An Comfortable Exhortation, Part 4
Of lowe
HEare o Iſraell / Deute. vi.the lorde thy god / is god only. And thou ſhall lowe thy god / with all thy herte / with all thy ſoule / and with all thy ſtrēgth. This lowe commeth of faith / nether mo this lowe be where faith is not / nor mo faith be (wher of I meane) without this lowe. For by faith an man is made ſure of ye goodnes of ye graciouſnes and of the mercyfulnes of God. Wherfore he muſt neade lowe hym.
Becauſe hys excellence / his goodnes and kyndnes to warde vsus deſerued lowe.Ioan. iiij We ſhulde not lowe god for the deades of lowe whiche he hath ſhewed vntounto vsus. But we ſhulde lowe god for the goodnes: graciouſnes / ād mercyfulnes of hym ſylfe / which is declared vntounto vsus by ſoche gracious and mercyfull deades wrought by hys godly wyſdom for oure well. The lowe and goodnes of god is not made perfect by ſoche workes: for it is and was in hym ſylfe before the workes. And the workes do but ſhewe vntounto vsus / Romano. .ihys nature: ād howe worthy he is to belowed.Ephe. i. Helowed vsus before the fundatiō of the worlde was layde. But thys lowe he ſhewe vntounto vsus in theſe laſt dayes: by hys lowely workes. Hereby perceaue wethe lowe of God / i Ioan. iij.for he gaue hys lyfe for vsus. He lowed vsus euer and prepared an kyngdom for vsus / Mat. xxvfrom the beginninge of the worlde. Yee he lowed vsus euer / i. Ioan. iiij.for he in hys incomprehenſible godhed is very lowe / but thys lowe was declared openly vntounto vsus: by his workes which he hath wrought to warde vsus And not only ſhulde we lowe hym be cauſe he lowed vsus / but for his awne goodnes ād mercyfulnes / the whiche we knowe in that he receaued vsus to his grace whiche are vnworthy. Faith maketh an man ſure of the excedynge goodnes of god / the whiche goodnes maketh an man yee drawed an man with ſoche power to the lowe of God / that he can not do but lowe God / for he is ſo lowe worthy / that it is vnpoſſible to knowe hym and not to lowe hym. Wherby ye ſhall knowe that faith bryngeth lowe / and mo not be without it moare no the fyre withoute heeth For faith bryngeth ye ſprite of God as ſaith Paul to the Galathy.Gala. iij This only wolde I learne of you / receaued ye the ſprite of God / by the deades of the lawe? or els by preachynge of the faith? and the ſprite of God which cōmeth of faith bryngeth lowe as Paul writteth to the Romayns.Romano. v The lowe that God hath vntounto vsus: is ſheed abrod in oure hertes by ye holy gooſt / Gala. vwhich is geuen vntounto vsus. The frute of the ſprite is lowe So of faith commeth lowe / nether mo it be withoute lowe / faith by lowe is myghty in operaciō. Howe perfect that this lowe ſhulde be in vsus / almyghty God hath ſhewed vntounto vsus / by hys lawe.Deutero. vi Wherin it is commaundeth vsus that we lowe oure lorde God with all oure herte / with all oure ſoule / and with all oure ſtreyngth. The whiche lowe no mā in this preſent lyfe mo fulfill / becauſe of the ſeed of ſynne ſowen in vsus by Adam:Romano. iij which thought it ſprynge not and beare no frute / yet it remaneth euer ready to ſprynge / Romano. vi Iacobi. i.yee and wolde beare frute vntounto the deeth were not the holy ſprite ſubdued it / and mortyfyed it / Roma. vijand holdeth it doune I am carnall ſoulde vnderunder ſynne / becauſe I wote not what I doo. For what I wolde / that do I n… but what I hate: that do I. Yf I do now… that whiche I wolde not / I graunte to the lo…we that it is good. So then nowe it is not I that do it / but ſynne that dwelleth in me. For I knowe that in me (that is to ſaye in my fleſſhe) dwelleth no good thynge. To wyll is preſent wyth me / but I fynde no m…anes to performe that whiche is good. For I do not that thynge which I wolde / but that euyl do I: whiche I wolde not. Fynally yf I do that I wolde not / then is not I that do it / but ſynne that dwelleth in me do…eth it. I fynde then by the lawe that when I wolde do good: euyl is preſent wyth me. I delite in the lawe of God / as concerninge the inner man / but I ſe a nother lawe in my mēbers rebellinge agaynſt the lawe of my mynde / and ſubduinge me vntounto the lawe of ſy…ne whiche is in my members. O wretched man that I am who ſhall deliuer me from this body of deeth? I thank God by Ieſus Chriſt oure lorde / ſo then I my ſylfe in my mynde ſerue the lawe of God / and in my fleſſhe the lawe of ſynne. Here Paul ſhe…wed the ſynfulnes of his fleſſhe / laudinge God by Ieſus Chriſt / that he was not ther vntounto ſubdued.Roma. viij Yf ye mortyfie the deades of the fleſſhe / by the helpe of the ſprite ye ſhall liue: for as many as are ledde by the ſprite are the ſonnes of God. Here it is openly declared: that it is by the powere of the ſprite of God / and not by oure deades / that the ſynne whiche is in oure fleſſhe is mortyfied: ſubdued: or dampned. But ſoche perfection hauehave we not / nor yet mo hauehave that ſynne ſhalbe clene taken oute of vsus / ſo longe as we are in this corruptible body. The fleſſhe luſteth (euer) cōtrary to the ſprite.Roman. vi But yet let not ye ſynne which is in youre mortal bodyes regne ye ye ſhulde there vntounto obey in the luſtes of it. Nether gyue ye youre members as inſtrumentes of vnrighteueſnes vntounto ſynne: but geue youre ſylfes vntounto God / as they that are aliue from deeth / and geue youre members as inſtrumentes of righteueſnes vntounto God Synne ſhall not hauehave powere ower you / for ye are not vnderunder ye lawe / but vnderunder grace / Io. i.iij.viij and xx Gala. iij T…um iij Gala. iiij Roma. viiād ye are borne a newe in ye ſprite. The ſprite is made fre. Ye ſprite is fylled with ye holy goſt And ye ſprite fulfilleth the lawe. In my mynde (ſayeth Paul) I ſerue the lawe of God / howebeit ye ſynne dwell in the fleſſhe / yet the ſprite wyl not cōſent nor obey there vntounto becauſe it is borne a newe:i Corin. i.xij ii Corin. iij Roma. viij Gala. v ād made fre by faith / but wyl obey vntounto the lawe of God / by the power of his holy ſprite / by whom ſpryngeth very lowe from the herte. And ſo in the ſprite the lawe is fulfilled. Tha… commande vsus to lowe God. With all oure herte / i. Corin. xiijwith all oure ſoule / with all oure ſtreyngth: oute of this lowe ſpryngeth all good workes / for lowe canne not be ydel / but muſt of neade worke to the pleaſure of hym whom is lowed / when occaſion commeth An man that hath perfect lowe to God ſeketh with all diligence to knowe they thynges wherin God hath pleaſure. And when he knowed the wyll of God:Pſal. i there mo nothynge holde hym from the doinge of it. Yee he is glade that God hath commaunded hym to do ſoche thynges Becauſe his pleaſure is to be occupyed in the lawe of the lorde:Math. xi nether is his lawe heuy to ſoche a man. For it is an eaſy yoke / and an light burdynge thorowe lowe / wherin I praye God to cōferme youre hertes by his ſprite thorowe faith. Amen.