verie beastes to the intent they may haue no more feeling of their euill they cast away all shame to become like vnto brute beastes they haue no griefe of conscience and they proceede so farre as to bleare out their tongues against all manner of admonitions that bee giuen them When men come to that poynt it is a right adding of drunkennesse vnto thirst But nowe let vs learne that when our Lorde sheweth vs our faultes it is to the ende that euerie of vs shoulde enforce and straine himselfe to correct his wicked lustes and beware that we maintaine them not But aboue all thinges let vs take heede that wee tempt not GOD ne make warre vppon him openly ne proceede to adde drunkennesse vnto thirst that is to say that wee adde not beastly distemperance to our owne wicked inclination It is too much that wee should bee allured by our desires and lustes but to become so drunken and beastly in them as to haue no consideration at all of them and to bee saped in our naughtinesse that we fall to seeking of monstrous thinges after the manner of drunkardes Alas whereto tendeth it Is it not an vtter defacing of GODS image in vs as much as wee can And yet is it too much seene in the worlde for they that flatter themselues in common vices doe fall in the ende into so haynous and great enormities as it seemeth that they would confound heauen earth together When a man hath a long while made none account of God and is become drunken in his filthinesse what will he doe after he is so besotted He will passe the boundes euen of naturall honestie in so much that the verie beastes do hold their lustes in order but man not knowing at all what he is transfigureth himselfe and that is it that Saint Paule meaneth in saying that when men haue despised GOD they fall into many concupiscences 〈◊〉 24.25 and they must needes forget themselues and throwe themselues headlong into so shamefull enormities as a man cannot tell how to woorke them greater reproche than they doe to themselues Wherefore let vs bee afrayde of such vengeaunce and let vs alwayes be mindefull of this drunkennesse whereof Moses speaketh in this place that wee may beware of it Then he addeth That GOD will neuer bee mercifull to such a man but his wrath shall kindle against him and his indignation shall be mooued at him all the curses contained in the Booke of the Lawe shall bee heaped vppon him and rest vpon him and hee shall bee cut off from the Tribes of Israel to his vndooing This is the same thing which I alleaged erewhyle out of the Prophet Esay 〈◊〉 14. where God sweareth that hee will neuer forgiue such people as haue so abused his patience and made a iest and a scoffe of the warninges that he gaue them As much also doeth Moses say thereof here though in another phrase God sayth hee will neuer forgiue such a man Heereby we are admonished that although wee haue offended God yet there is place to obtayne mercie and forgiuenesse so we be not hard hearted but doe lament specially when we be admonished and when men shewe vs more plainely that we must repaire to the goodnesse of God When wee deale so then there is a conuenient helpe alreadie prepared for vs. But contrariewise if wee continue in our stubbornnesse and for the hauing of more libertie doe proceede to wilfull stubbornnesse against all counsaile and become deafe to all the threateninges of the Scripture bearing our selues in hande that there is no iudge in heauen when wee deale so let vs not thinke that our Lord wil suffer such stoutenesse for it is too diuelish Needes must men haue vtterly forgotten what they are when they can so prouoke their Iudge GOD therefore wil neuer forgiue such a man Now then are we called to repentance Let euerie of vs bow downe our neckes and bee touched with such a feare of Goddes iudgement as may holde vs in awe and make vs to repaire to him when he calleth vs whyle wee haue time and whyle the gate is open let vs enter for if GOD doe once shutte it wee may knocke and wee may wayle and howle as Esau did 〈◊〉 â—7 24 but it is too late To bee short Moses telleth vs that whylest wee haue meane and accesse to returne vnto him to obtaine grace wee ought to steppe to it without mocking of his woorde and that when wee bee exhorted by it to consider our sinnes wee ought to beware that wee make a right confession of them and not resemble other men which are so dull that they haue no vnderstanding of the vengeance of God wherewith they are beset Moses sayeth farther That the wrath of GOD shall kindle and his indignation shall bee mooued against such a man Whereby hee signifieth that GOD will neuer pacifie his wrath against any of those that doe so abuse his fatherly gentlenesse and haue hoorded vp the treasure whereof Saint Paule speaketh in the second Chapter to the Romanes in the time of GODS long sufferaunce Rom. 2.5 For certesse Gods sparing of vs is to giue vs leasure to come to repentaunce Hee wayteth for vs and if wee make no account of returning vnto him specially when he doeth prouoke vs but doe yet woorse is it not good reason that hee turne our wilfull stubbornnesse backe vppon our owne heades Yes For wee doe but heape vp so much the greater cursednesse vppon our selues Vppon whom shall it light but vpon vs in such sort as wee shall be altogether ouerwhelmed When a man doeth thus increase his leawdnesse and scorneth God and besides all the other sinnes which hee hath committed outrageth so farre as to say I will not giue ouer mine owne pleasure bearing himselfe in hand that Gods hand cannot touch him but that hee hath a couenaunt with Hell and death as sayeth the Prophet Esay when we be at that poynt â—sa 28 1â— is
blessings and that when we be once graffed into the stocke of Abraham to be his children by faith wee may alwaies hold on stil in the course of our adoption that in the ende God may acknowledge vs for his children and we bee made partakers of the glorie which is prepared for vs seeing that in this worlde and in this short life wee haue inioyed blessings by the which hee maketh vs alreadie to taste of his loue Nowe let vs fall downe before the face of our good God acknowledging our faultes and beâ—eeching him that we may bee more and more cast downe in ourselues to haue such a horror and feeling of our sinnes as wee may not fayle to runne vnto him and to flee for refuge to his mercie that by forgiuing vs our sinnes from day to day he may amend vs euermore vntill hee hath quite ridde vs of them That it may please him to graunt this grace not onely vnto vs but also to all people and nations of the earth c. On Friday the x. of Aprill 1556. The CLXVIII Sermon which is the fifth vpon the nine and twentith Chapter 22 Thus will the generation to come â—ay namelie your children which shall succede after you and the straunger which shall come from a farre lande when they see the plagues of this lande and the diseases of it wherewith the Lord shall haue smitten it 23 The brimstone and sault wherewith hee shall haue burned all his lande so as it shall not bee sowed nor yeelde fruite nor haue anie grasse growing thereon as in the ouerthrowe of Sodome and Gomorrah Adam and Seboim which the Lord destroyed in his wrath and displeasure 24 Then shall all Nations say wherefore hath the Lorde doone this to this Lande O how fierce is his great wrath 25 And it shall bee aunswered because they forsooke the couenaunt of the Lorde GOD of their fathers which hee made with them when hee brought them out of the land of Egypt 26 For they went and serued other gods and bowed themselues before the the same gods whome they knewe not neither hadde they doone them anie good 27 Therefore is the wrath of the Lorde kindled against this land to bring vpon it all the curses written in this booke 28 And the Lorde hath rooted them out of their lande in wrath anger and great indignation and he hath throwne them out into an other land as it appeareth at this day 29 The secretes of the Lord our God be reuealed vnto vs and to our children for euer to the intent we should do all the wordes of this law MOses proceedeth here still with the matter which wee beganne yesterday namely to declare howe detestable our rebellion is vnto God when he hath once taught vs by his worde and can not winne vs but wee turne heade to the contrarie For it had beene enough to haue declared in one worde that none shoulde remayne vnpunished howbeit forasmuch as men doe not so quickely consider the vengeaunce of God to be mooued therewith to the quicke therefore Moses addeth threateninges vpon threatnings declaring that the punishmentes shall bee so greeuous that euerie man shall bee abashed at it according also as the Prophet Ieremie vseth this phrase of speach 〈…〉 3. saying y t al mens eares shal â—ingle at the hearing of the straunge thinges which God shall haue wrought in Ierusalem the lande of Iudah For if God chastise vs after the common order wee regarde it not we take it to be but haphazard or else we doe linger til y e plague be past but as for submitting ourselues to God it is no part of our care That is y e cause why Moses doeth in this place inhaunce the plagues which God woulde sende vppon that lande to the intent that the people might bee the better instructed and euerie man looke to himselfe and vnderstand that if they tempted Gods patience they must needes fall into this so horrible extremitie In which respect hee saith That the generations to come and those also which shoulde resort thither from farre countries shall inquire thereof as people abashed By which woordes hee doeth vs to vnderstande that the punishmentes which God woulde sende vppon the rebelles shoulde be straunge such as should make all folke astonished and amased at the sight of them and to say this is a matter that hath not beene woont to be it must needes be that the hande of God hath gone this way Nowe wee see the meaning of Moses And herein wee haue to condemne our slowenesse seeing that God must be faine to describe thinges vnto vs as it were in a painted table the cause whereof is for that wee bee not plyable to receyue the admonishmentes which hee giueth vs. We thinke our selues able folke but in so doing wee doe all of vs beguile our selues with selfesoothing vntill our Lorde doe as it were beate it into our braynes by force that if wee proceede on to offende him wee shall not escape his hande yea and that wee shall be handled with such rigour as shall make all them to tremble which see but the tracts thereof so that not onely wee that receyue the strokes shall be confounded but they also which come from farre shall confesse that it was the vengeance of God which was not without cause and that it must needes bee that wee did committe ouer greeuous and hainous offences seeing that God is thus inflamed against vs. Moreouer Moses sheweth that God will no more spare a whole country than one man least they should shroude themselues vnder the multitudes of people that giue themselues to wickednesse and thinke thereby to scape the better cheape before God It is expressely saide that if anie man sinne hee shall be punished Ezech. 18.4 and if a whole lande be faultie God will wrappe them all likewise into one fardell Therefore let vs not bleare our eyes wilfully as wee see the Papistes doe who vaunt themselues this day because y e number of such as are inclined to their superstitions is not small They boast them of their great multitude making it their buckler against both God and men And thereupon they doe despise vs and it seemeth to them that they may of good right condemne the pure and true religion But contrariwise God telleth vs that when a whole land hath forsaken the right way that rebellion of theirs shal not go vnpunished albeit that the multitude of them which be faultie be neuer so great Finallie wee must beware that we followe not one an other to do euill for if a blinde body doe leade the way hee shal fal into the ditch and likewise they that followe him hee shall not exempt them by his fal We must therefore vnderstand that when God calleth vs wee must sticke vnto his voyce and obey it and if all the worlde fall away and euerie man goe astray yet must not we ground our selues vpon the examples that wee see as if wee woulde say It
is thus The secrets belong to our God And immediatly after there is a letter set downe which is as much to say in our language as And the thinges that are reueyled belong vnto vs and vnto our children Moses maketh heere a distinction after which manner also it was taken by the Iewes which rested vppon the letter and they did well therein For we must looke diligentlie to the letter if we wil attain to the vnderstanding of anie text but because they did not vnderstande the true sense that was in the same letter they haue forged one that is altogether straunge and haue played the beastes too much for want of hauing an eye to the naturall sense of Moses They say in effect that the secrete Idolatries belong vnto GOD and the apparant Idolatries belong vnto vs and to our children to witte to punishe them In deede it is true that GOD punisheth priuie faultes for hee reserueth manie sinnes to his owne punishing We see that Idolaters do bleare out their tongues and make a mocke when they haue rushed out into all manner of naughtinesse for their iniquitie is not yet ripe Yet notwithstanding God taketh order that some crime shall come to knowledge and bee iustly punished that they which see it shall be compelled to say that it was right This is verie true But Moses meant not so for that were too bare a matter for this place The thing that he meaneth in effect is this That God hath his secretes to himselfe and that vnto vs vnto our childrē he hath vttered his law which is an apparant matter as if he should say y t we must put a difference betweene that which is conteined in holy scripture and that which GOD hath hidden from vs of which also we haue neyther doctrine nor Testimonie Wee must put a difference betweene those two thinges True it is as I haue said that all the doctrine of holie scripture surmounteth our capacitie and is too high for vs were it not that God did inlighten our mindes Notwithstanding howe soeuer the worlde goe with vs yet when God vttereth a thing vnto vs then hee calleth it an open matter Why Because hee woulde haue vs to applie our selues to the same And thereunto hee addeth a promise that they shall not bee disappointed according to this saying of his by his Prophete Esay It is not in vaine that I haue saide Isa. 45.19 seeke mee As if yee shoulde say that all they which are desirous to be instructed in the worde of God shall knowe his will by the same neither will hee suffer them to erre or to bee deceiued Thus ye see how all thinges that God hath reueiled vnto men are called open matters And why Because it is not a doctrine laide vp in huckermucker but a matter that ought to bee knowen to all men Nowe we vnderstande what Moses meant Vnder colour that wee must not bee too inquisitiue of Gods secretes through too much curiositie the worlde becommeth brutishe and is well appayed to haue some excuse of ignorance the Idolaters yea euen the veriest idiotes of them can skill to say Let Gods secretes alone And to what end Verilie to the intent that men should seeke for nothing O beware we must not know too much Not but what meane you by that For as for the thinges which our Lorde hath reuealed vnto vs by his worde it is good reason that they shoulde bee knowen and that wee shoulde giue eare to them and bee diligent to applie our indeuour to the same If we passe our boundes by beeing more inquisitiue than is lawfull for vs wee enter into a maze Thus see wee as now what Moses meant to say in this place namelie that the people should not foade their owne ignorance as men are wont to doe My friendes saith hee be well aduised for the secret thinges belong to our God looke what hee woulde not haue knowen that hath hee reserued to himselfe But as for the thinges that are reueiled hee hath imparted them to vs to our children for euer to the ende that we shoulde doe the thinges that are written in this booke Knowe yee saith hee that the thinges which are conteyned in his lawe are profitable for the well ruling of our liues And agreeably hereunto also Saint Paul saith that all the scripture is profitable to teach 2. Tim. 3.16 to exhort to reproue to make the man of God perfect to all good workes Sith the case standeth so let vs applie the exhortation of Moses to our owne vse And first of all let vs marke well that none bee exempted for their ignoraunce that is to say that none shal haue anie excuse which haue disdayned to heare God when he spake vnto them And why If they say these be secret matters I aunswere and hath not God published them Yes but they be aboue our capacitie let vs craue the spirite of vnderstanding and it shall bee giuen vnto vs. But howe soeuer it bee let vs not say I am no clerke I haue not beene at schoole for beholde the lawe is set foorth to all folke both litle and great God woulde haue vs all to bee instructed therein Therefore they be apparant matters which must bee knowen to vs and to our children And wherefore Because it is for our profite We shall there finde wherewith to bee edified and wee knowe that God woulde haue our life to bee ruled thereby Let vs therefore bee diligent in such sorte as wee presume not to passe our boundes when wee be desirous to be taught in the schoole of God Thus much for one point Neuerthelesse God reserueth his secretes to himselfe from the which wee must absteyne with all modestie and submit our selues thereunto Wee may not therefore doe as manie fantasticall heades doe which couet to knowe this and that whereof wee haue no reuelation in holy scripture Wee must holde vs still when God hath not spoken of an vnknowen thing and which is not conteyned in holy scripture For it is the greatest wisedome that can bee in men not to bee inquisitiue of further thinges than God hath reueiled vnto them and simplie to content themselues with y t which they are able to conceyue They say I which can thus holde themselues within their compasse be farre wiser than all they which pretende to knowe and vnderstande all thinges and to bee ignoraunt of nothing Nowe we see it is an excellent place in that the things which bee conteined in holy scripture bee called open And on the other side let vs keepe our selues in sobrietie and temperance to the ende that if our mindes be tossed with couetousnesse wee may holde them as it were captiues and not be too inquisitiue of the secretes of God more than is lawfull for vs. This matter might be discoursed more at length but that were an endlesse thing It sufficeth to haue it in a breefe summe namely that as long as wee seeke to be instructed by
that although God be harde and rough to them for a time yet doeth hee not faile to remember that hee had chosen them for his people of porpose to vse mercie towarde them yea when the time serueth for it howbeit not ouerhastily but after that hee had well â—amed them so as in steede of rebelling agaynst him they haue chaunged their minde to obey him Nowe wee perceiue what is the meaning of Moses And this is the more expressely and largelie shewed vnto vs according as the Promise concerning y e redeemer came more to light For when God saide to Dauid that the redeemer of the worlde which was promised vnto Abraham shoulde come of his seede 2. Sam. 7.14 he confirmed and ratified that which we heare in this Text saying If thy seede do fal away and forget my lawe and goe astray I will saith he visite their iniquities but it shall bee with the rodde of a man I will punishe them but it shall bee with measure I will neuer take away my mercie from them This is a more large declaration of that which is sayd here to wit that God must needes so punishe the Iewes after hee had long suffered their misbehauiour And when they had shewed themselues vnreformable hee must punishe them howbeit in such wise as there should yet bee reserued some mercie And wherefore Because he hath not respect vnto them simplie but vnto him selfe and to his owne trueth Nowe wee must note that when God made his couenaunt with Abraham as we haue alreadie saide the same was not for the woorthinesse that was in that people neither was it for their desertes but God grounded himselfe vppon his owne free goodnesse onely Albeit that the people shewe themselues vnworthie yet notwithstanding must GOD remayne alwayes firme in his purpose according as Saint Paul also speaketh Rom. 11.29 saying that the calling of GOD whereby hee did choose the linage of Abraham and sanctified it is without repentaunce and inchaungeable It is true that the hypocrites as it hath also beene treated of haue beene punished according as they were woorthie and yet Gods continuall keeping of his promise profited them nothing at all And why See here howe it came to passe God had chosen the linage of Abraham that people fell away from him and hee punished them according as their malice did increase and augment euen so were their punishments alwayes the sorer vntill they came euen to the extremitie insomuch as God seemed euen to haue forsaken them and to haue cutte them off from his house And when he hath doone so then wrought hee after such a sorte as there remaineth yet some seede hidden vnder the grounnde and in time will hee make it manifest that hee forgetteth not what he had saide namelie that in the seede of Abraham all nations of the earth shoulde bee blessed Cen. 22.18 Loe heere a handfull of people whom God keepeth euen after an incomprehensible maner Anon after out of this he raised a great multitude of people vntill that Iesus Christ himselfe was come Bee the wicked and the contemners of God and his lawe escaped thereby No God hath punished them But nowe must we benefite our selues by this doctrine For albeit that our Lorde Iesus Christ hath appeared for the saluation of the world yet must the Church remayne vntill the ende wee haue the promise that cannot fayle But in the meane while wee see the thankelesnesse which is too common in the worlde yea and it so ouerfloweth the worlde that GOD must needes withdrawe his goodnesse and exclude vs from being partakers thereof because wee haue thrust him farre from vs. And that is the cause of the desolation which is to bee seene still in the Popedome at this day The Papistes woulde shielde themselues against GOD and his worde by alleadging that it is vnpossible that God should forsake his Church yea but in the meane while they doe not vnderstande howe they misbehaue themselues against him and are gone away from him and cannot fuffer him any way to come neere them And why Because they driue away the Gospel from them with swoorde and fire so as Iesus Christ hath no place with them nor accesse vnto them We see therefore howe GOD at the first blushe seemeth to roote out those whome hee had called and nothing is to bee seene but confusion as if the Church were lost and vtterly wyped out of the worlde Yet notwithstanding God keepeth his owne hee knoweth howe to accomplishe his promise which is that the state of the Church bee euer continuing and we see the markes of it For when it was to haue bin thought that there was no more trueth in the worlde and that the seruice of GOD had beene altogether brought to nought hee did set vp some doctrine againe In deede the number of them that beleeue the Gospell is little yet neuerthelesse it is a matter that exceedeth all expectation and it woulde neuer haue beene thought that hee would haue wrought after that fashion against all hope insomuch that as it is said in the Psalme it might bee saide that it is as a dreame Psal. 126.1 if a man consider howe the Gospell hath beene set vp againe Yet notwithstanding it falleth out that the wicked they that are wilfully bent to euill gaine nothing by that which God doeth for it is to their more confusion but the faithfull haue wherewith to comfort themselues when they see that God doeth chastice them for they perceiue that hee doeth it not of purpose to forget his mercie or for that hee meaneth not to vse it towarde them Loe here a staffe to stay vs by when God chastiseth vs for our sinnes For one fillippe of his finger were enough to bring vs to ruine and to throwe vs into the deepest doungeon of death As soone as GOD doeth but blowe vppon vs saith the holy scripture bee a man neuer so freshe and floorishing by and by hee withereth and droopeth Psal. 104.29 And what then shall become of vs if wee bee smitten with his mighty hande Must wee not needes bee worse than miserable Here therefore wee bee admonished to stay our selues vppon some comforte or else wee shall bee vtterly vndoone as soone as God giueth vs any token of his anger Hereby wee see howe profitable this doctrine is for vs where hee saith that when God scourgeth thee yet hee will not forget the promise which he swore to thy fathers and albeit that thou bee thrust out into the vttermost partes of the worlde yet neuerthelesse the Lorde will gather thee againe into this lande which he hath promised thee for thine inheritance As often therefore as God punisheth vs for our sinnes be it that ech of vs haue his priuate disease or wretchednesse or any other token of the wrath of God or else that wee be generaly scourged with the plague with warre with hunger or with anie other affliction first let vs acknowledge our
should say Lo the word of God shal be reuerenced but yet it belongeth not to vs to trouble ourselues ouermuch therewith by applying our study thereunto We see then how the world doth euermore shift it selfe from taking any such knowlege of Gods word as they ought to haue For whereof cōmeth the horrible ignorāce which reigneth yet stil in may coūtries generally in all the popedome but only of this y t men referre thēselues to the Monkes Freers and such other people or at leastwise to the Popes Clergie for the knowledge of the holy scripture For it is not for secular or temporall persons as they terme them to deale therwith And the secular priestes also as they call them discharge thēselues thereof put it ouer to the Monkes they say it belongeth to none but doctors of diuinity to deale with it See how brutish the world was become And yet a man would thinke it strange y t men should be so grosly ouerseene as to haue no discretion in y t behalfe but that they shold be led by the mussels like beasts and go astray after y t maner How is it possible y t God should so forsake his church that thinges should be so grossely abused Let vs looke to the cause fountaine of the mischiefe When God kindleth the light of life amongst vs if we shutte our eyes thereat turne our backes or take couertes to sleepe in play the sluggardes which shut their windowes y t the sun should not shine into their eyes if we seeke to settle after y t sorte in our lees is it not meete y t God shold withdraw all his teaching from vs Surely it is the paymēt which the world hath receiued because y t where it shoulde haue sought learning fit for it it chose rather to be ignorant y t it might haue excuse before God And moreouer when our Lord vouchsafed y t his Gospell should be preached that the world might be inlightned by y e brightnes therof men did openly rebell against it chose to obey lyes rather than the trueth Therefore it could not be but y t such horrible vengeance must needes come vpon them Againe we see the care that God hath had to preserue his gospel in perfect state For like as he had prouided for y e law euen so hath he also done by the gospell which is the perfection of all learning according as S. Paul sayth in the second to Timothee 2. Tim. 2.2 We see there what order he established in the Church Looke what thou hast hearde of me saith he by many witnesses commit thou it ouer as a gage vnto faithfull folke which be meete and able to teach others There S. Paul appointed keepers of the gospell as God had earst appointed y e Leuiticall priests for keepers of the lawe Also hee would y t they shold be faithfull folke which shold be occupied employed therein and he would y t they likewise should doe their dutie in deliuering y e things ouer frō hand to hand as they had receiued thē to y e intent they might not lie hidden in darkenes Yet neuerthelesse we see howe it is come to passe Therefore wee must marke well in this place y t God hath euermore procured the saluation of his people of those whom he hath chosen not forgotten any thing that might be a meane to keepe them vnder his obedience Thus much for one point Moreouer wheras the world hath bin alwaies wauering caried hither thither and could not stay nor hold it selfe to y e seruing of God nor suffer it selfe to be guyded by the doctrine which is for the saluation thereof to be short wheras men play the wilde beasts it is not at the first dash y t they haue so resisted God or made countenance to disobey him but they haue turned away frō him by litle litle in such sort y t within short time they haue falne quite cleane away And so ye see how men haue continued in their naughtines not kept the lawe y t was deliuered vnto thē for a rule to liue by for y e way to lead them to saluatiō Seeing it is so we ought to take so much the more heede to the things which are shewed vnto vs heere What must then be done It is not ynough y t the truth be but only writtē for to what end shall y t serue me but to my greater condemnation But forasmuch as men are so wedded to the thinges that concerne this transitorie life think not on the heauenly treasure it is requisite y t there should be good keepers and aboue all thinges wee must note y t there will alwaies be a speciall order to retaine vs euermore in the obedience of God so long as his worde is dayly shewed vnto vs that euery man hath it in his handes And if this be not permitted wee shall quickely be carried hither thither and there will be no stay in vs vnlesse we haue such a bridle to hold vs backe That is a thing which we haue to marke Nowe in y e meane while we see what charge is here cōmitted aswel to the Leuites as to the rulers True it is y t at this day there is no certaine kinred allotted thereto by God in his Church for his wil is y t Shepherds shold be chosen which office is no heritage but he would y t they should be taken according as they bee knowen meete Neuerthelesse al Pastors Elders that is to say all Officers such as haue publike charge must vnderstande that they must employ thēselues to maintaine the pure religion that they must be as keepers of the word of God to the end that it should not perish And albeit y t there is no excuse for the rest of the people yet shall these feele double vengeance if they do not what lyeth in them to cause men to continue constant in the pure worde of God to see that euerie body be taught that both great small do yeelde thēselues thereunto If they straine not themselues to the vttermost of their powers y t Gods trueth may continue sounde it is certaine that they are to account therefore Now as touching that which Moses saith further That he cōmandeth the children of Israel that on the solemne day at the feast of the Tabernacles at the end of euery seuen yeere the law should be recited to all the people it is not meant y t God would not haue the Iewes taught it dayly but it was yet a straiter band the keeping y t solemnity as we haue seene heretofore where we treated of the couenant made by Moses was not to the intent y t the people should at other times be vnmindfull of the lawe Deut. 27.4 but to y e intent they should be y e deepelyer touched therewith haue it the better ratified after a solemne maner That is the very
him vppon the promyse of GOD. And that is the thing which must bee the stay of all our strength For if wee will bee stout vppon our owne heade GOD will ouerthrowe such a rashnesse lyke a fond thing as it is What must then bee done Wee must embrace the promises of GOD and when hee hath once tolde vs that he is our defender wee must not feare that wee shall bee forsaken of him but bee resolute in all thinges And although the worlde doe offer vs many ouerthwartes to make vs to distrust yet let vs stande stedfast in the thing which our GOD hath told vs. For it is good reason to doe him the honour that his woorde may bee preferred before all thinges that may turne vs away from the affiaunce that hee hath giuen vs. Thus see you heere a very profitable lesson which is y t bycause we feele so many infirmities in our selues y t there needeth nothing to beate vs downe but as soone as y e wind bloweth we be shaken or else doe fall altogether we perceiuing such feeblenesse in vs must receiue the remedie that is offered vs here which is to hearken to the promises of our God And for as much as hee assureth vs that he will neuer faile vs let vs trust to that stay For when the winds the Stormes and the Tempestes of this present world come wee shall neuer bee shaken Ye see then that the strength and stay of the faithfull is to rest altogether vpon that which God hath promised them And for that cause doeth Moses say to Iosuah Thou shale put the children of Israell in possession of the land And Moses speaketh it not at aladuenture Deut. 30. but to ratifie that which we haue seene more at large here before namely that God had chosen Iosuah to that office and that hauing committed the charge vnto him he promised him in likewise to vphold him with his mightie hande Whereupon it is saide vnto him be strong and behaue thy selfe manfully So then let vs learn to fight against al temptations when wee haue once tasted the force of Gods promises For it is a token that wee giue no credite to that which God speaketh when wee continue lyke Reedes shaking with euery winde and tremble at euery trouble that commeth standing in a mamering or starting from the right way and waxing rechlesse in discharging our duetie As often as such thinges happen wee shewe our weakenesse and wee giue good proofe that wee beleeue not that which GOD hath spoken Wee may well alleage and say As for my selfe I hold the promises of God for certaine I doubt not but that whatsoeuer proceedeth from his mouth is an infallible trueth Wee may well so say but the deede it selfe proueth that there is nothing in vs but hypocrisie and that wee bee not firme to go through with that which is commaunded vs and to discharge our duetie in following our vocation ne walke steadily when all thinges seeme forlorne To be short let vs learne that faith is ioyned with such power as ought alwayes to make vs to go foreward still whithersoeuer God calleth vs And so shall it doe conditionally that we bee grounded vppon his woorde And on the contrary side we must needes be tossed with vnquietnesse and be wandering hither and thither and trotte vp and downe without any stay if we haue not the word of God to guide vs and to be our lanterne And it is the right payment of all them that leane to their owne fansies and make foolishe enterprises and passe their boundes and lymites It is requisite say I that our Lord should beate them downe at the last though they were aduaunced for a tyme. And what is the cause Bycause as I saide afore there is no power but that which is grounded vppon the woorde of God But there is yet one point more which is that euerie one of vs must haue respect whereunto hee is called and what it is that God hath committed to his hands for as we see heere if Iosua had thrust in himselfe without God had appointed him what power could hee then haue had Peraduēture for a braide or twain he might haue done wonders as we see y e Children of this worlde doe who in their brauerie doe as it were spitte fire for a whyle as they say but in the end are quite confounded And euen so shoulde it haue happened to Iosua But forasmuch as hee taryed till God had shewed him his wil therfore he was not disappointed of his hope So then let none of vs take more vppon him than is lawfull for him but let vs consider what our office and calling require and so let euery of vs keepe him within his degree with all sobernesse and modestie and then will GOD bee our guide according to this saying of his that his Angels shall alwayes beare vs company Psal. 9◠11 euen in our iourneyes so wee goe not astray Nowe heerewithall it is declared heere that Moses did write this Song and all the booke of the Lawe and that hauing written it hee red it openly before all the people and gaue the booke of the Lawe to the Leuites willing them to lay it in the side of the Arke or Coffer of the Couenant and telling them that it should be a Testymonie against the people Yea and once againe he accuseth thē of rebelliō Thou shalt know saith he what a one thou art God must alwayes haue an action framed against thee and bee thy Iudge for thou art full of Rebellion thou wilt not bee gouerned but by strong hand If thou wouldest willingly serue thy God hee would vse thee after a more myeld and gentle fashion But what Bycause thou art so hardened in euill that thou wilt not by any meanes bee bowed GOD is fayne to vse rigour And nowe yet once againe sayeth hee I will call heauen and earth to witnesse against you That is the effect of that which is declared in this place Now as concerning the first poynt we must marke that this woorde Writing doeth import that Moses was not the author of the Lawe nor of the song but was onely the writer or recorder thereof at the mouth of God Nowe then like as a clearke of an office writeth what is appoynted him Euen so it is sayd expressely here that Moses wrate the things which he receiued of God and not any thing that was forged in his owne brayne And this serueth to giue such authoritie to the Lawe and to the song which wee shall see heereafter as may make vs to giue eare with all reuerence not to a mortall creature but to the liuing GOD whose will it is to haue his Maiestie knowen there Thus much for one poynt And herewithall it is shewed vs that our faith oweth no obedience but to him onely neyther ought to depend vppon men howe wise soeuer they be but that God ought to haue the gouerning and whole Lordship thereof According whereunto Saint
for that they had purchased it by their owne policie or for that they had gotten it by any other way or mean of their own but for y t God had called them to it as we haue seene heretofore And so much the lesse excuse had they wheÌ„ they turned away from him and lifted vp their hornes against him For it is an inestimable benefite for vs to haue God to our father Because that therein we be made fellowes with the Angels who are lykewise called the childreÌ„ of God in respect that they be members of our Lord Iesus Christ. Seeing that God hath called vs to the fellowship of the Angels to be their brethren companions what a leawdnesse were it to make ourselues vnderlinges to the diuels to submit ourselues vnto their bondes and tyranny What a dealing were it that I being made a companioÌ„ to the Angels of heauen should take the diuel for my Lord king What a choyce were that Were I not worse than mad So then let vs mark well that when as Moses dooth here call God the father of the Israelites it is to inhaunce their vnthankfulnesse the more and to shewe their leawdnesse the playnlyer As if he should say Consider your former state For God had aduauÌ„ced you wonderfully high and you haue wilfully cast your selues downe to the bottom of hell After which maner he vpbraideth the king of Babilon that he had bin as the morning starre 〈…〉 12. and now behold saith he thou art in the bottom of hell 〈◊〉 2.6 True it is also that God calleth kinges his children lykewise all Princes and Magistrats But if we compare them with the childreÌ„ of the Church and with the flocke of our Lorde Iesus Christ surely Gods calling of vs to the knowing of him and his marking of vs out to aly himselfe vnto vs dooth farre surmount all the kingdomes and Empyres of the world And therefore it is certaine that when men turne away from their aliance with God it is all one as if they forsooke heauen to goe to the bottome of hell For as I haue sayd afore they cannot away with the company of the Angels but will needes goe to submit themselues in bondage to the diuels And according hereunto Moses addeth that God had possessed that people as he termeth them his heritage Whereby he doth vs to vnderstand as he will declare afterward that God meant to haue held that people as his owne houshold suffering the rest of the world to wander away to become straungers vnto him whereas his wil was to haue the people of Israell as people familiar and well acquainted with himselfe According whereunto he addeth It is he that hath created thee it is he that hath shaped thee And this creation is not the same that belongeth to all men and to all the childreÌ„ of Adam but it is the same that is spoken of in the hundreth Psalme It is he that made vs Psal. 100.3 and not we our selues And it is a very common speech in the holy scripture to say that God hath created and fashioned his Church This is a people whom I my selfe haue created Esa. 43.7 and they shall set forth my prayse saith he in the three and fourtith of Esay But it were needelesse to alledge many places for all the scripture is full of them And it is a notable point of doctrine that God declareth vs to bee newe creatures Eph. 2.10 at such time as he chooseth vs to himselfe True it is that wee be greatly bound vnto him for vouchsafing to set vs in this world For although he had made vs but brute beastes yet were it a great thing that we might bee counted the worke of his handes But it was not his will that wee shoulde bee Asses or Horses it was his will that wee shoulde bee reasonable creatures This is so high a preheminence that wee cannot commende it sufficiently Yet is that nothing in comparison of his calling of vs to the faith Insomuch that when hee telleth vs that hee will take vs to bee of his Church hee dooth after a sorte forget his former creating and sayth that he giueth vs a farre other thing than to haue bin mortal men which is nothing in comparison to bee of his Church And this serueth to humble vs to the intent we should not thinke our selues to bee come to the faith by our owne power but acknowledge the same to be the gift of God least we shold vsurpe the title of the creator by imagining our selues to haue gotten faith by our owne abilitie as the Papistes doe who say that although they cannot doe any thing but through the grace of God yet doe they prepare and dispose themselues thereto aforehand Againe they haue a kinde of concurrence or running together wherethrough they be as companions with GOD so as they worke together with his grace or else doe so aunswere thereunto that Gods grace dooth nothing but by halues Loe at what poynt the Papistes are and by that reason they should be halfe their owne creators For I haue declared already and the very truth is so that it is a farre greater thing for vs to be counted of the Church than of the common kinde of men for it is a farre nobler creation to bee the children of God than to be the children of Adam Yet notwithstanding the Papistes doe chalenge the one halfe thereofto themselues saying that they dispose themselues to it by their owne free-will and that they deserue grace at Gods hand and also that they worke together therewithall By which reason the one 〈…〉 of this creaâ—ion which is the excellentest shall belong to men And what a treacherie wore that Therefore when wee heare that it is God that made vs and not wee our selues Psal. 100.3 let vs not make account of our selues nor be puffed vp with the winde of presumption which serueth to no purpose but to make vs to swell Let vs vnderstand then that we haue nothing of our owne but that all is Gods in that it hath pleased him to call vs to his word it is not we A man might thinke it straunge why it should be sayd it is not wee that haue created our selues for there is none of vs al but he knoweth it and confesseth it Bâ—â— if we haue an eye to the fond and diuelish ouerweening wherewith men are besorted we shall see that this kinde of speach is not superfluous but that the holy ghost meant to exclude all such foolish imaginations to the intent that men should not reserue aught to themselues but yeeld fully vnto God that which is belonging vnto him And that is the cause also why S. Paul saith in the second Chapter to the Ephesians Eph. â— 10 We be his workemanship for he hath created vs to good workes namely which he hath prepared for vs before wee were borne If men think themselues to be y e founders of their owne good
portions Now then if it be demaunded why y e people of Israell belonged more to God than all y e rest of the worlde or what affinitie or acquaintance there was more betweene him and them It cannot be sayd that they had purchased or procured more to themselues or that they were nobler than all other men as we haue seene heretofore What canst thou say sayth Moses in the seuenth chapter Deut. 7.7 Hath God chosen thee because thou wast a nobler a worthier or a more renowmed Nation than any other No but for the loue which he bare to thee Therefore lyke as in that place Moses vsed the word Loue to shewe that Gods owne freegoodnesse moued him to take AbrahaÌ„ his ofspring so in this place he saith Know ye that your God hath chosen you that it is his will to take you for his heritage And so ye see in effect y t to take away all pride and presumption from the children of Israell to shew them that they could chalenge nothing to theÌ„selues Moses bringeth them backe to the welspring which the whole scripture sheweth vs to wit that all the benefits and gratious giftes which God bestoweth vpon vs and which wee receiue at his hand proceede of his owne meere goodnesse withoâ—t being bounde thereto or without inclyning thereto in respect of any deserte of ours but onely because hee loueth vs yea euen without any cause why that wee can alledge for we bring nothing at all vnto him That is the thing which we haue to beare in minde And if this doctrine was true as in respect of y e Land of Chanaan what shal it be in respect of our comming to the immortalitie of the heaueÌ„ly glory The people of Israell could not obteine the land of Chanaan by their owne deseruingâ— but GOD was faine to loue them euen of his owne meere mercie wherethrough hee did theÌ„ all the good that they receiued at his hand Yet notwithstanding that land was nothing in comparison of the immortall life Whereas it is sayd that wee bee reformed after the image of God to bee partakers of his glory and that wee bee his heires and companions to the Angels yea and to our Lord Iesus Christ it is a far other thing than y e land of Canaan and the sustenance that is giueÌ„ vs for this transitorie life And therefore let vs vnderstand that men are worse than blinde yea and more than mad wheÌ„ they thinke to attaine to so great a good thing by their owne desertes Yet notwithstanding we see how this diuelish opinion hath reigned and had full scope in the world and how the Papistes are still at the same poynt at this day that when y e inheriting of paradice is talked of they say that men must purchace it by their own merites And in the meane while they consider not how the immortal lyfe is named an inheritance because it dependeth vpon Gods free adoption And whereon is Gods free adoption grounded Eph. 1.14 but vppon his choosing of vs before y e world was made I say vpon his choosing of vs euen of vs which were forlorn as well as y e rest of the whole world For we know we be all cursed in Adam Again what is y e cause y t he chooseth vs who were lyke to those whoÌ„ hee reiecteth What is y e cause y t he proceedeth yet stil in drawing vs vnto him Shall wee finde the cause thereof in our selues Alas no but wee must discharge our selues of all ouerweening and repaire to the foresayd fountaine of his freegoodnesse And therefore let vs beare well in minde that here wee bee warned that we must not seeke the cause of our saluation in our selues nor of any of all the benefits which God bestoweth vppon vs no not euen in respect of this present lyfe and therefore that wee can much lesse seeke the cause or ground of the promised immortalitie in our selues or in our owne deserts but y t we must magnify his meere goodnesse in that behalfe And seeing that God hath chosen vs to be his heritage we must suffer him to possesse vs. But there is a greater reason in respect of vs than of the Israelites because he hath not onely reserued vs in creating the world but also purchased vs by our Lord Iesus Christ. Doth not this price which God hath bestowed for our saluation to y e intent we should bee his heritage deserue to haue vs wholy at his deuotion and y t euery man should so indeuour to dedicate himselfe to his seruice as that he might haue the dominion ouer vs So then let vs not play the traitors in bereauing God of the thing which he reteined to himself when he voutsafed to haue vs to be of his Church Also let this moue vs that he will not possesse vs but vppon condition that as we inioy him so hee may inioy vs and what an exchange is that Consider what we be We be dung filth and vtter cursednesse and yet ye see how God accepteth vs for his heritage and for his part would that we should possesse him Sith it is so what an vnthankfulnesse is it if we continue not in obeying him that he may possesse vs And let vs mark further that there is not any thing which ought to moue vs more to the seruing of God than to come to the knowledge of our free election so as we know that his beginning to doe vs good is not now presently but before we were borne before the creating of the world insomuch that he tooke vs to him and adopted vs aforehand euen before that time So much the more ought we to abhorre these rascals which would haue the doctrine of Election abolished for by that meane they ouerthrowe y e whole groundwork of our saluation as though they should stop the spring from wheÌ„ce the water floweth so as we may no more drink thereof For how shall we know that God hath called vs to saluation but for that he hath loued vs without any desert of ours and taken vs aforehand to himself euen before y e world was created Also how shall we know our selues to be beholden to him for all thinges and that he is not bound vnto vs vnlesse we come to this poynt that we were lyke to those which pearish so as there was no difference at all betweene them and vs sauing y t hee hath marked vs out to be his without finding any cause in vs why that we were dearer to him than other men and that he made more account of our welfare all which thinges are grounded vppon his euerlasting vnchaungeable purpose and will the reason whereof is vncomprehensible to the worlde They therefore which go about to abolish this doctrine are deadly enemies to God his glory and to our saluatioÌ„ and would as much as in them lyeth deface al religion That say I is the thing which we haue to remember vpon this Text. HereupoÌ„ Moses
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
lyes and deceites Yet haue they prouoked mee with them sayeth he and nowe will I also haue my reuenge for I will prouoke them by a people which is not a people and by a nation which is not a nation that is to say which are not esteemed to be of any reputation I will then take to me such folke as are nowe of no estimation and set them in the same degree of honour wherein these thankelesse folke were before which haue so abused the fatherly loue that I bare towardes them This thing came not to passe out of hande but was then accomplished when the Gospell was spredde through out the whole worlde True it is that in part God gaue some tokens of these thinges aforehande in exalting the Assyrians and Chaldees aboue those which boasted themselues to be the holy ofspring and y e kingly priesthoode Exod. 19.6 but yet was not this definitiue sentence performed to the full vntill the comming of our Lorde Iesus Christ. God I say shewed partly some signe heereof aforehande at such time as the people of Israell were scattered brought to desolation carried away into strange countryes and there kept as banished wretches without order vnder the slauerie of cruell tyrannie For euen then did GOD beginne aforehande to make them perceiue that his threatning of them to prouoke them by a people which was no people was not in vaine For first the Assyrians and afterwarde the Chaldees hadde the honour to reigne ouer the children of Abraham Ioh. 8.33.34 which vaunted themselues to be at libertie but they were bondeslaues of sinne And forasmuch as they had withdrawen themselues from the obedience of GOD it was good reason that they shoulde be vnder the bondage of Tyrans GOD then gaue a certaine signe of fauour to those that hadde beene vnbeleeuers when hee magnified the heathen so much euen as though hee had beene minded to disanull the promise which he had made to those which had earst boasted themselues to bee his people and had purposed to put them to vtter shame Yet notwithstanding the Chaldees and Assyrians did not so reigne ouer the children of GOD that they could preiudice their saluation Neither could the Syrians doe it nor any of all the other nations that troubled them as wee see in the time of the Iudges which inuaded the Lande of Chanaan and brought the children of Israell vnder tribute and subiection For euen then although the children of Israell were oppressed and cast downe as it were and thrust vnder foote and their neighbours which were heathen and Infidelles had their full scope yet notwithstanding Gods adoption abode still in the linage of Abraham and the case of those that reigned ouer them was neuer a whit the better for it because they ceased not to serue their ydolles still But when the Gospell was preached openly to the worlde then did we succeede in the place of those which hadde beene heires of the promise afore accordingly as Saint Paule likeneth vs to wilde slips which are graffed into a good stocke 〈◊〉 10.19 euen so is it with vs. For we be but thinges borne out of time if wee bee compared with the Iewes who were after a sorte the naturall children of God Howbeit forasmuch as GOD had promised Abraham that he would be the sauiour of his ofspring the same belonged to all such as were descended of him 〈◊〉 3.25 accordingly also as Saint Peter telleth them You be the children of the prophetes and heires of the promise as who shoulde say that saluation belonged to them euen by true and lawefull succession but when as they did cutte off themselues from it by their owne vnthankefulnesse then did GOD call vs vnto him True it is that if the Iewes had receiued our Lorde Iesus Christ yet had the doctrine of the Gospel bin spredde abroade neuerthelesse throughout the worlde and so shoulde wee haue beene ioyned and knit together in one But forasmuch as the Iewes conueyed themselues out of the housholde and Church of God and imbraced not the grace which was offered vnto them their roome became emptie and so wee entred thereinto insomuch as GOD hath nowe banished them to the intent to make as it were a new house And therefore S. Paul applyeth this text to his owne time 〈◊〉 10.19 For hee sayeth that as then the Iewes had too greatly prouoked Gods iealozie by their ydolatries and that God was faine to raise vp a people which was no people or a nation which was not reputed as a Nation which thing was done to make them the more ashamed of their despising of the benefit which had beene profered vnto them Truely the Iewes had not at that time any outwarde ydolatry When Iesus Christ came into the world the Temple of Ierusalem was not defiled with any ydolles sacrifices were made there according to the Lawe of Moses and yet for all that there was nothing but contempt of God wickednesse it was a piteous case to see the great number of grosse superstitions and all the purenesse of the Lawe was corrupted Let vs marke well therefore y t men are counted ydolaters not only when they haue puppets of stone of wood or of peinters worke but also when they sticke not to the pure simplicitie of Gods word but mingle their owne superstitions with the doctrine of saluation ouershooting thēselues and turning away to al euil After that manner was GOD prouoked to iealozie by the Iewes but specially by their refusing of Iesus Christ who is the image of the father For whosoeuer hath not the sonne sayth Saint Iohn hath not the father Col. 1.15 1. Iohn 2.23 Col. 1.19 29. And why Because the whole fulnesse of the Godheade dwelleth in our Lorde Iesus Christ. Seeing then that the Iewes despised the onely sonne who was the image of the father seeing they would not accept him which was ordained to be souereigne king and of whom also it is sayde in the Psalme Kisse the sonne Psal. 2.12 whereby men are commaunded to doe him homage and to kneele downe vnto him as it is sayde in other textes seeing that the Iewes haue so refused Iesus Christ seeing they haue so giuen ouer the true Religion they haue made themselues vtter strangers to the liuing GOD which had chosen and adopted them To bee short if we take not Iesus Christ for our GOD surely wee haue nothing else but an ydoll As for example the Turkes at this day doe make greate bragges that they worshippe the GOD which created heauen and earth What is their God He is but an ydoll The Iewes can well ynough say our meaning is to serue the God which gaue vs his Lawe by the hande of Moses and spake by the prophetes Their God is but an ydol And why For the Godheade which is in Iesus Christ is vnknowen vnto them But it is sayde that the whole fulnesse of the Godheade dwelleth in him Col. 2.9
it selfe But now it is added here That this people were destitute of discretion voyde of vnderstanding Truly men thinke themselues wise ynough when they bee craftie and suttle in prouiding well for their businesse and in practising this and that And then fall they flat to despise God as wee see that all these worldlings doe who are forepossessed of this fantasie of selfwisedome by reason whereof the whole worde of God and the suffering of themselues to be gouerned by it is to them but simplicitie and foolishnes But yet for al that the holy Ghost affirmeth that iustly that all such as liue not in the feare of GOD are witlesse For our true wisedome is to yeelde our selues to him which can leade vs to saluation and without that wee bee blinde wretches and inclosed with darkenesse And therefore wee can not but goe astray all our life long and after tripping to stumble right downe yea euen into a deadly fall Wee must vnderstand then that vntill we bee come to the submitting of our selues wholly vnto GOD and to knowe that all our happinesse lyeth in him wee bee voyde of discretion But this cannot bee but that therewithall men must also needes knowe themselues And in deede if a man haue gone about heauen and earth and gotten the vnderstanding of al things in them and in the meane time thinketh not vppon his GOD nor yet vppon himselfe I pray you to what purpose is all his vnderstanding If hee were the skilfullest Astrologer in the world and had all Philosophie inclosed in his braine and were perfect in all other sciences and yet in the meane while knewe not himselfe nor had any regarde of GOD but were so brutish that he wist not what Religion meaneth were such a man to bee more esteemed than a simple idiot which liueth in the feare of GOD and knoweth to what ende hee is created Then is it not without cause that Moses condemneth all those of brutishnesse which haue forgotten God are gone backe from his worde are intangled in superstitions and to bee short haue left the way of saluation and the light which God offered them to guide them all their life long As for those which haue so estraunged themselues Moses not without cause doeth terme witlesse and forlorne in their Discretion And by that terme he meaneth that the despisers of God being giuen to their vanities and wicked lustes haue in deed some discretion and doe delight and glorie in their own reason yea and are ful of pride in so much that if a man speake to them to reclayme them into the right way they despise all doctrine bearing themselues in hand that they bee able ynough to discerne betweene good and euill That doeth Moses meane But what It is a discretion of ouerthrowe and destruction And therefore let vs suffer our selues to bee ruled by God let vs apply al our indeuour to the receiuing of y e thinges which he teacheth if wee will haue an vnderstanding that shall doe vs good And for the confirming of the same matter hee addeth heere O that they woulde haue beene aduised O that they had vnderstood this and that they had considered their last end We see why God hath pronounced that there is no reason in men and that they be vtterly dull and destitute of vnderstanding when their lyfe is loose and vnorderly And why Wee haue seene whereto GOD called the people of Israel Nowe his adopting of vs is to the ende that our lyfe shoulde bee blessed and happie and that after he hath preserued vs in this worlde the inheritance of the heauenly kingdome should bee bestowed vppon vs. Yee see then that the true happinesse of men is to haue the fauour and loue of God And wee be sure of his fatherly goodnesse towardes vs if when hee calleth vs by his woorde wee come vnto him and accept that grace by faith The vnseparable bond then betweene God and man is that they receiue the record of his goodnesse which hee giueth vnto them And that serueth as well for this present lyfe as for their euerlasting life On the contrarie part wee haue heard the threates which are giuen forth heere that is to say that GOD hauing long time borne with the Churlishnesse of that people woulde bee reuenged of it Now he addeth Must it not needs be y t this people are destitute of wit and reason when they consider not this thing ne haue an eye to their owne ende Not without cause doth Moses here point out what y e people ought to haue considered for wee haue bin told afore Deut. 29.26 y t God hath so reserued to himself the matters which concerne his own incomprehensible determination as yet notwithstanding he hath made the doctrine of the lawe familiar vnto vs and he will haue it to be obserued for y e exercising of vs therein all our whole life Seeing then y t God hath spoken and his will is set before our eyes let vs mark that his so doing is not in vaine accordingly also as hee auoweth by his Prophet Esay saying Esa. 45.19 We cannot alleage y t it is a darke thing such as passeth our vnderstaÌ„ding We must not say any more Who wil go ouer the sea Deut. 12.30 Who shall climbe vp aboue the cloudes Or who shall go downe into the deepe Seeing y t the word is in our mouthes in our hearts Rom. â—â— 6 it ought verily to suffice vs. Neuerthelesse it is true y t although God haue spoken yet must he be faine to inlighten our wits with his holy spirit or else we shall abide still without vnderstanding But if wee consider the doctrine in it selfe it is most manifest vnto vs and God reueileth himselfe therein familiarly ynough The thing then which we haue to remember vppon this text is that Moses vpbraideth the Israelites that they had beene called to God after such a fashion as they coulde not haue erred vnlesse they had would and moreouer that their end had beene shewed vnto them And by the word End he meaneth al the happines that is promised to al gods children which addict themselues to him and rest vpon his promises walking continually vnder his obedience and contrariwise the confusioÌ„ and ouerthrow of all skornefull and disobedient persons which despise such grace withdrawing themselues from him and corrupting his woord To that intent and purpose then doth Moses expresly speake of the end of them And now must we make our benefite of this lesson First of al therefore let vs mark that as I haue said afore we may be y e wittiest folke in the world and yet we shal be counted as brute beastes and without reason at Gods hand if we haue not a regard of him The chiefe point then of our wisedom is to haue our eyes open to behold the light of life to haue profited wel in the schoole of our God so as we can worship him and to be
no longer as stray cattell not knowing him that made vs and fashioned vs nor yet knowing our selues neither And therefore let vs learne to receiue Gods word with all simplicitie not doubt but that there he commeth so familiarly vnto vs as we cannot say y t we need make long iourneyes or that the things are too profound and darke for vs. For our Lord doth as ye would say chawe our morsels aforehand to vs because of the rudenesse which he seeth in vs. And so he handleth vs lyke little babes to the intent we may the easilier swallow down the foode which he giueth vs. Thus ye may see I say howe that when we haue Gods woord preached vnto vs wee must not doe as the Papistes doe which say Oh sir this is to high for me this geere is not for plaine folkes this is to be reserued for the clergie But let vs assure our selues that God speaketh both to great and small and dalyeth not with vs when hee calleth vs to him by his word but will haue vs to vnderstand it Then is it not long of any but ourselues if when his word is preached vnto vs we be not dewly instructed in the things that are requisite for our saluation True it is that we must not steppe to it with presumption trusting in our own wisedome but we must desire God to inlighten vs and that as his voyce soundeth in our eares so also he speake to our heartes by his holy spirite Let vs humble our selues accordingly as we know how it is said that God vttereth his wil to such as are little and lowely Psal. 19.9 If we go to it after that maner let vs not doubt but our Lord will make the things auaileable which are set downe to vs in his name and giue vs accesse vnto him both familiar and easie ynough Therefore let vs marke well this word End whereof Moses speaketh heere and let vs consider whereunto God calleth vs. True it is that he maketh vs promises euen of this present life so as wee ought to assure our selues that God will not fayle vs in this world insomuch that although he will haue vs exercised with many miseries and vexed with diuers temptations yet notwithstanding he sayth he will hold vs vp with his mightie hand so as we shall neuer bee destitute of his helpe at our neede But yet the cheefe point is to consider the heritage which is reserued for vs in heauen so as we tend thitherward and set all our affections thereuppon without intangling ourselues so in these base things that wee cannot haue our heartes alwayes vpwarde and that for as much as our happinesse and treasure is aboue Matt. 6.20 wee bee not held downe in this worlde wherein all things are brittle and transitorie After that maner ought wee to consider the worde End whereof Moses speaketh here For whosoeuer they bee that seeke their happynesse heere beneath surely they differ nothing at all from Oxen and Asses but rather their state is yet much woorse For the beastes go on still and are not troubled with the great number of lustes wherewith men are troubled There is no ambition to be seene in them there is no Couetousnesse there is none of all the other lustes If they be a thirst they drink if they be a hungred they eate But men desire not onely to eate and drinke but also to glut themselues and to follow all maner of excesse Ye see then howe a man is more wretched than a beast in that he is so caried away by his vnruly affections Sith the case standeth so let vs tend to the end which god setteth downe vnto vs and let vs vnderstand that God doth so make vs to taste of his goodnesse in this earthly pilgrimage y t he wil haue vs to be filled therwith aboue but onely to passe through this world or to dwell in it as soiourners and in the meane while not ceasse to be ioyned and vnited to our Lord Iesus Christ knowing that he is our head and the fountaine of all good things and that all our ioy contentation rest and glory doe lye and consist in him and on the contrary part that if God punish vs not at the first for our offences we must not therfore fall asleepe in thē nor take occasion thereby to flatter our selues And why If we liue so from day to day without looking any further must it not needes be y t we be starke blocks True it is that the faithfull are not vexed with ouergreat carefulnes Psal. 37.5 145.18 For why They cast themselues as it were into Gods lap as they be incouraged to do in the psalm Then shal we not be vexed w t vnquietnes as they be which haue no trust in god For when we cal vpon god he is neere at hand and we must not make long discourses in that behalfe as the worldlings doe who stand scanning of that which is to come a hundred yeres after their death Yet notwithstāding we must not be so wedded to y e things which we see before our eyes that we shold not alwaies looke further off But lyke as the promises of the heauenly lyfe ought to lift vs vp aboue the world so ought Gods threatenings to quicken vs vp to walke in his feare by rebuking vs for our sinnes when wee haue done amisse and by calling vs dayly to account accordingly as it is sayde Heb 11.7 that by faith Noe beheld the floud when other men made great cheere and feasting So then let vs learne to haue an eye to our end that is to say when we haue offended God let vs not fall asleepe vpon it neither let vs foster our vices from morrow to morrow till we be growne hardhearted through vnreformable stubbornnesse but although God beare with vs and vse patience in winking at vs for a time yet let not vs forbeare to bethinke vs of his threatenings and to waken our selues that we may repent and aske forgiuenesse and turne vnto him with true amendment Ye see then that the true wisedome is that men should not be tyed to the present thinges but to lift vp their heartes and mindes to the things that are inuisible accordingly as it is said that faith is a mirrour of the things that are not seene 〈◊〉 11.1 and the ground of the thinges which are absent or farre from vs. Although then that our happinesse appeare not at the first and it seeme that for all our seruing of God yet we be miserable by reason whereof the vnbeleeuers floute vs and set their feete as it were vpon our throats so as we be persecuted by them yet notwithstanding let vs not ceasse to conclude that hauing once put our trust in God we shal not be disappointed For why The end of it wil be good and therfore let vs tary patiently til God deliuer vs from the afflictions and miseries wherin we be at this day Let vs therfore
by our wit could measure both Gods punishmentes and all thinges belonging to his iudgement but rather let vs vnderstande that they bee hoorded vp as treasures and as often as wee beeâ—thinke vs of our faultes let vs say with Dauid Lorde who is hee that knoweth his owne sinnes Psal. 19.13 Truely Dauid played not the hypocrite in hiding himselfe neither sought hee vaine and tryfling shiftes to disguise his sinnes but after he had wel examined himselfe hee sawe that God is a farre other manner of Iudge than hee himselfe was and as Saint Iohn saith farre greater than our owne consciences â— Iohn 3.20 If our owne consciences accuse vs for euery fault which wee perceiue in our selues God knoweth a hundred So then there is no more for vs to doe but to cry out with Dauid Who is he that knoweth his owne faults Psal. 19.13 Lorde cleanse mee from my secret sinnes The way then which wee haue to deale is first formost to doe our indeuour to search well the euill that is in vs and when wee haue done all that wee can to conclude in the end that wee perceiue not the hundredth part and that God must bee faine to clense vs from our iniquities euen though wee perceiue them not at all Let that serue for the one poynt Againe as touching punishmentes If GOD maintaine vs in rest and at our ease yea and thereunto doe also prosper vs it must not make vs to fall asleepe For why He hath his treasures in the meane while which are hoorded vp Therefore let vs bee afraid and although the signes of his anger appeare not but hee seeme rather to smile vppon vs yet if any man finde himselfe faultie let him flee to him and praie him to forbeare the putting forth of the treasures of his vengeance and rather to clense vs from all our faultes and to set vs so cleare from them as we may come before his face without spotte and vnblameable not in respect of our owne perfection but because hee hath forgiuen vs our offences and so buryed them as hee will not call them to account After that maner must wee put that text in practise And so at a worde let vs marke well that it behooueth vs to awake that wee may liue as in the presence of God Seeing then that nothing escapeth him nor nothing fleeth out of his remembraunce except it bee when he vouchsafeth to vse mercie towardes vs and lyke as hee marketh all our offences so he hath wherewith to punish them and hee can lay most horrible and dreadfull vengeance vppon vs let vs not tary till hee execute such sentence vppon vs but as I tolde you afore let vs rather pray him to clense vs from all our sins and to vtter forth the endlesse treasures of his goodnes towardes vs. Nowe to confirme this lesson Moses addeth Vengeance is mine and I will pay home in time conuenient Their foote shall slip the day of their destruction is at hand the time thereof hasteth on â—pace We see that when Moses sayd This is layd vp in my treasures hee meant it not simply of mens sins but also of the corrections which God sendeth vpon such as haue offended him too much to shewe that hee hath meanes wherewith to punish them which are vnknowen to men and which shall amase them when they come to passe In respect whereof hee sayth Vengeance is mine As if hee should say what thinke yee mee to bee For you call mee God and yet in the meane while yee acknowledge mee not to bee the Iudge of the world and that is a robbing me of my glory and maiestie And in deede what is GODS beeing but that when men haue liued in this worlde they shoulde come to account before him and he bee their Iudge If wee scape Gods hand so as our faultes abide vnpunished and euery man might runne at rouers as hee listed and in the meane while GOD should shut his eyes at them what a thing were that Shoulde wee not make as it were a dead idoll of him Yes certeinly Here therefore GOD chalengeth to himselfe the office of reuenging as if hee should say Thinke not that my diuine being or this name of GOD consisteth in I wot not what an idle toye but that it importeth that I gouerne the worlde with my power that all thinges are guided by my wisedome that my righteousnesse reigneth and that I haue the dominion of the worlde in such wise as all thinges must needes come to account before mee that such as haue serued and honored mee may not loose their labour nor the wicked scape vnpunished which haue not ceased to breake all order and to worke mee despite After this manner will I bee knowen to bee GOD euen when you shall perceiue and feele my wisedome power and righteousnes Now then vengeance is mine sayth hee that is to say I am the Iudge and therefore beguile not your selues It seemeth at the first sight that Moses saith not any thing here which is not knowen and confessed of all men For who will deny that God is a Iudge And yet for all that as I sayd afore after wee haue confessed it generally euery of vs intangleth himselfe in his owne imaginations and wee thinke not vppon it when it commeth to the offending of GOD wee make no account of it all is one to vs wee bee as bolde as mad men And must it not needes be then that the knowledge which wee had thereof is ouercast with a slumber Now then forasmuch as men doe wittingly deceiue themselues by turning away from this doctrine that is to wit that GOD is the Iudge of the worlde therefore are men here put in minde that vengeance it his and that hee will not forget to execute his office And so wee see now to what purpose Moses vsed that lesson Notwithstanding this Saint Paul alledgeth the same euen properly also thereby to restrein vs from reuenge and from taking vppon vs the thing that GOD hath reserued to himselfe Rom. 1â— 1â— Now then my friendes saith hee reuenge not your selues but giue place to wrath for it is written Vengeance belongeth vnto mee There wee see howe Saint Paul asswageth the choler and vnruly passions which cary men away when they bee in a chafe My friendes sayth hee reuenge not your selues for yee must giue place to wrath or else it is all one as if yee striued against GOD and hindered him from dooing his office But let him alone for hee hath promised that forasmuch as he is the Iudge of the worlde whensoeuer you bee troubled by your enemyes hee will requite them with the lyke howbeit conditionally that yee beare all thinges patiently and meekely For if yee will needes auenge your selues it is all one as if yee did shutte the doore against GOD as who woulde say I will not tarie for him but I wyll trie what I can doe of my selfe Howe so God is willing to
in mynde of their sinnes and thereuppon submit themselues to him and offer him their backes Like as a child looketh for correction when he seeth his father angrie so must wee haue the meekenesse in vs to submit our selues to God and shame must not touch vs neither we be ouermuch grieued when our Lord is minded to discouer our faultes and to bring vs lowe before men True it is that wee ought to be touched therewith 2. Cor. 7.10 but yet with such sorow as S. Paul speaketh of which wee must not shun bycause it tendeth to our welfare For if our sorowing be after a worldly manner bycause wee bee not honoured nor had in such reputation as we would be it is a cursed and sinfull sorowing But if wee bee sorie that we haue offended God and all our griefe is for the euill which we haue done that sorow is a sacrifice which God alloweth and well lyketh of Howsoeuer the world goe if GOD list to lay any note of infamie vppon vs let vs not thinke it ouer straunge sith wee see that Moses who had bin exalted as a figure of our Lorde Iesus Christ who had deliuered the people of Israel out of bondage and vppon whom GOD had shedde out his power was faine for all that to bee set as vppon a scaffolde and to bee put to reproche and to haue it made knowen that God did solemnely bereaue him of the land that was promised to the linage of Abraham when a great sort of Rascals and a great many of people of none account entered into it and in the meane whyle Moses was fayne to bee shutte out Sith wee see this shoulde wee thinke our punishment ouer harde and grieuous when God will haue our sinnes laide open specially when it may serue for example instruction Nay we ought not to haue so great regard of our owne honour but that we ought to esteeme the saluation of our neighbors much more Moses for his part knew y t this shold serue for a good president to the worldes ende bicause that whensoeuer we compare our selues with him we must needs hang downe our heads as I saide afore and put our selues into the handes of GOD. At the sight heere of Moses was contented For he sought the welfare of the whole Church and so that God were glorified he made no further reckening but vtterly forgetting himselfe he was not so chare of his owne renowne and good reputation in this behalf but that hee did patiently beare the chastisement which it pleased God to denounce against him That is the thing which wee haue in effect to remember in this place where it is shewed vs againe that Moses was shut out from the possessiō of the land which had beene promised for an inheritance as well to him as to all the rest of Abrahams ofspring And herewithall we ought also to marke well that whereas God sendeth him vp into Mount Nebo and telleth him that hee shall dye there he as we shall see in the end resisteth it not but prepareth himselfe to it True it is that he pronounceth the blessings which shal be seene hereafter in order and which we wil go in hand withall to morowe if it please God Also hee maketh as it were his last Will to all the people And yet for all this he is not dismayed but putteth himselfe into Gods hand and prepareth himselfe willingly to dye Nowe heerein wee see how the faithfull ought to be alwayes willing to goe whithersoeuer God calleth them and how they ought to ouerleape al the difficulties of this world insomuch that although they meete with neuer so many thornes and neuer so many encounters yet ought they to thrust foreward still not to be driuen aside nor to be put out of hart for all that Also when God taketh them out of the world it behoueth them to haue alwaies one foote onward on the way as if they should say lo heere I am Lord I am ready to come vnto thee But this cannot be done except a man haue profited well in Gods schoole and specially that we know there is a better life prepared for vs. For w tout that we can neuer feele truly that we be but straungers in this world For they which beleeue there is none other life than this which we inioy heere and thinke to make their rest in this world are so wedded to it y t a man cannot plucke them from it but by force and spite of their teeth But when we once know that our inheritaunce is in heauen we conclude y t this world is but a pilgrimage and that wee must passe apace through it And he that passeth it so shall finde it no hard matter to go through with his iourney when he seeth that his saluation is on the other side and that God calleth him thereunto The thing then whereunto it behoueth vs to put our whole indeuour is the minding of the heauenly lyfe and to consider that God allureth vs dayly to come to the immortall glory which he hath prepared for vs to the intent that when we be to depart out of this world we may not goe vnto him against our wils nor make complaintes nor say after the maner of vnbeleeuers What shal I doe or what shall become of me For as S. Paule sheweth vs he that hath our gage in his handes 2. Tim. 1.12 is faithfull Our saluation is named a gage so as God byndeth himselfe lyke a man that receyueth money or some other thing that hee is put in trust with to keepe Nowe if a man haue taken a thing to keepe it behooueth him to shewe his honestie and trueth And thinke we that God will deceyue vs hauing promysed vs to be the keeper of saluation Seeyng then that hee hath vouchsafed to take it into his handes and to vndertake the safe custodie thereof let vs bee bold to trust vnto him and let vs goe yeelde our selues into his handes whensoeuer hee shall call vs. Thus yee see howe wee bee to put this text in vre Yet must wee note further that there is lesse excuse for vs noweadayes than there was for Moses or for all the fathers that lyued vnder the Lawe For had they the promyses that are made vnto vs at this day in the Gospell They dyd but see them a farre off and vnder verie darke shadowes Or did they see Iesus Christ raysed from the dead In deede they knewe it howbeit but by hope as whereby they comprehended in a figure the thinges that were absent But nowadayes forasmuch as wee haue the Gospell which openeth to vs the gates of heauen GOD allureth vs to him as familiarly as can bee wee bee alreadie entered into it in the person of our Lorde Iesus Christ in so much that his going vp on high is to drawe vs thither to him For in as much as he is our head he will drawe vs vp to him into the glory whereinto hee himselfe is entred
alreadie so wee bee not separated from him Let vs beware then that wee disappoynt not that grace of GOD. But let vs bee so stablished in the fayth that whensoeuer GOD shal call vs out of the world wee may not sticke to goe willingly vnto him and to doe that which wee see heere in Moses When GOD tolde him that hee shoulde dye hee strayned not courtesie to goe vp into the Mountaine although that place were appoynted vnto him as it were to offer vp himselfe in sacrifice to GOD. Moreouer his sinne was layde afore him againe and yet did not that discomfort him neither And that is a poynt more which wee ought to marke well for it importeth a verie good lesson See heere Moses is at deathes doore it may seeme that at that tyme hee ought to haue had some comfort wherewith to asswage his sorowe And yet for all that God renueth the rememberaunce of the fault which hee had committed and hee telleth him againe that hee must take in good woorth the punishment which hee had hearde spoken of afore Wee see then that Gods threateninges whereby hee layeth our sinnes before vs ought not to trouble vs so much but that wee ought to take occasion and matter to reioyce in them bycause wee knowe as I haue sayde alreadie that GOD doeth so temper his rigour as that euen in his punishing of vs hee ceasseth not to doe the office of a father still so as the principall that is to say the saluation of our soules is reserued vnto vs yea and the temporall chastisementes are beneficiall to vs as by the meanes whereof GOD cleanseth vs and maketh vs to taste the better how greatly it is for our behoofe to haue his fauour That then is a thing which wee haue to marke in the person of Moses So then if any man be blamed for his faultes though it were when he is sicke yea or at the last gasp when Gods iudgementes are set afore him to make him sory and to lament yet must he not thinke it straunge For as we see there are many which haue neede to bee so touched and to be as it were touched with a launcer that they may bee brought to God with such reuerence as is requisite And although such corrections bee bitter at the first sight yet must not men fall into despaire but alwayes haue recourse to Gods goodnes assuring themselues that his blaming of them after that manner is not an vtter condemning of them but is done to the end that they should be their owne Iudges and that hee therewithall is minded to receiue them to mercy Therefore let vs suffer our Lord to deale after that manner with vs and whensoeuer we haue any heartbiting so as God toucheth vs inwardly with the rememberaunce of our sinnes or we see them in reading his word or we heare them spoken of in sermons or wee be warned of them priuately let vs learne that the setting of them before vs is not to make vs conceiue any hartburning or to cast vs in despayre so as wee shoulde bee kept backe from God but that wee shoulde therewithall imbrace his promises and not feare to bee disappointed of the thinges which hee hath behighted vs for his proceeding after that manner is to the ende wee should set the more store by his grace and accept it the better and bee prouoked to seeke it and also receiue it with the earnester desire To that ende are his threatninges and iudgements set afore vs. And after that manner ought wee to practise the text that was treated of yesterday 〈◊〉 32.47 and also that which remaineth yet stil therof For it was sayd that the Lawe was the lyfe of all the people and that it should maintaine thē in the land which God had promised them and whereinto he led them to put them in possession thereof And yet neuerthelesse wee see that in the lawe are many hard and sharpe threates there bee the curses which ought to make the haires to stand vp stiffe vpon mens heades and there bee so many presidents wherein God bewrayeth and vttereth the iniquities of the people that at the first it may seeme that they should bee vtterly confounded and that the law serued but to smite them with maine blowes like a beetle and to daunt them and scarre them in such wise as they might not approch vnto God but yet haue wee neede to bee so mortifyed For let vs consider well the pride of our nature and the false ouerweening and vaine selfetrust wherwith wee be puffed vp and how stubborne wee be against God and wee shall finde that if hee will doe vs good he must bee faine to beate vs downe after that manner and his worde must be as a twoo edged sword so as there be neither thought nor affection in vs which is not searched by it 〈◊〉 4.12 and it must enter into y e very marow of the bones as the Apostle treateth thereof in the Epistle to the Hebrewes Therefore let vs not thinke it straunge that God dooth here tell Moses againe of his fault notwithstanding that it was forgiuen him For although hee ought to be glad of it because God did it in such wise as he was nothing hindred thereby to call vppon him quietly and to cast himselfe as it were into his fatherly lap yet was it good for him to think vppon the fault which he had committed And why To humble him to the intent hee should yeelde the more honor to the infinite goodnes of God and say Alas I might iustly haue bin sunken to the bottom of hell for one only deede that befel me in lesse than the turning of a hand though I was grieued at the manifold grudgings of the people yet intended I not to haue offended my God but it happened vnto me through ouersight for want of thinking thereon And now if this onely one fault was enough to cast me into endlesse cursednes Alas what is due to my whole lyfe I shoulde haue committed a thowsand thowsand offences yea and I should neuer haue ceased to augment Gods vengeance vppon me still if I had not bin restreined and helde backe And yet must I nowe beare the punishmēt of my fault which in the sight of the worlde seemeth very light but God knoweth what maner a one it is seeing that for it I must bee forestalled of the land of Canaan and haue deserued to be banished not onely from thence but also frō the heauenly lyfe Thus ye see how it was good for Moses to bee taught humilitie after that fashiō And what is thē to be thought of vs Nowe moreouer our Lorde sayth vnto him that he should beholde the land and that was to shew him as I haue sayd already that he is not so forfended of going thither but y t God taketh him stil as one of the number cōpany of his children And his taking of poffessiō of the land by eyesight was also an admonition
where and is yet still in a number of countries which make great account of themselues and deeme themselues to be of great worthines If a man should aske the Italians the Frenchmen and a great sort of the Almaines of what worthines they be they will set so great estimation vppon themselues in their pride as ye would maruel and yet are they all banished from the inheritance of God they are all disherited they be depriued of the foode of saluation which God hath ordayned for his children Seeing it is so let vs see that we be more diligent in keeping this inheritance sith our Lord hath put it as a gage into our handes let euery of vs inforce himselfe to teach the younger sort that the trueth may bee receiued continually from hand to hand and that GOD may reigne among vs euerlastingly And to the intent wee may haue the more zeale and good will thereto let vs call to minde that which I haue sayd afore namely that if wee should compare all the goods in the world and all the riches that fathers can leaue to their children with this they be nothing in comparison of this heaueÌ„ly treasure of Gods auowing of vs to be of his houshold and of his declaring that he will dwel among vs to make vs partakers of his glorie Seing then that our Lord assigneth vs so great a good thing it is reason that he should bee preferred before all the thinges which are to be desired in this world and which rauish all our wits and willes from vs. Now he addeth afterward That he was a king among the vpright dealers that is to say in Israell This sentence is commonly vnderstood concerning Moses because he was spoken of in the last verse For he had sayd Moses gaue vs the Lawe and now he addeth he was a king in Israel But we knowe it was not the custome of Moses to call himselfe king For the time was not yet come wherein God should haue chosen and ordâ—yned a king to haue preheminence Saul was the first 1. Sam. 10.1 yea and that was through a rebellion of the people But God chose Dauid to the intent that the kingdome should bee stablished in his person And vntill that time the people were at libertie and God named himself their king and called the people a royall priesthood So then no doubt but that here Moses contineweth the matter which hee had begunne already namely that the people should sit downe at the feete of God to heare his word He declareth after what maner wee should sit downe at Gods feete to be his scholers and that hee may be our maister and we be taught at his mouth It is saith he by being our king therewithall Hee sheweth that whereas God abaceth himselfe so farre as to be our teacher his so dooing ought not to cause vs to despise him or to diminish his maiestie but therewithal he must also be a king Let vs beare in minde then that the doctrine which wee receiue of God is as the speach of a king and it behoueth vs to tremble vnder him so as wee may not onely be as little children y t record their lesson vnder a maister but also that both great and small doe come to heare what God speaketh and giue eare vnto it with all humilitie and that his lawes may preuaile and haue their force amongest vs. The thing then in effect which Moses meant in this place is that hauing shewed that God stoopeth so lowe vnto our meanesse y t he maketh himselfe as a scholemaister and voutsafeth to haue vs sit at his feet to the intent we should be familiarly taught at his hand yet ceaseth he not therefore to bee a king and to keepe still his dominion and degree so that what excellencie soeuer bee in men they must not presume to skorne the doctrine that is preached vnto them but euen the very kinges of the earth ought all of them to submit themselues to it and hee as the onely head ought to haue all preheminence and soueraigne dominion ouer vs. To be short we haue two things to consider in Gods word the one is his infinite goodnesse in that he commeth downe to vs and becoÌ„meth familiar with vs and as yee would say dandleth vs and speaketh to vs as kindly as a nurse woulde speake to her babe Seeing then that God doth so fashion himselfe to our small capacitie wee ought of right to loue well his worde But yet therewithall let vs marke also that hee will not bereaue himselfe of his right that hee should not continue King for euer and wee tremble vnder him and bee subiect to his lawes and commandements Thus the thing which we haue in effect to beare in mind is that Gods word ought to bee as sweete to vs as honie and as precious as Gold and Siluer as Dauid speaketh thereof Psal. 19.11 And he doth expresly name the people of Israell by the terme of vpright persons as he had done afore to shewe vpon what condition wee be Gods Church namely that vprightnesse and Iustice should reigne among vs. For we knowe that God wil not be intangled in our disorders if we should rush out into any maner of eull for in so doing it might seeme that wee would driue God farre from vs. So much the more then ought wee to marke well this text that God was king among the vpright For it serueth to the end that we should first vnderstand that if wee obey Gods Lawe his kingdome flourisheth And againe when wee serue him he maketh vs to be righteous certesse our true righteousnesse dependeth vpon our hearkening vnto God ought to be esteemed thereafter As for those then which are disobedient to the lawe and the Gospell doe well shewe that they cannot abyde that GOD should gouerne them and that is all one as if they defied him and would not admit him for their king and Prince True it is that none of the wicked sort of this worlde will confesse that their intent is to alienate theÌ„selues from God after that maner but yet is it so indeede and it is not for them to pleade to the contrarie bycause the soueraigne Iudge hath giuen definitiue sentence thereof Also let vs marke by the way that God neuer reigneth among vs except our conuersation bee conformable to his worde so as wee forsake all our owne wicked affections to obey him And therewithall let vs beare in mynde likewise that there will bee no righteousnes when euery man wil needes serue God after his owne deuotion as we see y e world doeth which museth vppon these pelting fonde toyes insomuch that the Papistes seeme to theÌ„selues to be halfe Angels so long as they haue daunced their common trace that is to say haue played the brute beastes But the very true righteousnes which God alloweth and accepteth is to suffer our selues to bee gouerned by his hand to haue none other leader than his single
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
agree in vnitie of faith God doeth vs to vnderstande that hee dwelleth among vs and our Lorde Iesus Christ doeth then shewe himselfe to bee the heade of that whole bodie That is the thing which wee haue to gather vppon this text where it is saide that the children of Leuie shall keepe Gods couenant And why For else it might perish in the worlde according whereunto Saint Paul saieth 1. Tim. 3.15 that the Church is the Arch the Piller and the vpholder of Gods trueth And howe is that Because that men as I haue saide afore are so inclined to vanitie and leasings that they shoulde bee alienated out of hande from the pure Religion if they were held still by that meane The Church then is as a Gardian to Gods trueth to the intent it shoulde not bee dâ—rie away but that we should alwayes haue that light among vs and that wee might vnderstand that where preaching is there Gods voice ringeth in our eares so as if wee were neuer so sore shaken too and fro yet doeth God giue vs a sure stay wherewith to resist all temptations Yee see then how the keeping of Gods couenant is committed to the Leuits and generally to all such as haue the office of sheepherds among Gods people Moreouer for the better maintaining of the pure Religion it behooueth them to haue a zeale of Gods honour they must all their life long indeuour to maintaine the doctrine and therewithall they must haue their mouthes open to preach the worde that is committed vnto them to the ende that that treasure bee not lost nor buried but that all men may bee made partakers thereof They shall preach thy lawe then vnto Iacob and thy doctrine vnto Israel so as Gods worde must needes be published if we will shew our selues to bee a people dedicated vnto him Againe let vs marke also that heere is speciall mention made of Gods worde and of his lawe to doe vs to wit that God will not haue mens inuentions to reigne among his people but will haue men to hold themselues wholly vnto him and as yee would say to hang altogether vpon his mouth Nowe then the children of Leuie haue not here a libertie giuen them to forge lawes after their owne liking and to set foorth whatsoeuer they list as the Pope and al his haue done And it is to be seene yet still at this day howe the same tyrannie reigneth in such sort that whatsoeuer is termed by the name of Gods seruice in Poperie is but a confused heape of all manner of dotages whereunto euery man hath put to his peece and yet they cannot alledge one syllable of holy scripture to shew that God alloweth their doings But men haue stepped foorth through their owne diuelish rashnes haue made Lawes and Statutes to binde mens consciences vnder paine of deadly sinne and moreouer haue coyned articles of faith at their owne pleasure From whence then hath all the doctrine of poperie beene taken Not from the fountaine of y e truth but from the hellish stinking puddle of Satan where there is nothing but confusion Where haue they founde their praying vnto Sainctes but in their owne braine or rather that Satan hauing forged it in his shoppe hath besotted them therewith Againe where finde they any of the thinges which they speak concerning works of supererogation Merits the Apes toyes of their Masse and all their Ceremonies in generall It is certaine that al these things were set forth by men But contrariwise our Lorde hath tolde vs here that he meaneth not to haue those to put forth any thing of their owne whom hee hath appointed to beare abroade his worde For the commission which hee gaue to the Leuites was to set those thinges abroade which they had receiued of him and to deale them forth plainly and rightly to the people taking good heede that they did not alter or falsifie any thing And therefore let vs marke that wee shall then bee allowed for Gods people when our faith flittereth not after the lure of mortall men without knowing why wee beleeue but that wee rest wholly vppon God and that when wee knowe that wee haue his worde to rule vs by then will hee vpholde and auowe vs to bee his Church But yet must wee alwayes come backe to this that it is not ynough for vs to haue the lawe written and to haue Gods worde in our handes and to make a priuate reading thereof at home in our houses but the same worde must also bee preached and expounded vnto vs. And why so Because Gods will is that it shoulde be so and therefore wee must not dispute vppon it For why The order which God hath set among vs is not to bee broken Neither hath hee doone it without cause and iust reason as I haue saide alreadie considering the frailtie that is in vs and how easily wee be led to swarue aside Moses addeth heereunto That they shall put vp the perfume vnto the nosethrilles of the Lorde and lay the whole burnt offerings vppon his Altar This concerneth the Ceremonies For vnder the Lawe they had thinges which we haue not nowadayes namely the figures of the things which were fulfilled in the person of our Lorde Iesus Christ. For the Priesthoode did vs to vnderstande that the people coulde not haue any accesse vnto GOD without some meane And when the people came to worshippe God and to offer sacrifices they helde themselues in y e outmost court There was the first part wherein they all held themselues and it was not lawfull for them to preace any further There was also y e sanctuarie for the priests and lodgings for the tribe of Leuie Also there was the great Sanctuarie whereinto the high-priest entered all alone with great solemnitie And all this serued to shewe yet more liuely the death and passion of our Lord Iesus Christ. But nowe all those things are come to an end For there is no more shadowing the veile as it is said is broken asunder and we haue the heaueÌ„ly sanctuarie wherunto we be called right forth and Iesus Christ hath set it open for vs. And so there needeth nowe no more burnt offering there needeth no more sacrifising for sinnes for our Lorde Iesus Christ hath by his one only sacrifice wiped away the sins of the world made an euerlasting attonement the vertue whereof can neuer be diminished As often then as we will preace vnto God it is not for vs to bring thither either calfe or sheep but we must resort to the bloudshed of our Lorde Iesus Christ because that thereby the euerlasting redemption is purchased vnto vs. Nowe we see wherein the Priestes of the olde lawe differed from vs. Yet notwithstanding those which are ordeined at this day to preach Gods worde ought to knowe that God will haue them to shewe the way in praying to him And to that ende serued the perfumes that were made in the Temple Let vs not thinke that God taketh
ten trybes of Israel were comprehended vnder it When the Prophets name Ephraim it is a comprehending of all the ten trybes togither Esai 7.2 in other places insomuch that euen Ruben who was the eldest of all lay hid vnder the wings of Ephraim And who knew that Our Lord did so vtter it by the mouth of those whom he had appointed in his place And so we see againe the thing that I said afore namely that in this case Moses was not a priuate person ne spake at randon nor of his owne head but was directed by God to the intent it might be knowen that that people was gouerned by speciall meanes as a people chosen and picked out by God from the rest of the world True it is that God is the generall creator of all mankind and that all people are his Yet notwithstanding forasmuch as he had chosen the linage of Abraham it was his will to haue his power the better knowen there to holde them as his houshold folke neerer alyed vnto him And therefore it was good reason that the things which are declared here should be knowen of al y e Iewes that by that meanes they should be prouoked to blesse the name of God acknowledging howe greatly they were bound tied vnto him for that he had so withdrawen them from al other nations vouchsafed to make them feele him to be their father seeing he had adopted them to be his children Now let vs come to the things that befell True it is that God hath wel perfourmed al that he had spoken And thereby wee see that the children of Ioseph were not disapointed of their expectation neither was any of al those promises void But yet for al that they tooke no great benefite by them but rather it came to passe through their own lewdnes that they were of necessitie turned to their harme and vndoing Wherin we see y t men are so vntoward y t they change all y t euer God had ordeyned for their welfare in so much that when he blesseth them they turne his blessing into a curse when he offereth them life they turne it into deth they not only dim y e light but also turne it into darknes But what befell to the Trybe of Ephraim It was aduaunced as it were by miracle and against the order of nature through the onely blessing of God And yet for all this it caused y e body of the commonweale to be rent torne asunder Gods seruice to bee corrupted peruerted ydolatry to reigne in the holy land God to be defrauded and bereft of his inheritance and all manner of infections to be brought in Whereupon insued foorthwith all manner of mischiefe so as they did eate vp one another like dogs and cattes and there was such deadly enmitie betweene the two kingdoms of Iuda Israel Esay 7.1 that they went to seeke help of the Heathen Infidels to ouerthrow one another and was not y t a diuelish rage yet all this proceeded from the trybe of Ephraim If a man should say y t Gods blessing was the cause thereof then is there a double malice to be seene in y t behalf For they ought the rather to haue bin incouraged to magnifie Gods name to walke in his feare seeing he had so greatly bounde them to him But they turned y t benefite to the contrary as I haue shewed alreadie therfore it was of necessitie y t all those blessings were taken from them moreouer y t they were vnto them an occasion of decay I say they were the occasion howbeit not the cause Yea but yet was y e blame to be imputed vnto them because they themselues were the alterers of Gods order What is to be done then Let vs vnderstand that when God shal haue fed vs fat in this world so as wee haue the fruits of the earth yea be as it were made drunken with the things that delight vs yet if we haue not the chiefe poynt the residue shal be sold vs ful deere Then let vs not so gretly esteeme the temporall transitory goods that we should not euermore haue an eye to y e chiefe point which is y t God receiues vs for his children that we abide vnder his gouernement that wee call vppon him as our father howbeit truely and vnfaynedly resorting rightly vnto him and submitting our selues wholy to his wil knowing that as soone as wee bee neuer so litle separated from him it cannot bee but that miserie and confusion must needes fall vpon vs. So then let vs esteeme of the transitorie benefits which god bestoweth vpon vs in this world but let vs esteem them in their degree so as we be not tyed to them ne set not our chief desire vppon them If God giue vs of them let vs enioy them with all sobrietie and let vs not set our minds too much vpō them Again if he giue vs them not let vs beare our pouertie patiently keep on our way stil. And in y e meane while let vs take our cōtentatiō rest in y e spiritual goods which God granteth vs in y t he vouchsafeth to certifie vs y t he is our father in y t he calleth vs vnto him daily in y t he telleth vs y t we shal finde fauor at his hand for our lord Iesus Christs sake Let the hauing of these things suffise vs and let vs not repyne at the aduersities griefes troubles which we haue in this world neither let vs enuye such as are here in better case than wee but when we see the vnbeleeuers liue at ease haue all their pleasures so as they want not any thing let vs haue an eye to the trybe of Ephraim consider the great wealth both of the same also of the trybe of Manasses They were fed at their pleasure but what They glutted themselues with Gods benefites and were choked with them for their owne vnthankfulnes Now then let this serue to restraine vs frō repyning at those with whome God dealeth so liberally in this world and to whom he sheweth himselfe so bountifull Let not vs bee grieued thereat For why We haue the goods which are of farre greater value that is to wit the things that concerne our saluation For seeing y t God hath begunne to worke after that fashion in vs by his holy spirite let vs seeke for the heauenly riches whereunto he calleth vs from day to day till we haue the ful fruition of them at the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ. Now let vs fall downe before the maiestie of our good God with acknowledgement of our faults praying him to make vs perceiue them more more and that therewithall when wee enioy here neuer so many benefites and bee fedde by his hande wee may not bee so rechlesse and sleepie as not to haue our myndes continually lifted vp to heauen to giue thanks to him for all his benefites
to offer him a pure and cleane oblation Yea and we see that Dauid also did practise the same doctrine in his time Psalm 4.6 For whereas he sayeth Offer vnto God the sacrifice of righteousnesse it is a rebuking of them that had peruerted the Religion And because his enemies had their full scope at that time and he himselfe was chased and banished in that while the wicked vaunted themselues as the papistes do at this day with What We be the Catholike Church wee haue Gods temple we haue all the titles which belong to the Church therefore Dauid skorned all such abusers of Gods name and tolde them that all their dealinges were but leazinges And why Offer vnto God the sacrifice of righteousnesse He vseth the selfe same word which Moses hath set downe heere to shewe that God neuer ment that men should discharge themselues towardes him with Ceremonies and such like thinges but that he intended to bring them to his spirituall seruice that is to say to put their trust in him to call vpon him and to yeelde him the glorie and prayse of all good thinges That is the thing which he requireth and the marke whereat hee would haue vs to leuell And so we haue one good lesson more in this text which shall serue for an ende and conclusion because the time will not beare any more Let vs marke well then that Moses hauing spoken so of the zeale which should be in the tribes of Isachar Zabulon sayth that God will blesse them True it is that nowe hauing the kingdome of heauen opened vnto vs by our Lorde Iesus Christ by reason whereof it behoueth vs to looke vp higher wee shall not alwayes be riche in this worlde we shall not occupie the trade of marchandice by sea we shall not flit off the fatte thereof for it is euen good for vs that our Lorde should keepe vs vnder in lowe state But yet shall we be blessed of him if wee bee his children 1. Tim. 4.8 according as Saint Paul declareth that the trewe Religion and feare of God haue promises both of the present life and of the life to come And therefore if we intend to be gouerned by Gods hande and that he should sende vs prosperitie conuenient for our welfare let vs learne to dedicate ourselues vnto him let vs all indeuour to serue him and let vs worshippe him with one accorde If we doe so surely wee shall finde that God hath not forgotten vs and we shall also see what force there is in his grace when it is vttered vppon vs. And that is the meaning of our Lorde Iesus Christ where hee sayeth 〈◊〉 6.33 that we must first seeke the kingdome of God y t is to say we must first indeuor as much as is possible that God may be honoured that the world may be gathered vnto him and wee ourselues must come formost When we once haue this zeale all other thinges shal be cast vnto vs. But if we beginne at th◠present life if we be ouercarefull for our sustenance and food if we be so wedded to this worlde that we make none account of the kingdome of heauen wee may take peynes and toyle ynough yea euen till we breake our armes and legges asunder but yet it shall so litle boote vs that it shall rather turne all to our vtter confusion Therfore let vs marke vpon this text that first of all God must be knowen of all and then thereupon wee may looke that he will haue a fatherly care of vs not only in calling vs to the heauenly inheritaunce but also in prouiding vs of thinges necessarie euen while we be as pilgrims and wayfarers in this worlde Nowe let vs fall downe before the maiestie of our good GOD with acknowledgement of our faultes praying him to vouchsafe to touche vs more and more with them to the quicke and to drawe vs to such repentaunce that we misliking our sinnes and being sorie for them may obtaine the grace to be throughly reclaymed vnto him and that although we be estraunged from him and doe dwell in the middest of so manie temptations stumblingblockes impediments as long as wee bee compassed with our mortall fleshe yet notwithstanding he may not faile to preserue vs and to giue vs such strength as wee may maintaine battell against all thinges that may turne vs from him vntill wee bee come to the heauenly rest and that all our ioy and contentation may be there and that in the middest of the miseries of this worlde we may patiently beare his chastisements corrections vntill he haue made it knowen vnto vs that they haue benefited vs towardes our saluation That it may please him to graunt this grace not only to vs but also to all people Nations of the earth c. On Saturday the iiij of Iuly 1556. The CXCVII Sermon which is the seuenth vpon the xxxiij Chapter 20 Also he sayde of Gad Blessed bee he that inlarged Gad hee dwelleth as a lyon and snatcheth away the arme with the head 21 He looked to himselfe at the beginning because a portion of the Lawgiuer was hidden there yet shall he come with the princes of the people and execute the Lordes iustice and his iudgement with Israell 22 Also he sayde of Dan Dan is as a Lyons whelpe hee shall leape from Basan 23 Also he sayde of Nepthali O Nepthali which hast thy fill of Gods good pleasure and art full of the Lordes blessing take possession at the west and South 24 Also he sayd of Aser Aser shal be blessed with children and acceptable to his brethren and shall dippe his foote in Oyle 25 Thy Inclosures shall be yron and brasse and thy life shal be according to thy dayes HEere wee haue to treate of the blessednes of the tribe of Gad to whom that name was giuen because that whereas his mother had erst beene despised as it were reiected of her husband Iacob now after many other children had by him reioycing that GOD had made her so fruitefull shee sayde of this Gad In number or in bande or Hoste Gen. 30.11 And for the same cause also when Iacob blessed this his sonne he sayde An armie shall rise vp against Gad Gen. 49.19 but hee shall get the vpper hande Whereby he ment that as the mother of him was fruitefull in children so Gad should become a great tribe and be so multiplied that he should be able to ouercome his enemies This promise doth Moses confirme and ratifie saying That God will inlarge Gad. We see then how that in this promise Moses hath shewed y t the blessing which was giuen to Gad himselfe was not in vaine but that God continued the same fauour towardes all the whole tribe so as he had alwayes a speciall care of that people to performe all that euer hee had sayde as well to Abraham as to the other Patriarkes Now we must apply this to our owne vse and although
trybe of Nepthalim at leastwise in comparison of the other trybes Not that that countrey also was not wasted in the ende because of the vnthankfulnes of the people But God sheweth here that whereas hee intended to stablish the people of Israel hee would giue vnto euery of them his portion the blessings which hee woulde bestowe vppon them should be diuers accordingly as we know well that hee dealeth not alike with all men no not euen with his owne children whome hee hath chosen Albeit that hee loue them all and be father in common to them all yet doeth hee handle them diuersly After the same sort was it with this people Here then wee see as in a mirrour that God is not bounde to gouerne his Church after such a sort that euery faithfull man shoulde haue the same thing that the others haue For God knoweth what is meete for vs. One is handled after one fashion and another after another And doth God sayth some man take pleasure in such varietie For hee knoweth that those things are for our behoofe Although wee knewe none other reason euen this were sufficient that he doeth not any thing but with perfect righteousnes wisedome and that ought to content vs. But we see moreouer and finde it prooued to vs by experience that it is not good that all men should be dealt withal alike And why For we haue diuerse dispositions diuerse complexions al meÌ„ are not to be fed with one kind of meate nor all diseases to be cured with one medicine God therefore vseth diuersitie of dealings towardes vs after as hee perceiueth it expedient for vs And that is the cause why I sayd that the whole summe of Gods blessings is a mirror vnto vs to shewe vs that hee so distributeth his gracious giftes vnto his Church as that euerie man hath his measure and qualitie and yet notwithstanding that howsoeuer wee fare wee must with all humilitie giue thankes vnto GOD for that it pleaseth him to bee our father assuring our selues that although he giue vs not all that our flesh craueth yet will he succour vs at our need and turne our sorrowes to good making them to serue to our saluation But it behooueth vs to marke well the word that is set downe heere by Moses where he sayeth that Nephthalim shall haue his fill of Gods fauor and that he shal be replenished with his blessing This word Blesse as wee knowe is taken diuers wayes in the holy Scripture Sometime it is taken for praying As when wee blesse one another it is as much to say as wee wish well one to another And when it is attributed vnto God it is also taken for benefiting or dooing good For when God sayeth the worde the deede goeth ioyntly therewith God then needeth not to wish vs any good if hee doo but say that hee will doe vs good wee shal haue our fill thereof and whatsoeuer is expedient for our saluation Nowe then Gods blessing is a testimonie and effect of the free fauour good will and loue which hee beareth towardes vs. But yet this free loue of God is as the fountayne and then his blessing is as the Conduit pype Therefore whensoeuer wee receiue any good or prosperitie let vs assure our selues that it commeth of Gods blessing of vs that is to saye of his vttering of his fauour towardes vs but yet must wee euer resort to that free loue of his when so euer wee bee so blessed at his hande For hee would giue vs no show of his fatherly goodnes if he had not receiued vs alreadie for his children And that is the cause why he dealeth so gently and kindly with vs. Moses then hath kept here a verie good order in saying that Nephthaly should haue his fill of Gods fauour and be replenished with his blessing Hee setteth downe Fauour in the first place for as I saide that is the very welspring and afterward he addeth the blessing which proceedeth thereof that is to saye the record which God yeldeth by effect that he loueth vs and that hee hath adopted vs for his children in respect whereof hee vouchsafeth to powre out vpon vs all the stores treasures of his goodnes Now haue wee a good lesson to gather vpon this text which is that if wee bee desirous of prosperitie wee must seeke it at Gods hand not do as they do which wish ynough but in the meane whyle cannot lift vp their hearts to call vppon God Looke vppon the wishes of this world how they flee in the aire euery man coueteth whatsoeuer most liketh his flesh there is no ende of wishing with I woulde I woulde And whereas men speake after that fashion yet shall yee scarse finde one among a hundred which directeth himselfe to God to say Lorde thou knowest what is meete for mee vouchesafe I beseech thee to sende it mee Forasmuch then as men are so gadding and that their nature leadeth them but to flickering in the aire after their wishes and in the meane while they occupie not themselues in prayer and supplication therefore it behooueth vs to marke well the texts where it is shewed vs that all prosperitie commeth of God And moreouer we must vnderstand that when God vttereth his fauour in that wise it is because that hee of his owne free goodnes hath vouchsafed to loue vs so as we must not seek the cause therof in our selues as though we had preuented God or as though wee had gotten aught by our owne desertes but wee must vnderstande that God is fauourable vnto vs because hee hath loued vs notwithstanding that wee were vnworthie of it Thus yee see then that from the conduit-pype whereat wee drinke wee must goe vp to the fountaiâ—e and to the springs head that is to wit to Gods free goodnes which is highest in degree as the onely cause of all the benefites which wee receiue at his hand Nowe last of all it is sayde of Nephthaly that hee shall possesse the South and the West that is to say the Sea for so doeth the speach import Wherein Moses prophesieth againe of the state of that trybe And let vs alwayes beare in mynde howe it is God that speaketh these things to shewe that hee hath a care of that people And that people was as a Mirrour of the Church yea and in olde time it was the Church in whose roome wee bee nowe succeeded Wherefore let vs assure our selues that GOD will alwayes haue a fatherly care of vs. And although hee gouerne all the nations of the worlde in generall by his prouidence yet is hee neerer vnto vs and that shal wee feele in that wee shal bee vnder his direction and that hee will so maintaine vs as wee shall knowe that nothing happeneth vnto vs by his will Luke 12.7 in so much that one hayre shall not fall from our head but by his appoyntment In the ende hee concludeth with Aser True it is that Iacob in his
or vppon his credit and authoritie And by these meanes God is robbed of his glory On the other side if wee perceiue any danger which of vs trusteth and resteth vpon God◠which of vs setteth his heart vpon him Nay we be vtterly dismayed And what else betokeneth this but that after wee haue declared with our mouth that God is almightie that he gouerneth the world that nothing can let him to perfourme what he listeth we shewe by our doings that wee beleeue none of all those things or else that wee be not fully throughly persuaded of them And therfore it is not for nought that the scripture doeth so magnifie God vnto vs declaring vnto vs that wee cannot sufficiently consider his infinite highnesse and power which is in him to doe whatsoeuer hee hath ordayned And that is the thing whereunto Moses had an eye in this text where he sayd There is none like vnto God ô right This worde is taken for Israel or for the Church as wee haue seene heretofore Deut. 33.5 Now at the first blush a man would thinke that this doctrine were superfluous specially being directed to such as euen from their childhood were trayned vp in the lawe and had the doctrine preached vnto them A man woulde thinke I say that it were needlesse to tel them that there is none like vnto God For who denyeth it But as I haue sayd alreadie it costeth nothing to say so but yet for all that wee be so forepossessed with the leasings and darknesse of our vnbeleefe that wee cannot glorifie God in such sort as to rest vppon him to call vppon him and to holde our selues persuaded and resolued that all shall go well with vs so God doe pitie vs. Let vs marke then that in this place Moses speaketh not to the vnbeleeuers such as neuer wist what the maiestie of God is but to such as had heard the lawe to such as had had their eares beaten with teaching And wherefore doeth hee it I haue tolde you alreadie that wee be so inclyned to distrust that euery little temptation will ouerthrowe vs out of hande Nowe wee ought to rest vppon the promise that is giuen vs namely that God will guyde vs defende vs so as wee shall not be ouercome But wee see howe wee be dismayed euery minute of an houre and wee haue neede to haue Gods power shewed vnto vs to confirme vs and to knowe that which is saide heere that is to wit that there is not any like vnto God And therefore when wee see the worlde set it selfe against vs and Satan still practising one thing or other let vs alwayes resort to this conclusion that if God be on our side Rom. 8.19 who shall then be against vs Not that we shall not haue many enemies or that as in respect of our selues wee shall not haue much adoo to resist them but that yet notwithstanding God will win the vpper hand of them The way then for vs to put this lesson in vre is that when wee see all the force of the world bent against vs wee consider with our selues that all is but smoke in comparison of the inestimable power of our God who wil alwayes be in a readinesse to succour vs. Nowe hereunto Moses addeth that God rydeth vppon the heauens for our ayde and that his maiestie is vppon the clowdes This serueth to confirm the doctrine which wee haue heard afore And although it be sufficiently expressed alreadie in one worde that God hath not his like and that hee deserueth to bee so exalted aboue all the worlde that when hee is spoken of all things ought to stoope according as it is sayde in the Prophets that as soone as his maiestie appeareth the Sunne must lose his light Esai 13.10 y e Moone must bee darkened Yet I say Howsoeuer the case standeth forasmuch as wee conceiue not his infinite glorie and power therefore it is sayd that God rydeth vppon the heauens and that his maiestie is aboue the clowdes As if it were told vs that all creatures are vnder his feete that they bee subiect vnto him and that hee can wealde them as hee listeth For if God were mingled with the worldly things there would be a combate betwixt them there woulde bee many incounters and there woulde needes be rushing against him When one man commeth against another it must needes bee knowen which of them is the stronger to driue backe his enemie If God then were in equall and like degree with his creatures what woulde come of it But whereas it is sayde that he rydeth vppon the heauens and that hee surmounteth all things thereby it is done vs to vnderstande that hee hath subdued to him selfe and to his dominion whatsoeuer things may make vs afrayde For although Satan bee called the prince of this worlde although it bee sayd that hee fighteth against vs from the aire Iohn 12.31 Ephes. 6.12 and that hee is aboue ouer our heades Yet notwithstanding hee commeth not at all at God hee is fayne to stoope vnder him So then in this text wee see our vnbeliefe For when we haue gotten the knowledge of all thinges if wee knowe not God what is there in vs but vtter ignorance and beastlinesse For is it not the chiefe poynt of our wisedome to bee so grounded in our God that wee can call vppon him and flee vnto him for refuge in all our needes That wee dout not of the assurednesse of our saluation so hee kept vs If wee haue not that all our life is but wretchednes And by the way we haue to note that where as the holy Ghost taketh so greate paynes to perswade vs what manner of one God is and that his power is infinite it is because wee bee alwayes doubtfull and wauering so as there is no stayednesse in vs. In so much that although wee haue heard that God gouerneth all things and that hee hath soueraigne dominion and although men assure vs thereof and it be tolde vs neuer so often times yet ceasse wee not to haue still some fancies or others which darken our vnderstanding wee enter into I wote not what speculations and therewithall wee bee tossed and turmoyled with a great sorte of troubles that come vppon vs And beeing so ouerraught by our owne fantastical imaginations wee knowe what it is for vs to trust in God and to leane vnto his power Let vs vnderstande I saye that in this text the holy Ghost meant to put vs in mynde of the beastlinesse that is in vs to the ende to waken vs that wee may learne to magnifie the glorie of our God better than we haue done specially considering that all the things which are wont to make vs afrayde are nothing in respect of him For he is able to subdue both Satan the worlde and whatsoeuer else is against our saluation yea euen all those things must yeld themselues to his seruice whensoeuer he listeth But let vs also marke well
When Satan hath illusions and the things which he faceth vs withall doe carry some likelihood then must wee say I fight the more manfully or otherwise wee shal bee carryed away by and by into manie dotages from whence it will bee vnpossible for vs to retyre Moreouer as touching the text which I alledged out of S. Iude let vs mark that in all ages it hath bin Satans policie to face men with the things y t might corrupt them or drawe them to ydolatry like as the Fowler or Birdcatcher hath his snares and nettes alwayes set so hath Satan his sleights to beguyle vs. And he knoweth that he hath wunne the goale of vs when he can once turne vs away from the purenesse of Gods seruice and trayne vs to some superstition for then runne wee headlong into wickednes and hee carryeth vs whither he listeth That is the cause why he taketh so much paines in this behalfe and wee see it as in respect of the bodie of Moses yea we see it by experience the which is vsed too much And herewithall let vs marke well howe S. Iude sayeth that Michael the Archangel withstoode him Yee see here howe there is a stryfe betweene the Angels of God and the diuels the Angels fighting to maintaine vs continually in the purenes which God requireth that is to say that we should worship him alone and not put our trust in any creatures That is the desire of the Angels On the other side the diuel being enemie to our saluation would faine that the maiestie of God were quite defaced And when he cannot do that he laboureth to darken it practising continually to cast fooles bables before our eyes that wee might haue toyes to occupy our heads withal here below neither go nor once looke vnto God And here we be put in mynd first what a care God hath of our saluation in that it is his will that the Angels shall fight to draw vs out of all the temptations of Satan Which thing ought to prouoke vs to bee of the better courage sith we see we haue such helpes Now then if we be weake as of our selues and cannot put from vs the temptations of Satan when we be assayled with them let vs trust that God wil not faile vs but that he wil imploy euen his Angels who be champions valiant ynough to resist all Satans attempts whatsoeuer else he can practise against vs. Here yee see vppon what trust wee ought to stande to our tackling when Satan assaileth vs laboureth to win vs. True it is y t we should euermore be ouerthrowē ouerwhelmed out of hand if God succoured vs not But seeing wee haue the Angels of heauen to reliue vs and God armeth them with his owne inuincible power to the intent we should neuer faile it ought to make vs take courage as I said afore Now moreouer we see also what pleasure the ydolaters do to the Angels Prophets Apostles Martyrs at a word to al the seruants of god when they will needes aduaunce them aboue their degrees The Papists thinke they doe well aduaunce the virgin Marie when they call her their aduocate when they terme her the life welfare of the worlde when they bid her commaund her sonne and when they cast foorth such other horrible blasphemies But if they had troden her vnder their feete when shee was in this world or if they had dragged her by y e haire of her head they should not haue done her so great outrage And why For wee knowe howe exceedingly God hateth al ydolatries A church that is infected with images is worse than a brothelhouse to Godward And shal men go abuse the name of the holy virgin And whereas the Apostles and holy Martyrs haue shed their bloud to keepe holy the name of God whereas say I they despised all the abhominations and ydolatries of the world and shed their bloud for the maintenance of Gods trueth and Gospel shal men now in steede thereof goe vnder their shadow to deface Gods honour to vnhallowe his seruice and to rend him in pieces and gobbets Let vs marke wel then that the Papistes haue not any worser or sorer enemies than the Saintes whome they thinke to honour because they do them so much wrong as to set them for contrarie parties against God And how see we that Iude. 9. Euen by S. Iudes reporting that the Angels of heauen with their captaine did striue for the bodie of Moses And let vs not thinke that the virgin Marie the Apostles and Martyrs are at variance with the Angels nay they bee all of one mynde And that shal be knowen when the bookes shal be layde open Dan. 7.10 Yee see then how that all the seruants of God doe sight to keepe the Church from beeing corrupted from turning away or slipping aside into any ydolatrie or superstition Seeing it is so let vs also on our side ioyne with them in fighting sticke to our tackeling that Gods seruice may continue vnappayred and that there may bee no mingling at all to alienate vs from God and let vs occupie our selues wholly therein seeing it is the peculiar office of Satan to set himselfe continually against our saluation so as he ceasseth not euen now to hinder the same but holdeth out stil. And his striuing was not then only for the only bodie of Moses but he hath striued euer since to set vp all the bodies of the holy Prophets When Ieremie serued for ydolatrie in Egypt where was his bodie To whome shall that bee imputed but to Satan which inuented a newe meane of ydolatrie to the holie Prophet Againe whence came all the illusions and false miracles that haue bin wrought in the Popedome but from the same shop Wee see then how Satan hath alwayes strayned him self to cast some obiect before our eyes to draw vs away from Gods seruice and to busie our heads about other things that being wrapped in superstition we might be vtterly marde Sith it is so let vs keepe the better watch and stande at our defence For seeing our enemies come neere vs and are alwayes watching to spye vs at some aduantage surely it will waken vs though wee bee neuer so loth But it is said that Satan neuer resteth and that he is euer practising what he can possibly to catch vs vnawares in ydolatrie Wee see it the thing bewrayeth it selfe Sith it is so should wee fall asleepe Nay rather let vs looke narrowly about vs as I sayde afore and let vs take good heede that wee bee not intrapped I sayde that wee see howe Satan practiseth all meanes to corrupt vs. For hee hath fought not onely for the bodies of men but also for al other things belonging to them euen such as a man would not think insomuch y t the very haire of their heads their kerchiefes their shirts their pantoples and diuerse other things haue bin worshipped To bee short they haue worshipped thinges so
saide to be Fat â—ustie frollike in two respects 1126. b 10.20 c. Father The meaning of these wordes that we haue but one Father which is in heauen 213. b 50.60 129. a 50 God compared for his incredible loue with a fleshlie Father 40. b 20 129. a 50 God most louinglie beareth with vs as a Father note how 65. b 10.20 The meaning of these wordes Honour thy Father and Mother 212. b 10.20 c. Howe God will shewe himselfe a Father to his people euen in respect of this world 466. a 20.30 For what cause God calleth himselfe our Father 186. a 20 Howe God prouideth for vs all y e whole yeare like a Father or householder 467. a 60. b all Why Moses called God the Father of the children of Israel 1113. a all God is a Father vnto vs both in life death 86. b 20 Fathers That wee nowe adaies haue more than the Fathers had in y e time of the law where note the doctrine inferred 391. b 10.20 c An exhortation to Fathers to bring vp their children in the feare of God why 267. a 50.60 b 10. 756. b all 757. a 10.20 A Complaint against Fathers in not bringing vp their children in Gods feare 326. b 10.20 The duetie of Fathers declared by way of comparison with a iudge 326. b 40.50.60 Of true Fathers which begette vs by the worde of God and of the Fathers to whome the Papistes sticke 1130. b 10.20.30.40.50.60 1042. a 10.20 Of bastarde Fathers whome the Iewes followed and are therefore blamed of Steuen 1041. b 50.60 1042. a 10 489. b 10.20 Two kindes of auncient Fathers one sort to bee followed the other not so in anie case 1041. b all 1042. b 10 The Sacraments which God deliuered y e Fathers vnder the law tended to the same ende that ours doe 1055. a 20. c. b 10.20 What Fathers the Iewes were commaunded not to followe 489 10. 1115. a al. Notable doctrine vppon the wordes of Moses where the Gods of the Fathers are spoken of 489. a and b all The knowledge which the Fathers had of God is not the cheese grounde that wee ought to stande vppon 488. b 60 Two places of Ezechiel Walke not after the righteousnesse of your forefathers and worshippe yee the Gods of your Fathers reconciled 489. a 50.60 b 10. c. Our prerogatiue greater than that of of the Fathers in the time of the lawe howe and wherein 556. all A lawe made that the Fathers shoulde not die for their childrens sinnes 861. a 20.30 The verie cause why the ministers of Gods word are called Fathers 883. a 20 In what sense it is saide that the Iewes called vppon the God of their Fathers 897. a all b 10.20.30 That such as liued in the worlde before Abraham Isaac and Iacob deserue not to bee accounted Fathers and why 897. a 20 The great difference betwixt vs the Fathers in the time of the Law 950. a 20. c. 465. b al. Why it behoued God to bestow his benefits more largelie on the Fathers that liued vnder the law than on vs. 951. a 30. How and by what meanes God dealt with the Fathers vnder the lawe to draw them to him 959. b 50.60 The blasphemous Prouerbe of y e Iewes Our Fathers haue eateÌ„ sower grapes and our teeth are set on edge with it 189. b 20 Against Fathers that haue no care of their house or familie 775. b 30 Why God speaketh of purpose of the honouring of Fathers and mothers 213. a 30.40 212. b 10.20 That the Apostles must be our fathers and that we must follow them 897. a 20.30 489. a 50.60 b 10 Vnto what paine and distres the holie Fathers were driuen 279. b 10 Why children ought to honour their Fathers whatsoeuer father hee bee 214. b 60. 215. a 10 The verie cause why God commaundeth Fathers to teach their childreÌ„ 129. a 40 The wicked trade of Fathers training vp of their children 215. b 50.60 Whether God punisheth the sinnes of the Fathers on their children 189. b 10.20.30 c. 190. all 861. b 10.20.30 How the land of Chanaan was promised to the Fathers which neuer had possession thereof 10. a 10.20.30 To what ende the Fathers in olde time had sacrifices 20. a 10 Fatherhoode The fatherhoode of the Papistes and to whome we must referre our Fatherhoode 489. b 30 Fatherlesse Who be poore destressed Fatherles to be succoured 450. a 30 Notable doctrine vppon these wordes God doeth right to the Fatherlesse 448. b 20.30 c. God setteth his armes or badge vppon the Fatherlesse 449. a 40.50.60 Lawes for releefe of the Fatherlesse with the fruites of the earth 865. a 40.50.60 That the Fatherlesse are to bee pitied and supported not to be iniuried Read page 86â— all A curse vppon such as wrest the right of the Fatherlesse and why 931. b 30 40.50.60 Fault Why a man being tolde of his Fault when he hath done amisse thinketh not he hath done euill 343. a 40.50 What wee ought to doe to such as offend vs when their Fault is not manifest and open and contrariwise 700. a 10.20 Howe wee must bethinke our selues when wee perceiue anie Fault in our selues 240. b 50.60 Looke Offence and Sinne. Faultes That wee like not to haue our former Faultes laide in our dish 443. b 30.40.50 Howe necessarie it is that wee shoulde haue all the Faults of our whole life laid afore vs and why 408. a all What we must doe if we will bee good Iudges to condemne other mens Faults 340. b 20 Of cloking our Faultes a common thing vsed among men 229. b 60. 381. b 10.20.30 Of blasing abroad the Faults of such as haue offended Read the place 238. a 20 Why the meane way of correcting meÌ„s Faultes will neuer be kept 237. b 40 Touching our Faultes which wee iudge to bee no faultes because wee cannot discerne them and how God iudgeth of them Looke vppon the example of Moses 1236. b all 1237. a 10 Against such as be captious in finding Faultes 239. b 50.60 and 240. a 10.20.30 God maie well pardon our Faultes but yet in the meane while not cease to subdue vs vntil he see that our vices are corrected 99. a 40 The Papistes doctrine that God pardoneth our Faultes and reteineth y e punishment still 99. a 40 That we ought alwaies to bethinke our selues of our Faultes and the manner howe 382. a 10.20.30 521. b 30.40 c. Vntill when men will neuer come to confesse their Faultes 379. b 40.50.60 The Faultes committed against God are heinouser than the wrongs done against men Read that place 342. b 20.30 c. the cause is expressed page 343. a 10 The trade and manners of men when they are touched for their Faultes or offences 143. a 30 What Faultes or offences are reuealed to men to bee punished and what faults he
Goodnes is a fountaine which neuer drieth 1094. b all What wee haue to doe in that God reneweth his mercie and Goodnes daily towardes vs. 490. a 60. b 10 How God magnified his inestimable Goodnes towardes the Iewes 420. b 50.60 421. a 10 Nothing is more peculiar to God than his Goodnesse which being taken away he is no more God 328. b 20 Gods inestimable Goodnesse noted in shewing vs a reason why hee doeth thinges 338. b 50.60 Howe it maie be that God should blesse vs of his owne free Goodnesse and yet notwithstanding matcheth it with a condition 321. a 50.60 b 20. c The way for vs to prosper all kinde of wayes is through Gods onely free Goodnesse 519. a 20. Looke Fauour and Loue. Goods Howe Gods lawe bindeth vs to bee careful ouer our neighbours Goods 769. al. Howe Gods curse lighteth vppon euil gotten Gods 234. a 60. and b all 571. a 10.20.30 With what condition God giueth vs the Goods which we possesse 719. b 40.50 The power to get Goods is the gift of God onelie the place is notable 368 b 50.60 and 369. a 10.20 The raking of other folkes Goods by fraude can not be called Gods blessing 512. a 10 The reason of Gods distributing of worldly Goods among men vnegallie 585. a 20.30 How we ought to bethinke our selues when we be tempted to catch other mens Goods 577. a 10 Howe God will haue the Goods which he appointeth to our vse to be vsed 235. a 10 Howe a man when his Goods are of his owne gathering should bethinke himselfe 363. b 30 Of the Goods of this worlde and how we are beholden to God for them 283. a 40 They are fit to beare office that hate the Goods of this worlde 16. a 10 Howe farre foorth they that possesse Goods haue interest in them 367. a 40 Gods iudgement against such as inrich themselues with euil gotten Goods Read that place 325. b 20.30.40 Against such as heape vp Goods by hooke and by crooke a place worth the reading 345. a 10.50.60 How priuate persons ought to vse their Goods 15. a 30 The more Goods that God giueth vs the straiter is our account 15. a 50 Of some that be vexed in their Goods and possessions and why 978. a 60. b 10 We must not thinke to haue a state of perpetuitie in our Goods how then 369. b 10. Looke riches and Wealth Gospell In what case men be when they slide backe againe after they haue once knowen the Gospell 124. a 50 Our assurednesse of eternall life must bee taken out of the Gospel 28. b 10 We ought to receiue the doctrine of the Gospell as being in full force the oldenesse thereof notwithstanding 26. a 10 Why the Gospell is called the kingdome of heauen 28. a 10.20 About what date of yeares the Gospell was published to the world 25. b 50 What kinde of couenant the Gospell is 181. a 40 To what intent God hath called vs by his Gospel 152. a 40 God had ordeined the preaching of his Gospell in his owne euerlasting purpose 168. b 10.50 With what perfection God hath shewed himselfe vnto vs in the Gospell 164. b 10 What wil insue if anie man be suffered to raile against the doctrine of the Gospell 211. a 50 The vnthankefulnesse of men for the Gospell is too apparant 283. a 60 Reasons why we must submit ourselues both to the law and the Gospel 183. b 10 The Gospell preached to a great number who notwithstanding became the worse for it 79. a 10 To what ende the Gospell is preached and after what manner 77. b 40.50.430 b 40.50.60.428 b 40.50.1100 a 10 A most excellent and heauenlie propertie of the Gospell 36. b 10.20 The meaning of these words that the Gospell is named the lawe of libertie 114. b 50 In what sort the Gospell representeth Gods maiestie 182. b 40 That in the Gospell there is such fulnesse of wisedome as a man cannot wish anie more 911. a 10.20 The miserie that shall fall vppon vs if the Gospell preached among vs preuaile not with vs. 983. a 50.60 What we haue to learne when we see men rankle against the Gospell c. 78. b 20.30 Of receiuing the Gospell by faith and what doctrine dependeth thereuppon 1062. al. 1063. all Howe God hath prouided for the preseruing of his Gospell 1080. a 20.30 40 The Gospell is a message of reconciliation 973. b 30.40 Of the Gospell and how it giueth both life and death 1471. b 10.20 We are begotten of God and sustained by the doctrine of the Gospell 1133. a 40 Men seeme to become diuels after their hearing of the Gospell 44. a 50 60 Howe the Gospell shall become a witnesse to our condemnation 1100. b all What Fatherly Gentlenesse God vseth towarde vs in the Gospell 255. a 10.20 Reasons to make the Gospell amiable vnto vs in comparison of the Lawe 254. b 50.60 and 255. a 10.20.30.40 Howe we be quickened by the meanes of the Gospel 257. a 10 An examination of our selues whether we haue profited by the glad tidings of the Gospell laide downe in points 3. all The Gospell of no lesse woonderfull authoritie than the lawe 3. a 10 Of a desolation that hath happened since the first preaching of the Gospell 45. b 20.30 Of such as refuse to heare the ministers of the Gospell 56. a 30. c. 674. all 664. b 30.676 a 50 What notable things are declared vnto vs at this day largelie in the Gospel 676. a 20.30 What God doeth witnesse whensoeuer the Gospell is preached 484. b 20.30 Gods blessinges set foorth more openlie in the Gospell than in the lawe 484. a 50.60 Why Saint Paul speaking of the vse of the Gospel saith We must not be like litle babes 527. b 30.40 Who in the time of Christ claue vnto the Gospell 537. b 50.60 What iudgement al such as obeyed not the Gospell deserue by good reason 486. a 50 Howe a Christian man may well perceiue whether hee haue profited in the Gospell or no. 606. a 40 The Gospell is friendlie vnto vs Read the place it is comfortable 131. a 50 60.946 b 20 In what sort and manner Gods face shineth in the Gospell 124. a 40 Howe God will haue his Gospell published 126. b 40 The Gospell is not a doctrine of man but proceedes from God 255. b 50.60 The ratification of the Gospell was frō heauen 256. a 10. b 10 In what case God found euerie one of vs when he vouchsafed to choose vs to his Gospell 365. a 30 The cause why the Gospell is so much contemned 429. a 10 Christ vttereth his grace now adaies by the preaching of his Gospell how 405. a 10 A greater maiestie vttered at the preaching of the Gospell than at the publishing of the law 388. b 30.40.50 131. b 10 The cause why a number take no tast of the Gospell being called thereunto 378. b 40.50.153 a 10.422 a 30 What men must doe when
prophete Speaketh in Gods name we must examine whether it be true or no. 682. a 10.20 How we may make God to Speake vnto vs. 915. a 10.20.30.40.50 The ende why God doth Speake vnto vs. 111. a 20. Looke Mouth Speaking To what ende Gods Speaking in olde time tended 9. a 50.60 Of Gods Speaking that it is not after the maner of men 1173. b 10 Speech Of a double Speech which God vseth in the scripture 946. b all In praising of God wee must not vse a common kind of Speech what then 1104. b 60.1105 a 10 Speeches Of the amiable Speeches of the scripture I exhort you I pray you c. 871. a 10.20 c. Spettle Why the papistes take Spettle when they baptise 919 b 10. Looke Baptisme Spirit The Spirite and the worde ioyned together of such as would diuorce them 678. b 10.20 and what spirite that is ib. 30 Howe men are charged and indited to greeue the good Spirit of God a notable place 1154. b 30.40.50.60.1155 a 10.20.1149 a 50.60 b 10.20.1057 a 10.20 In what respect it is sayde that the Spirite shall iudge the world 1099. b 60.1100 a 10 Two causes why God gaue not his Spirite to the Iewish people 1017. b 20 30.40 If God withhelde his Spirite from the linage of the wicked he cannot bee blamed of crueltie for it 190. b 50.60 191. a 10.20 What betideth such as are destitute of Gods Spirite 190. b 50 Men may beare the markes of Gods Spirite and yet not haue the principall thing of all to wit the Spirit of regeneration 805. a 40.50 Spirituall Howe Spirituall we ought to bee 207. b 10 Spite That a great number doe euen Spite God and wherein men spite him most 119. a 30.40 Not to beare any Spite to our aduersaries their rage against vs notwithstanding 1170. b 10. Looke Hatred and Malice Staffe Of the Staffe of bread and howe God breaketh it 353. a 40.50.60 b 10. Looke Bread Starres To marke the courses of times according to the Starres is lawefull 668. a 40.50.60 Statutes Howe men are saide to haue walked before God according to all his Statutes 905. b 40.50.60 Why Moses vseth so many wordes as Statutes commandementes rites ordinances and obseruations al tending to one effect 455. b 30.40.294 a 50.60 b 10. Looke Lawe of God Steale Of such as doe not onely Steale their neighbours away but steale themselues too from God and his church 847. b 10.20 Why God in one worde saieth Steale not 230. a 20.30 The commandement Thou shalt not Steale expounded 821. b 30.40 A lawe forbidding any man to Steale an Israelite and sell him 846. a 50. 60. c. Looke Theft Stealing Howe we ought to bethinke ourselues whē we see such Stealing of al things 978. b 10.20 Looke Filtching and Robberie Stewes Why the Iewes were forbidden to haue a Stewes among them and to what commandement that prohibition belonged 818. b 40 Stewes of harlots and common strumpets in Iuda 817. b 60.818 a 10. b 10 Stones The meaning of the twelue precious Stones which the High priest ware on his brest aloft vpon his ephod 502. b 10 Of great Stones whereon God commanded his lawe to be written 918. a 40.921 a 30 Two thinges noted by the lawe ingrauen in Stones 132. a 50.60 b 10 Storie To what purpose God meant to haue the Story of Og and Sehon registred in his lawe 85. a 40 What we haue to learne by the Storie of the graues of lust 411. a 50 The Storie of Balaam and his asse repeated at large 804. b 20.30.40 c. Stories With what minde and consideration we should reade the holie Stories 7. b 30.40 Stoutnesse That Stoutnesse is requisite in a iustice or magistrate 698. b 20.30 c. 695 a 10.20.30 and in other priuate men also ib. 40.623 b 40.50 Iudges must match their Stoutnesse with gentlenesse 624. a 10 A commendable Stoutnesse of Aaron and Moses 1201. a 40.50 b 20.1202 a 10 What is the foundation of true Stoutnesse courage and constancie 715. a 10 Stranger Of peruerting the right of the Stranger forbidden by Gods lawe 862. b all 863. all 931. b all Two reasons for vs to marke why God would not that his people should admit any Stranger to be their king 647. b 40.648 a 10 There is nowe no more Stranger as in respect of vs and why 611. b 60 Notable doctrine vppon these wordes God doth right to the Stranger 448. b 20.30 c. Who is a truly distressed Stranger and to be pitied c. 450. a 10.20 God setteth his armes or badge vppon the Stranger 449. a 40.50.60 Notable doctrine vpon this point thou wart a Stranger in the lande of Aegypt 210. a 60. b 10.20.30.40.50.60 Strangers What Strangers were priuileged as being of the body of the Iewish people 576. a 60 Strangers commanded to be prouided for and releeued of the Iewes common charge reade that place 569. b 40.50.60.865 a 40.50.60.867 b all 868. a 10 Why the Iewes had leaue to sell or giue the thinges to Strangers which were abhominable as in respect of themselues 562. b all what strangers he meaneth 563. a 20 Of such as are ashamed to bee called Strangers in this worlde and their inheritance 409. b 20 Though Strangers were not of the bodie of the Church yet were they bound in couenant and why 1028. a 10. 40 That the sutes of Strangers are not to be delayed in lawe 863. a 30.40.50.60 how they should be dealt withall ib. b all Howe greeuous a plague it is for vs to be robbed and spoyled of Strangers 979. a 10.20.30.40.50.60 b 10.20.30 Caluine teacheth the Strangers in Geneua what they ought to thinke with themselues for their safe shelter therein 283. b 60 Strangers might doe nothing contrarie to Gods seruice and what we learne thereby 211. all Whereto the liberty that had bin granted to Strangers to labour on the Sabboth day among the Iewes would haue drawne them 211. a 10.20.30 Straying Of Straying housholders straying children straying neighbours and of bringing them home 768. b 50.60.769 a 10.20 Of Straying cattell and bringing them home to the right owner 767. b 50.60.768 all Strength Of Gods Strength and whereto the same serueth in respect of vs. 318. b 30 That the vanquishing of our outwarde enimies is not to be ascribed to our owne Strength 376. b 50.60 377. a 10 Vnto whom we must impute y e Strength that we haue when wee ouercome our enimies 377. a 20.30.40.50 Of what Strength Moses speaketh whē hee sayeth That thou maiest bee strengthened 466. a 50.60 b 10 How men be ouerthrowne when they stay vpon their owne Strength 341. b 30.40 The worde Strength and what it serued to shewe 273. a 10.20 That it is vnpossible for vs to loue God with all our Strength 273. a 40 What thing must be the stay of all our Strength 1097. a 60. b all Howe the Iewes vnderstoode these wordes
383. the whole page and 384. a 10.20.395 a 10. A delay thereof for foure hundred yeares together 327. b 60. and 328. a 10. Of prouoking the same by abusing Gods patience too long 346. a 10 5â— a 40.50 Signes thereof and howe forceable it is 81. a 10. 55. b 20. In what respects the law was a message of Wrath and of peace 77. b 50. Of foreseeing the tokens of the same 729. a 30.40 The cause why god sware in his Wrath y t the carcasses of y e people should rot in the wildernesse 71. b 60. 72. a 10. That when all things be at quiet we must haue an eye vnto it 1158. b 30.40.50.60 Howe we must thinke of it long before it fall is tolde vs by comparison 551. a 50.60 That it is wont to come vpon the disobedient 706. b 40.50 God maketh euen Infidels the instruments thereof 1153. a 30.40.50 How and in what sort we are counselled to giue place to Wrath. 1156. b 60.1157 a 10. b 10. Looke Anger Wrest What it is to Wrest or hinder right and who be commonly y e way wronged 931. b 40.50.60.932 a 20. Looke Right and Wrong Wretched In what respects wee shewe our selues verie Wretched 519. a 30. Looke Miserable Wretchednesse A mirror of mans Wretchednesse tending to the beating downe of his pride 896. a all b 10.20.948 b 50. Looke Miseries Calamities Troubles Writing Of this word Writing as it is meant of the law and what it importeth 1098. a 60. b 10.421 b 30.404 b â—0 405 a 10 391. all Looke Law of God Wrong How they that being in authority haue done Wrong to the poore shal be indued before God 230. a 50.60 Reasons of common sense to mooue vs to liue without doing Wrong to any maÌ„ 219. b 40.50.60.449 al. 220. b 40.50 What God intendeth to shew vs when he telleth vs that in doing Wrong to any man we assalt his maiestie 220. a 10.20 In what respect we do Wrong vnto god through feare 74 b 20 Why the Israelâ—â—s were commanded to passe by the countrie of Edom without doing any Wrong c. 67. a 10 What we ought to marke in cases of iniurie and Wrong done vs. 709. b 60.888 a 50.60 b 10.20 Who they be vnto whom we dare offer no Wrong and why 932. a 30.40 No Wrong to bee offered vnto three kinds of poore people gods law chargeth it looke who they be 862. a 50.60 b all 863. a 10.932 a 40.50.60 b 10.20 872.873.876 What we must doe if we intende to refraine from dooing Wrong to any man 655. a 20 All kind of Wrong and violence forbidden vnder the name of murther 516. a 60. b 10. Looke Violence Wrongs How God will haue vs to vse our selues in taking Wrongs 140. b 10. Looke Oppression and Vsurie Y. Yeare Of the Yeare of Iubile and of the freedome thereof 573. b 40.50.60 Of the high solemnitie of euery seueÌ„th Yeare among the Iewes reade the place 573. b 10.20.30 c. How we behaue our selues to godward when we haue a prosperous fruitefull Yeare 468. a 10.20.30 Of the course of the Yeare suceession of times and seasons and the true cause of the same 966. a all 467. a 60. b all Looke Seuenth Yeares The compasse of fiftie Yeares was called a world 591. b 40 Eighteene hundred Yeares forbearaÌ„ce of the Iewes for their amendement 1137. b 60 Yesterday Yesterday betokeneth all the time that is past among the Hebrues 689. b 40 Yoke of God and of men How the law shall become a sweete and light Yoke vnto vs. 207. a 50 That the Lords Yoke is amiable and louely so warranted by the words of Christ. 53. b 50.67 a 30.999 b 20. 30.492 a 30.40 In what respect we refuse Gods Yoke 217. a 20 In what sort God layeth his Yoke vpon vs how we ought to receiue it 443. a 30.1218 a 40.50.60 c. 380. b 50.60 Of Gods threatening of an iron Yoke vnto them y t disobey him and what y e same importeth 999. a 60. b 10. c. Of the woodden Yoke which Ieremie ware when he threatened captiuity to the Iewes 999. a 60. b 10.20 c. We must not drawe the Yoke with the vnbeleeuers reade that place 307. b 50 VVhy Christ protesteth that his burtheÌ„ is not heauie nor his Yoke hard 566. b 40.50 What Yoke it is that God layeth vpon the necke of a married man woman 840. b 60. 841. a 10. c. What will betide vs if we cannot finde in our hearts to beare Gods Yoke 153 a 30.141 a 10. Looke Afflictions and Chastisements Yokes The Yokes that couple vs together what they be 308. a 30.40 Youth Notable lessons of instructioÌ„ for Youth to consider and obserue in the Sermon 123. and in page 758. b all Z. Zabulon Traffike and marchandise in the tribe of Zabulon 1217. a 40.50 b 10.1218 b 20. He was planted by the sea side and what that giueth vs to marke 1217. a 40. He is blessed of Moses and how 1217. a 10. c. A commendation of him and Isachar 1218. b 60.1219 a 10. â—0 They were neere to Galile 1219. b 40.50 Looke Tribes Zeale both good and bad Little Zeale in parents to bring vp their children in Gods feare 215. b 50 A holy Zeale and not fleshly lust moued Moses to desire to goe into the promised land 103. a 10 What kinde of Zeale is required of vs in following and seruing of God 47. b 10.188 b 40.541 b 50.60.547 a 10. 540. b all 542. all Of an vnaduised Zeale in Gods matters and what harme the same doth 632. b 20.633 a 10 A kinde of Zeale mentioned out of the 69. Psalme verse 10. page 540. a 10 The cause why Moses doth purposelie attribute the title of Zeale of prouoking folk to the seruing of God 1219. b 10 20.30.12â—1 a 10 In what respects our Zeale to preferre Gods truth shal be but as the rage of mad folkes 543. a 10 The frantike Zeale of the Papists heathens Iewes noted 541. a 40.543 b all 544. a all What wee must doe to haue the more Zeale vnto Gods word 1191. b 50.60 119â— a 10 The Zeale of Moses shewed in dooing the execution that is read of in Exodus 401. a 20 30.40â— and in other things 144. b 40.400 a 30.1089 a 40. 50.60.1203 a all What a kind of Zeale God will giue his seruants in praying 399. a 20 Of the Zeale of Paul wherewith he was lead to the Iewes his countriemen 402. a 10.20 God meant to trie the Zeale of y e Iewes by commaunding them to make cleane riddance of idols 310. a 20 What Zeale there ought to be in them which be taught by Gods word 1083. b 50 How the Zeale of Gods honor and the welfare of his church ought to beare rule in vs. 1097. a 50.60 c. Of a kind of Zeale which is commaunded vs to imbrace 174. a 40. FINIS To the Reader TOuching
haue lifted vp his fist Surely euen to stirre a mans tongue against his neighbour is a sin worthy of greeuous punishement If wee doe but grunt in way of skorne or disdayne it is forbidden Howe much more then shall wee bee blamed if wee goe aboute to outrage them any maner of way Let vs marke therefore that here vnder one particular God doeth generally comprehende all outrage violence and misdemeanors which wee can vse towardes our neighbours And hee sayeth expressely in secrete or priuilie to the intent wee shoulde bee still put in minde of that which I haue toulde you heeretofore namely that in this behalfe the case standeth not vppon the yeelding of account vnto men Put the case that wee haue offended in breaking all the commaundementes and yet notwithstanding that no man chalendgeth vs for it but rather that authoritie it selfe allowe of our dooinges and that when wee bee accused for it wee bee acquit of it or that no man dare complayne of the misorders which wee haue committed let vs put the case it bee so yet doeth GOD speake otherwise saying that if wee haue doone our neighbour any harme priuilie his bloud shall crye out against vs for vengeance euen when wee thinke our selues escaped And we see what is sayde of Abell although no man gaue information against Cain 〈…〉 10. nor any processe went out against him yet did the bloud of him that was murdered speake God saith not I haue hard say but the bloud of thy brother crieth vnto me against thee Heere then we see that God threateneth vs not with any punishement to bee suffered at mans hande but rather telleth vs that wee must walke before him and in his presence And although wee feare not any earthly Iustice yet wee ought not to forbeare to brydle our selues short for as much as hee doeth his office and the vengeaunce which hee hath spoken of heere must needes bee executed vppon all such as haue escaped by fauour or cloaked their crymes yea or offended so cunningly as no man coulde come to the knoweledge of it Seeing it is so let vs looke that wee enter into our owne consciences and that wee haue Gods Lawe written there so as wee haue not an eye to men as who woulde say I haue not beene blamed or reprooued but rather consider that our GOD watcheth ouer vs and vnderstande the office of his word to bee such as is written in the epistle to the Hebrewes that is to wit that when it is preached vnto vs then all thinges must come to tryall and it must enter in euen to the secretest thoughtes of our hearte Nowe if Gods woord haue such power let vs assure our selues that much more it hath the office which is attrybuted vnto it Wherefore let vs bee restrayned by this meanes and when wee haue serued God with our heartes let our life bee so aunswerable therunto that when we shall come before our Lord Iesus Christ we may shew that wee were truly minded to serue him and not to please mortall men Nowe let vs fall downe before the Maiestie of our good God with acknowledgement of our faultes praying him to vouchsafe to giue vs true repentaunce of them and moreouer to beare with vs vntill hee haue ridde vs quite and cleane of all our sinnes and of all our spots and to make vs so to profite by the things which wee heare as we may learne more and more to renounce ourselues and to represse our wicked lustes vntill he haue clothed vs agayne with the puritie of that righteousnesse whereunto he calleth vs. And so let vs all say Almighty GOD heauenly father c. On Munday the ix of March 1556. The CLII. Sermon which is the fourth vpon the seuen and twentith Chapter 24 Cursed bee hee which smiteth his neighbour priuily And all the people shall say Amen 25 Cursed be he which taketh gifts to smite the soule of guiltles bloud And al the people shall say Amen 26 Cursed bee hee which confirmeth not all the words of this law by dooing them And all the people shall say Amen WE vnderstande by this text that the thing which hath beene sayde afore is very true namely that God meant to teache the people of olde tyme that it was not ynough for them to discharge thēselues before men or to scape blame and punishment here but y t they must looke vp higher and consider that there is a Iudgement seate in heauen before the which wee must one day aunswere and make our account That is the place whereon we must thinke if we will discharge our selues of our duetie For wee may wel beguile men in making a faire countenance and againe we may so order our liues as no man may finde any fault in vs as touching our outward deedes and yet in the meane while if our heartes bee full of wicked lustes if it greeue vs to be helde in awe if we grate our teeth against GOD what obedience is that Therefore let vs note that whereas in this text it is sayde Cursed shall he be which smiteth his neighbour priuily God condemneth not only the faults that come to knowledge before men but also the crymes that lye hidden And therefore if a man haue liued in such wise as he cannot be rebuked of the worlde but rather is praysed and commended he must not thereupon fall asleepe but he must examine his heart and consider well whether there be any lurking hole or backe nooke there within For if the thoughtes bee euill although men perceiue them not yet will God alwayes doe the office of a Iudge 1. Ioh. 3.20 And if our own hearts reproue vs as saith saint Iohn God seeth much more clearely So then this text serueth wel to humble vs. And in deede we ought to remember this other sentence of Sainct Iohn where it is sayde that whosoeuer hateth his neighbour priuilie 1. Iohn 3.15 although hee cloake his hatred so as it be not perceiued or rather make a shew of loue that man fayleth not to be condemned before God And so ye see in effect what we haue to beare in mind Let vs not busie our heades about mens reports Although a man bee well reported of heere in this world yet let him not flatter himselfe therefore but let him summon himselfe before God and consider whether he bee faultie in his heart Let not men bring hither their owne opinions and fancies for all such things shall bee refused they will serue to no purpose And therfore let vs walke with vnsayned heart before God For we know hee regardeth not the outward apparance according as it is sade in the first booke of Samuel but he requireth the heart truth as is sayde in the fifth chapter of Ieremy 1. Sam. 16.7 Ier. 5 3. And looke what is said heere concerning murders and fightinges the same must wee extende to all other crimes For if God cal thē to accoūt which haue done any outrage
to their neighbours although the same be vnknowen to the world thinke wee that robberies and treasons and fraudes and raylings and slaunderings and such lyke things shall passe away vnspoken of And therefore let vs learne that we cannot by any meanes eschew the hand of God nor scape his vengeance if we foster vices in our hearts which be not apparant vnto men And that we may the more benefite our selues by this doctrine let euery of vs examine himselfe a right in his heart when he commeth to heare the worde of God For it behooueth vs to be reproued inwardly as Saint Paul speaketh thereof in the foureteenth Chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians Euery man I say must search his own thoughts and affections to the very bottom 1. Cor. 14.25 Also it is the peculiar office of Gods word to bee a sharpe sworde and to deuide asunder our thoughts from all our affections and lykinges Hebr 4.12 and to enter euen into the marow of the bones and to leaue nothing vndiscouered Seeing it is so let vs preuent GODS iudgement and not tary till he curse vs and ban vs for the guiltles bloud which crieth out against vs but let euery of vs condemne himselfe as soone as hee hath offended and let him be sory in his heart and beseeche GOD of his infinite goodnesse and mercie to deliuer vs from the curse which is denounced against all such as haue so misbehaued themselues in secret and not beene conuicted thereof before men It followeth Cursed shall hee bee which shall haue taken gifts to doe any wrong to his neighbour and specially to smite the soule of the innocent bloud For so doth Moses speake word for worde Neuerthelesse the word Soule meaneth life And bicause the bloud is the proper seate of life therefore is it sayde the Soule of the Innocent blood Surely although a man be faultie yet were it not lawfull to buy sel his life But I haue told you already that God hath set before vs the crimes that are most detestable to the intent to waken vs the better bicause wee bee not sufficiently mooued when he speaketh of common faults For those thinges slippe away and wee beare our selues in hand that it is no heard matter to get forgiuenesse of them Now for as much as there is so great slacknesse in men therefore in this place God hath chosen the offences which euen of nature we ought to abhorre For if the life of an innocent person bee bought and solde it is an horrible matter euerie man will say that such wicked conspiracie is not to bee suffered Thus doe wee nowe see the meaning of God But although this thing bee sufficiently condemned with full mouth yet doe not men ceasse to put it too much in vre And for proofe hereof looke vpon the practises that are wrought continually to oppresse the poore and simple sort True it is that they shall not alwayes bee in daunger to haue their throtes cut but yet for hurting of them what in their persons and what in their goods men are still gilty of murder before God And as for the seeking of bywaies to disappoint the right of the innocent and the practising of deuices against such as seeke to liue in peace and concord it is too common a thing and therfore this law is no more than needeth True it is as I haue sayde afore that at the first pushe we can wellynough say that there is no reason why we should continue in so great and so excessiue frowardnesse euery man will say by and by it is against nature but yet the common vse and custome is cleane contrarie And therefore let vs marke well the doctrine that is set downe heere namely that God cannot abyde so great a crime vnpunished as the disappointing of the right whereby the partie that hath not offended shold bee oppressed against all right and reason And truely God speaketh here as well of Iudges that haue beene corrupted to oppresse a poore man as of those that haue solde themselues or haue set themselues to hyre to murder beate or strike men as these squaring Ruffians doe which seeke to bee set a worke in beating men or in quarelling with them all these kindes of offenders hath God vtterly condemned in this text And vnder one particular he comprehendeth generally all as I haue sayde afore And so the thing in effect which wee haue to gather is that Couetousnesse must not leade vs to hurt any man at all Wee see nowe that this doctrine extendeth it selfe verie farre For what is the cause of the committing of so many cousinages oppressions outrages and iniuries but onely the seeking of selfe profite I woulde faine pleasure a man that is in authoritie bycause that to my seeming hee is able to requite mee againe and hereupon I for his sake doe fall to oppressing one and to tormenting another And afterwarde that is not ynough vnlesse I vse other manner of dealings so as the matter groweth to bee endlesse out of all measure So much the more therefore doeth it stande vs in hande to marke well this doctrine where it is sayd Cursed shall he be which taketh reward to doe men wrong And hereunto answereth that which is sayde in the fifteenth Psalme Psal. 15.5 namely that if wee will be Gods houshold folk and dwel in his Church wee must beware of taking rewardes to hurt the guiltlesse If God banish all such out of his kingdome and from the company of the faithfull as haue gone about to misbehaue themselues after that fashion by setting themselues to sale and hire through their couetousnesse what remaineth for them but vtter cursednesse For when God once disclaymeth vs acknowledgeth vs no longer for any of his needes must we be accursed Wherein lyeth all our happinesse It is sayde in the psalme 〈◊〉 33.12 Right happie bee those folke whose God is the euerlasting The way then for vs to bee happie is to be taken of God into his flocke And if hee cast vs out needes must all mischeefe light vpon our heades Sith it is so let vs learne so much the more to restraine our selues and let euery of vs bee contented with that which he hath and let vs not seeke to aduaunce our selues by vnlawefull meanes least the profite which wee haue gryped to our selues become as Cudgels or rather as stabbes with a dagger to y e poore whom wee shall haue wounded by raking so to our selues by hooke or by crooke Therefore let vs learne to haue both our heartes and our handes cleane from all anoyance and misdealing if wee will bee blessed of God and taken to bee of the number of the faithfull Thus yee see in effect what this sentence importeth Nowe for a conclusion it is sayd Cursed shall hee bee which confirmeth not the wordes of this lawe by performing them Heere wee see yet better the thing which hath beene declared heeretofore namely that