Sermons Upon all the Sunday Gospels, Sermon 57
The xiiii. Sonday after Trinitie sonday. ¶ The Gospell. Luke. xvii.
AND it chaunced as Iesus went to Ierusalem that he passed through Samaria & Galile. And as he entred into a certayne towne, there met him ten men that were lepers, whiche stode a farre of, and put forth theyr voyces, and sayde: Iesus maister hauehave mercy on vsus. When he sawe them, he sayde vntounto them: Go shewe your selues vntounto the Priestes. And it came to passe, that as they wente they were clensed. And one of them when he sawe that he was clensed, turned backe agayne, and with aloude voyce, praysed God, and fell downe on his face at his feete, and gaue hym thankes: And the same was a Samaritane. And Iesus aunswered and sayd: Are there not ten clensed? but where are those nine? There are not founde that returned agayne to geue God prayse, saue only this straunger. And he sayde vntounto him: Aryse, go thy waye, thy fayth hath made the whole.
THE EXPOSITION.
YE heare howe Christe in the gospell of this day setteth forth a notable example of faith. Thy fayth (saith he) hath saued thee. And by this he ascribeth all the glory of the sauyng of this Samaritan not to hymselfe, (as he shold hauehave done, if he had sayed: I restore thee to thy helth) but to faith. Whiche thinge is done of Christ to this entent, that we also shoulde he encoraged by this example and beleue boldly, and thynke surely, that thorow Christ we shall obtaine,Fayth obtayneth all thingges. whatsoeuer we beleue. If we beleue remission of syn and euerlastinge lyfe, that faith shall not deceaue vsus. If we beleue that God is fauorable and mercifull, that he can not, but be fauorable and mercifull. So that all thynges be on this wise referred to faith and not to God, which in dede worketh all thynges. That all men maye learne, that whansoeuer we lacke anie thynge, that we woulde hauehave, or wherof we hauehave nede, that the fault is not in God, but in our selfe, because we beleue not. For otherwise if we beleued, we should surely hauehave it.
He that beleueth not obtayneth nothing.And this is the firste doctrine of this gospell, that we beleue this, that we shall be sure of all these thynges, which we hope and loke for of GOD with a constante fayth. But he that beleueth not, neyther hopeth for any thynge of God, let him not truste to obtayne any thynge:Iac. 1. Heb. 1. As Iames saith in the first chapter of his Epistle. For he that maketh sute to god, and asketh any thynge of hym, he ought not to doubt and saye: Who knoweth whether GOD wyll graunt it, or whether I be worthie? It ought not so to be sayde, but this rather:An apte similitude. I know that GOD wyll graunt what soeuer I aske of hym. And although he doth it not now, nor after that sorte, yet wyll he do it at an other tyme and after an other sorte. For a wauerynge hearte, that beleueth not stedfastlye, and thynketh not surelye that he shall obtayne, obtayneth nothyng at all.
For GOD can geue hym nothyng, if he would. He is lyke a vessell that by a mans handes is moued hyther and thyther, wherin nothynge can be poured, and whatsoeuer is poured, it falleth besyde the vessell and is loste.
This is it also with an vnbeleuynge heart. GOD is redie to geue, but we make oure selues vnapte to receaue, for as muche as we profer nothynge to receaue the gyfte withall. And we greatlye offende GOD by so doynge, that wheras he is most redie to shewe his liberalitie, yet we by our wauerynge do cause, that there can be no place in vsus to receaue gods gyftes.
Contrarily, to hym wheras is no wauerynge, but the minde is still by fayth, he will geue gladlye and willingly: As it appeareth in these ten leapers. They crie, Iesu master hauehave merciemercy vponupon me. They all are styll and doubte not but Christe wyll helpe. And as they beleue, so is it done vntounto them.
This must we learne, to truste stedfastly to his merciemercy, and not to wauer in heart, but to be stil and truste for that we desire, whether it be health, or liuelowd, prosperitie, wisdom, or righteousnes.
The seconde doctrine of vnkindnes.In the other part is an horrible example, wheras ten beleue and are healed, but nine go from their faith, & geue not Christ thākes for his benefit. We ought to referre this exāple to this ende, yt we may learne hereby to be thanckefull, and to auoide the wicked sin of vnkyndnes. For God doth worthylye challenge this glorie to hymselfe, yt we should render him thanckes. And that should we do gladlye and willingly. For it is a thing of no great labour or difficultie. For what labour is requisite to this, yf thou tourne thee to God and saye? Lord, that hast geuen me sound eyes hādes, fett▪ &c. I thancke the heartely for thy gyfte. So lykewise what hard thinge is it to geue thanckes to thy parentes, masters, lordes, neighbours, when they do thee good. It is done onelyonly, that they maye vnderstande, that their benefite is wel bestowed. This also doth this Samaritan, he retourneth to the Lorde, & geueth him thankes. This required no coste or charge but a fewe wordes, and yet it pleaseth Christ maruelously. This is acceptable to men also, and they take greate pleasure therof, and by this they are prouoked, afterward to do them good again.
The very Ethnickes saide this, that vnkyndnes is the greatest syn.Unkindnes is the greatest synne. Therfore when a man is called chorle, they iudged that to be the greatest reproch, that is. And we proue by experience, that this vice greueth thee parentes very muche. They bestow for their childrens sake all thinges, bodye, life, goods, faine and al thinges. But what recompence do children make for for the moste parte? It chaunceth seldome to fynde amongest many, one that is thankfull. This commeth of nothyng elles but of the dyuell. Lykewise also it chaunceth with other. Wherefore thynke thys for a suretie, that vnkyndnesse is the greatest and fylthyest vyce, wherby the springe is stopped vppe, oute of the whiche procedeth all beneficence and liberalitie amongest men. But all this chaunceth throughe the greate infirmitie and weakenes of men. For this is very greuously taken, that he that healpeth other by benefites, getteth nothyng therby but vnkyndnes. Wherfore by this mens mynds are discoraged frō doyng good, & ar lothe to cast away their kindnes vponupon them that are vnkynd. Unkyndnes is the cause of all this, which neuerthelesse men do oftentimes fele. Wherfore if ye regard godlynes earnestly, se that ye be thankfull. Fyrst to God our father in heauen, which geueth and preserueth body and lyfe: and afterward geueth all thynges that belongeth to euerlastyng life. Then to our parentes. frendes, neyghbors, which hauehave bene good to vsus, that ye maye knowledge this, and geue thankes, although ye be not able to requite it. But seyng this is suche an harde thyng amongest men to obteyne thankes, howe much harder is it,The maner of the Monasteries. to make them to requite and recompence it? There was a maner in monasteries, that if the yonger had taken of gifte but a quill of an elder, he shold hauehave declared hymself thankful with these woordes: Blessed is God in all his giftes. This was no euyll maner. For it was doone, that youthe myghte accustome them selues to receaue all thyngs with thankes geuyng, bothe from God and manne. Wherfore although this was not always done with the heart, yet the vse of these wordes were good. So out of the .116. Psalm: what shall I render to the lord (saith Dauid) for al that he geueth me,Psal. 116. I wil take the cup of saluation, and cal vponupon the name of ye Lord that is, I will praise hym, glorifie him, and geue hym thankes, and confesse that he hath ben beneficial vntounto me. God answereth to this: My sonne, this is inough for me. But the bountifull Father can obtein this of few:The world is most vnkynde to god. A great part dothe persecute him and his word: thinkyng nothyng how that we hauehave all thynges by hym, and of his grace. But this is but a small thynge. They hang on the crosse his only begoten sonne, whiche he hath sent for a gift to vsus agaynst syn and euerlasting death. This world wer well worthy with his great madnes to be cast cleane out of Gods sight. yet God doothe not so, but is presente eueryevery where with his goodnes and helpe. Wherfore we must not onelyonly lerne the office and propretie of kyndnes, but we must put in practise also this vertue with his propre office, whych is not made werie of well doyng for vnkyndnes sake. And this is the peculiar vertue of God and of all true christians. For there are examples inough, which testifie that the world through chorlishnes doth make men cease from wel doyng. Amongest the Gretians were there noble men, whiche had done muche good in their countreis, and put all their goodes in hasarde for theyr countreies sake:The actes of certayne Gretians. But as soone as they felt vnkyndnes, so that they not only receued no fruit for their industrie and laboure, but were also more in peryll then other, they became vnpacient, and as they defended before their countrey agaynst the enemies, so they fled afterward to their enemies, and assaulted theyr countrey with moste spitefull myndes.
Wherefore, a christian must not be ignorant herof, that vnkyndnes ensueth after the most excellent merites of good men, lest they should therby be discoraged from wel doyng. For this is christian vertu, & the true fruit of faith, yt when thou hast declared thy study and great louelove toward other, & also haste proued what recompēce the vnkynd world is wont to make, yet that thou shouldest not be dehorted from well doyng therby. For Christians behaue themselues after the exāple of god, which doth not only good himself to ye vnkind. but doth requite & recōpence them yt do good amōgest men, which they regarded not. It is a christanis dutie therfore to do good to the vnkind, yea & to them yt do euil for good, & according to Salomōs saying: to hepe coles of fire vponupon his head. Thou maiest not take the world for an exāple in this matter.Pro. 25. Rom. 1…. For it doth clean cō trary: If it perceiue vnkindnes, it think al lost & cast away, and that it will neuer after that bestow any benefits. It is the father of heauen, yt can teache the truly this.Math. 5. In ye day he suffreth his son to rise not only vponupon ye good, yt geue thāks, but vponupon ye euil, which geue no thāks, yea rather thei misuse gods gifts. God him self also might wel say this: These many yeres hauehave I geuē thee ye light of ye son, & hauehave found the vitall,We muste learne to be kynd of god. The nature of Christen charitie. & all kind of goodnes: but ther cōmeth litle thanks of it. I wil make an end of my good doing. I wil deny liuing to ye vnkind world. But ye merciful father doth not so, he suffreth not his goodnes to be ouercome with the vnkindnes of the world. If men will not be thankful now, he wil punish them herafter for their vnkindnes. So must we do also, if we wyll be christian men. For this is the nature of Christian charitie to suffer and abyde all thinges, & not to be made vnpacient therby. But there bee very fewe, that are endued with thys charitie, wherfore there are also very fewe christians. Neuerthelesse if we wyll be Christians, we muste be ready to doo good, neyther ought we after the example of the worlde, to geue vp oure studious zeale in doynge good, bycause of vnkyndnesse. If thou haste ben beneficiall thys daye to any manne, and hee the morowe after shewe hym selfe straunge through vnkyndnesse, be not greued therewith: For at his appoynted tyme, he shall suffer due punyshment for his faulte: Do thou onelyonly continue, and saye: If this benefite be caste awaye vponupon thys man, I wyll studye to doo good for an other. If thy benefitte be neyther well bestowed in hym, despaire not of the thyrd, and so foorthe: That thou also myghteste saye soo, (as Christ saith here?) were not tenne made cleane, where be the nine becomme? Christe hath lyttell thanke for this benefite, yet is hee content with that the tenthe retourneth, and geueth thankes. yea, he woulde not hauehave made mention of the other, if it hadde not ben for thys, that wee myghte learne that they dyd wyckedly. For he declareth by thys inquisition, that the vnkynde shall not escape vnpunyshed, for beecause they are not thankefull to GOD, for hys benefites. Than veryly shall they knowe howe greately they offended through theyr wycked vnkyndnes.
Wherfore after the example of Christ must we also care nothyng for mennes vnkyndnesse.The vnthankfull shall not escape vnpunished. The matter is playne, that for so many benefites of God, that we receaue dayely frome hym, he receaueth very colde and slender thankes. Wherefore lette not thys thynge moue vsus, but lette vsus thynke it sufficient, yf there be one amongest tenne, in whome a benefyte is welle bestowed. Other shall feele and proue by experience at theyr tyme appoynted, that, that they woulde not beleue nowe by oure warnynge. For they shall not escape so vnpunyshed from God, that requireth faith. The seconde, of two moste beautyfull vertues, that is, of kyndnesse, and of pacient sufferyng vnkyndnes, at other mennes handes. The Samaritane by hys exaumple teacheth vsus to be kynde, and to thanke bothe God and man for the benefyte that we receaue. But the exaumple of Christe dothe admonyshe vsus, not to bee vnpaciente, neyther to ceasse frome well doynge, althoughe oure benefyttes prosper not well, and although they that receyue theym be vnkynde. For this is the maner of the worlde, that thoroughe vnkynde persons, they that are beneficiall: are vnthankfullye entreated, and discouraged frome their well doyng so that afterwarde, for one chorles sake, manye fare the worse. But yf thou bee a Christian doo not so: althoughe nyne deceaue the of thy hope, be contente, that the tenth is founde thankfull. For Christ himselfe founde them not, to geue thankes for suche a greate benefite. What? wylt thou looke to bee in better case then he was? Wherefore take not greuously the losse of nyne. Thou shalt hauehave no more losse thereby, thenne Christe hadde. But all this shall turne to their greate losse, when these wycked persons, shall be destitute of all good successe in theyr matters.
And these are the thynges that make trewe christians, fyrst, that they hauehave a sure confidence and faith, in Goddes mercy: then if thanke be not rendred vntounto them for theyr benefites that other receaued at theyr handes, that they suffer not theyr pacience to be ouercome by theyr vnkyndnesse. For if we are Christians we must looke to be in no better case than Christ was himselfe. We muste doo the beste that euer we can for all men, and yet loke for suche vnkyndnesse, that scarsly one amongest tenne be founde thankfull. And it is possible, that he may be founde kynde, and woorthye of a benefite. of whome we thoughte leaste, that he woulde be kynde, as this Samaritan.
The Lorde our GOD hauehave mercy vponupon vsus, and grant that we may beare away these lessons, and vse them well. Amen. Amen.