Sermons Upon all the Sunday Gospels, Sermon 28
The fyueth Sondaye in Lent. ¶The Gospell Iohn. viii.
Whiche of you can rebuke me of sinne? If I say the trueth, why do ye not beleue me? He that is of GOD, heareth Goddes wordes? Ye therefore heare them not, because ye are not of GOD. Then aunswered the Iewes, and said vntounto him: saye we not well that thou art a Samaritane and hast the deuyll? Iesus aunswerede: I hauehave not the deuyll, but I honour my father, and ye hauehave dishonored me. I seke not mine owne prayse, there is one that seketh and Iudgethe. Ueryly, verylye I saye vntounto you, yf a man kepe my sayinge, he shall neuer see death. Then sayde the Iewes vntounto hym, now know we that thou hast the deuyll. Abraham is dead, and the Prophetes, and thou sayest, yf a man kepe my sayinge, he shall neuer taste of deathe. Art thou greater then our father Abraham whiche is deade? And the Prophetes are dead: Whom makest thou thy selfe? Iesus aunswerede: If I honour my selfe mine honour is nothinge, it is my father that honourethe me, whiche you saye is your God, and yet ye hauehave not knowen hym, but I knowe hym, and yf I say I knowe hym not I shallbe a lyer lyke vntounto you. But I knowe hym, and kepe his sayinge· Your father Abraham was gladde to see my daye, and he sawe it, and reioyced. Then sayde the Iewes vntounto him: Thou art not yet fiftie yeares old, & hast thou seene Abrahā? Iesus sayde vntounto them: Ueryly, veryly I say vntounto you, ere Abraham was borne, I am. Then toke they vp stones to cast at hym: But Iesus hid hym selfe, and went out of the Temple.
THE EXPOSITION.
THe Gospell of this present sonday is full of matter, and ministereth many thinges to be considered, which all to handle at this present, time will not suffer. Therfore will we chose out of it onelyonly this principall point,The worde of god is diligētly to be heard. namelye that Christ sayth, we ought gladly to heare the worde of God: and that he which heareth the worde of God, is of God. Contrariwise, he that heareth not the word of god, is not of god. These wordes are so symply and plainly spoken of Christ, that no man wil thincke, that they be of any great weight, or muche to be estemed. But he that knoweth these thinges truly, searcheth & pondereth earnestly, what this meaneth, to be of God, or not of God, he shal soone perceaue, that the thinges wherof Christ here speaketh, are of greate waight and singuler importaunce. For this is certen, that mā can hauehave no greater faulte layde to his charge,Not to be of …od is ye greatest miserie that can be. neither can he suffer anye greater infamye, then to be reported that he is not of God. All the displeasures that can chaunce to a man in this life, be they neuer so greuous and many, are not to be compared to this, that Christ in fewe wordes sayeth to y• Iewes, ye are not of god, Therfore all the matter cōsisteth in this thing,The despisers of gods worde are the bonde slaues of satā. that we heare the worde of god, and kepe it. For this is euidēt thorow the whole story of the gospell, that they which wil not here the worde of God, but speake euil of it, and blaspheme it, folowe the deuil, and, are obedient vntounto him, which caryeth them whyther he wyll, and vseth them to what purpose he lysteth, and the lenger the worse, as we maye see in the Gospell of this present Sonday. Firste the Iewes are angrye, because Christ begynneth to preache. Afterwarde they begin to speake euill and spiteful wordes of hym, callynge him a Samaritane, and sayinge that he hath a deuill.The enemies of gods worde procede from wickednes to wyckednes. This might seme to be wycked ynough. Not withstandynge they procede and go forwarde with their wickednes, and ware still madder and madder. What makest thou, saye they, of thy selfe? to be shorte, they geue ouer themselfes so greatly to all vngodlines and mischife that at the last they bende them selues vntounto murder, and take vp stones to kyll Christe. Into this horrible wyckednes are they fallen, because they despise the worde of God, because they blaspheme god and his worde, and speake euil of the lorde Christ.What is to be of the deuyl. And here ye see, what it is to be of the deuil: verely, not to heare the worde of god, to blaspheme the true god, to speake ill of him, and to go about to murder him: Of this sorte in these our dayes are stubborne & disobediēt children, which wil not obeir their parētes,Stubborne children. but despise both them & their cōmaundementes. Afterwarde they go forward in their wickednes: they curse their parēts and rayle on them. And although they do not execute the very acte of murder vponupon them, yet wyshe they their parentes dead, or els they them selues lyue so vngraciously, that their parentes wyshe them selfes rather dead then a lyue. And all this come to passe, because such wycked children wil not heare the worde of god, nor endeuour them selues to kepe it. And thus goeth it thorow out the worlde where they will not heare the worde of God, and frame them selfes to liue accordyng therunto, as we may see in euill speakers, lyars, blasphemers, fighters, ruffins, and suche other wicked persons, whiche go forward dayly more and more in their wickednes, tyll at the last they come to a shamefull ende. Of this matter hauehave we also experience in the Papistes,The tyranny of ye Papistes. whiche the longer they continewe, the worse and madder they are. They rayle, they speake euill, they curse, they blaspheme both the worde and the preachers thereof, and neuer ceasse frō their furious madnes and mad furie, till they condēne the worde for heresie, and the professours thereof for heretikes & Scismatikes, aprehending, them, casting them in prison, and afterwarde moste cruelly murderyng them with fyre,The despising of gods worde is the greatest synne that is. with sweorde, with halter, with water. Uerely the contempte and despising of godes worde is the greatest synne that may be. For in other synnes when a man offendeth, he may be reproued & taught to do better, & the giltie will acknowledge and confesse his fault, but in this synne, when the worde of God is contemned and blasphemed: the professours therof are most miserably entreated, & at the last most cruelly murthered: it is not possible, that the auctours of this most abhominable wickednes will suffer them selues ones to be admonished of their faultes, or be persuaded that they do euill. Yea they thincke, they do well, and that in so doinge they please god, and do god hye seruice. As for the doctrine that they condēne, it is, saye they, playne heresie.Iohn. 16. And as touchinge the professours thereof, what other are they, then wicked heretikes, so wers of newe doctrine, deceauers of the poore, scismatykes, Apostatas, forsakers of the tētes of Israell, enemies of our mother holy churche, troublers of the comon weale, and at the laste, what not? whome to destroye and vtterly to take awaye from the face of the earth, who is so farre estranged from the rule of reason, that will not iudge it a moste reasonable and lawfull acte.Prou. 16. Thus they please thē selfes in their wickednes: They reioyce when they hauehave done euill, and ioye in their synnes, so farre is it of, that they are ashamed of their euill doing, where as in all other synnes comonly the contrarye is founde. Therfore it commeth of the deuill, not to heare the worde of GOD, but to blaspheme it, and to persecute the preachers of it. This wyckednes of the Papistes aboue all things must be eschewed of them, that hope for any parte of gods kyngdome, otherwise nothinge is to be loked for at the hande of God, but anger, indignation, & at the laste, death & damnation. For this is an harde and greuous worde, that Christ speaketh here to the Iewes: ye heare not the worde of god, therfore are ye not of God. For he that is not of God, is of the deuill, and is opprest with the greatest plagues and pestilences, that can be deuised. No man can wishe vntounto him a greater euill, then he is all redy fall into. It is lamentable to consider, that this great and abhominable synne is nowe cōmon almost among all states,The despiser… of the worde can not abyde to be reproued I meane, the contempte of hearinge gods worde, and specially amonge them that be of greate authoritie. If a man saye vntounto them: thou doest not well, that thou cōmest no ofter to the sermons. What doest thou set them at naught? this thinge sheweth euidentlye that thou art not of god. The greatest part of thē wil answer on this maner: what hauehave I to do with sermōs? I knowe my selfe, I trow, what is best to be done. If thou be importunat vponupon them, and tell them, they must take an other waie, or els they can not be saued: thou shalte fynde them by litle & litle to be exasperate and moued, that they will rayle vponupon thee, & threaten the a displeasure, if thou hold not thy peace. This is suche an horrible wyckednes and greuous synne, that it maketh any Christen heart to tremble and to shake for feare, seinge that dāmnation hangeth vponupon it, as Christ sayeth: he that heareth not the worde of God, is not of god, but he is the sonne of the deuill: namely when they are so frowarde and wicked,Iohn. 8. that they wil not only not do well, but they wyll also defende their euill, as the Iewes in this our Gospell do, and saye: Saye we not well, that thou art a Samaritane, and hast a deuill? This is ye very deuil, that chalengeth vntounto hym the honour of God, desiereth to be counted holy, and by no meanes suffreth to be reproued. And this is one parte, that whosoeuer heareth not gods worde, the same is not of God, but of the deuill. But this is not so to be vnderstande, as thoughe the deuill had made them, and geuen them their mouth, eyes,What it is to be of the deuill reason and so forth. Nay all suche thinges are of Godes creation and gyfte. Therfore muste a man make a difference betwene the thinge and the vse thereof. That man whiche lyeth and deceaueth, had a good tonge geuen hym of God, but the abuse of the tonge is of the deuill, because he geueth his tonge vntounto the deuill to be abused, euen to blaspheme God & his holy worde. So lykewise God geueth hole and good eyes: But he that abuseth them vntounto the contemplation and beholdynge of vayne, fylthy and vnhoneste thynges, that cōmeth of the deuill. In lyke maner when the hearte thincketh vncleane and cruel thinges: the very hearte it selfe of the owne nature is not euil, and is of god, but the euil vse thereof is of the deuill. Cōtrariwise, that is vnderstād to be of god, when the eares are put to this vse, that they heare the worde of God, & can be contented to be reproued, when they do amisse. Also when the tonge is occupied in prayer, in teachinge, in edifyinge and confortynge other, suche eares and tonge are of God, and without faulte. For they are put vntounto that vse,What it is to be of God. for the which god made them. So in like maner, whē the heart thincketh honest, pure, chaste, & godly things, as howe our neighbour maye be edifyed, and not offended, howe Godes glorie may be set forth and not hyndred: suche an hearte is the creature of God, as the eares and the tonge lykewise are, and doth right wel please god▪ But they are therefore named to be of god, because they wolde not, that these their mēbres shold thincke, speake, and heare anye thing, that shoulde be againste God. And if it chance at any time that we fall by speakynge euil by beinge angry, &c. Yet we returne again, we confesse that we hauehave done amisse,The propertie of gods children whē they offend. and aske forgeuenes. This cōmeth sometime to passe thorowe the euill behauiour of other, or by chaunce, and somtime before we be aware of it. But we repent vsus hereof, and make haste to come again into the right waye, with a ful purpose neuer to fall into the lyke againe. But they are the deuilles children, which stubburnely go forth styll on in doinge euil, and yf they be reproued, they stoutlye and arrogantlye answer: what care I for it? as disobedient and styfnecked children do, when they are corrected of their parentes. These are of the deuil, and become daily worse and worse. For the deuil, will not suffer them to rest, nor to be quiet.The properties of the deuils children. Fyrst they despise the worde: afterwarde they blaspheme, curse, and speake euill: last of all after the maner of the Iewes, they take vp stones and go about murder. By these properties the deuils whealpes be knowen. For he is a murtherer, a calumniatour,Iohn. 7. an accuser, a pycker of quarelles, and a despiser of god and his worde euen from the beginning. Therfore let this doctrine be a defence vntounto you againste this moste abhominable synne, that ye also do not despise the worde of God, but gladly heare it, and diligentlye exercise youre selfe in the meditation and study therof both night and daye,Psal. …. and learne to frame your lyfe accordyng to the same. Then shall you be the sonnes of God: other are the children of the deuill. For they hauehave lost the worde, lyfe, righteousnes, and are the very bonde slaues of the deuil. Neither can this any thing at all helpe them, that they are of great power & riche. In this synne stycketh the Pope euen vp to the harde eares,The pope is an enemie of gods worde. with all his complices. For he is euer against the worde of God, and for it persecuteth and formenteth the Christians, more cruelly then the Turke doth. And by this may ye know that the deuill is in him, & that he belongeth vntounto the deuil with all his. But they that gladly heare the worde of God, are of god. Nowe what is god? he is no murtherer but a creatour and maker, frō whom all lyfe cōmeth. But the deuill neuer made man nor gaue hym lyfe. Therfore as God is a lyuing god, so lykewise is he the very lyfe of all them, that are of hym, and heare his worde. This doth Christ confirme here with this his notable saying, worthy for euer to be remembred:The worde of god deliuereth from drath. berely verely, I saye vntounto you, if any man will kepe my worde he shall neuer see death. But what other thinge is it, to kepe ye worde of God, then neuer to departe frō it? and to beleue, that whatsoeuer Christ hath promised vsus in the gospel concernyng forgeuenes of synnes and euerlastynge lyfe, is true,What it is to kepe the word of God. and to remayne in the same faith and hope vntounto the ende, he that doth thys, saith Christ, hath euerlastyng life, neither nedeth he to feare sinne, hell, nor the laste iudgement. For to suche one, all is grace and merciemercy, death in dede shal assaulte the faithfull, and flea the bodies of them,Death. yet shal they not fele it, as they do, whiche are vnderunder the power of the deuil, and dye without the worde of God. For they die vnwillingly, spurne against death,The death of the wycked. take on as though they were madde, rore out lyke lyons, refuse death, and wold by no meanes dye, and yet dye must they. Yea if it were possible, they wolde leape thorow a thousand fyres to escape death. But so shall not they do, sayth Christe, that be my disciples, that heare my worde and kepe it. For when they lye vponupon their bed and muste dye, they shall hauehave no suche trouble,The death of the Godly. turmoyle, and disquietnes. They shall hauehave ioye and peace in their heartes towarde God, confortyng them selues with the hope of a better lyfe to come, & in that hope as persōs fallen on sleape, swetely departe without feare or tremblinge. For although death shall corporally flea them, yet shal that death be so apalled and made of no force, that it shall not be felt at all, euen as though a man should swetely fall a sleape vpō a softe pillow, as we many times see in suche as for then offences are condempned to die. when they go to suffer, being before wel instructed in the worde, and faithfully beleuinge the same, they offer them selues gladlye, willingly & with a mery and chearefull hearte to dye. They feare not, neyther trēble they, as these do … fele no consolation nor conforte in ye worde, for he that feleth death, and is not armed with the worde of god against death & the terrours of the same: he is madde, wode, & frantike, & fareth as though he were in desperation,What comodities we hauehave by hearynge the worde of God. yea and possessed with the deuil. Cōsider therfore, (O dearely beloued) what a great treasure & precious Iewel ye get, when ye diligently & gladly heare the word of God. The firste is this, ye know ye ye are of god, & hauehave ouercome ye deuil and al his infernal armie, & yt neither sinne nor damnation hath any power ouer you. Moreouer what soeuer shoulde be obiected againste you to the hyndraunce of your saluation, it can not preuaile againste you, but ye shall easely ouercome it. But contrariwise, the worlde with the leaste trouble yt cōmeth, waxeth madde, is impaciēt & falleth vntounto vtter desperation. The Christians vndoubtedly in this worlde hauehave many troubles. For ye worlde & the deuil hate thē most extremely. Therfore are they at al times in daunger of life,The true christians are neuer free from the crosse. of goods, of fame, & of al yt euer they hauehave. Now how shal they fynde meanes, to suffer these thinges paciently? verely by none otherwaye, then by holdinge faste the worde, and cleauinge harde to the same, & saying: let it go, as it wil go. I am not of the world, but of god: for if I were of y• world, yt worlde wolde deale otherwise with me. But I had rather a thousand times, yt worlde should hate & persecute me, then louelove me, & so fal out of the fauour & good will of god. Where the minde is thus affected & setled, all the troubles & aduersities of yt worlde passe awaye as a cloude, or as a byrde that is swyfte of wynge. They shewe them selues a litle while vntounto vsus, but straight way they are gone. Let this be your greate & singuler consolation, that euen in this life ye fele the power of y• worde: but specially then whē death cōmeth, which now thorow ye faith that ye hauehave in the worde, is euē as a swete & pleasaunt slepe.Death to the faithfull is swete & pleasaunt sleape. And as he y• walketh ī darkenes, & perceaueth not ye theaues, is y• soner oppressed & ouerthrowen, yea & yt befor he be ware, euē so goeth it wt the faithful: the deuil is the theife & mur? therer, & hath sworne our bodely death, so yt we cā not escape it, notwithstāding when we are enarmed with the worde, & holde faste yt, we shal scasely fele death,The worde of god is a strong bucklar ag…īst aduersitie. or any payne therof. For the worde setteth men in a ioyeful and quiet state, & maketh their cōsciences chereful, mery and gladde, so that they despaire not, when aduersitie cōme, neither make they any busines, whē they loose their promotiōs & lyuinges, but kepe pacience in all kinde of aduersitie: yea when death cōme, they embrace it, & ioyefully receaue it without any feare at al, onelyonly this is their conforte, that for Christes sake they hauehave a merciful father in heauen. For this they learne in the word, without ye word they can learne nothing. If there were non other cause, that we should desyre the knowledge of gods word, but only to learne how we ought to take these dayly cōbrances & aduersities that chaunce vntounto vsus, it might worthely seme a cause sufficient. But this is nothing in comparison of ye last miserie, that cōmeth by death. For as cōcerning that, it is euident,Sap. 16. that then there is no helpe in any phisition or in any other thinge. Christe alone our Lord is he, which helpeth vsus, which also ought to be more estemed of vsus, then al the things in the worlde. But how goeth it with vsus? whē he offereth vsus this helpe & remedie, yea and bringeth it home to our owne dores, we despise it, and set naught by it. This therfore chaunceth vntounto vsus worthely afterwarde, that we be not of God, and so by litle and litle dayly fall more and more into more greuous sinnes, and become worse & worse, as it is sufficiently before sayd. When suche are at the point to dye, they can fynde neyther helpe nor councel. And what remayneth there for all suche, then lamentation, feare, tremblyng, horroure, yollyng out, roring, yea desperation and damnation? Therfore this is the principal point of doctrine contayned in the Gospell of this present sonday, that we diligentlye embrace the worde, gladly heare it, and faithfully beleue it. If ye do this, then shall ye ouercome synne, deuyll, death, hel, &c. And althoughe death shall take you out of this lyfe, yet shal ye fele no payne of hym, but it shalbe vntounto you as a moste swete and pleasaunt slepe. For the worde of God is suche a conforte and present helpe, that it bringeth vntounto vsus a quiet lyfe, a mery cōscience, & euerlastyng saluation. As for the vngodly and suche as despyse the worde of God, there can no more mischief be wyshed vntounto them, then they suffer all redy. For seing they heare not the worde of God, they are not of God. As an vnruly childe, whiche despyseth the commandement of God, careth not for his parentes. What can be spoken more vntounto his reproche, then that he is the sonne of the deuill, and not of God? This is not lightly to be regarded, or to be set naught by. For it were better to be the bonde slaue of the Turke, or of any other most barbarous and cruell tyraunt, then to to be the captiue and bondslaue of the deuyll, which is an accuser, a calumniatour, a picker of quarels, a murderer, and seketh all means possible to cast vsus into vtter destruction. Take hede of this mischiefe, and dilygently consider with your selfs, in what gret reuerēce, and estimation ye ought to hauehave the woorde of God. For there is none other reskue, help, or remedy against euerlasting death, deuyl, sinne, hell. &c. then to hold fast the word of Christ, that is to say, to beleue his promise and thorow faith in his worde to hauehave a sure hope of euerlastyng saluation. For when Christ saith:Of what word Christe speaketh. He that wyll kepe my woorde, shall neuer see deathe. He meaneth not the lawe that God gaue to the Iewes by Moyses. Whiche lawe although it bee a trewe, holy, and profitable doctrine,The lawe of Moyses. yet seyng we because of our vicious and corrupt nature can not obey that doctrine, it is become vntounto vsus the ministerie of deathe, and alwaies reproueth, accuseth, and condemneth our sinne before God. Therfore hauehave we nede of an other word that we may be delyuered from synne, and be iustified before God. And that nowe is the woorde of Christe where he sayth: He that beleueth in me,The lawe of the Gospell. shall neuer se deathe. This worde muste be apprehended and layde hande on with a strong faithe, so that we may by no means doubt, but that it is true, which Christ promyseth. For he that refuseth the worde, and taketh counsell of his owne deuise, he shal fynd death and not life. Therfore in the agony of death, not according to yt we fancie, but according to y• which we heare in the word must we iudge and saie. I see that I must die, but I heare the promise and word of Christ my Lorde, that thorow hym I shall hauehave life. For as touchyng sinne, for the whiche I must nedes suffer death, it is vtterly taken awaye by hym,Synne is the cause of death so that God for his deathe and resurrection, wyll be mercyfull vntounto me, and geue me euerlastynge lyfe. This is truely to kepe the woord of Christe. But it is an harde thyng to hauehave this faythe. For fleshe and blood can not otherwise bee persuaded then as they fele and proue. Against this peruers and froward reason must we striue, and aske of God hys holy spirite, that he may stablishe our hearts throughe the worde,Faithe is the gyft of God. that they may retaine and keepe the true Faith. What the cause is, why the worde of Christ is of so great efficacie, myghte, and power, Christe hym selfe sheweth in the ende of this Gospell: And in thys poynt he so greatly moueth the Iewes, and stirreth them vntounto anger, that they are ready to stone hym vntounto deathe. For this troubled the Iewes, that Christe said, his worde preserueth and defendeth from euerlastyng death, forasmuche as they sawe, that Abraham Moyses, and other holy men, which be greately commended in the holy scripture, wer dead. They thought that Christ was muche inferiour to them, and that it was a matter worthy to be laughed at, that he should so muche bragge, boast, and sette out his worde. But Christ answered: Abraham desired to see my daye, he sawe it and reioyced, that is to say: If Abraham had not kept my word, he had dyed euerlastyngly, and ben damned for euer. Before Abraham was, saith Christ, I am. And that is thus muche to say: I am almightie and euerlasting God.Christ God & man onelyonly sa…eth. Now he that wil be deliuered from his synnes, escape euerlastyng deathe, and come vntounto euerlasting life, he must be holpē by me, and seke help at none others hād but at myn alone. This could neither Moses nor any of the Prophets speke truly of them selues. For they were all men. But Christ is god and man. Therfore is he able to geue life & euerlasting saluation, & none but he alone. This is a great consort and a most sure confirmation of our faithe, where we confesse yt Christ is true & euerlasting God, as we hauehave the like testimonies of this thing in many & diuers places of the Euangelical history, yt our whole trust shold be in hym, & in his word, & in none other. For this is ye word of god, & can by no means deceue vsus. What soeuer he speaketh is certain and sure, & is neuer void, but is as sure, as God by his word made heauen & earthe of nothing. Lerne this diligently, and with thankful hearts knowledge this inestimable benefit and pray yt God by his holy spirite may kepe you in ye truth of his word, & receiue you into euerlasting life through Christ his sonne, to whom with the father and the holy ghost be all honour and glorie for euer and euer. Amen.