Sermons Upon all the Sunday Gospels, Sermon 62
The .xix Sonday after Trinitie. ¶ The Gospell. Math. ix.
IEsus entred into a shipe, and passed ouer, and came into his owne citie. And beholde, they brought to him a man sicke of the paulsey, lying in abedde. And when Iesus sawe the faythe of them, he sayd to the sicke of the paulsey: Sonne be of good cheare, thy sinnes be forgeuen thee. And beholde, certayne of the Scribes sayde within them selues, this man blasphemethe. And when Iesus sawe theyr thoughtes, he sayde: Wherefore thynke ye euyll in your heartes? Whether is it easier to saye, thy sinnes be forgeuen thee? or to saye, aryse and walke? But that ye maye knowe that the sonne of man hath power to forgeue sinnes in earth. Then sayeth he to the sicke of the paulsye: Aryse take vp thy bedde and go vntounto thine house. And he rose and departed to his house. But the people that sawe it marueyled, and glorified God, whiche hath geuen such power vntounto men.
THE EXPOSITION.
WE ought especiallie to marke out of this gospel the word of grace which god hath communicat and geuen among vsus, that we might pronounce it amongest our selues: Thy synnes are forgeuen thee, that we might merueil at it with those that are present here, and geue GOD heartie thankes, for that he hath geuen man suche power. For it is doubtles a great power wher as Christian men may say one to an other:Man hath power to forgeue sinnnes. brother mine, feare not: god is merciful vntounto thee, only beleue ye promise, whiche I pronounce in the name of Iesu. And so the matter shall be as sure, as though that God had pronounced it himselfe: Thy sins are forgeuen thee. This power began by Christe as we hauehave heard, and afterward remained with vsus men, and specially with thē, yt are ministers. Howe be it neuerthelesse eueryevery Christian man hath this power, when thou felest desperation through sinne, to say vntounto thee: why art thou sorowful? I as a Christian man say vntounto thee, that thou doest wrong to thy selfe. For god is not angrie with thee. These wordes ought to hauehave no lesse estimation with him that his greued than if Christe hymselfe had pronounced them out of heauen, neyther ought they to be any thyng lesse estemed, for the person that pronounceth them. For all the effecte consisteth herein, that thy hearte shoulde apprehende and beleue the promisse, and thinke it to be moste certaine, that GOD will be mercifull vntounto thee for Christes sake, as is the example of this man that was sycke of the palsie. Christ doth first adhort this man to fayth: be of good confort, saith he, and doubt not, Thy synnes are forgeuen thee. As soone as the sycke of the palsie beleued this worde, his synnes were without doubt forgeuen hym. So doubtelesse do we obtayne remission of our synnes in the congregation, when the minister or any other Christian saith vntounto thee: GOD is not angrie with thee. Beware that thou do no wronge to thy selfe. For he hath forgeuen thee all thy synnes for Iesus CHRIST his sonnes sake. Now is it thy duetie, to beleue this promise with all thy heart, and rather to suffer all euill and harme than to doubt of it. For if thou boubte, absolution doth thee no good, no althoughe GOD hymselfe with his angell should pronounce it ouer thee. For wher as fayth is not, there is god reproued as a light & vaine person, as though it were not true that he promiseth. God saue vsus from suche vnbeleife and mistrust, whiche is the most greuouse sinne. How be it, the deuil is a very subtill craftesman to brynge vsus to this that we might counte God a lyer, that is, that we shoulde be loth to beleue gods promise.
But when the heart doth embrace the promise, God is glorified with the greatest glorie whiche pleaseth him most. For he is affirmed to be true, & that he can not deceaue, although he promise all thinges that are vnpossible. Wherfore this pleaseth Christ speciallie in this man, and therfore he speaketh so gentilly vntounto him, my sonne. Thou art vexed wyth syckenes, the deuill hath endamaged thee with the palsei, and God for thy sin hath suffered it so to be done, ther ensueth vponupon this also a dread and an euill conscience, so that thou thynkest that Christ is angrie with thee, & that thou hast no way to escape. For it is naturallie geuen, when the punishment of God is on a man, to feare & dread in conscience, but thou must not geue place to this feare. Thou must not thynke this: that God hath no regard of thee, and that thou canste not tell whether he wyll hauehave merciemercy on thee or no, and that no sinner ought to be brought to GOD, al these thoughtes are wycked? Thou muste not hauehave respect to sinne or to the punishement of synne, but to that, that CHRIST speaketh: euen that thy synnes are forgeuen.
Wherfore the sycke of the palsie must thinke this, that althoughe he suffereth the palsei for his sins, yet that his sinnes are forgeuen. Such a fayth can be hindred neither by the palsei neither by any disease.
On this wise ought faith and the worde to be ioyned to gether.The worde and faythe muste be ioyned together. For none of them both can be without the other. He that beleueth and hath not the word, beleueth as the Turke & as the Iew doth. They thinke that god is merciful and fauorable. But they lacke a promesse. For out of Christ god will not be mercifull. If any man hath the worde, & is without faith, there also is the worde of no efficacie:Gods merciemercy is to be found in Christe alone. so that faith and the word are knit to gether with suche a sure knot, yt they can not be sundered by no meanes. A phātasticall person beleueth that the ende of the world shal be within this monethmonth, but this is but a counterfayted faith. For it is without the worde. The Turke beleueth that he may hope to be saued through Mahomet, but it is a lye. For ther is no worde for the profe therof. The Pope beleueth that Christiās may get righteousnes and saluation by their owne workes, but this is a fayned faith. For there is no such worde or promesse. So is it possible that there should be a fayth, but because there is no worde, therfore can it not be a true fayth.
But we Christians lacke not the worde. For we hauehave the pure and syncere worde. But we fele a want in our fayth. In that we can not so beleue the word, as we ought. This doth the deuill and original sinne worke in vsus, and withdraweth vsus from the word vntounto lies. For all we are naturallie borne with this sin, that we are glad to geue credence to lies. Wherfore it is a hard pece of worke to shake of this vnbeleife, although we hauehave this worde present. For the fleshe and the deuil withdraweth vsus alwaye from the word. For cōsider thou this with thy selfe, if I could trulye and perfectly beleue this, which Christe speaketh here to the sycke of the palsie, and also that, that is spoken to eueryevery one of vsus in baptisme, In absolution & also in common sermons, how that ther is no wrath of God to be feared, no indignation lefte to be dreadded, thinkest thou not that it would be an excedyng ioye vntounto me, and that all thinges shoulde seme full of ioy and pleasure? But for as much as we do not so, it is a sure token,Note well. that the olde man and the deuil do all that they can continually to hinder our faith. Wherfore thinke this for a suretie, that both of them be necessarie. First the worde must be heard, thē must it also be beleued & that without al doubting as much as is possible:With out the worde it is an easye thing to beleue lyes. and after al this, must all those thinges be hoped for, which the gospell promiseth, that are necessarie either for the spiritual or for the temporall lyfe. And they that hauehave no worde may easelie beleue. The reason is. Because this vice is geuen by nature, that we are glad to beleue lies, for because our heart is proue therto. By this meanes the Pope and his sectaries beleue constantly in the masse, and in the seruice and intercession of sainctes, in monasticall vowes, ceremonies, fastes, &c. But it is a false and fayned fayth, and by your reuerence ful of whoredome & baudrie. The heart is full of fornication. False faith causeth spiritual whoredom. But on the contrari part we which (thankes be vntounto god) hauehave the pure and chaste spowse (for the word is doubtlesse sincere and true) do not beleue constantly, wher as neuerthelesse we sholde beleue cōstantly. But they can not beleue so constantly, seing they hauehave not the worde. All the cause therof is in oure olde man & in the deuill, for that, that we thorow originall sinne depart from the worde and truth vntounto lyes.
What things are to be learned of this gospell.Out of this gospell we must first learne, that we hauehave nede of the worde. And then that we embrace it with a sure faith. And that afterwarde doth therof ensue remission of sin and euerlastyng lyfe, so yt we are surely ridde from all difficulties and dangers both in this life and in the life euerlasting. But when the worde is lackyng, ther is a faith also, as the Anabaptistes, Arrians, Turkes, Iewes & Papistes hauehave a fayth. But it is a faith without the worde, which is ingenerat in vsus by nature through the fall of Adam. This is a lying fayth, which by nature we may kepe more surely then the worde of God.
After that Christe had preached this to the sicke of the Palsye, and forgaue his sinnes: The scribes thinke that Christ blasphemeth God, in that he forgeueth sin. This part is necessarie also and of greate wayght. For this is euident by the example of all phantasticall persons, that all are in this errour, that they know not howe synnes be forgeuen. Demaunde this of the Pope and of his doctours, add they can not tell thee. what absolution doth. For all the Popedome holdeth fast by this doctrine, and it is surely holden vp therby, that grace is powred into them, & that he yt would obtaine it, hath nede of contrition, confession, & satisfaction. But when it is demanded, what is the office of absolution and of the keies: they answere that it is an exterial administration, which is obserued in ye church. So saye the Anabaptistes also: what shall baptisme preuayle to the obtayning of remission of sinnes, sith it is but a litle water? The spirit is requisite.
To be short, no secte maker, no monke, no priest could see this, that remission of sinne, is a power geuen to man. As it is here in the gospell. Wherfore learne thou this and say: I know that God doth onelyonly forgeue the sinne, that I confesse, yet this is also to be knowen, by what I may be certified,God alone forgeueth synne. The Minister certifyethe the conscience ther of by the worde. that my synnes are forgeuen, or what is the meane by the whiche my sinnes are forgeuen. And there say: If I desire remission of sin, I must not go into some corner and say: O god forgeue me my sins. And thē loke for som Angel, whom god shold send vntounto thee to say,Math. 28. Marc. 16. that thy sinnes are forgeuen. For god promiseth that he will come vntounto vsus, that baptisme may be amonge vsus, and his word most holy, that it might be said: I baptise thee in the name of the father, of the son and of the holy ghost. He that beleueth and is baptised shall be saued. But thou sayste that baptisme is water onelyonly. It is true, but this water is not alone, but Gods worde is with it. Therfore when I come to the minister, whiche hath the peculier commandement of GOD, or to any other Christian, and desyre remission of my synnes. There doth the minister pronounce: I in the stede of GOD declare vntounto thee through Iesus the remission of all thy synnes. And here mayste thou surely truste, that thy synnes are forgeuen, For baptime and the worde will not deceaue thee.
This dyd they not teache in the Popedome, neither doth any of their preachers vnderstand this. Wherfore geue you thankes to God for this benefite & light, and learne diligently that God alone forgeueth sinne. But how? verely no otherwise then it is here: in that he hath geuen men such power: As Christ begynneth that in this place, and afterwarde geueth commandement, that frō henceforth it shold alwayes be obserued and kepte in the congregation vntounto the ende of the worlde, that repentaunce & remission of sinnes sholde be preached in his name. So is remission of sinnes amongest men to be required, or in the worde, and no wher els.Luke. 4. For ther only may it be founde. This suffereth thee not to ascend into heauen therfore: But whē thou desirest remission of synne, receaue baptisme if thou be not yet Christined, or if thou be, see that thou doest call to minde that promesse, and be not harde of of belife. Go also, and be at one with thy neyghbour, & then aske absolution. And as thou hearest, that remission of sinne is pronounced vntounto thee in the name of Iesu, so beleue, and thou shalt obtaine thy desire: So that baptisme absolution, the publike worde, the sacrament maye not seme a lyght thing vntounto thee, but that remission of sin may be asked and required therby. For to this intent God hath called and ordained thy Pastour and Curate,Math. 5. thy father and mother, thy Christian neyghbour, & hath put his word in their mouth, that thou shouldest aske confort and remission of syn of them, so that this maye so be counted the commandement and ordinance of god, that we shold geue credence to the wordes of men, when they according to Christes worde and commandement, vse their ministration and office. For these are not the wordes of men but of God. Wherfore these wordes are to be beleued constantly and not to be despised. When the minister baptiseth a childe accordyng to Christes commādement There thou hearest the wordes pronoūced of a man,Math· 18. Iohn. 20. But they are the wordes of God, neither must thou take them any otherwise, then if god had pronounced theym hymselfe. So whenne thy synnes are forgeuen thee in absolution, thou mayest no more doubte, then yf God hadde spoken theym hymselfe. For GOD hym selfe pronounceth this sentence, that thy synnes maye be forgeuen thee. Wherefore learne in this place the waye howe to aunswere these phantasticall persons, when they crie on this wyse: What is water but water? We know thys also.Of the water of Baptisme. Note. But they are ignorant hereof, that the worde of God is ioyned with suche water. Wherfore it is no longer pure water: but diuine water, whyche the mynister geueth not of hymselfe, but God commaunded it so to be geuen, to the intente that by it we myghte hauehave a new byrthe to enter into the kyngdome of God, and Remyssion of all oure synnes. And as GOD geuethe the worde, whyche is hys and not oures, so dothe hee geue also Faythe vntounto the worde. For bothe of them are the gyftes of God, Faithe and the worde.Fayth an the worde are both the gifts of god. Wherfore Remyssion of synnes is the woorke of GOD although God woorketh it by man. Thus then must Remission of synnes be required in the worde, which is put in mans mouthe: and in the Sacramentes, whiche are ministred by men, and no where els. For it can be found no where ells.
Who can not vnderstande this, that my woorkes are farre otherwyse, whyche I doo, than the worde and woorkes of God? What madnesse thenne moueth the Papists, to attribute the Remission of their synnes to theyr workes? Wherefore, whenne they in the laste daye shall comme foorth with their workes, CHRIST shall aske theym, and saye: Where is my worde then? I ordeyned in my Congregation, Baptisme, the Sacramente of my body and bloode, absolution, the open preachyng of my word, that men myght by them obteyne remission of their synnes, and be partakers of my grace. Why hauehave not ye vsed this way and trade? Here might ye hauehave had a sure way of remission of synnes, but in your workes, there is no certayntie. Wherfore you must marke this doctrine diligētly, what is proprely the remission of sin, & how we may be assured therof, & wherof we muste aske it & receyue it.In the true churche of Christe is remission of synnes and no where ells. Uerily in this ye must hauehave respect only vntounto ye holy church, wher the word & sacraments are: ther is it found, & not in heauen, as the Phariseis thynk, supposyng that Christ blasphemeth God, because he remitteth syn. But beware thou of that, and say: God hath bestowed remission of synne in Baptisme,Math. 18. and in the worde, yea he hath put it in eueryevery Christian mannes mouthe, when he conforteth thee, and sheweth to the the grace of God, that thou mayste receaue and beleue it, no otherwyse then yf Christ hym selfe had pronounced it by hys owne mouthe, as he pronouncethe to the man that was sycke of the palseye. Wherefore these heretikes are greately deceaued, where as they sunder the woorde frome Remission of synne. Thys myght be doone yf it were the woorde of man, but it is Gods worde, and Gods water. He that goeth about to take that frome man, and to defraude hym of it, takethe awaye frome manne also remission of synnes, neyther is there any remedye agaynste it. Wherefore the Anabaptistes and other heretikes do loose also the Remyssion of synnes, Baptisme, the Sacramente, the holye Congregation, and all christian woorkes, because they caste awaye the worde, that they heare of theyr mynister, and care no more for it, then yf it were the voyce of a beast. God spake ones by an asse, and yf he should yet speake by an oxe, or by any other beast, he ought to be hearde. Why should it not preuayle than, when men speake by the commandement of God? For althoughe thou doest heare the voyce of a manne, yet doste thou heare God, and receauest for a suretie Remission of thy synnes frome GOD, if thou embrace it onelyonly with Faithe.Numer. 22.
I thought it good to make mention of this matter in thys place, that ye myght make stronge your selues agaynste sectes, and that ye myghte bee prepared agaynst theyr assaultes. For as I said, in the Popedom they knewe nothyng lesse then this doctrine. For this they thynk in the popedome, that baptisme came to an ende nowe longe agone. But if they hauehave nede of remission of synne, then that contrition, confession, and satisfaction are requisite. For thus dydde they describe penaunce. But thys diuinitie is suche, that the dyuell canne well awaye therewith. For it hurteth not hys kyngedome. This is trewe, that contrition is requisite, and that we must be sorie for our synnes, but we obteyne not remission of synne thereby. For Remission of synnes commeth onelyonly hereby, yf that I hauehave respecte to the worde, and promyse of God, and embrace that with a stronge faithe. But they inuert this and turne it vp syde downe. They omytte the worde, they regarde not what the Minister pronounceth by the commandement of Iesu CHRIST: they hauehave respecte onelyonly to theyr contrition and penaunce. But by this meanes they lese bothe Christe, and all his benefyttes. Neyther is it possyble,Contricion. that they shoulde conforte or solace as much as one troubled conscience. For they lette passe the woorde, in the whiche onelye remayneth all hope of saluation, and bryngeth menne to contrition and rightuousnesse. But lerne you this, as concernyng Remission of synnes, to conforte both youre selues and other also. For as muche as God in Baptisme, in absolution, in the open preaching of his word, in the sacrament, doth talke with vsus by his minister, and by al other christians, to this must credence be geuen, and then for a suretie we obteyn remission of our synnes, whiche remission in the Popedome was dead and buried. For as touchynge it, there is not a woorde mentioned in all the Popes bulles, onelyonly they make rehersall▪ of contrition, and referre the remission of synnes vntounto it. And thus hauehave we remit synne.
Now let vsus briefly touche the hystorie. The sycke of the palsey is an example of all synners. For this is the propretie of this disease.The propertie of the palseye. The members can not do their offices: and when a man goeth aboute to drawe his fete or his handes to hym, the farther they falle frome hym. Wherefore Aristotle in his Ethikes compareth suche a man to wylde and fierce youthe, whyche can by no meanes be tamed. But he that wyll wel vnderstande this disease, muste take it to be spoken of hypocrites that wyll be iustified by theyr woorkes. For the more that these labour to drawe nyghe vntounto God, and to pacifie hym, the farther they ar cast from him. And when they thynke that they do hym moste pleasure, they displease hym most. For they hauehave no Faythe. He therfore that coueteth to be ridde of this euyll, let hym come to this man, which deliuereth on this wise when he saith: My sonne, be of good comfort, thy synnes ar forgeuen thee. By such a worde is strengthe restored to the membres, that they maye healpe one an other. For where as is remission of synnes, there shall ensue very true good workes, for sinne is taken away. This was Christes especial meaning with ye sick of ye palsey. He laye downe sicke in his bed, for his disease woulde suffer hym to do no otherwise, he was as a killed hog and vnprofitable in all his mēbers But when Christ biddeth him to rise, he riseth and is strong and lustie, & where as he was wont to be caried from home, now he beareth home his owne couche.
This wold Christ that we herof shold take and behold an example and signe of that that he hath power in earth to forgeue synne. He speaketh playnely in the earth, that we shold not loke for it from heauen, or as the Pope taught to hope for remission of syns in purgatorie, by other mens workes and merites. For so it is in this place, that remission of synnes is a power, which is geuen to men in earth at Baptisme, at ministryng of the sacramente, in absolution, and in open preachyng. Contrarywise, whatsoeuer is bound (that is) is excluded from Baptisme, the sacrament and the worde, is bounde also in heauen.
By this power that we men in earthe doo lose and bynd sinnes, god is not spoiled of his glorie,Note well. neyther ar we made Gods therby, as the prophane and wicked mynded men doo oftentymes say of this matter. For we hauehave no more than the ministerie and office. Wherfore God hath coupled vsus together by this ministerie, that alwaies one of vsus shoulde conforte and confirme an other: And that the other shoulde thynke hym selfe bounde to beleue as farre as the worde is purely preached vntounto hym, that is to say, remission of synnes in the name of Christ. And this is the very bryngyng vntounto God and remission of syns. He that dieth in thys beliefe dieth to his saluation. But hee that dyeth, as he is taught in the Popedome, with a confidence and trust of the intercession of Sainctes, dyeth euyll, and to his destruction. For hee lackethe those defenders whiche God ordeyned agaynst the violence of death, (that is) the trewe pastor, the pure worde, and absolution. So great miserie the deuyll brought in by the Pope, yea and nowe begynneth to bee the author of an other infection by the sectaries. For they can not abyde the worde. This offendeth his eyes. Wherefore the Pope toke it clean away, and in his place brought in the monkes rules, masses, pilgremages, pardons, and suche other. This can the dyuel well away with. For it hyndreth his kyngdom nothyng. The Anabaptistes furder the matter, which speake very contemptuously of the water of Baptisme. The Swenckfeldians also mooste vilely and wickedly contemne the outward preachynge of the worde. All hauehave loste the worde, wherfore they are to be auoyded, and this is to be learned, that remission is no where els, but there as the woorde is. That woorde is in Baptisme, in the Supper of the Lorde, in absolution, in publike preachyng. Wherfore remission of synne is there also, and let hym be accursed, that sayeth otherwise. But wher as the word is, there is faith requisite. And then the membres begyn to be fastned which the syck of ye palsey could before moue by no means. But loke wher the worde is not, the palsey is neuer taken away: and it is vnpossible, that any true mouyng should ioyn the membres together. This wold I the more earnestly dryue into you, because the Pope and sectes are the authors of suche great disorder in the Congregation. The Pope bryngeth neyther to the worde nor sacramentes. The sectaries can not but speake contemptuously of the worde, and sacrament, and nothynge preuayleth with them, but the holy Ghoste. And we knowe thys, that the holye ghoste wyll not doo hys worke without the woorde and sacramentes. Wherfore we can not despise the woorde and sacramentes, but we wyll obserue them for the chiefe thynges that we hauehave. God graunte his grace, that we maye preserue this pure doctrine, and continue in it to the end and be saued. Amen.