Sermons Upon all the Sunday Gospels, Sermon 53

Sermons Upon all the Sunday Gospels · Sermon 53

The tenth Sonday after Trinitie sonday ¶ The Gospell. Luke xix.

AND when he was come nere to Ierusalem, he beheld the Citie, and wept on it, saying: If thou haddest knowen those thynges whiche belong vntounto thy peace, euen in this thy day, thou wouldeste take heede: But nowe are they hyd from thine eyes. For the dayes shall come vntounto the, that thy enymies shall caste a banke about the, and compasse the rounde and kepe the in on euerye syde, and make the euen with the grounde, and thy chyldren whiche are in thee. And they shall not leaue in the one stone vponupon another, because thou knoweste not the tyme of thy visitation. And he wente into the Temple, and began to cast out them that solde therein, and them that boughte, sayinge vntounto them: It is written, my house is the house of prayer, but ye hauehave made it a denne of thieues. And he taught daylye in the Temple.

p. 80THE EXPOSITION.

THis Gospell ought diligently to be remē bred, weighed & considered of al Christiās, that they also hereby maye learne to feare God. For of all the histories that be contayned in the gospell of Luke, it is moste terrible, fearefull, & horrible, & it ought worthely so to moue vsus, y^t we might neuer forget it. For in this our gospel is mentiō made, how great anger & vengeance god shewed against the Citie of Ierusalem, & the inhabitants of the same for their incredulitie and disobediēce. And it is a most certein & sure doctrine vntounto vsus,An example of gods wrath agenst the despisers of his worde. y^t all such as are obstinate, secure and carelesse in their sins, despysing y^e iudgement of god, shall euen finde at the hand of god y^e very same anger & vengeaunce, so y^t they shal neuer escape it. For if the most noble, goodly & beautifull citie were not spared, because hauyng the worde of god, it repented not: let all men thincke this for a moste certeintie, that except they repent in time & amend, they lykewise shal neuer escape the dreadful displeasure & whote vengeance of god. Christ himself is marueilously troubled concerning y^e heauy destruction of so great & so noble a Citie, & wysheth, y^t it wold call it selfe to remembraunce, and well consider aforehande the wrath that is to come, and addresse it selfe vntounto amendement, mourne, wepe, and lament, & desire god to be merciful vntounto it, & to forgeue it, & tourne awaye those plagues, that it worthely hath deserued. And although Christ speaketh here only of Ierusalē, yet he willeth that his commination & commonition, that is to saye, that his threatning & warning shoulde be vnderstanded to pertayne vntounto so many, as hauehave the worde of god, and yet heare it without fruite, yea despise it: that they shoulde not be carelesse, nor thincke with themselfes, that god wil forgeue them this fault This punishment shall as surely chaunce to all suche, as god lyueth. Therfore let vsus repent in tyme, & cease from all sinnes,The dispysyng of gods worde is a most horrible synne. but specially from that sinne, that despiseth the worde of god or the tyme of visitation, and that heare the sermons, and yet truly tourne they not vntounto godlines, but goeth forth in all kynde of wyckednes, whatsoeuer is preached and taught to the contrarie. For the paine is not therfore taken awaye, because it is differred for a time. For here is set before vsus a terrible example of the most fearce and horrible iudgement of god against a Citie that he most dearly loued and was counted the holiest Citie in the world, and against a people, which God had chosen as peculiar to himselfe before all other nations vnderunder heauen. This Citie was the house and dwelling place of god, and the people therof were his owne familie & houshold.Ierusalem. For next vntounto heauen Ierusalem was the holiest place, where god and his Angels dwelte, where al the seruice of god was appointed to be done, where almost all the Patriarches lyued, and were buried: where also Christ the Sonne of God was, & walked in the fleshe, died, and was buried, rose again, and sent the holy ghost: so that this Citie in holynes passed all Cities in the worlde, neyther was the lyke euer founde on the earth, neither shalbe vntounto the worldes end. And yet for all that, all these thinges nothyng at all regarded, seing it receaued not the word of god, nor obeyed the same: god did so seuerely punishe that offence for the honour of his worde, that he woulde rather hauehave that Citie, ones tenderly loued, extirped and plucked vp by the rootes, then he wolde suffer his worde so to p. 81to be dishonoured, and the glorie therof defaced. If God delt thus with his best beloued citie:Let vsus repent betymes. is it to bee thought, that he will spare other cities, kyngdomes, and nations, where he hath not dwelt, and where the people therof ar not so nygh vntounto hym, as the citisens of this kyngdome were?

Therfore this example ought to be a monument of Gods anger, that we despise not the woorde of God. Let vsus not vse this talke, as we were wont to doo: Peace, peace: There is no ieopardie, All thynges are well. The anger of God will neuer be so great against vsus. Tushe, he wil neuer punishe vsus, as he dyd the city of Ierusalem, and the inhabitantes thereof. But brethren, let vsus not deceaue our selues. For if he suffered this holy citie, wherin he had so great delight here on the earth, to be so destroyed & vtterly subuerted, that one stone was not lefte vppon an other, because of their wickednes, which heard his worde,Rom. 11.Rom 11 and yet dyd not repent nor amend: verily we ought not to think, that he will spare vsus, if we offend, as the inhabitants of that citie dydde. Like synne, lyke punyshement. For this citie was so destroyd, y^t ther remained not somuch as a print or token of an house. And God dyd than chiefly thus plague the citie,At what tym Ierusalem was destroyed, and with howe greate a multi…ud…. when the people by great multitudes came thither vntounto the feast of the Passeouer. For as histories report, there were than in the citie .iii. hundred thousande strangers besydes the inhabitantes therof. For this was Gods determination to make a generall plague in this moste frequent and populous company, that all beyng gathered togither, as into the verye place of punyshement, the Romaines shoulde punyshe theym all alyke. For thus wryteth Iosephus, that in the whole tyme of the siege and occupiyng of the Citie, there were slayn ten hundred thousand people, and consumed with death: Agayne, That there were ledde awaye Captyue, seuen and nynty thousande. They were so despysed and counted thynges of naught, that thirty of thē wer sold for one peny. And so were they recompenced at Christs hand, whome they bought of Iudas the traitour for thirty pence. And this is that moste noble and excellent people, whome God with meruailous great signes and wonders delyuered out of Egypt, and broughte into the lande of Chanaan, yea hee was as a father vntounto them, reueled vntounto them his word, and handled them most louyngly and gentilly. And yet for all this, when they despised his worde, and would not heare hym: he made hauocke of them.

And this is the cause, why Christe euen with weeping teares, saith: If thou dyddest know those thyngs which belong vntounto thy peace: euen in this thy daye, thou woldest take hede. But now are they hyd from thy eyes. Thou goest foorth carelesse, as though there were no danger. But y^e matter will not alwais stand in this case. It will breake out: and the tyme is euen at hande,Why god differrethe hys plages. although it is yet hyd, and thou seest it not.

But why, wyll somme manne saye, doothe GOD deferre the punyshement? Why doothe he not shewe his anger streyght wayes, and falle to plaguynge of them without delaye? Ueryly GOD deferreth hys plagues ta thys ende, euen to declare and shewe hys longanimitie or paciente sufferynge, and to see whether wee wyll amende or not,Rom. 2.Rom 2 or as the holy Apostle sayeth: Despysest thou the rychesse of Goddes goodnesse and pacience, and longe suffryng, not knowing that the kyndenesse of GOD leadeth thee to repentaunce? p. 82Lykewyse sayth Saynct Peter:2. Pet. 3.2 Pet 3 The Lord is paciente to vsus warde, for as muche as he woulde hauehave no manne loste, but wyll receaue all men to repentaunce. For yf God shoulde streighte wayes punyshe vsus for oure synnes,Note well. we shoulde lyue a verye lyttell whyle. Therefore God deferreth his plagues, and geueth vsus tyme and space to repente and amend oure lyues.

And this is a woorke, wyche greatly setteth forth the goodnesse of GOD, and hyghely commendethe his excedynge great mercy towarde vsus. But the deuyll beynge an angry spirite doothe not thys: for yf he coulde kyll any man with a fyllyp, he woulde doo it. But God is mercyfulle, and therefore doothe he deferre hys punyshemente: but yet wyll he not forgeue excepte repentaunce come. But wycked men greately abuse this lenitie, and longe sufferyng of God, and by that meanes becomme carelesse, so that they doo not onelyonly not amende, but they also become dayly worse and worse: as wee hauehave the adulterers, vsurers, theues, and suche lyke for an exaumple: whiche, because they are not out of hand punished, lyue without feare, and perswade theym selues, that they shall longe so continewe. But yf that thou bee wyse, bee ware, and eschewe the daunger betymes. For thou heareste here, that GOD vseth to deferre the punyshement, and to conceale and wynke at the faulte for a tyme. But yet the payne is not auferred, beecause that it is deferred: neyther is the punyshemente taken awaye, because there is made a delay thereof. Therfore returne to the ryght waye betymes, repent and amende.

This is that, which Christ saith here: But it is now hydde from thyne eyes. As though he should saye: Because the paine is hydde, lette not that deceaue thee. Thou shalt kyll me, as thou haste kylled the Prophets before me. Nowe I dissemble the matter: I suffer and beare all thynges. And thys ys the cause, that thou thynkest it shall alwayes go thus with thee. And therfore no manne earnestly goeth about to repente and amende. But knowe thou this: thou haste not escaped the punishement. If thou couldest onelyonly beleue, thou wouldest then deuise howe to escape this payne. But forasmuche as thou doest not beleeue, thou arte secure and carelesse, and neglectest the tyme of thy visitation wherin thou art moued to repent,It is a moste greu…us synn to, dispise the worde of god wherein also thou myghtest be restored vntounto the fauour of God, and so art thou nothyng at all moued with this perill that lieth hydde. This is the synne why the wrath and vengeance of God shall fall vponupon thee, and vtterly destroy thee. Marke howe diligentlye therfore in this place, what syn God recoūteth the greatest. For here Christ gathereth all syns into one, y^t is to say, that the sonnes of perdition regarde not the word of God: they let go all sermons and admonitions as thoughe they were deafe: and in the meane season they thynke: that theyr matters wille not falle oute so euyll, so that they goe foorth without all repentaunce to synne. For Ierusalem was a citie full of bloud,Repente O England and amende, euen as Englande also in tymes paste, yea, and that of late yeares, hauehave ben ful of bloud, for the manyfold persecution of the word Besydes this sin, there were many other in Ierusalē, as fornication, adultery, vsery, couetousnes, theft, spoilyng of y^e poore, oppression of widows & fatherles, gluttony, dronkennes. &c. Nowe (saieth Christ: My mynde p. 83was to reproue these thynges with the worde, that ye might amende and eschue the wrathe of God. And for this cause I sent before vntounto you my prophetes, Iohn the Baptist, and myne apostles. Yea I my self taught among you, wrought miracles, and left nothyng vndone, that was requisite & necessary for your amēdement and saluation. All your sinnes shold easily be forgeuē: Ierusalem shold remayn, if ye wold only know the tyme of youre visitation. I come not vntounto you, with swearde or armour, but meke, gentyll, and lyke a Sauiour. I teache and cry: Repent, repent: Amend,Iere. 9.Jer 9 amend. Heare and be obediente vntounto God, before his anger waxe whote, and there be no manne that can quenche it. Thus I visite you, but I profite nothing. ye heape synne vppon synne, yea and that extremely, because ye hauehave no regarde to the tyme of your visitation, neyther can ye abyde it. Therefore for as muche as ye refuse all good counsell, all good help shal forsake you. For who wyll be the surgion of that wounded man, whiche would go aboute to destroye the body of that surgion, whiche seketh his health? After this sort are ye Iewes. God procureth, that remission of synnes shoulde be declared to you by me, and that he wil be a mercifull God vntounto you: Agayne, that he pardoneth and forgeueth you al things so clerely, as though ye had neuer offended: onelyonly this is his desyre, that nowe at the last ye should ceasse frome synne, and receaue his word. But ye blaspheme me: ye say, I hauehave a deuyll: ye condemne my doctrine as heresie,Ioan. 8.John 8 and are fully determined to put me to death, yea, the most vile ignominious and spitefull death of the crosse. This is to muche a beastlynesse, where God dothe determine not onelyonly to forgeue you your synnes, but also to geue you great abundaunce of bothe heauenly and worldly benefites, to turne your backes, and most churlishlye to refuse, yea to blaspheme his grace, and to sette naughte by hys mercye. But forasmuche as the matter is come to that poynt, there nowe remayneth nothyng, that may appease the wrathe of God: the pain plague, and punyshement must nedes procede, suffer it ye muste.Psal. 109.Ps 109 They that refuse peace, muste nedes hauehave warre. ye woulde not hauehave the blessynge of God: his curse therfore muste nedes fall vppon you. For where men can not abyde remission of synnes and the fauor of God: there is no more hope of saluation.

And this is the principall cause, why the anger of god is so fierce and great. For as the Iewes coulde not abyde eyther to see, or to heare the worde of GOD: so lykewise God afterwarde vtterly refused theyr crienges, prayers, sacrifices, and all other thynges, neither coulde his anger be pacified, tyll this citie was vtterly destroyed & pulckt vp by the rootes, so that neither man, neither beast, nor yet any the lest part of the citie remayned, whereby the place or situation of the citie might be discerned. For the souldiors laboured to the vttermost of their power, that nothing at all myght remayn, neither of the citie, nor yet of the thyngs appertainyng vntounto the Citie. And this is that most horrible and terrible example, whiche the Euangelist setteth foorthe in this Gospell of this present sonday, to admonyshe and warne vsus, that wee despise not the worde of God, nor let passe the tyme of our visitation.

But this is moste of all woorthy to be consydered, that Christ saieth here: But nowe thys thynge is hyd frome thyne eyes. For so for the mooste parte it commeth to passe, that men do neuer remember the plague p. 84and punyshement that is at hande, but because God for his long suffryng sake deferreth the payn, & loketh for amendmēt, the world thynketh, that he wyl wink at the matter, and regardethe not theyr synnes. But Christ sayth: Although ye doo not thynke of the pain, because ye see it not: yet knowe ye, that it shall moste certainly come. God hath prepared so many plagues, peines, punyshementes, snares, fetters, manicles, lockes, boltes, stockes, cheynes. &c. for the wicked, that ye can by no meanes escape. For first of all, he hathe appoynted parentes, and gouernours of housholdes,Parētes and householders. and to them hath he committed the care and charge of vnruly youth and of families. He that will not be gouerned and ruled by this power. he muste be delyuered to the maiestrate to correct and punyshe hym. After these the deuyll remayneth, whiche if thou canste not yet be tamed, hath so muche power thorough the sufferance of God, that he will punyshe thee with pestilence, famyne, drownynge, burnyng. &c. so that no man ought to thynk, that he can preuayl agaynst god, or that he shall escape vnpunyshed. If thou regardest not thyne office, nor wilt not heare & obey the word of God: thou shalt hauehave the hangman, and the deuill to be thy maisters and gouernors, whiche shall discipline thee to the vttermoste, & bryng thee so low, that thou shalt neuer be able to rise againe, or ones to lift vp thy heade. Therfore receaue ye this doctrine in tyme, that ye maie discerne and iudge betweene the hidde and the open payne. For the peyn of sinne is euer certaine, and yet it is hydde: and in that it is hydde, it dothe deceaue menne, as Salomon also sayeth.The plage is certen and yet hydde from y^e wycked. It is not good nor profitable, that men be not punyshed out of hand, & that god doth so long wink at matters. For by this meanes all kynd of mischief encreaseth in the wicked, so that they waxe daiely worse and worse. The thiefe, whiche hath this daye good lucke in hys theft,The delaye of punyshement hur…eth greatly in common wealthes. goeth foreward in the same to morowe, neither thynketh he then to hauehave worse chance then he hadde tofore, whiche notwithstandyng at the laste bringeth hym to the gallowes. Whyche thynge if he had before considered, and so geuen ouer his stealyng in tyme, he myght hauehave escaped that vile and shameful death. So lykewise goeth it with whoremonge…s, adulterers, vsurers, and all other synners: the better successe they hauehave at the beginnyng in doyng theyr wyckednes, the bolder they are, and the more desyrous to proceede in theyr euyl dede. For they cōsyder not this sentence: Although the payne be hid for a tyme and differred,A sentence …or…hy to be remembred. yet it is certayne, and will surely at the laste come, accordyng to our englishe prouerbe: So long goeth the pot to the water, tyll at the laste it commeth home broken. Therfore take hede diligently, and euer remember this sayenge: Though the payn be hyd for a tyme and deferred: yet it is certain, and wyll surely at the last come, as the Heathen by experience taught & sayd: When God commeth to punyshe, he goeth in shoes of wolle, that he may be vponupon the wycked with his plagues before they be aware. Lerne thou thys, and cease to be careles. And although God cometh not streight waies with his thunderbolte▪ vtterly to destroye thee for thy wickednes and sinne, yet beware, and aforesee the mischiefe that is to come: stande in feare of Gods vengeance, and repent betymes. For he is garded and waited on with so many ministers and angels: he hath in his power so many plagues, warres, famyne, pestilence, &c. that thou canst neuer escape vnpunyshed. He p. 85able to sende downe fire frome heauen, and with the flames therof, vtterly to consume thee vntounto ashes. He is able with the tempestuous showers of rayne, or otherwise with water, to suffocate and smother thee vp. He is able with poyson, with vntymely and vnsauery fruictes to kyll thee. To be short, there is no number of the plagues and punyshementes, whiche God hath in store for synners and wicked persons.

This therefore is the cause, that Christe so …carefully monysheth, weepeth, and saieth: Consyder nowe thy perill, O Hierusalem. Thynkest thou that the plague and punyshement will not come vponupon thee, because it is hyd and deferred for a tyme? Thou arte greatly deceiued. For the payne is not hyd to this end, that thou shouldest escape free and vnplagued, but that thou mayst be the more certayn and sure, that it will come vppon thee, for as muche as thou consyderest not the tyme of thy visitation. If therfore thou wylt not abuse this delay and long suffring of God: make ones an ende of synnyng, and embrace the woorde, and so shalt thou prouide well for thy selfe. If thou wilt not, thou shalt surely perishe, and come to naught.

On this maner dothe Peter also preache, sayinge: Suppose,2. Pet. 3.2 Pet 3 that the longe sufferyng of the Lord is saluation. That is to say: Thynke it to be your saluation, and that it is done for youre sake, that ye shoulde not be damned. For if God shold always punyshe accordyng to our deserte and synne, none of vsus all shold lyue long in this world. Notwithstandyng, God doth not so, but he is long suffryng, paciently abydeth our conuersion, and deferreth the punyshement. Understande this so, sayth Peter, as a thyng done for youre saluation, that ye maye thus saye: O Lorde, I hauehave synned diuers waies and often, and yet the punyshement therof hath not folowed,Gods plages differrede are the more greuous. but is deferred. Notwithstandyng, what dothe this signifie? verily none other thyng then y^t although the payn be hid, yet at the last it will surely come, yea and that so much the more greuous, because it is differred. Therefore be mercyfull to me, O Lord: Forgeue me my synnes, and geue me grace so to repente and amende, that I offende no more. Here Peter teacheth, that we shoulde vse the pacience and long suffering of God, vntounto our confort and saluation. For God desireth not the destruction of menne, neyther deliteth he in the death of synners. It is therfore for our saluation, when God hideth the peyne, and deferreth the punyshment. But when this waie can do no good with synners, but in the daye of wrath, they heape vp more wrathe by goyng forthe to syn: then can not God any longer deferre his plagues but seyng no hope of amendement, he rendreth to the wicked, accordyng to their wickednes, as daily experience teacheth. When theues will not cease from their stealing, they at the last come to the gallowes, and are hanged. The whoremongers and adulterers also goyng forward in theyr vnclennes at the last are taken, brought to shame, & punyshed. Thus dyd Christ plainly declare to Hierusalem, that although God did as yet hyde the peyne, and deferre the punyshement, yet that he would at the laste come, and most miserably plage those stiffenecked and disobedient people. Therfore let eueryevery man feare God. Let all thynke this, lyttel, great olde, and yong, that if they synne, and wyll not cease, and repente, that punyshement wyll at the laste come. For to this ende is the exaumple of Hierusalem,Plinius lib. 5. cap. 14. that most holy and beautyfull Citie sette forth vntounto vsus, of p. 86the whiche citie, the very Ethnike histories also report that it was the goodliest citie of all the easte partes. But it is now destroyed, & vtterly brought to naught. The cause of the subuersion & vtter ruine therof was, because it made no ende of synnyng, neither would it receaue the woorde of God, but rather hate and persecute it.

Suche example dothe Christ set forth to vsus in this Gospell, that wee maye repente and amende, or ells that we should knowe, if we wyll not repent, we shall surely bee plagued, althoughe the peyne for a tyme be hyd, and that when the tyme of punyshment cometh, al praiers & supplications vntounto God shalbe frustrate & vain: as God himself saith by the mouth of Salomon I hauehave called, & ye refused it. I hauehave stretched out my hand, and no mā regarded it: but all my counsels hauehave ye despysed, & set my correction at naughte.Pro. 10.Prov 10 Therfore shall I also laugh in your destruction, and mock you, when that thyng that ye fear, cometh vponupon you: euen when the thing that ye be afrayde of, falleth in sodeinly lyke a storme, and youre miserie like a tempest: yea when trouble & heuines cōmeth vponupon you. Then shall they call vponupon me, but I wil not heare. They shall seke me early, but they shall not fynd me: and that because they hated knowledge, and receaued not the feare of the Lorde, but abhorred my counsayle, and despised all my correction. Therefore shall they eate the fruites of theyr owne way, and be fylled with their own inuentions. For the turnyng away of the vnwise shal slea them, & the prosperitie of fooles shalbe their owne destruction.

Euen thus didde God handle the Iewes. The tyme of the siege was not longe, euen frome Easter vntill September, and all that tyme there was sacrificyng, praying, and syngyng to the vttermost, but all in vayne. For God had shutte vp his eares. The reason is this. For he had hyd and deferred the punyshment, that they myght heare his word, repent, amend and knowe the tyme of theyr visitation. But all these thyngs dyd no good with that indurate, hard herted, and styffenecked people. Therfore where he publyshed the punyshement, he hyd hym selfe, that he coulde bee founde in no place, as Oseas the Prophete thretnethe also the kyngdome of Israell:Osee. 5.Hos 5 They shall come with their shepe and bullockes to seeke the Lorde, but they shall not fynde hyme for he is gone from theim. This example therfore ought not to be neglected or to be set at naught, but for asmuche as God hath suche places in store, and wyll at this tyme bryng them to lyghte, let vsus feare hym. And forasmuch as he doth not take vengeance of our synnes out of hande, but geueth vsus daies of respite, that we may repent and amende: let vsus louelove hym as a moste mercyfull Father, and saye: O Lord, I knowe that thou wylt not suffer synne to escape vnpunished: notwithstandyng, O Lord, endue me with thy grace and holy Spirite, that I maye amende and escape the punyshement and peyne of thy moste fierce anger. He that thus repenteth, easily obteyneth mercy and forgeuenes. And without doubt Hierusalem had continued vntounto thys daye, if the Iewes woulde hauehave knowen the tyme of theyr visitation, and mekely hauehave sayd vntounto God: O Lorde, we hauehave offended, we hauehave done wickedly, our synnes are moste heynous: for we hauehave slayn thy seruauntes, the Prophetes. Notwithstandyng, thou hast now geuen vsus thy Gospell to be our helpe and confort, for y^e which p. 87we most humbly thanke thee. O be thou mercyful vntounto vsus, and geue vsus grace to repent, and to amend that is amysse, that we may become newe creatures, and serue thee in holynesse and ryghteousnes all the dayes of our lyfe. If the Iewes had done this, the Romans although neuer so stronge and myghtie, hadde neuer bene able to doo any thynge agaynste them, yea they had neuer moued warre agaynste them. But seynge they remained and continued in theyr synne obstinatly without any repentance, and saide: Tushe, there is no ieopardie. What? should God cast away this citie, wher his dwellyng place is? wherin also alone his honour & worshyp is maintened, It will neuer come to passe. Because of this vain bosting and vnrepentance God so plagued that their citie, that ther was not one stone left vponupon an other, so that it is now vtterly destroyed and brought to naught, and made an example for all them that obstinatly synne, and wyl not amēd, that the lyke peynes and plagues shall also chaunce to them: but to other, that receaue the word of God, and repent, it is a comfort and doctrine, that they may lern when God hydeth the payne, it is for their peace, and that God will forgeue them their synnes, if they only cease nowe from their wickednesse, and returne vntounto God. For it is no meruayle though we synne.Synne. But to defende oure synnes, and obstinatly to perseuere and continue in them: Thys by no meanes can GOD abyde: hee wyll rather make hauocke of all togyther, namely, when he commeth on his gracious visitation, and woulde gladdely call vsus vntounto repentance.

Thys Citie therefore was vnhappie,Securitie destroyeth the citie. neyther dyd any thynge destroye that, but the glorious and noble title, in that it was called the citie of GOD, the house and dwellyng place of God. Thys made the Iewes carelesse, so that they thought on this maner: Shold this citie come to naught? It will neuer com to passe God can not cast it away. Therefore, though all the kyngdomes of the worlde came against it, they shold neuer preuayle. God wyll not suffer his citie & dwelling place to be destroyed. This title made thē so bold, that for the redresse of their synfull lyfe, they regarded not the visitation by the worde. And by this meanes was God compelled, that forasmuche as they refused to be visited vntounto peace, they shoulde be visited vntounto deathe and destruction. We Englishe men also are at this present daie of speciall grace and mere merciemercy visited of God by his worde: but we in eueryevery condition shewe our selues vnworthy of this syngular goodnes of God. Some impugne the manifest truth of gods worde bothe by wordes and writynges.Remember this O Englande and beware betyms Some abuse Gods worde vntounto the maintenance of their couetousnes, pride, vnclennesse, excesse, and other moste greuous synnes. It is therfore to be feared, that excepte we spedily repent, some great plague wyl sodeinly fall vponupon vsus,, whether it be by pestilence or by hunger, by ciuile warre, or by the inuasion of foreyne enemies.

Therfore let vsus not forget this example, that Ierusalem was so miserably destroyed, because it receaued not the word of God, but despised it, that we mai lern gladly to hear the word of God: and though we sinne yet that we should repent and amend And this is the first part of the Gospell. After this, the Euangeliste maketh mention, that Christ wente into the Temple, and did cast out all byers and sellers, and sayde: My house is the house of praier:The seconde parte of the gospellr but ye hauehave made it a den of theues. This dyd Christ with a meruailous great p. 88power. and it is to be reckned with his other miracles which we are not able to folow. For except it had ben so, without doubte so many myghtie marchantes or occupiers had easily ben able to withstand Christ, that they shold not geue place vntounto him alone, which without any weapon, only with a whip, as the Euangelist saith, toke this weightie matter in hande.

In that they gaue place, and made no resistence, it sheweth euidently, that Christ spake such wordes vntounto the Iewes, as he dyd to the Iewes in the gardein when they fell backward vntounto the ground. But thys act of Christ we Christians shall not folow. Therfore let no man vse the storie to this ende, as thoughe the Eclesiasticall ministers, had any corporall or temporall iurisdiction, as Christ exerciseth here such power. For if Christ had not farre excelled the power of man, hee alone agaynste so many coulde not hauehave done muche. But we may not hauehave so great respect vntounto the work, as vntounto the cause. This expresseth Christ in these wordes, when he saieth: My house is the house of prayer, but ye hauehave made it a denne of theues. what cause had Christe, that he should speake suche a fierce and harde sentence to the Iewes? For without doubte they dyd not robbe nor steale in the temple. But this was the matter. The money changers had here their money, & dyd exercise bying and sellyng of shepe, oxen, doues. &c. for y^e sacrifices. For eueryevery Iewe could not bring with hym from home, that he woulde sacrifice.

The priests deuised things for their owne auātage, as y^e papistes did in time of blindnes, y^t there should alwais be at hande, plentie of cattall, and peraduenture money also for to offer. For y^e tēple also had her money as histories shew. This semeth a thing more worthi of praise then of dispraise. For seyng that God appointed and commaunded this seruice. who durst be bolde to condemne this,The priestes sought not the glorye of god but theyr owne gaynes forasmuche as all these thynges made to auance and sette forth this seruice and worshipping of God, that it myght be moste glorious and goodly? But there was an other matter. The priestes in dede made this pretence, that they dyd all thynges to sette foorth the seruice of God: but they wold not so greatly hauehave regarded that, if they had not had so great profite by it. Therfore what so euer they dyd, they dyd it not for Gods cause, but for theyr owne lucre and gain This couetousnes moued them, that in all theyr doctrine, they commended nothyng but sacrifices, as our monkes and Priestes commende theyr sacrifice of the Masse,Masse that by it synnes are put away, and the grace of God obteyned. This made the people to swarme in goyng to Masse, as though they had ben flockes of shepe. But in the mean season while they sought their owne priuate commoditie, and in their doctrine extolled their Missall sacrifice, they vtterly omitted, and left vntaught the true seruice and acceptable worshipping of God, whiche is to feare God, to beleue in God, and to kepe his worde: and by this meanes they encouraged men to go foorth in theyr wicked lyfe, with great securitie, and without any remorse of conscience. Euē so played the Iewishe priestes. They taughte the people,Note. that if they dyd kyll and sacrifice muche, al things shoulde goe well with theym, as we maye gather of the Prophetes, whyche was the cause, that they spake so muche agaynst sacrifices. And this is a very great synne in deede, when suche a robbery is committed, that not the bodies, but the soules are slayne for euer: p. 89which is whē men are taught to put their confidence and trust in their owne workes, & not in the grace and merciemercy of god. Thus could Christ by no meanes abide, neither ought we to suffer it, but by the word of god to resiste it vntounto the vttermost of our power. For without this, there is no waie vntounto saluation. Men must be brought frō their owne workes and merites vntounto the sacrifice and merite of Christ, & vntounto the merciemercy of god, & afterwarde they must be exhorted vntounto a godly lyfe, that they folowe not their owne imaginations, but the worde of god, and frame them selues in all pointes according vntounto that. He y^t doth this, vseth the temple & the ministerie aright: he that doth otherwise, abuseth them, & is a theif & murderer of soules, as Oseas the Prophet also calleth the priestes in the kyngdom of Israel. As theaues armed, saith he,Osee. 6.Hos 6 waite for him that passeth by the waye: such is the councell of the priestes, which with one agreed coūcell, murder cruelly such as kepe the waye: yea they dare do all vnspeakeable mischeife. By these his wordes y^e Prophet describeth the great slaughter, that they made amonge the people with their false doctrine. For wheras their duetie was to cōmend & set forth to the people the sacrifice of Christ, they cōmēded the sacrifices of beastes.The false doctrine of the Iewishe priestes. For y^t was for their aduātage: that made their kitchin to smoke. For they had alwayes a portion of those sacrifices. But by this meanes men were not only polled and pylled of their money, but they were also in daunger of their soules saluation. Christ by no meanes could abide this, and therfore he made hauocke in the Temple. He did cast out such as bought & sold in the temple. He threwe downe & topled ouer the tables of the money chaungers &c. He wold rather do any thing then suffer, that suche thefte & murder should be maintayned, yea and that vnderunder the pretence of gods seruice. But as Christ did this at y^e time by miracle, so is the same exāple exercised diligently by the iudgement of god against Schismatikes. The vngodly Bishops, priests, & monkes, whiche for couetousnes of worldly things defende the wicked sacrifice of the Masse & the other ydolatrie, shall shortly feele this zele and whote indignation of god, whē they shalbe worthely cast out of the temple & be had in contempt of all men. And this muche hauehave we spoken of our gospel. God the father of mercies for Christes sake mought vouchesafe to raise vp his holye spirite in our heartes vntounto his feare, faith, and louelove, and mercifully kepe vsus in his worde, and defend vsus against all euil both bodely and ghostly to the glory of his blessed name. Amen.