The Governance of Virtue, Part 2 · Section 27
Against the despising of Gods word, of the plagues that follow the same.
IF the deuil go about to pluck downe thy minde from the louelove of gods worde, and to moue thee to despise the doctrine of thy saluation, so that thou shouldest no more delight in the moste comfortable gospel of Christe, which is the power of god to saue so many as beleue, but rather in thinges of vanitie, …ake hede that thou leanest not to his subtile suggestions, but standing in awe of gods iudgementes▪ and fearing his plagues, valeauntly resist Sathan with these holy scriptures following.
☞ Sentences out of the olde Testament.Leuit. 26
IF ye wil not harken vntounto me saieth the Lord nor kepe my commaundementes, but despise them. &c. then wil I doo this againe vntounto you. I will set my face against you, and ye shall fal before your enemies, and they that hate you, shall raigne ouer you. I will make the heauen ouer you as hardyron, and your land as hard as bras. I will sende my wilde beastes vponupon you whiche shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattel. I wil send a sword vp on you that shall auenge my Testament with you. I wil send the pestilence among you. Reade the Chapiter to thend.
If thou wilt not harken to the voice of the Lord thy God to kepe and to do all hisDeu. 27. commaundements and ordinaunces, then all these curses shall come vponupon thee, & ouertake thee. Cursed shalt thou be in the Towne, and cursed in the Fielde, cursed shall thine almayrye be and thy store. Cur sed shall the fruite of thine bodye and the fruite of thy lande be, and the fruite of thy oxen, and the flock of thy shepe. The Lord shall make the pestilence cleane to thee, vn til he hauehave consumed thee from the lande: The Lord shall smite thee with madnesse blindnes, and dasing of hart, because thou seruedst not the Lord thy god with ioyfulnes and with a good hart for the aboūdācs of all thinges, wherefore thou shalt serue thine enemie which the Lord shal send o… thee in hunger and thirste, in nakednes, & in neede of all thinges: And he shall put a yoke of iron vponupon thy necke vntil be hauehave brought the to nought. Read this Chapiter diligētly from the beginning to thend.
They hauehave caste away the lawe of the Lord of hostes, and hauehave blasphemed theEsay. 5. word of the holy one of Israel. Therefore is the wrath of the Lorde kindled against his people and he shaketh his hand at thē, yea he shall smite so, that the hils shal trē ble. And their carcasses shall lie in the open streate.
They hauehave offended the law, chaungedEsay. 24 the ordinaunces, and made the euerlasting testament of none effect. And therfore shal the curse deuoure the earth, for they that dwel thereon hauehave sinned, wherefore they shall be brent also, and those that remaine shalbe very fewe. The sweete wine shall moorn, the grapes shalbe weake, and all ye hauehave bene mery in hart shall sighe.
The mirth of tabrets shalbe laid down, the chere of the ioyful shall cease, and the pleasure of the Lutes shall hauehave an ende. There shall no more wine be dronk with …irth, the beere shalbe bitter to them that drinke it, the wicked cities shalbe broken down, al houses shalbe shut, that no man may come in.
Woe is me sayth the Prophete all isEsay. 24 full of synners which offend of purpose & malice: And therfore (O thou that dwellest vponupon the earth) ther is at hand for thee feare, pit, and snare. Whosoeuer escapeth the terrible crye, shall fall into the pitte, and yf hee come out of the pytte he shall bee taken with the snare, For the windowes aboue shalbe opened, and the foundation of the earth shall moue: The earth shall geue a great crake, it shal hauehave a sore ruine, and take an horrible fal: The earth shall stacker like a dronken man, and bee taken away like a tent: Her misdedes shal light so heauy vponupon her, that she must fall and neuer rise vp againe: Reade …e whole chapterEsay. 30.
These people are obstinate they prouoke me vntounto anger, they are lying childrē and euen such children that will not heare the law of God.
They say to them that see, see nothing: and to the Southsayer, tell of nothinge for to come if it bee either good or honeste, but … pleasant things vntounto vsus, and preach vsus false things.
Treade out of the waye, goe out of the path, turne awaye the holye one of Israell from vsus. Therfore thus saith the holy one of Israel: for asmuch as ye hauehave cast away his worde, and hauehave comforted your selues with power and nimblenes, and put your confidence therein: therefore shall ye hauehave this mischiefe againe for your destruction, & fall like an hye wal that falleth because of some rift or blast, whose breakinge commeth sodenly. And your destruction shalbe like an earthen pot which breaketh, no mā touching it, but breaketh so sore that a mā shall not finde a sheu…r of it to fetche fyre in, or to take water out of the pit. For the God, euen that holy one of Israel hath pro mised thus.Esay. 44.
Who suffered Iacob to be troden vnderunder foote, and Israell to be spoyled: was it not the Lord himselfe, against whome we hauehave sinned? we had no delight to walk in his waies, neither were we obedient to his lawes. Therfore hath he poured vponupon vsus his wrathfull displeasure, and straunge battayle, which maketh vsus hauehave to do on eueryevery side, yet will we not vnderstand. He burneth vsus vp, yet it sinketh not into our hartes.
Because they hauehave sorfaken my laweIerem. 9. that I gaue them, and hauehave not harde my voyce, nor yet walked therafter but folow ed the wickednes of their owne hartes, & runne after straung gods, as their fathers taught them:
Therfore thus saith the Lorde of hostes the god of Israell: beholde I wil feede this people with wormewoode, and geue them gall to drinke: I wil scatter them amonge the Heathen, whom nether they nor their fathers hauehave knowne. And I wil sende a sword amonge thē to persecute them and neuer leaue, vntounto I bring them to nought
If ye wil not obey me, saith the LordeIerem. 17 to walk in my lawes whiche I hauehave geuē you, and to heare the words of my seruāts the Prophets whom I sent vntounto you, and rising vp timely, and stil sēding. If ye will not folow them I say, then will I do vntounto this house as I did vntounto Silo, & will make this Citie to be abhorred of all the people of the earth.
I wil send vponupon them, sworde, honger,Ierem. 29. & pestilēce, because they hauehave not regarded my words, which I sent to them sayth the Lord by my seruauntes the Prophets.
They would not take hede saith y• lord,Zach. 7 but turned their backe, and stopped their eares, that they should not heare. Yea they made their hartes as an Adamant stone, least they should heare the law and words which the Lord of hostes sent in his spirit by the Prophetes afore time. Wherefore the Lord of hostes was very wroth at thē. And thus it came to passe, that like as hee spake and they woulde not heare, euen so they cried and I would not heare, saith the Lord of hostes.
Sentences out of the olde Testament.
NOhe preached to the olde world andGen. 7 exhorted them to repent and amend their life, or els god woulde surelye plage them. But they laughed Nohe and hys doctrine to scorne, and continued in their abhominable, and wicked liuinge. What folowed? was not al the world drowned, right persons onelyonly excepted?
Lot seing the vnnaturall most filthyeGen. 19 vnclennes of the stinking Sodomits coun selled them to cease so to muche licentiouslye▪ to offende their Lorde God. They would not heare Lot, nor his sermons, but churlishly entreated him: what folowed: Wer they not consumed with water, fyre and brimstone from heauen? O most dread full plages.
After what sorte the Israelites were plaged for their disobediēce to gods word, the bookes of the old Testamente do euidently declare.
The despisers of Gods word are punished manye and sundrye wayes: as wyth sword, pestelence, hunger, wilde beastes and fyre.
Of the sworde.
Read Exod. 5. Leuit. 26. Deut. 22. Iob. 19. Esay. 1. Iere. 9. 15. 20. 25. 29. 42. 43. 46. 50.
Of the pestelence.
Reade. Exod. 5. Len. 26. Deut. 18. 32. 1. Reg. 24. Psalm. 104. 1. Par. 22. Ezech. 7. 14 18. 33. 23. 38. Math. …4.
Of hunger.
Read… Deut. 28. 32. 1. Reg. 24. Psalm. 104 Eccle. 39. Iere. 1…. 14. 18. 54. Amos. 8. Act. 11. Apoc. 18.
Of Beastes.
Read Leuit. 26. Deut. 22. 1. Reg. 27. 3. Reg. 13. Sap. 16. Esay. 18. Ieremy. 11. 15. 27. 34. Ezech. 4. 5. 14. 20. 32. 13. 39. Ose. …
Of Fire.
Read. Gene. 19. Leuit. 10. Nume. 1. 16. 21. Deut. 32. Iosue. 7. 3. Reg. 18. 2. Par. 7. Iob. 1. 15. 20. 31. Psalm. 10. 87. Esay. 9. 26 66. Ier. 15. 2. 7. Treno. 1. 2. Baruc. 4. Eze. 22 28. 30.. 38. 39. Danie. 3. Ose. 8. Amos. 1. 2. Abd. 1. Mich. 6. Sopho. 2. Nahum. 3. Zach. 11. 12. 13. Apo. 9. 11, 18. 19. 20.
Sentences out of the newe Testament.
Whosoeuer shall not receiue you norMath▪ 10 heare your Sermons, goe ye oute of that house or citye, and shake the duste of your feete. Uerely I say vntounto you it shal be more easy for the land of Sodome and Gomorre at the day iudgement, then for that city.
Wo bee to the Choraryn, wo be to theMath. 11 Bethsaida. For if the miracles which wer shewed in you, had bene done in Tyre and Sidon, they had repented long agone in sackecloth and ashes. Neuerthelesse I saye vntounto you, it shal be easier for Tyre and S… don at the day of iudgment, then for yon. And thou Caparnaum, whiche art lift vp vntounto heauen, shalt be broughte downe to hel. For if the miracles, whiche hauehave bene done in thee, had bene shewed in Sodome, they had remayned vntounto this day. Neuertheles I say to you it shalbe easier for the land of Sodome in the daye of iudgeMath. 21 ment, then for thee.
The kingdom of God shalbe taken frō you, and shalbe geuen to a nation whiche shall bringe foorth the fruites of it. And whosoeuer it shall fall vponupon it will grindMath. 13 him to pouder.
O Ierusalem, Ierusalem which killest the Prophets, and stonest them whiche are sent to thee, how often woulde I hauehave gathered thy children together as the hen ga thered her chekins vnderunder her wings, and ye would not. Behold your habitationLuke. 10. shalbe lefte vntounto you desolate.
He that heareth you, heareth me, and he that despiseth you, despiseth me, and heIohn. 3. that despiseth me despiseth him y• sent me.
This is the condemnacion that light is come into the world and men loued darknes more then, light because their deedesIohn. 12. were euel.
He that refuseth me, sayeth Christ and receaueth not my wordes, hathe one that iudgeth him. The worde that I hauehave spoken shal iudge him at the last day.
If I had not com and spoken vntounto them,Iohn. 5. they shoulde hauehave had no synne, but now they hauehave nothynge to cloke their sinne withal.Act. 13.
It was mete that the worde of God should first hauehave bene preached vntounto you, but seyng you put it from you, and thinke your selues vnworthye of euerlasting life, lowe tunre to the gentiles for so hath the Lord commaunded vsus.1. Thes. 4
He that despiseth the preacher despiseth not man, but God which hath sent his holy Spirite among you.Heb. 10▪
He that despiseth Moses law dieth without mercy vnderunder two or iii. witnesses. Of how much sorer punishmente suppose ye, shal he be counted worthy, which treadeth vnderunder foote the son of God, and counteth the bloud of the testament asl an vnholy thinge? Uerelye it is a fearefull thinge to fall into the handes of the liuing God.
The vngodly shal be so plaged, that theiApoca. … shall seke death, and finde it, they shall desire to dye, and deathe shall flye from them.
Examples out of the newe Testament.
THey that were called to the mariage & would not come, but vngently treated the messengers, were destroyed and theyr city brent vp.
When Christ came neare to Ierusalem,Luke, 19 he beheld the city and wept on it, saying, if thou knewest also euen at this day, the things appertayninge vntounto thy peace, thou wouldest be more diligent to looke vponupon them.
But nowe are they hidde from thine eyes. For the dayes shal come vponupon thee, that thine enemies shall caste a banke aboute thee, and besiege and keepe thee in on euerye side, and make thee euen with the grounde, with thy children which are in thee. And they shall not leaue one stone vponupon an other, because thou knowest not the time of thy visitation. Hereof may we learne that Ierusalem was destroyed, because they would not receiue Christe nor his word, but despised the doctrine of their saluation, and the preachers of the same. If we do not repent and amend, the same or more greuous plages abide vsus.