Sermons Upon all the Sunday Gospels, Sermon 60
The .xvii. Sonday after Trinitie Sonday. ¶The Gospell of Luke. xiiii.
IT chauncede that Iesus wente into the house of one of the chiefe Phariseis, to eate bread on the Sabboth day, and they watched him. And beholde, there was a certayne man before hym whiche had the dropsie. And Iesus aunswered, and spake vntounto the lawyers and phariseis, saying: Is it lauful to heale on the Sabbothe day? And they helde theyr peace. And he toke hym and healed hym, and let him go, and aunswered them, saying: Whiche of you shall hauehave an Asse or an Oxe fallen into a pitte. and wyll not straight way pull hym out on the Sabboth day? And they coulde not aunswere hym a gayne to these thinges. He put forth also a similitude to the geastes, when he marked howe they preacede to be in the highest rowmes, and sayde vntounto them: When thou art bydden to a weddyng of any man, sit not downe in the hyghest rowme, lest a more honorable man then thou be bidden of him, and he (that bad hym and the) come and say to the, geue this man rowme, and thou begyne with shame to take the lowest rowme. But rather when thou art bydden, go and sit in the lowest rowme, that when he that bad thee cometh, he maye saye vntounto the frende sitte vp hyer: Then shalt thou hauehave worship in the presence of them that fit at meate with thee. For who soeuer exaltethe hym selfe shalbe broughte lowe, and he that humbleth him selfe, shalbe exalted.
THE EXPOSITION.
IN thys Gospelle are two questions. The fyrste belongeth to the seruice of GOD, whyche ought to be done vntounto God. The secōd is, what one mā oweth to an other betwene them selues. And here ryseth a question, whether it be better before God to kepe the Sabboth, or to helpe thy neighbour and to doo hym good. For the Phariseys hadde no other matter but to proue and marke what Christ would doo, as touchyng the man that was diseased of the dropsye. If he healpe not, he myght bee reproued as hard hearted but yf he helpeth, then is he wycked, and kepeth not hys Sabboth, and maye be reproued in this that hee obeyeth not God and his worde. Therfore what soeuer CHRIST doth, he is taken. For they hauehave eueryevery where places to turne vntounto. For amongest the Iewes the ceremonie of the Sabboth was moste holy Wherfore they keepe it straightlye. But what doothe Christ beynge so belayed on eueryevery syde? they thought he had no wayes to scape: He vseth fewe wordes after his maner, and so confuteth his aduersaries with their folyshenes. For this is the summe of all the matter, where as he saieth plainly, that they vnderstande not what it is to sanctify the Sabboth. Thys thinke you (saith he) that to kepe the sabboth wer to be idle, & to do no good. This interpretation is very leude. For sanctifying of the saboth signifieth to hear gods word,What is the sanctifyeng of the Saboth. and to serue thy neyghbour as muche as thou canste. For God dothe not so highly esteme the holynes of the Sabboth, that he would that the peryll of the neyghbour shold therfore be litle regarded. Wherfore when I helpe my neyghbour, althoughe this is doone with labour, yet hereby I hauehave sanctified my Saboth truly. For I hauehave done a godly woorke therin. So that this doctrine ought chiefly to be referred to this ende, that we may lerne therby to kepe our Sabboth, that is not, to do nothing and to be ydle: but sermons must be heard, & there must be had respect to the workes of charitie. But what doo the sermons teache? do not al thynges therof tende to this very ende, that we shold louelove one an other, and be diligent in doyng good one for an other? This dothe God require that thou shold heare and learne in the Sabboth.Heare and do Wherof it foloweth that thou muste doo the same also on the Sabboth, if thou wylt truely sanctifie it. Wherfore Christ sayeth, you Phariseys are grosse doctours: For ye saye, that the Sabboth is broken, when any good is doone on the Sabboth. Where as this is the chiefe doctrine of the Sabboth to hauehave mutual louelove. What is it to louelove This thyng is not done by thynkyng but by true and effectuous affections, whiche stirreth vp the tong, the handes, and other membres, wherby good dedes are done, as Iohn saieth: Chyldren lette vsus not louelove in woord and tongue, but in dede and truth. Thys hath GOD (saieth Christ) commaunded thee to do on the Sabboth.1. Iohn. 3. yea and that that is more, he ordeined the Sabboth, that thou shouldest heare and learne thys, and that thou sholdest declare al beneuolence in word & dede toward thy neighbor, whensoeuer he hath nede
Wherfore CHRIST reproueth this ouerthwart kind of saints, which depraue and corrupt the word of God, and boast that they kepe the Sabboth, wher as yet they are so out of Charitie, that they will not bestowe a worne garment, to the couerynge of a poore naked man. They are false writhers, that inuerte and change the word of God. For where as the worde of God commaundeth: LoueLove thy neighbour, and do the best for hym that euer thou canst: They answere, this will we not doo, least we violate the Sabboth. But Christe confuteth them by this, that GOD procureth that thyng to be preached on the Sabboth, that in it thou mayst louelove thy neighbor, care for him, and helpe him all that thou canst. As it is playn in that example, that no man thynketh it a breakyng of the Sabbothe to delyuer hym by all meanes possible. Now what an vnreasonable waye is this, to excuse it when it is don in the danger of a brute beast, and to affirme that it is a greuous offence to doo the lyke when a manne is in peryll, least any worke of charitie should be done vntounto hym in the Saboth: yea, & thus is it mete, that they should stumble, whiche take vponupon them to iudge and geue sentence of Gods doinge, that they might entangle them selues, and so betraye their foolishenesse. For this do the Phariseis take vponupon them in this place, & presume against Christe, that they maye hauehave hym in their daunger to trippe hym, whether he helpeth, that then he may seme to violate the Sabboth, or whether he helpeth not, that then he may be reproued for the neglectyng of charitie. But Christ doth not only defend and mainteyne his doynge agaynste them, but also layeth the same crime to their charge. For sanctifying of the Sabboth is to heare Gods worde,What it is to sanctifye the Sabbothe. to doo holy workes, to louelove thy neighbour, to help hym at his necessitie, and to shewe obedience, to be mercyful, to help to geue councell, to conforte, to breake breade to the hungrie. &c. This ought to be done on the Sabboth. For he requirethe noo counterfaited seruice that wee should exercise all the day in syngyng in the Temple, after the example of the papistes. This is his will that the worde should be heard, and that which is cōmanded therby, shoulde be perfourmed in deede. As there is an excellent saying in Osee: For I wyll hauehave mercy and not sacrifice,Osee. 6. and the knowledge of God more then burnt offerynges.
For the knowledge of God is nothyng els but to heare Gods worde. The reason is, because that with out the worde no man can know any thyng as touchyng God. But when the word is pronoūced, which saieth: I am the Lorde thy GOD, whiche sente my sonne, & deliuered hym to be slayn for thee, which had mercy vponupon the at Baptisme. &c. By suche a worde is the knowledge of God communicate vntounto vsus, that he is fauorable and mercifull, whiche thynge reason can neuer perceaue and know by his owne strengthe. Fur…hermore of this it foloweth, that sithe the knowledge of God commeth by the woorde, that thys is Gods seruice and sanctifyeng of the Sabboth, to here the worde of God, and to put it in practise. The peruerse and ouerthwart phariseys neglect all this, they heare not the word of God, they care not for his commandementes: and yet they wold be counted for such as violate not the sabboth. So doth al papists, kyngs & princes that resist gods word. They hear masses eueryevery day: they neuer heare any preaching of the worde, & yet they would be named with the excellent name of christians that serue God. But he yt desireth to knowe what it is to serue god, let him learn that thing in this place, euen to heare his word, & to kepe his cōmandements.To a Christian eueryevery daye is the sabboth Wherfore eueryevery day is sabboth day with vsus christians. For we must eueryevery day heare Gods word, and order our lyfe thereafter. And yet for the peoples sake is the sonday ordeined to this entent yt they shold chiefly hear on yt day ye word of God, & liue after it. For the other six dais ar left for eueryevery man to doo his busynes. This is the first part of this gospel, that this is ye true keping of the sabboth & worshipping of god, whē ye word of god is herd, & his cōmandements regarded. Wherfore whē thou cōmest to a sermon, or redest som gospel, this is ye worshipping of god, & more acceptable seruice vntounto him,The seconde part intreateth of humilitie. then all other sacrifices as Osee saith
The second part teacheth of humilitie. For so dothe Christe expounde the parable in the ende: He that exalteth hymselfe shalbe brought lowe, and he that humbleth himselfe, shall be exalted. Which is thus to be vnderstanded, that men also and not onelyonly God, do vse to hate the proude, and none but lyghte persones and wicked doo hate the humble and lowely. For it is geuen by nature, that all men louelove suche. When a handmayde sheweth her selfe humble and obediente in doyng her busines in the familie, her maistres canne not hate her. To be shorte, Nature it selfe causeth all men to fauor the humble & lowly, & to hate the proude. As sone as the parents perceue disobedience & pride in the children and seruants (for these two vices are always ioyned together) when they answer proudly, that they ar not bound to be obedient at eueryevery word: the parentes can not abide this, and they seeke some meanes to restreigne thys fiercenesse: Or yf that they wyll not bee ruled, to caste theym oute of the house. Lykewyse doo the officers and Magistrates in their callyng. They that among their subiects are prowd and stubborne, those they tame by punyshement. Howe chanceth it then, that no man can abyde pryde? God and his worde is the cause, whiche saieth, that he will labour all that he may to represse the prowde and stubborne.1. Pet. 5. As thys appeareth in all kyndes afterwarde. All ryche menne, learned, wyse, beautyfull, stronge, myghtie, as soone as they began to be proude, & to forget modestie, they were cast downe hedlong of God. For as it is written, God resisteth the proude. He that hath such an aduersarie, can by no meanes scape from fallyng.1 Pet. 5. Contrarily, he that is sober mynded, obteyneth the fauour bothe of God and man, so that God wyth his angels do highly esteme him, and men hath hym in great estimation and singuler renoume, as examples doo declare, yt oftentimes poore mens children com to high renoume, so yt princes are fayn to hauehave thē in honoure for their wysedome and councells sake.
Wherof commeth this felicitie? Uerily herof that God can not bee lackyng to them that are sober mynded and lowly.Psal. 113. As the .113. Psalme sheweth: Who is as our God, which dwelleth on hygh, and hathe respect vntounto the lowly in heauen and in earth? He raiseth vp the symple out of the duste, and lifteth the poore out of the myre, that he may set hym with princes, euen with the princes of his people? Thus dothe God deale with the humble. But as for theym that are prowde, and can not refrayne from excesse, and ouermuche, agaynst them he setteth hym selfe with all indignation, and he neuer ceaseth, vntill they be throwē downe. This ought to admonyshe vsus, to behaue our selues soberly, and that chyldren and seruantes should shew them selues obedient, and thinke? God requireth this, that I shoulde be obedient, and that I shold not be proude, but walke lowly. Thys wyl I do, neither wyll I care for that I am in suche a lowe and a base state and condition. For this I knowe, that when I doo my duetie, God will regard and care for me, how he may bryng me to a better state.
Thus came it to passe with Saule,Saull. whiche when he was obscure, and a keper of mules, and thoughte hym selfe the lowest of the stocke of Beniamyn, hee was aduanced to suche honoure, that the Prophete Samuell receaued a commaundement from God to make hym kynge ouer Israel. For as long as he was humble, God was presente with hym by his mercye and grace.
But after that he was puffed vp with pride, and began to be hygh mynded, and to despise God and his worde, he perceaued that God had no lesse mynde to caste hym downe, then before he hadde mynde to aduaunce hym, vntill at last he dispeired vtterly, and killed hymselfe, and all his kynne was destroied. The example of Dauid belongeth to this matter also.Dauid. It appereth that his myght and doctrine was excellent, yet was he not therfore proude and high mynded. He folowed the state of a shepehearde, and obeyeth his fathers commaundement, vntill Samuel comme, and annoint hym kyng. yea and the hystorie maketh speciall mention, that he had seuen proude and stately brothers, whiche despised hym as the yongest. But God saieth to Samuell: Let passe these stately persones, & annoint hym kyng, whom I shewe vntounto thee, for I wyll none of the other. Dauid, when he was nowe exalted of God, is not stately. For if he had ben so, he should hauehave ben reiected of God, after the example of Saul. But for as muche as he sheweth modestie and lowlynes, although he be put besyde his kyngedome, yet dothe he recouer it agayne, and is also aduaunced to great renoume of God, for that that hee promiseth, that Christ shall procede of his stocke and kynred.
All these thynges are written and declared in sermons, to the intente that wee shoulde vse humilitie, and beware of pride, and not saye after the maner of the stately: Who canne abyde thys drudgerie? Lette vsus couete to lyue more gentylmanlyke. But whenne thou thynkest thus, thou arte more certayne of nothynge, then that GOD is made thy aduersarie therby.God can not abyde pride. For thys is trewe, that God can not abyde pride and loftynesse, as we hauehave exaumples to proue thys eueryevery where. For what other thyng (thynkest thou) to be the cause of so great trouble in the world, and that there is suche a multitude of rustikes, barbarous, rude, and wretched men, then because they were delited in theyr youth with pride & licētious liuyng? wherfore after that God counteth them not worthy to be regarded of hym, neither can they euer waxe thriftie in any kynd of lyfe. For this is surely decreed, that what so euer exalteth it selfe, shall be brought lowe. Contrarily what soeuer humbleth it self, that God can not chose but exalte.
Moste hearty thankes bee vntounto our God, whiche hathe shewed forthe to vsus this day this doctrine, and graunt vsus his grace, that we may shew our selues obedient to this doctrine, through Iesu Christe.
Amen.