Sermons Upon all the Sunday Gospels, Sermon 39
The second Sermon on whitsonday. ¶The Gospell. Ihon. xiiii.
IEsus sayde vntounto his Disciples: yf ye louelove me, kepe my commaundementes, and I wyll pray the father, and he shall geue you another comforter, that be may abide with you for euer, euen the spirite of trueth, whom the worlde can not receyue, because the world seeth hym not, neyther knoweth hym. But ye know hym, for he dwelleth with you, & shalbe in you. I wyll not leaue you comfortlesse, but wyll come to you. Yet a lytle whyle, and the worlde seeth me no more, but ye see me. For I lyue, and ye shall lyue. That day shall ye knowe that I am in my father, and you in me, and I in you. He that hath my commaundementes, and kepeth them, the same is he that loueth me. And he that loueth me, shalbe loued of my father, and I wyll louelove hym, & wyll shewe myne owne selfe vntounto hym. Iudas saiethe vntounto him (not Iudas Iscarioth) Lord, what is done that thou wylt shewe thy selfe vntounto vsus, and not vntounto the world? Iesus aunswered and sayde vntounto hym: If a man louelove me, he wyll kepe my sayinges, and my father wyll louelove hym, and wee wyll come vntounto hym, and dwel with him. He that loueth me not, kepeth not my, sayinges. And the worde which ye hear is not mine, but the fathers which sente me. These thinges hauehave I spoken vntounto you beyng yet present with you. But ye comforter whiche is the holy ghoste, whom my father wyll send in my name, he shall teach you all thinges, and bringe al thinges to your remembraunce, what soeuer I hauehave saide vntounto you. Peace I leaue with you, my peace I geue vntounto you Not as the worlde geuethe, geue I vntounto you. Let not your hartes be greued, neyther feare, ye hauehave hearde how I said vntounto you: I go, and come againe vntounto you. If ye loued me, ye would verily reioyce, because I sayd, I go vntounto the father: For the father is greater then I. And nowe hauehave I shewed you before it come, that when it is come to passe, ye mighte beleue. Hereafter wyll I not talke many wordes vntounto you. For the Prince of this worlde commeth, and hath naughte in me. But that the world may know that I louelove the father. And as the father gaue me commaundement, euen so do I.
THE EXPOSITION.
THis gospell is a part of Christes Sermon, whiche he made to his disciples before he suffred. And for that cause ought it greatly to be estemed. For Christ setteth forth in it a singuler doctrine and lesson,The dignitie of this gospel. whereby he teacheth that all reason is but superfluous to the attainement of the knowlege of God, if it take not his first foundation of the louelove of Christ. When this is not taught, all thinges are vncertaine, wauering, & of no strength, that are eyther taught, or imagined of god. For they can not be comprehended or knowen by any meanes. But he that loueth Christe, is so farre brought, that he loueth the father also. But what is the cause of this worde? why doth he make mention of louelove, and speaketh not after his olde customable maner, saying, he that beleueth in me? Is louelove the cause of our saluation, and not faith, wher as he saith, if any man loueth me? But they are both of like efficacie power & strēgth For thou canst not louelove Christe,To louelove christ and to beleue in hym are all one thyng. except thou beleue in him, and dost put thy trust in hym with a certain and sure faith. And the worde of faith, is somwhat more euident, wheras it declareth that we muste withholde our eyes from all other thinges that be, and fasten thē in Christ Iesu only. For this is the nature of louelove, that it embraceth yt thinge only that it loueth in that thinge doth it set al here felicitie:The nature of louelove. therwith only, it is satisfied, and careth for nothing besides. Suche maner of louelove doth Christ require of vsus, that we shold embrace hym with all oure hearte, whiche thynge can not be done but by fayth. Wherfore this sentence maketh nothynge againste faith. But is spoken to the entent, that the nature and condition of fayth with his proper vertue and efficacie, might be the better vnderstanded. An other cause of this worde, is, that Christ dyd perceaue, that he that receaueth the worde and purposeth to kepe it, can not do it without greate endeuor and industrie. For diuers temptations do chaunce to them, whiche do rebuke and embrayde suche, as hath entered into the profession of Godlines, of folie and rashnes wher as they reason on this wise with them selfe: Alas what hauehave I done, whan I tookee vponupon me the office of teachynge? I might hauehave holde my peace, and thought wyth my selfe that GOD woulde hauehave set foorth other. Other might hauehave come, that shoulde hauehave had better successe in this matter. Nowe am I in doubt and do not onelyonly litle profit, but put my selfe also in perill of lyfe. If we will ouercome suche kynde of temptation, that the worde maye be surely maintained, this onelyonly succour must they especially vse,It is necessari that Christ beloued. as Christe here sheweth, that they louelove Christe, and put their hole delight in him, so that all the professours of the gospell & al the good may thus conforte them selues: whatsoeuer be cometh of me, let it be at the pleasure of God, for whose cause and glorie and not for mans sake was this begon of God. Wherfore I must endure it. And looke wher this louelove is not, ther can they not endure, saith Christe. For I geue not goods, nor golde, but euerlastinge life,LoueLove doth all thinges. wherof the possession is not taken in this life, but after this life. Wherfore all the matter resteth herein, that ye louelove me. If louelove be in you, ye wil kepe my saing, and contineue constantlie, although that ye should do it to the perill of your life. But if ye louelove me not, ye wil not kepe my wordes. For ye shall hauehave so many dangers, calamities, and afflictions, that they shall make you faint and put you in desperation. But he that knoweth Christe truly beleueth in hym, and loueth him,LoueLove procedeth of fayth. he is troubled by no aduersitie. For he thinketh surely, Christ dyed and was buried for vsus, and rose againe: wherby all suche gather surely that Christ doth greatlye fauor them. So that this louelove procedeth of faith, which afterward is able to withstand all perils and dangers, neither doth it feare the greate threatnings & wrath of the worlde. For it setteh more by Christ and his worde, then by all these threatnings and displeasures of men.
And that is it that he saith: if any mā louelove me, he wil kepe my word,What is christes wor… my word of my death & resurrectiō: not the worde of Moyses or ten commaundements. That worde is not to be caste awaye, nother is any thing to be done contrarie therto. For God commanded that worde to be fulfilled,The lawe of god is to be obeyed. but with that worde is there ioyned no consolatiō, as is with my worde, the conscience is not therby made quiet, but the more that we therby know our disobedience toward GOD, so much the more we dread & feare the wrath & indignation of God. For the worde of Iesu Christ is the fondation and pillar of all thinges. He that hath this, saith Christ, neither suffereth hymselfe to be plucke frō thence,How god is to be knowen. ought not to doubt, but my father doth louelove him. And this is the peculiar phrase of Iohn, whiche hath a proper kynde of speache, beside all other Euangelistes, that first he ioyneth men to Christe, and then thorough Christ bringeth them to the father. For this is the order and proces in this matter: As Christ here teacheth, that first we must know Christ, & louelove hym, and take him for one that is most desirous of our saluation and profit.Note well. When we hauehave suche trust & louelove toward Christ, there foloweth also a sure confidence, that the father also loueth vsus. And although we had none other confort before our eyes, but only this perceauinge and vnderstanding, that we nede not feare any crueltie, or any wrothe or yre of God: yet were that sufficient to certifie vsus, that we nede not feare synne or the deuill, because god loueth vsus, for that, that we louelove Christe.
This is a great confort in all tribulation, to beleue constantly that GOD is not againste vsus,A great cōfort but he louinglye embraceth vsus, if so be that we louelove Christe & kepe his worde stedfastly. But in the tyme of tribulation, oure heartes can hardlye thus be persuaded. But we thinke rather contrariwise, that God hateth vsus, and hath no regard to vsus, but that he goeth about rather to prouide punishmēt for vsus. But these thinges are false. For Christe doth not lye, whan he sayth: yf we procede so farre, that we louelove hym, and count it abhominable to hate hym, that then we muste not doubt, but the father doth louelove vsus and will so declare hys louelove toward vsus,Deut. 30. that he wyth his sonne and the holy ghost will hauehave their abyding with vsus. It is a greate matter, and a singuler confort,Rom. 10. that a righteous man by fayth doth not say in his heart, who is ascended in to heauen? &c. For in whatsoeuer place he be,What it is to be in heauen. whether he be at Ierusalem, or at Rome, or in the felde or in the Citie, he is taken to be in heauen, for that that god the father, the sone and the holy ghoste, doth come vntounto hym and hauehave their abydinge with hym. And this thing hauehave we heare in this lyfe in the worde, and do fele it inwardly by fayth, but all these thinges shalbe felte in dede in the lyfe to come.
For, to hauehave god dwelling in vsus in this lyfe,What it is to hauehave god dwellyng in vsus. is none other thynge then that all thinges that we do, saye, thinke, or suffer, are acceptable vntounto God, and that al thinges, when we eate, drinke, worke, slepe, wache, praye, reade, singe, learne, &c? are alowed of hym. This were the very felicitie it selfe,Esa. 66. Act. 7. 1. Cor. 3.…. 2. Cor. 6. yf we were so wyse as to consider and beholde it with true eyes & wyth a sure faith. For the glory of the godly doth herein passe the glory of heauen. For God sayth not so by heauen, that he will dwel in it: but thus he sayth, that heauen is his seat, and the Earth his footestole. But the heart of the godly is the very habitation, wherin god dwelleth, if so be that he can but so much apprehende Christ, that he beleue surely, that he suffred and died for vsus, & for these benefits louelove him.
And so all thinges are consistinge in this, that we should louelove Christ, and as for the rest there is no cause why any man should greatly feare. For this louelove shal make all other thinges easie and tollerable, whatsoeuer shal chaunce for hym and his worde sake: where as contrariwise without this louelove all thynges shall seme intollerable and aboue all mens power, as Christ sayth in the wordes folowing.
But if a man doth not louelove me
LoueLove maketh all thynges lyghte.He will not kepe my worde,
Where as Christe is loued, this is also certayne, that the father for Christes sake doth louelove againe; and doth not onelyonly louelove vsus, but commeth vntounto vsus, and he with Christ & the holy ghost maketh his dwellyng with vsus. This thing is so great, yt if we consider it well we could not but patiently suffer all thynges, that chaūce vntounto vsus for Christs sake. Where this louelove of Christe is not, and wheras men receaueth the gospell to the entent,Spollers of church goods that they maye inuade the Churche goodes, and make hauoke therof to their owne profite and commoditie, and to serue their owne lustes, (as it is the fashion of the worlde in all thynges to seke his owne vantage and profit) ther can not the worde of Christ be long kepte. For it is very necessary to hauehave louelove, if a man wyll be constant in trouble profite & gaines doth nothyng helpe in this case. Wherefore if we louelove godlines in dede, that we wold not depart from the golspel, we must so vse all thinges, that we may saye: In the name of our Lord Iesu Christe was this begon, and by his commandement do we this: Wherfore no case so harde can moue vsus, but that we take all things well in worth that God sendeth. But what is the cause that we should styke vntounto the worde so constantly, and that we shold geue no place to anye danger or perill? Surelye because Christe sayth furthermore:That Christ keth god spea speakethe. the worde that I speake is not myne, but my fathers, whiche sent me. And after this maner doth Christe often times speake. And this is the pyth of that that Christ speaketh: If ye do receaue me and embrace me, that is, my worde and promesse, then be ye sure of this, that the true GOD hath receaued you, neyther must ye thinke besides of any other GOD. For ye shall find god no wher els but in me and in my worde. The reason why is, that the worde that I speake is not mine, but the worde of my father, If ye receaue this worde, ye receaue my father. If ye beleue in it, ye beleue in my father. Wherefore nowe it is easie to iudge howe the worlde stande. Mahumet, the Turke, the Pope, the Iewes do crake much of GOD, they praye muche, and affirme them selues to be the true worshippers of GOD. But the matter is plaine, that Mahumet, the Turke, the pope, the Iewes do not fynde the father, neither knowe anye thynge of hym. For they hauehave not the worde of Christ, which is not Christes, but the fathers.
Wherfore Christe by these wordes geueth a sure doctrine to beware by, as thoughe he shoulde saye: Yf ye will heare GOD, and hauehave hym ioyned vntounto you, ye must tourne awaye your eyes and eares in no case from him. But heare me and ye heare God, see me, & ye see God. For this it is decreed: eyther must ye heare god by me, or neuer heare him. Wherof this muste by reason folowe, that Christe, when he vttereth the bountefull worde, the hole godhed doth alow it, so that neyther the deuyll nor the worlde can make it frustrat and false. The reason is this. Christs word is not his, but the fathers, as he saith: the wordes that ye heare are not mine, but my fathers that sent me. The wordes be so simple and plaine that nothyng can be more simple and plaine. Wherfore whan the men yt are worldly wyse chaunceth vponupon these words, they thynke that they are but wordes coldlye & slenderly spoken, & that in great and wayghtie matters he woulde hauehave vsed more earnest and pythye wordes.vexacion geueth vnderstā dynge. Howbeit what great matter there is included in these wordes that are so basse and slender, that doth then appeare, when great perill and feare is at hande.
Wherfore Christ here maketh an ende of his sermō, and saith these thinges hauehave I spoken to you, whan I was byding with you? but the holy ghost the conforter, whome my father will send in my name, he shal teache you all thynges,Wyth out the in warde teachynge of the holy ghost out warde doctrin profiteh lytle. and shall put you in remembrance of those thinges whiche I hauehave spoken vntounto you. For if a man shoulde bestowe neuer so manye wordes yet if the holy ghoste shoulde be lackynge, the matter coulde not be perceaued. Nowe whatsoeuer remaineth in this gospell, it is the conclusion of the whole sermon, that Christ in this chapter made to his Disciples, that they should be of good confort, and not be troubled, nor offended for the spiteful death, that he shoulde suffer, and so be dismayd, forasmuche as they shold therby obtayne their saluation. Of this dyd we speake here tofore. Therfore nowe we wilbe cōtent with this doctrine that we hauehave taught, which Christ doth cheifly entreate of in this part, that then specially shall we kepe the worde, and shall not go from it for feare of any peril,With out christ no good thinge cometh to vsus. if so be that we louelove god. And that this is the onelyonly waye to make God louelove vsus, and to come so nighe vntounto vsus, that he dwell in vsus. But he that goeth to God by any other waye, then by the louelove of Christe, he fleeth frome God, and can neuer come nygh vntounto hym, and whatsoeuer he dothe or suffreth, all is but loste labour and in vayne.
Wherfore seyng that our Lord saith, that these wordes that he spake, are not his, but the fathers: all men ought to take diligent hede, and to beware, that they receaue no other doctrine or worde, but that that commeth foorth of this mouth: For then surely is there a perfect waye to seke out God, that can not deceaue, where as otherwise God can not be sought and foūd out by any meanes. But it chanceth nowe a days as it chaunced amongest the Iewes. They hadde their mercy seate, and their tabernacle, where they dyd pray, and trusted certaynly, that they should be heard there and no where els. But what dyd they? They refused the places that God appointed theym, and chose them selues certaine places as they thought good in theyr owne eyes. So commeth it to passe euen now. Christ saith: If ye purpose to serche out God, and bee desyrous to make hym to louelove you: fyrste come vntounto me, louelove me, and receaue my worde. But what doth the Pope? what doo the Anabaptistes, the Iewes, the Turkes, and suche lyke? they lay asyde Christ and his worde, and applye theyr myndes to mens traditions. The Pope trusteth in Masses, vowes, and absteynyng from mariage. The Anabaptistes in theyr streight kynde of lyuyng, in their homely apparell, and vndefenced trauaile. The Iewes and Turkes hauehave theyr order also. These thynges must wee diligentely eschewe: Christ and his word is onelyonly to be imbraced For this is Gods commaundement, heare him. And Christ saieth here: The wordes that I speake, be not myne, but my fathers. Wherfore it is vnpossible,Math. 17. that he that dothe not louelove Christ, and herken to hym only, shoulde heare God, and come vntounto hym. Nowe the mercyful Father graunt vsus his grace, that we may louelove Christe, and kepe his woorde, and that we maye through the holy Ghoste constantely cleaue therto, and so come to euerlastyng lyfe. Amen.