Sermons Upon all the Sunday Gospels, Sermon 24
The fyrst Sonday in Lent. The Gospell. Math. iiii.
THen was Iesus ledde awaye of the spirite into wyldernesse, to be tempted of the deuyll. And when he had fasted xl. dayes and fortye nightes, he was at the last an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said: if thou be the sonne of GOD, commaunde that these stones be made bread. But he answered and sayde: it is wrytten, man shall not lyue by bread only, but by eueryevery worde that proceadeth out of the mouth of God. Then the Deuill taketh him vp into the holy Citie, and setteth hym on a pinacle of the Temple, and sayeth vntounto him: yf thou be the sonne of God, cast thy selfe downe headlong. For it is written: he shall geue his Angelles charge ouer thee, and with theyr handes they shal holde thee vp, least at any tyme thou dashe thy foote against a stone. And Iesus sayde vntounto hym, it is written again: Thou shalt not tempte the Lorde thy God. Againe the Deuill taketh hym vp into an exceading hygh mountayne, and shewed hym all the kyngdomes of the worlde, and the glory of them, and sayeth vntounto hym: all these wyll I geue thee, if thou wylt fall downe and worship me. Then sayeth Iesus vntounto hym: Auoyde Sathan, for it is written: Thou shalte worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serue. Then the Deuyll leaueth hym, and beholde the Angelles came and ministred vntounto hym.
THE EXPOSITION.
IN this Gospell ye heare of the three temptations of Christ: whiche chanced vntounto hym forthwith after baptisme after that he had fasted fortye dayes and nightes in the desert, or as the description of Luke sheweth,Luc. 4. these temptations cōtinued day by day for the space of fortye dayes and fortye nightes, so that with eche of them he wrasteled certaine dayes, not peraduenture after that order as Mathew describeth. This Gospell is very large of matter, if it be applied to the bodye of the whole church, whiche is alwayes tempted with hunger, persecution, heresies, and at last also with the kyngdom of the worlde, as Christ was. But this meanyng is more meette to be entreated of in scholes then in congregations of the cōmon people.
Wherfore it is cōueniēt for you, here first to learne, that eueryevery Christian,Temtatiō is … for Christians. assone as he is baptised, ought to knowledge that he is ordained to fyght continuallye against the deuill, and not to looke for any other state as longe as he liueth. And this enemie is so eger and so fearce, that when he can not come to his purpose by temptatiōs,Diuersitie of temptation. which is to plucke frō the Christians the kyngdome of God, then he endeuoreth by all meanes possible, to consume & wast thē awaye by persecuciō, & so to dispatche thē whollie out of the worlde,Howe we must stād sure when we are tempted. as his purpose was to do with Christ. And this peril belongeth to all the Christians. The deadlye hatred of ye ennemie canne by no meanes be pacified. But he laboreth both with hand & foote, to make men to fall from Christ & his baptisme vntounto desperation, or presumptiō through famine, & persecution, through heresies & false interpretation of scripture. And when he preuaileth nothing by this, he falleth vponupon vsus wt death, & sleeth vsus.
Wherfore the exāple of Christ is to be knowen and learned, yt we may be armed against our enemy, & that he may not preuaile against vsus by tēptatiō. And this shal we obtaine by faith, & trust in god & in his worde. He yt hath these two weapōs, & vseth thē well: is salfe frō the deuil. And this ought to cause all Christians, gladly to heare the worde of God, & diligētly to learne it, to put it in practise, & in the meane time to slacke nothing in prayer, but to desyre for the spedie cōminge of his kyngdome, that we may not be lead into temptation, but be deliuered from all euil through his fatherlye goodnes.
The euangelist beginneth the historie,Christ lead of the spirit. how yt Christ was ledde into the desert of ye spirit, that is, of the holy ghost. For sith he had no other superiour lord to commande him, he was obedient to the cōmandement of the holy ghost, wherby he was called into the desert. And the euangelist speaketh this not without a singuler meaninge, euen willinge therby, that all men should beware of their owne inuentions and imaginations. For Christe came not into desert by his owne councell & will, to wrastle with the deuil, as manie doth, which institute diuers thinges without the spirit and word. Wheras it is forbiddē so to do. For no mā must take any thinge vponupon hym,Note well. or go forth as a pilgrime to any place to serue god: except he know for a suretie, that god hath commanded it, eyther by his worde, or by men, whiche hath the power from god to shew vsus what God byddeth vsus to doe. For they that take any thynge vponupon them withoute this vocation, as the monkes and nonnes went to their cloisters, they not only do no seruice to God, but offende also greuouslye, contrarye to the obedience that they owe to God.
Wherfore this example of Christ is verye worthie to be had in remembraunce,Our proper imagination without the worde. is nothyng. wheras he came not into the desert of his owne mot…on. But was commanded so to do by the holye Ghoste: That we folowynge Christe shoulde institute nothinge of our owne witte, so that in all oure doinges we maye boaste, that we take nothynge in hand but to the entent to obey Gods commandement. This is nowe a doctrine muche vsed of vsus, that first in all thinges that we take in hande, we hauehave respect to gods commandement, and do nothynge contrarie therto. And as touchynge the common workes of charitie & louelove, there is no nede of a new commandement. For they are commanded in the ten cōmandements. Ther doth God commande to heare his worde, to louelove god and to call vponupon him, to obey the parents, not to kyll, to abstaine from fornication. All these are the ordinances of God, and gods commandementes. Wherfore we ought here to inquire for no other commandementes of the holy ghost, that he should put vsus forth any other speciall commandements of mariage and suche lyke. The commandement is geuen alredie. But wheras the monkes folowe their traditiōs, kepe their cloisters, faste .xl. dayes, and abstaine from certaine of godly hymnes, as Gloria in excelsis, & Alleluya, in lēt: here hauehave they no commandement of god, nor worde, to maintaine their doinge or to ground their faith on, without the which all is but synne. Wherfore all their doinges are abhomination before God,Rom. 14. Math. 15. and no gods seruice. Nowe let vsus consider these temptations in order.
The fyrst is, when the deuill saieth to Christ, perceauing hym to be hungrye:The first tēptation that he shoulde hauehave no trust in god if thou be the son of God, speake that these stones may be comme bread. This temptation to sight semeth not to be so sore. For this do we thinke: how should it hauehave ben preiudiciall to Christ, if he had tourned stones into bread, sith that afterward he wrought greater miracles? But yet for the temptations sake, he withstandeth the deuyll. For he perceaueth to what ende the deuill tended. For the deuils wil was not so much to prouoke Christ to worke a miracle: But his purpose was only, (as it appeareth by the wordes of Christ) to take from Christe all trust that he had to the goodnes and merciemercy of God, and to make hym beleue that God had forgotten hym and cared not for hym, but set so litle by hym, that he wolde not as muche as prouide a litle bread for hym. Wherfore Christ answereth to this saying of the deuil: The matter is not so, as thou woldest make me beleue to be. For man lyueth not only by bread, but by eueryevery worde that procedeth out of the mouth of God. So that a man may gather this as touching the purpose of the deuill, that he wold that Christ shold thinke of nothinge but of bread, and that he shold beleue that nothing cam from God but bread. This temptation endureth yet to this time, wher as the deuill byddeth vsus to reason on this wise: If thou be the sonne of God, god can not be angrye with thee. Therfore seeke thyn aduantage, applie thy selfe wholly to thy gaines, exercise all crafte to get substance, there is no perill in so doinge. Thou canst not synne, thou art the sonne of God. If he would denie the food or clothing, howe shold he do the dutie of god or of a father, which wold hauehave his merciemercy and goodnes knowen? By this reason men are enticed to wickednes, as wel in the countrye as in Cities and townes, so that they geue them selues ouer to couetousnes, and thynke this: that God is not despleased therwith. For it is expedient (thynke they) to get their lyuing. Our house and children must be prouided for. And so the deuill, by this saying (thou art the sonne of God) daseleth their eyes, that they see not their synne. As though he shold say, thou canst not offend, or syn. And ther be many examples herof in the worlde. For no man thinketh it to be an offence to regard lightly the worde of God, and to set al theyr care to get bread and other lyuelode. Wherfore this temptation is alwayes in the worlde, wherin the deuil defaceth the worde, and driueth men with all his power to set more by their substance and worldly welth, thē by the worde. But now must we consider how this temptation maye be ouercomme. We must after the example of Christe diligentlie marke that crafte of the deuill whiche goeth about to make the to be despised. But contrarie wise, that mynd is so to be stablished, that it maye not for feare of hunger & lacke of liuing, come in danger of losyng gods worde. For one of thē both must nedes be put in danger, yet it is better that the bodye perish, then to be preserued with this meate, and the soule to perish and to be cast into hell.
Herby is our saluation confirmed, but yet not without great conflict and perill. For the deuill withstandeth it with all his force and power, employing all his diligence to make vsus only to hauehave regarde of this corporall life, and not to esteme the worde of God to be necessary or profitable. He hideth also and cloketh this vngodlines with guile, that we are the sonnes of god, and he our father, that wolde not hauehave vsus vnprouided of bread and liuelood. But Christ admonisheth vsus by his example to beware of the serpent that lyeth hyd in the grasse. For it is the temptation of the deuill.
And this temptation is so to be taken and iudged as Christ here appointeth:Two sortes of bread. mans helth and saluation, is preserued by two sortes of bread. The firste is the worde of God, sent downe from heauen. The second is this corporall bread, whiche commeth of the earth wherby we maintain this present lyfe. When the first whiche is the better, is not lackyng vntounto vsus, and whē we suffer it not to be taken frō vsus: the second, whiche is corporall can not be witholden from vsus. But stones shoulde be turned into bread before, that they that truste in gods worde sholde be destitute of bread. And they that regarde not the heauenlye bread, hauinge onlye respecte to the corporall bread, after that they hauehave their desyre, and nowe muste die, they are cleane destitute of all other treasure and goods. And yet they can not spend all their selues, but according to the psalme,Psalm. they shall leaue vntounto other their riches, and in an other lyfe they can not lyue. But we muste be ware of this preposterous maner, wherfore we muste take diligent hede vntounto this temptation of the deuill, when he casteth among vsus persecution, penurie, famine, and such other miseries. Play the man, and suffer boldlie hunger with Christ when thou perceauest that thou artmoued by the spirit therto: euen to applie thy vocation. For at the laste thou shalte fele the Angels come to serue thee, and to fulfill thy desyre, as the Euangelist maketh mention that they did by Christ. And this belongeth to the first temptation,Iohn. 6. to esteme the worde highlye. For it is suche bread and meat that he that eateth of it, that is, he that beleueth ye word, hath euerlasting life. And these things must be prīted depely in ye heart, for they are pithie matters. For this present bread, for the whiche men so diligently & busely trauaile, endureth but to ye ende of this life, after yt shal folow euerlastinge famine wt eternal distructiō.
The secōd tēptatiō is,The second temptation is to make to trust more in god then his worde requireth. when ye deuil taketh Iesus into the holy Citie and putteth him vpō a pinacle of the temple, and cōmandeth him to cast himselfe downe, & that it should be without his peril or hurte, if he be ye sōne of god, promisyng yt all his Angels shold come to serue hym, rather then he shold, but stūble wt his foote at a stone. This is a hard gostly & a spiritual temptation, wherin he endureth to bring hym frō grace, faith, and from the fauour of God, euen as before he studied through syn, desperation, and wrath of God to trouble hym. For when the deuil is not able to make vsus to despayre and to fall from hope of saluation, he goeth an other way to worke, he proueth the right hand, when he preuayleth not by the lefte, if he can make thē ful of false trust, and to presume to muche on gods fauour. This temptation is to brynge hym from the feare of God. The first was to bryng from trust in gods helpe to despayre and flee from god, and that by gods word. In the second he worketh by crafte and gile, to bringe that fayth, wherwith Christe was surely stablished against temptation to presumption and so to put frō hym the feare and dread of God. He vseth that waye to tempte Christe againe, as Christ vsed to ouercome his firste assaut: Thou requirest the worde of God to be thy guyde in thy doinges.Psal. 91. And this is gods worde: God shall geue his Angels charge ouer thee, they shall holde the vp in their handes, that thou dashe not thy foot at a stone. Wherfore caste thy selfe downe, proue whether thou trustest in God in very dede, for this promesse sake.
Mat. 27.In this place ought the infirmitie of Christ to be cō sidered, wherin his godhead lieth all hid by the humblenes of his manhod: euen as it dyd also on the crosse when he desired helpe, and cryed for succour as though he had ben forsaken. So here also he wilbe nothynge but a very man. And by this infirmitie the deuill conceaueth a good hope, that it shold be easye for hym, to tourne his faith into presumption, and to make hym to tempte God by a miracle not necessarie. He alleageth a texte out of the psalme: neuertheles for feare of bewraying his purpose, he rehearseth not all, but part▪ lettyng passe: In thy wayes. By this authoritie the deuil goeth about to bleare Christes eyes, and to cause hym to forget his vocation and charge and to folowe that, wherof he hath no charge or commandement. For Christe is nowe a man, and in that takyng & case not to do miracles by his godly power, but to sustaine and ouercome those thynges, whiche synners shoulde hauehave sustayned and ben ouercome without Christe. For as (the Prophete sayeth) he ought to be a man that knoweth infirmitie. This wayes doth Christe walke in.Deut. 6. But the deuill appointeth hym other glorious wayes by miracles not necessary, which were not belongyng to Christs office. But Christ repelleth hym by this saying: It is written. Thou shalte not tempte the Lorde thy God. For there be steppes and stayers to comme downe by, and therfore is there no nede to attempte this vnused and vnwonted waye. This were against God, if I shold cast my selfe in perill without gods commandement, and without an vrgent cause, wheras ther is a common waye to go downe by.
This doctrine is not lightly to be regarded, beynge so necessarie. For herby we may learne,To tēpte god, that they tēpte God, whiche regarde not his commandement and appointed wayes, but seke out some straunge deuice wt out his worde and commandement. As the religious of both kyndes choseth thē wayes of liuynge of their owne voluntarie motions, and then maintayne their doinges by Christe sayinge: Go and sell all that thou hast and folow me. Here not only bare reason, but also scripture is alledged for the confirmation therof.The deuill vse…h scriptures.Math. 19. And so the deuil vseth scriptures, to allure men therby to be deceaued. But marke wherin his deceipt consisteth. He alledgeth not the hole and perfect sentence, he reciteth no more then maketh for his purpose. He letteth that passe, that is not for his profit.
AnabaptistesSuche is the crafte also of the Anabaptistes, they alledge many scriptures that men must not put their trust in creatures: then they ioyne therunto, that baptisme is but a creature, that is to say, water: & therfore that we must not trust in baptisme. They will not beleue the grace of god that is in baptisme, but feele it with their handes. They alledge scriptures: But yet not truly.Baptisme. For if it were not the word of God yt sayeth: Except a man be borne of water & of the holy ghost, he can not see the kyngdome of God: it were a wycked thing to thinke that ye grace of god were in baptisme or water.Iohn. 3. But here is the worde of god sure & euidēt: he that beleueth & is baptised shalbe saued.Marc. 16. For faith & baptisme, the word & water must be ioyned to gether, But these mad braines can not be persuaded so to do.
Whē that angels defēdeth vsus not.And thus doth Christ also withstande the deuill, & answereth: if I walke after gods cōmandemēt, then I know wel that I am defēded by the angels to kepe me. So when a child doth his duetie obediētly to his parents, & the seruantes applie their vocation, knowe for a suretie, yt when they are cōpassed about wt perill & danger, then god by his angels defendeth thē & maintaineth thē. But whē they walke not in this wayes, they hauehave no promesse, to be holpen by angels. But they are in the deuils power, which may vexe them at his pleasure, and that not wtout their owne desert. For it was not meet for them to folow any new or strāge wayes. For that is nothing but a tempting of God.
And this is such a tēptation, that no mā perceaueth it, excepte he feele it. For as the first stirreth to desperation, so the second, to presumption & to such wayes, that are beside gods worde & cōmandemēt. Here must the Christian man kepe the midle waye, so that he neither despaire through aduersitie and trouble, neither waxe proud by gods gyftes & prosperitie, presumīg to tēpte god in things vnlawfull, but simplye to cleaue to the worde with a true faith and feare, then shal we neuer be destitute of the angels helpe and succoure.
The thirde temptation is most ful of impudencie of all ye other,The third tēptation is to make thē cast awaye true religion for riches & poore. wheras the deuill taketh vpō him to chāge kyngdomes, as though Christ shold receaue the kyngdome of the worlde by the deuil, and geue vntounto ye deuil the kyngdome of god. All this temptation is set forth not by art of logicke as the other were, but by rethorical amplifications and externuations. He sheweth hym the kyngdome of all the worlde with glorie and power, and beautifieth this his greate gyfte, with magnificent wordes, and so he assayeth to ouercome hym with grosse matters when he coulde not by fyne and subtile meanes.Riches corrupted religion. But as for worshippynge hym selfe, and Idolatrie, he maketh a light matter of it. And that that he could not worke by guyle, he assayeth to brynge it to passe by power & might. For there is no redier waye to destroye and peruerte the truth, then to geue the setters foorth therof rule and worldly dominion. The example of the Pope sheweth, what great strength & force this temptation hath, wheras he estemed so greatly the occasion to take the kyngdome vponupon him, yt he hath euer sythens behaued himselfe as an obedient seruant in all points to the deuil for that. For it must needes be, yt as they which are appointed to beare any office in ye kyngdom of god can not come vntounto dignitie and power excepte they hauehave a certayne kynd of lyfe appointed to them: so the deuill maketh roome for them in his kyngdome,A change of the spirituall kyngdome, in to a wordly & of the wordlie into a spirituall. that they maye lyke wise make roome for the deuill in the kyngdome of God. They muste crepe vp to this kyngdome by the pretence of religion. And this is the very worshipping of the deuil, when religion is pretended, and yet all is done and applied to outward holines and hypocrisie,Worshippyng of the deuill. & well allowed by reason. And in so doinge they performe two thinges. First they paye, the deuil his rewarde for his kyngdome, and then obtaineth greate authoritie with reason for the beawtiful shewe of coū terfet religion. And this is the subtiltie of the deuil in this temptation. He setteth forth the kyngdome of the worlde to be a wayghtie thinge, profferyng it apon a cōditiō that he may be worshipped, how be it there is no great peril in this temptation. But when he goeth so to worke, that religion hereby may seme beautifull to reason, and worthie of kyngdomes, and all highe renoums and promotions: eyther that through religion thus transformed, great patrimonies of kyngdomes and other thinges maye be retained and kept: now is this a deuyllishe condition of worshipping.
Wherefore it is necessarie to hauehave redie before oure eyes a description of godly worshipping and holines: That as often as we be moued by the stirringe of the deuil, to thinke that the true religion shold be so fashioned that it might please reason, or hauehave the profittes & commodities of wordly thinges ioyned therwith, and not be vexed and troubled with the kyngdome of the deuil: that then we may hauehave recours to the true maner of worshippinge. For who do not perceaue, that ther appeareth to sight greater praise and commendation in mennes traditions, then in all the obedience that is geuen to Gods word? For wher is it counted so holy a thyng to be a maried person, to fynd & maintaine his children, to do houshold busines, to shew obedience & fidelitie therin. As it is to weare this wede or that, not to dwell or lyue as other do, not to eate flesh on friday, to kepe vigils and prescripte fastes, to visite saincts relikes. &c. This obseruation of traditions is so beautifull and glistring to sight, that the heads of the world, as emperours and kinges are in louelove with them, & highly reuerence them. The Pope by suche seruice inuented by mans traditions, rose to such renome with all his secte, so yt it might better be called a trym then a true religion.The popes religion is rather trymme then true. For he should neuer hauehave rysen to such power by ye true seruice of God & pure doctrine of sincere godlynes. But this made mē loke vp vponupon thē when they went aside into an abbey, & forsoke all the world as they say, & applied them selues to Gods seruice, laying a side al worldly cares. For these were ye cō mādatiōs of ye monasticall lyues, although we know yt it was nothing so. But to be brief, this was a diuellyshe temptation. For this religion came not of Gods cōmandemēt, neither is this ye true seruice & worship of god, which yet neuertheles is only to be worshipped, & to be serued (as Christ saith here.) And whē ye worship is not geuē to God only, forthwith it falleth & turneth to the worshyp of the diuel, which rewardeth his worshyppers as he promysed here to Christ.A general admonition. He geueth thē the cōmodities of this lyfe, as fat prebends, lordships, and suche lyke. But he that wyl worshyp God, let him folow the cōmaundement of his word. If they be children, let them honour their father and mother: if they be seruants, let them do their dutie and seruice in the familie with diligence & fidelitie: If they be masters of housholds, let thē beware of all kynd of offēces, let thē do their dutie, & cause their seruāts & al persons in their familie diligently to apply their mind to godlines.What is worsh…ppinge of God. And this is the seruice that is due to God, and to his word, not to diuers persons. For his word is playne. wherin he commaundeth such thynges to be done. Therfore, whatsoeuer name before ye world such offices and duties hauehave, yt are done to fathers & mothers, to masters of housholdes, to neighbors, to children, and to citezēs they are all counted Gods seruice, because they are cō manded by Gods word, which saith: Thou shalt louelove thy neighbor, and shalt in thy outward works declare the office & dutie of louelove vntounto him. In that the Pope regardeth not this cōmandement, and appointeth certain peculiar worshippings of god deuised of his own brayn, as the wearyng of coules, the necessary vse of certain meates, oile and fyshe to bee eaten in steade of fleshe and butter, and suche other triflyng traditions: it is altogither diuelyshe.God ought to be worshyped accordynge to his word, and not after mēs traditions. For they agree not with the cōmandement of God. Yea they make as muche vntounto the true iustice before God, as it doth vntounto the building of a substancial house, when children make them houses of papers. And this is the reason. There can no worshyp be geuen vntounto God, but that only, which is agreable to his worde. Therfore, where the cōmandement of God is not: we worship not God, but frewyl and only alone foolyshe fancye. And vntounto suche worshippers God saith: Ask thy reward of hym, whō thou seruest. For I commanded thee to obey thy parents, and the higher powers, and to louelove thy neighboure. But this thou regardest not, but doest that whiche I neuer commanded: and yet wylt thou that & should be taken as a true worshyppyng of me. But it can not so bee. Of these thinges it is euident, that the Pope, and all his, are playne Idolaters and worshyppers of the deuyll. For he dothe not onelyonly despise the word, but he also persecuteth it: and yet wyl he be counted a good religious man, for these outward worshyppynges that he hathe deuised in shauen crownes, in coules, in vowes, in fastynges, in meates, in massyngs, and such lyke. And yet from this wickednes he can by no meanes be brought. The cause is. The diuell hath shewed and promised him the kyngdomes of this worlde. And this is the cause, why he mocketh vsus with our doctrine and woorshyppinges of God. For wee mainteynynge the true religion, lyue in pouertie, in hunger, in thyrste, and daily suffer persecution. But the Pope extollethe his woorshyppynges euen vntounto the very heauens. For he sucketh out of theym no small profite, lucre, and aduantage. For by this meanes he hath gotten such and so greate richesse, estimation, authoritie, rule, and power that he hath brought kynges and Emperoures vnderunder his subiection. And herof doth it appere how greatly the deuyll hath ouer come the Pope with this tentation. But it is our duetie that feare GOD, stoutely and manfully to resyst the deuyll when he tempteth vsus, and to answere him,Deut. 6. as Christ did: Sathan, it is written: Thou shalt worshyp the Lorde thy God, and hym alone shalte thou serue. That is, hauehave a speciall regarde to the word of God, and obey that alone, and without that, admit no worshyppyng of God. So long as we lyue, wee shall neuer be fre from these thre temptations. Christ our Lord, which hath ouercom them, make vsus strong that wee also thorowe hym, maye ouercome them, and obteyne euerlastyng saluation. Amen.