Sermons Upon all the Sunday Gospels, Sermon 3
The thirde Sonday in Aduent. ¶The Gospell of Math. xi.
WHen Iohn beyng in prison, heards the woorkes of Christ, he sent two of hys disciples, and sayd vntounto him. Art thou he that shalt come, or doo we loke for an other? Iesus answered and sayd vntounto them, Go and shew Iohn agayne, what ye hauehave hearde and sene. The blynd receyue theyr syght, the lame walk, the lepres are clensed, and the deafe heare, the deade are raised vppe, and the poore receyue the glad tydynges of the gospell, and happy is he that is not offended by me. And as they departed, Iesus began to say vntounto the people concernyng Iohn: What went ye out in to the wildernes to see? A rede that is shakē with the wynd? or what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in softe rayment? Behold, they that weare foft clothyng are in kynges houses. But what wente ye oute for to see? A Prophete? Merely I say vntounto you, and more than a prophete. For this is he, of whome it is written: Beholde, I sende my messanger before thy face whiche shall prepare thy way before the.
THE EXPOSITION.
IN THIS Gospell are sette foorth two doctrines:The work of God is hyghly to be magnified. Fyrst that we should highly esteme Christes worde, and set greate price therby. For it is a thyng of great weighte. Then shalbe described the shamefull and wicked vnkyndnes of them that here this word, and see the signes, and yet regarde it not, neither beleue it: Whiche is a very horrible thyng. First therefore, that the word of Christ ought diligently to be hearde, it is taught hereby, in that Iohn, whē he was now in bandes, as soone as he heard of the workes of Christ, sendeth his disciples vntounto hym, commaundynge them to aske hym, whether it were he that should come? as concernyng whom so many thynges were written in the old Testament & prophets:The question of Iohn by his disciples. & afterward so many thinges shold be spoken in ye new Testamēt: yt is, whether he was that promysed Christe, of whom it was written, that the kyngdome of the people, and the lawe of Moses shold endure vntounto his cōming:Deuter. 18. and afterward that he should be heard. For that was plainly spoken of before in the Prophetes, That Christe should hauehave no corporall kyngdom, but that he should be a prophet lyke vntounto Moses, and yet should come with an other kynde of doctrine, then Moyses dyd. This deede the Iewes wel know. Wherfore when this chanced by & by after the bandes of Iohn, and Christe preached of eternall lyfe, and of the kyngdome of God: it seemed good to Iohn to sende hys disciples vntounto hym.
What Iohn mente by sendyng his disciples vntounto Christ.And he sent them not onelyonly, to here the testimonies of the Prophetes, but to see with their eies, that this prophet was come at last, whome all looked for, according to the prophecie of Moses. Wherfore such a message is no other thyng, than as if Iohn shold say this: As for me, I knowe that this is very Christ, but men do not beleue it. Wherfore nowe go ye vntounto hym, and learne of hym, that ye may depart from me, and from the tradition of the Iewes, and become his Disciples, in whome are all thynges, that are necessary for your saluation, and for the Saluation of all the worlde. This is the chiefe cause of this message vntounto Christe, that Iohns disciples myght see hym before their eyes, and here, and begyn to be acquainted with hym, and so beleue in hym, and be saued.
But what dooth Christe answere the messangers? he neyther denyeth neither affirmeth: but answereth symply by his workes, and sayth: ye se, heare, and fele that I am he.Esay. 35. For as Esaie and other prophetes shewed before, that by Christe the lame should goe, the blynde shoulde see. &c. that nowe see ye wyth youre eies. ye hauehave nede of no further declaration or answer if ye wil behaue your selues vprightly in this matter.
Thys aunswere of Christe is wounderfull, and it compriseth very proprely what oughte to be taughte of Christe. It settethe foorthe hys kyngdome, and what a magnificent thyng it is,Of Christe &. his kyngdom. that is called Christes kyngdome: That is, suche a kyngedome, to the which belongeth the lame, blynd, leaprous, the spechelesse, the deade, and especially the poore and myserable synners, and there are they sure to hauehave succoure. This ought to be taught. Thys doctrine shoulde be commonly proclaymed, that he is a kyng, which wold healpe the wretched, the vexed in soule and body, the whiche coulde not be healped by all the good in the worlde.Christes doctrine. For there was neuer suche a Prophete that coulde delyuer the blynde and the leapres frome theyr dyseases. As there was neuer also, suche a teacher, that coulde teache the Gospell to the poore, that is, promyse sure healpe in hymselfe to the contryte, vexed and miserable consciences, and make their herts that were full of tremblyng, and ouercome by dreade and feare, to be mery and ioyfull.Moyses doctrine. Moyses is an high prophete, but this can he not doo. For all his sermons doo sounde on this wise: Thou must obserue the law, orels perishe. This was a very torment to the Iewes The Phariseys dyd fast, payd tithes, and endeuoured with all their study to represent the lawe: and thought that they had no nede of any gospel, of any Christ, but that all other thynges were without peryll: and that god coulde not but receaue them into heauen, for their fastes, prayers, almes. &c. These be riche and perfect sprited men, which hauehave no nede of god and his grace, and this is very true, that this doctrine of Moyses is necessarie, and that men ought to be indued with this discipline and instruction: euen as in an Empire or kyngdome there must nedes be had somners, & hangmen, to execute corporall punyshement on theim, that wyll not obey the lawe, that steale, that commytte aduoutrie and slaughter. But when the agonie of death is at hand,Moyses doctrine can doo nothynge against deathe. this doctrine of Moyses by all mēs iudgement is to no purpose, although thou hast obserued it neuer so muche. Thou must nedes saye and confesse: Although I hauehave not ben an aduoutrer, a thefe, a robber, yet doo I onelyonly flee to thy mercy. If this be not, all workes be they neuer so great, preuaile not against desperation. As there is an historie in the lyues of the fathers,An hystorie. of a certayne man, that stode styll three whole dayes in one place, and continually lyfted vp his eyes into heauen with mournyng and waylyng. And whē his Disciples asked of hym, why he was so greately troubled? he answered: I feare death. Then eueryevery man endeuored to comfort hym, and thought it the best for that purpose to put him in remembrāce of his straight kynde of lyuyng, and of his kepynge of Goddes preceptes. But he testified playnly before them, that this made nothing against the fear of death. For although (sayeth he) I hauehave kept gods preceptes very straightly, yet I can not be without the feare of death:Workes can not quiete the conscience of a synner. for I knowe that gods iudgement is not lyke vntounto mans. This Father proceded so farre, that he vnderstoode, that when these tourmentynges begynne, and dryue vsus to God and to his iudgement: that Gods Iudgement is so greuous, seuere, and harde, that our holines and good workes can not withstande and susteyn it. Wherfore although the lawe is to be taught, and the discipline of good woorkes is to bee put in execution, & the cōmandements to be done: yet when death commeth, let vsus dispaire as concernyng all oure workes, and the rightuousnes therof. This is one of the poore that is mencioned in this place. But hee can not telle what he myght surely stycke vntounto. For this was lackyng to him, wherof Christ speketh in this place: The Gospell is preached to the poore.The Gospell is a doctrine of comfort. But the Gospell is suche a doctrine as touchyng Christe, that it comforteth a synner, and dothe adhort hym not to feare. For Christ commaunded it to be preached to the contrite, that he geueth his owne rightuousnes for thee, which is euerlastinge. Thys Grace dooth hee procure to bee taught to thee by his worde: Wherfore doubt not. It shall chance vntounto thee as thou hearest, if thou beleue. For the Gospell signifieth a faire and quiet doctrine,What the gospell is. & ioyfull tidynges. If a riche man woulde promise to a begger a thousand nobles, that would be a gospell to the begger, and ioyfull tydynges, and pleasant to the eare. But what ar all riches in comparison of this gospell, and good tidynges that Christe hath respect vntounto the poore, and is suche a kynge,Difference betwene the kingdome of Christe and ye worldes. whiche maketh the dead, synners, and captiues of the lawe, parttakers of euerlasting life & righteousnes? Suche is my kingdom saith he, muche vnlike the kingdom of ye worlde, wher only this regard is had, to aduaunce ye mighty. For he yt is moste of might there, doth moste oppresse the poore. Ther ye potestate vseth extremitie, which spareth no man, & can not suffer vice vnpunished. Wher it hath his sergeāts, his rods, ye sword, water, fier, that ye euyll doers may be punished. But in the kingdom of Christ, it wil be otherwise. Wherfore as it is a miracle to rayse the dead: so is this the chiefe miracle, yt God hath sent vsus such a kinge, that is kinge of sinners, and sheweth his gospell to them. Moses and his law knoweth of no such kinge. For there it is enacted, that he yt is a sinner, is condemned to the diuell, and to death. This now appereth hereby, that God is kinge of the holy and rightuous, which hath farre perfecter holynes then that, that the ciuill lawes requier. And it is trew, that that doctrine of the law is Gods word, and that Moyses ministration by the lawe is Gods ministration. As lykewise the ciuill empires are well called the empires of God, for as much as he cōmaundeth such to be had, & vsus also to obei therto. But these are onli ye empires of Gods lefte hād. But ye kingdome of his right hand is, wher he reigneth him self, neither doth he substitute any lieutenantes,The kingdō o… Christes right hand. parētes, magistrates & other officers, but he ruleth him self, & so ordreth ye matter, yt ye gospel be preached to the poore. In ye which thou learnest, yt whē thy rightuousnes cā not abide the iudgement of God, to say thus: I hauehave done lord yt I cold, I hauehave obeied my parēts & masters wt al diligence, I hauehave done no man any dishonestie, I hauehave not ben a murmurer, I hauehave sene diligētli to my houshold & them that were committed to my cure, I hauehave done no wrong to my neighboure, I hauehave not stollen, I hauehave not cōmitted aduoutery. &c. But what is this to ye purpose, whē the matter is tried before thy Iudgemēt? This is nothing to thy kingdō. Wherfore whē I know yt thing in thy gospel, yt thy sonne & our Lord Iesu Christ, shewed diuers signes, amōgest the which this is also, yt thi sonne preached to ye poore, yt is, that he was sent frō the to this purpose, to cōfort the afflicted cōsciences: to this entēt hauehave I now receaued the gospel. For I can not be without it, wheras I am vexed and poore, and there is no wher els any confort either in my goodes, either in all the worlde.
Thus saith also ye prophet Esaias of Christ, as Christ saith here also, the lord hath geuē me a learned toung, that is, God hath put this word in my tongue, that I may at due season speake with the weary, yt is, confort ye dreadfull cōsciēces. As ye euāgelist doth expoūd it in this place, & saith that ye gospell is preached to the poore: for the king Christ was sent to preache good tydings, & to cōfirme the trembling & fearful cōsciences. And his kingdome is a kingdō of cōfort, wherein the dreadful, muste be strengthned & made ioyfull. And yt is not done by ye doctrine of the lawe, but only by ye gospel. This is a chereful & happy tidinges that Christ hath satisfied for oure synnes. This belongeth to the poore, saith Christ: this is myne entent. For with the righteouse I hauehave no place, which wil not be rebuked as synners, which persecute the gospel, & condemne it as heresi, saying, that good workes are forbid therby, & yt these words are blasphemous against Moses, & the lawe. Wherfore Christ saith after: blessed is he yt is not offended by me: ye truly blessed. For al ye worlde is offended wt this king,The doctrine of the gospell is wath offence. & wisheth yt he might sone be cō founded. For they say yt he turneth al vp syde doune, that he condemneth the righteous, and suffreth them not to be in his kingdom, that he is redy to geue heuē to ye sinners. What kind of doctrine is this (say they?) wherin is no respect of good workes, and wherin the wicked hauehave such an easy way to heauen. Christ could not be scotfree from this sclander amongest his owne neither can we be, where as we are so bacbited of our aduersaries, that we teache agaynste good workes, & make the way of saluation to easy. But in thys place is a sentence: Blessed is he that is not offended in me. For if thou consider Christes doctrine well, thou shalt perceaue, that this doctrine is not against good workes, as the Papisticall dothe falsely report this by vsus. This we teache, that these thynges are necessary, and earnestly to be cared for, that nothing may be done agaynst the word and conscience. Wherfore the gospell dothe not disanull the Ciuile power, it dothe not abrogate the offices of the Maiestrates. Why then doth it offende thee? and why doest thou imagine that it forbyddeth good woorkes? The Gospell dothe not disalowe neyther forbydde good workes:The doctrine of the Gospel forbyddeth not good workes, but the trust in them. But it forbyddeth thys, that when wee muste nowe dye and departe into an other lyfe, and when we are broughte to our straightes, that then we put no trust in oure own rightuousnes & workes, & that we hauehave no more succour remaynynge, but onelyonly in Christe, and muste stycke to his merite and satisfaction only, that by him we obtayne grace and euerlasting lyfe.
For God geueth suche a body vntounto vsus to this ende, that we should not be idle as long as we liue, that we walke on our fete, put our handes to worke, that we speake with the mouthe, and see with our eies. &c. And for this hath he put forthe his worde, the tenne commandements, that we might compare all our workes with them, and not do contrary to his glory, and the profyte of our neighbour. This gospell doth not onelyonly permyt, but also commaunde vsus to doo it diligently. But now when a man is alone, and voyd of all these thynges, and gothe out of the world to the iudgement seate of God: then dothe the gospel teache the, to go an other ways about: wherfore if thou haste done that is godly in thy life, thou couldest not maintayne otherwaies the name of godlynesse in this life, thou muste thanke God for that gifte. But in death, beware that thou put no truste in this godlinesse, as though thou hadst deserued heauen therby: but yeld thy self wholly to this king Iesus Christ: whose office it is (as saith ye Euangelist) to help ye blind, lame, lepres, the deafe, and dead, to preach to the poore, yt is to comfort ye troubled consciences. For he is sent from God the father, not to punishe vsus for our sinnes, but to profite vsus, to susteyn and comfort vsus. They that wil not vse hym after this sort, but are offended rather with him, and despise him as the Iewes and the hipocrites doo yet to this day: Those shall he represse at his tyme. And this is one of the offences that ar to be auoyded. Then also is Christ an offence, when men dare not cōfesse hym for fear of the crosse, and fall from hym in temptation. Furthermore it is called an offēce, when we hauehave more respect to our hart and conscience, & what is their entent than to the gospel: That is, when the sorow of our worke & syn is greater, then comfort for Christes mercies sake. This is the cōmon offence, wherby al christen men at vexed.Christ an offenceful preacher. So is Christ eueryevery wher in ye world an offenceful teacher, as he wil shew more plainly after this gospell, that men by this doctrine are offended, & begin to despise and persecute it. And that the worlde shall be iudged for this, the sermon of the three cities, Capernaum, Corazim, & Bethsaida dothe declare. Likewyse the greuous cōplainte of Christ against the Iewes, is this, where he declareth Iohn that rigorouse teacher of repētance, dyd eat only hony and locustes, dronke water, & liued a hard life. But what preuailed he therby? ye said, that he had a diuell. But I, saith he, eate, drink, & shewe my self moste full of humanitie to all men, & they call me a drinker of wyne. The adders are so froward that no man can satisfie them. Yf a man lyue at libertie, he is blamed: yf he lyueth straightly, he can not please them. What shall we do then, to please the froward worlde? It wold be pleased very well, yf all that it doth were allowed, where as neuer the lesse it dothe nothing that good is. Suche offences must be paciently suffred.
For if it wer in such a hard case, whē Christ taught him self,wicked worldlings can not abyde ye gospel, nor the preachers therof. & al things were full of his miracles, that the blinde dyd see, the lame go, the dead rise, & it yet could nothing preuayle herby, but that the word was despised: Yea rather Christe the auctor of this doctrine, was moste shamefully crucified, the Apostles driuen out of Iurie, & no where safe in al the worlde for this words sake: what maruell is it then, if the worlde hateth the gospell without mercy, & resiste it, & handle it moste vilainously? Such was the fortune of Christ & his apostles at that tyme, so that it may seme more maruelous in them, because they did not only preach, but also wrought many notable & famous miracles. Wherfore we must endeuoure oure self to beare this miserie of the worlde, and to take this rudenes wel a worth. For the fortune of the gospell shall neuer be otherwyse. It is a doctrine, wherewith men are alwayes offended: and thei be not of the common sorte, but men very holy, righteous, wise, and mightie in the worlde as experience teacheth. Blessed are they, that knowledge, that this is the word of God, they are in good case, and hauehave both confort and helpe against these offences. But they yt knowe it not, are inflamed for their good workes sake, they fall from this word to their owne righteousnes, and thinke that this doctrine is full of offence and sedition. And this yt is to stumble and be offended, and yet it chaunceth to them, whiche before the worlde are counted moste holy.
Wherfore we hauehave a iuste cause to complaine with Christ of the obstinate blindnesse of the worlde: We hauehave songe vntounto you, and ye wold not daunce, and at oure lamentable songes ye wold not lament. For neither cā the doctrine of the lawe,Math. 11. neither of the gospell, further and moue men, either to lament, either to reioyce, that is, neither, will they suffer theyr sinnes to be rebuked, neither geue place to confort against their synnes, They will neither be blind nor yet see: As the examples of oure aduersaries the Papistes, are at hand to proue this. And now muste we learne the other thing also out of his gospell, that the gospell is suche a doctrine as is so vnkindly, and horribly despised in the worlde: that all men be offended at it, seing kinges, Princes, Pope, Cardinalls, Bishops, Priests, Monkes, citizens and rustikes, that is, all the mighty and excellentest in the worlde do not only not receaue it, but also scorne and persecute it. Suche was the fortune of Christe for all his miracles. For what cause had he els to say Blessed is he that is not offēded with me? if it chāced so to thee O Christ, wheras thou mightest hauehave stopped all mens mouthes with diuine miracles, we maye wel refrayn from complainyng, when we are despised for the Gospels sake, and laughed to scorne, and persecuted. This doctrine of offences is very necessary, and specially in this our tyme, wherin this offence is most greuous. The fyrst doctrine is also necessary. For ther in consysteth our saluation and euerlastyng lyfe, that we knowe howe Crist is the Kynge of comfort, which is gladde to shewe his bounteousnesse towarde oure troubled consciences, and to comforte them in synne, and healpe vsus to euerlastyng lyfe. For althoughe that the strayghte kyngedome of the worlde is hys also, yet it is not his principall kyngdom, seyng it shall not euer endure. This is the chief and euerlastyng kyngdome of Christe, when we falle acquaynted with hys worde, which must be preached to the poore, that whā we dye, we may say: I beleue in Iesus Christ my lord whiche can restore and geue syght to the blynd, whole lymmes to the lame, clensyng to the leapre, to the dōbe the vse of speache, to the dead lyfe. He wyll be my helper, he wyll not see me forsaken at my moste nede. For this is the cause, that he became man, and descended into the earthe vntounto me. He that beleueth this truely, departeth from this myserable lyfe, to the celestial and euerlastyng ioys. The which thing that it may chance to vsus, our Lord Iesu Christ myght graunt. Amen.