The Layers Question, Text 3
THE CENSVRE OF Christ vponupon the Ansvvere.
NOwe wee are come to the answere of Christ vntounto the Lawiers Question: The Question was, What must be done to inherite eternall life? The Answere is; Doo that which thou hast saide: that is; LoueLove God aboue all, and thy neighbour as thy selfe; and thou shalt liue, thou shalt inherit eternall life. Where first it is to bee obserued, that though this Lawier came with the minde to tempt Christ, yet because hee had truely alleaged what was written in the Lawe, Deut. 6. Leuit. 19. our Sauiour Christ approoueth his answere, and commendeth him for it: whereby wee are taught to like and allowe of those good thinges that wee see in any, though they be our enemies.
Many there are, that if their enemie be endued with many excellent vertues, yet they will not acknowledge it, nor giuegive him his due commendation: but rather seeke by all meanes to disable him, and disgrace him, and dispraise him behinde his backe: If hee be temperate and sober, then they say as it was saide of Iohn-Baptist, he hath a diuel. If hee be sociable and familiar, then they say as it was said of Christ, He is a glutton and a winebibber, Luke, 7. If hee be learned, they say as Festus saide of Paul, Acts, 26. hee is mad. If hee bee a good housekeeper, they call him a Papist. If hee be religious, they call him Precisian. Yea, if hee be a Prophet, yet if hee tell the truth they account him their enemie, Gal. 4. as Ahab termed Elias, 1. King. 21. And as the same Ahab cared not to heare Micheas, because hee hated him, 1. Kings, 22. so they despise the Doctrine, and mislike the Sermon; because they hate the man that preacheth it.
These kind of people are like their father the diuel, who both by his name and nature is an acouser of the brethren, Reuel. 12. Hee could not giuegive Iob a good worde, though hee were a iust man that feared God, Iob, 1. and no meruaile, for he could not speake well of God himselfe, Gen. 3 But Christ is of another minde, for though this Lawier were his tempter, yet doth he allow his Answere; so though a man be thine enemie, yet let him hauehave his due: If hee be learned, report no lesse of him; If he be an honest man, defame him not; If he be humble, say not he is prowd; If he be liberall, say not hee is miserable; If hee deale iustly, say not he is vnconscionable, and if he hauehave any thing in him that is praise-worthy, (as there is no man but hath some good thing in him) acknowledge it, report it, and commend him for it, though he be thine enemie. But heere againe we see, that though Christ commend this Lawier for his aunswer, yet doth he not commend him for any thing else; to teach vsus, that as we must giuegive eueryevery man his due, so we must giuegive no man more than his due. The Lawyer had aunswered directly to Christs demaunde; therefore Christ commends his saying: but the Lawyer had not done so well as he had spoken; therefore Christ doth not commend his doing: so the words of many are very commendable, but their workes are most detestable. If you come to their sermons, you shall heare them speake maruellous well, but if you looke into their liues, you shall finde them farre differing from their profession. They are like our Bells, which can call the people together to the seruice of God; but cannot performe any seruice vntounto God: so these men can giuegive good counsell vntounto others, but they cannot follow it; they can teach the people to knowe the will and pleasure of God, but they go not about to doo the will of God, that the people might be mooued by their example to doo the same. And if you seeme to mislike their dooings, then as Christ said of the Scribes and Pharisies, Mat. 23. They sit in Moses chaire, &c. so they aunswere for themselues; Doo as we say, and not as wee doo. A bad excuse, fit for so bad a cause. As if they should say; Wee would hauehave you to bee godly, but wee will not be godlie, we would hauehave you to be saued, but we our selues will not be saued. How can their doctrine do any good, that liue not according to their doctrine? or how can the people thinke that the doctrine is true, when they that preach it, liue not thereafter. Will not the people reason thus? If his doctrine were good, surely hee would follow it? If his life be good; surely he would teach vsus to liue as he dooth. Therefore whatsoeuer he saith, wee will not beleeue him, but as hee dooth, so will we do, and we hope to scape aswell as he.
Thus with the one hand they builde vp the Church of God, and with the other hand they pull it downe: because they doo more hurt by their bad example, than they can doo good with all their preaching. These are the vngodly, that the Lorde by his Prophet reprooueth, Psalme 50. VVhy dooest thou preach my lawes and take my wordes, &c. So long as Esay was a man of polluted lippes, the office of preaching was not committed vntounto him, but when his lippes were cleansed, Esay 6. then was he fitte for that office and function. Euen so, as long as we delight in sinne as much as any, wee are not meete to reprooue the sinnes of other: but when wee behaue our selues as it becommeth the ministers of the Gospell, then hauehave wee commission to preach the Gospell, and to reprooue the sinnes of the people.
Therefore to a good Churchman (as you vse to call vsus) two things are necessary: the first is, to teach well: the second is to liue well. for as wee are resembled to Salte, because wee must season the people with sound and wholesome doctrine; so are wee resembled to the Sunne, because wee must shine as lightes in the worlde by our holy life. As Iohn Baptist was the voice of a cryer, so he was a burning Lampe: as the Apostles were willed to teache and baptise; so their lights were commaunded to shine, that men seeing their good workes might glorifie God.
Thirdly, we here may see, that truth is truth, and to bee commended from whomsoeuer it cōmeth: for though this Lawier came to tempt Christ, yet because he told the trueth, Christ admitteth his answere, and commends him for it. Whereby we hauehave to learne to embrace and receiue the trueth by whomsoeuer it is brought: for as a iewell is to bee esteemed though it be found in a stinking dunghill, so the trueth is to be regarded, though it bee found in a wicked man.
And last of all we heere may see, that to be verified which was spoken of Christ, Esa. 42. Mat. 12: A brused reed shall he not breake, &c. that is, he shall not discourage any in the way of godlinesse. Though this Lawyer were Christs enemie, yet when he aunswered discreetly and directly out of the word of God; Christ approoueth his aunswere, and exhorteth him to the practise of the same: wherby we hauehave to learne to commend and encourage eueryevery man in his well dooing, and by all meanes to further them in their good beginnings. Praise and honor are spurres to vertue; therefore if a man hauehave done well, commend him, and he will do better: but alas with vsus it is farre otherwise, for if a man hauehave done amisse, it shall bee often cast in his teeth: but if he hauehave done well, he shall neuer heare of it.
But let vsus go forward in the aunswer of Christ: It followeth (do this). Hauing approoued his saying: now hee exhorteth him vntounto dooing; for it is not enough to say well, or to knowe much, or to beleeue aright; but wee must doo this; that is, we must louelove God and our neighbour; if we desire to liue. Heauen is not gotten with faire wordes, nor amorous lookes, nor golde, nor siluer, nor gorgeous aray; but with the fruites of a liuely saith: or (that I may vse the words of the Apostle Gal. 5.6.) By faith working through louelove. God will not come to iudge vsus at the last day, whether we were learned, or wise, or eloquent, or wealthy, or honourable: but whether we hauehave done those deeds of mercy to his needy members. What shall it profit a man in the last houre of his death, to hauehave beene eloquent, and excellent in all kinde of learning; that he hath preached many notable and worthy sermons, if he hauehave liued a lewde and wicked life, and caried a corrupt conscience to his graue. In that terrible day, when the bookes of all mens consciences shall be opened, Apocal. 20. and euerie mans life shall be strictly examined; it shall goe better with vsus, if wee hauehave serued God with a good conscience, then if we hauehave beene able to dispute subtile questions: for at that day it shall be said to some that hauehave preached in the name of Christ; Depart from me, I know yee not, Mat. 7.
Now, as we shall not be saued for our preaching; no more shall you be saued for your hearing: for God will hauehave you to do as you heare, aswell as he will hauehave vsus to do as we teach; if you looke into all the scriptures; you shall finde. no promise made to hearers, nor to speakers, nor to readers; but to beleeuers, or to dooers. If yee aske God, who shall dwell in his holy mountaine, he saith Psal. 15. The man that walketh vprightly; If you aske Christ who shall enter into the kingdome of heauen, he saith Matth. 7. Not they that cry Lord, Lord: but they which doo the will of my father. If you aske him, how you may come to heauen; he saith, Mat. 19. Keepe the commandements. If you aske him who are blessed; he saith, Luc. 11. Blessed are they that heare the word of God and doo it. If you aske an Angell who is blessed, he saith, Reu. 22. Blessed are they which keepe the words of this booke. If you aske Dauid, he saith, Psalm. 106. The man is blessed which keepeth iudgement and dooth righteousnesse. If you aske Salomon; he saith, Prou. 29. The man is blessed which keepeth the Lawe. If you aske Esay, he saith, Esay 50. He which doth this is blessed. If you aske Iames, he saith, Iam. 1. The dooer of the word shall be blessed in his deed. And heere; Doo this, and thou shalt liue. Heere is nothing but dooing to make vsus blessed: for as the workes that Christ did, bare witnesse that hee was Christ, Iohn 10. so the workes that we doo must beare witnesse that we are Christians. But heere some man may obiect and say; Is any man able to doo this that God requireth; and if he be not, why then dooth God commaund vsus that which wee cannot performe? Heerein almighty God dealeth with vsus, as a father dealeth with his children; If a man hauehave a sonne of seauen yeares of age, he will furnish him with bow and arrowes, and leade him into the fields; sets him to shoote at a marke that is twelue score off, promising to giuegive him some goodly thing, if hee hit the marke; and though the father know that the childe cannot shoote so farre: yet will hee hauehave him aime at a marke beyond his reache, thereby to trie the strength and forwardnesse of his childe, and though he shoote shorte, yet the father will incourage him. Euen so almighty God hath furnished vsus with iudgement and reason, as it were with certaine artillery, whereby we are able to distinguish betweene good and euill, and sent vsus into this world, as it were into the open fields, and sets his lawe before vsus as a marke, as Dauid speaketh; promising to giuegive vsus the kingdome of heauen, if we hit the same: and albeit hee knoweth that wee cannot hit this marke, that is, keepe the lawe which he hath set before vsus, yet for the exercise of our faith, and for the testifying of our duety and obedience towards him, hee will alwayes hauehave vsus bee ayming at it: and though we come shorte of that dutie and obedience which he requireth at our handes, yet dooth hee accept and rewarde our good endeuour, but if we stubbornely refuse to frame our selues after his will, then may hee iustly bee angry and displeased with vsus. Therefore though thou must not perfectly keepe the law of God: yet if thou endeuour thy selfe to the vtmost of thy power to obserue the same, the Lorde that worketh in vsus both the will and the worke, will accept the will for the worke; and that which is wanting in vsus, he will supply with his owne righteousnesse.
It followeth; And thou shalt liue. Heere is the promise, euen life eternall. Among all earthly things, we count none so deere and precious as our life, insomuch as we can be content to forgoe any thing before our life: our bloud and our limmes we lose sometimes for the sauing of this temporall life, which is no life indeed, but rather a shadow, and the image of death. Now if we make so much, and suffer so many things for the life of the body, which is so shorte and momentany: how farre greater things should we suffer for the saluation of our soule, and for the gayning of that glorious and happy life▪ which shall neuer end. Heere Christ speaketh not of any common life, but of life eternall; which is the inheritance and seate of the blessed.
For seeing Christ must answer to the Lawiers Question, and his Question was how he might inherit eternall life; when the Lawier had saide what was written in the Law, Christ answereth Hoc fac & viues; as if hee should say, LoueLove God and thy neighbour, and so thou shalt inherit eternall life: this is the assoiling of thy Question. Go to therefore deare brethren, and consider at how small a rate or price of louelove, eternall life is to be purchased. If we take so great paines, & vndergoe so many difficulties to pursue this mortall life; what paines should we vndertake to enioy that immortall life? If God should bid vsus goe into a hote fierie Furnace, and cast our selues into the burning flames, we ought to doo it, that wee might raigne with Christ: But our gratious louing Lorde commaundeth no such thing, but onelyonly commendeth vntounto vsus louelove, that wee may liue. Our God is not as the gods of the Gentiles, which will hauehave the Parents slay their children, and offer them vp in fire for a burnt sacrifice. No, our God will not the death of a sinner, but rather that hee conuert and liue, Ezech. 8. O how gratious is the Lord vntounto vsus▪ which requireth no more of vsus but louelove, and yet requireth vsus with no lesse than life, and that a glorious and eternall life. Thus I hauehave at length explained The Lawiers Question, and the Answere of Christ vntounto the Question: wherin I hauehave shewed you one way to come to heauen, which is to keepe the Lawe of God, and this way we finde most hard and difficult. Another way there is by the death of Christ, and this eueryevery man thinks most easie to finde: But this I assure you, that who so euer doth not indeuour to walke in that old way, that is, to walke in the wayes of the Lord, shall neuer come to heauen by that new and liuing way Christ Iesus; because as Iohn saith cap. 3.3. who so euer hath this hope in him, purgeth himselfe: That is; who so euer hopeth to be saued by the death of Christ, hath a care to keepe himself from sinne, and to walke in the commandements of the Lord.
FINIS.
End of the text · Henry Smith, The Layers Question (1595)