Exposition Upon Matthew 27(1), Matthew 5 · Verse 2 – Verse 4
Bleſſed are they that mourne, for they ſhalbe comforted,
Thys mournynge is alſo in the ſpyryte, and no kynne to the ſoure lokynge of Ypocrytes nor to the impaciēt weywardnes of thoſe fleſhly which euer whine and complaine that the world is naught, becauſe they can not obtayne and enioye theyr luſtes therin, Nether forbydyth in alwayes to be mery and to laugh, and make good chere nowe and then, to forget ſorowe, that ouermoche heuynes ſwalowe not a man clene vp For the wyſe man ſaythe, ſorowe hath coſt many theyr lyues.
And prouer .xvii. and heuy ſpirite dryeth vp the bones. And Paule commaundeth. Phili. iiii. to reioyſe euer. And Roma. xii. he ſayth reioyſe with them that reioyſe, and ſorowe with them that ſorowe, and wepe with thē that wepe, which ſeme two contraryes.
Godlye mourningeThis mournynge is that croſſe without which was neuer any dyſciple of Chryſt or euer ſhalbe, For of what ſo euer ſtate or degree thou be in thys worlde, yf thou profeſſe the Goſpell, there foloweth the a croſſe (as warmeneſſe accompanyeth the ſonne ſhynynge) vnderunder whiche thy ſpy ryte ſhall grone and mourne ſecretlye, not onelyonly becauſe the worlde and thyne owne flleſhe cary the away …lene contrary to the purpoſe of thyne harte. But alſo to ſe and beholde the wretchedneſſe and mys fortunes of thy bretherne, for whiche (becauſe thou loueſte them aſwell as thy ſelfe) thou ſhalte mourne and ſorowe no leſſe then for thy ſelfe. Thoughe thou be kynge or Emperour, yet yf thou knoweſte Chriſt and god thorowe Chryſte, and entendeſte to walke in the ſyght of God, and to mynyſter thyne offyce truly, thou ſhalte (to kepe iuſtyce with all) be compelled to do daylye that, whiche thou art no leſſe lothe to doo, then yf thou ſhuldeſte cut of arme hande or any other member of thyne owne bodye, ye and yf thou wylt… folowe the ryght waye and nether torne on the ryght hande nor on the lefte, thou ſhalte hauehave ymmedyatly thyne owne ſubiectes, thyne owne ſeruauntes, thyne owne lordes, thyne owne councellours and thyn owne prophetes therto agaynſte the. VntoUnto whoſe frowarde malyce and ſtouburneſſe, thou ſhalte be compelled to permytte a thouſande thynges agaynſte thy conſcyence, not able to reſyſte them, at whiche thyne herte ſhall blede inwardly, and ſhalt ſawſe thy ſwete ſoppes whiche the worlde weneth thou haſte, with ſorowes ynowe and ſtyl murnyng, ſtudieng ether alone or els with a fewe frendes ſecretly nyght and day, and ſyghynge to God for helpe / mytygate the fury ouſe frowardnes of thē whō thou art not able to wtſtand that al go not after ye wyl of the vngodly, what was Dauyd compelled to ſoffer all the dayes of hys lyfe of his owne ſeruaūtes the ſonnes of Seruya, Beſyde the mychaunſes of hys owne chyldren? And howe was our kynge Iohan forſaken of his owne lordes / Kynge. Iohan.when he wolde hauehave put a good and godlye reformacy on in hys owne lande? Howe was Henry the ſeconde compaſed in like maner of hys owne prelates whome he hade promoted of nought / Henry the ſeconde.with the ſecrete conſpyracye of ſome of his owne temporal lordes with them? I ſpare to ſpeke of the murning of the true preachers and the poore comen people whiche hauehave no nother helpe / but the ſecrete hande of God, and the worde of hys promyſe.
But they ſhalbe comforted of al theyr trybulacyon and their ſorowe ſhalbe turned into ioye and that infynyte and euerlaſtynge in the lyfe to come. Nether are they without comforte here in this worlde, for Chryſt hathe promyſed to ſende them a comfortour to be with them for euer euen the ſpirite of truthe whiche the worlde knoweth not. Iohn. xiiii, And they reioyſe in hope (of the comforte to come) Roma. xii.
And they ouercome thorowe we faythe / as it is wrytten Hebre. xi. the ſaynctes thorowe faythe ouercame kyngedomes and obtayned the promyſes.Fayth is our victory And .1. Io. v. thys is the vyctory that ouer cometh the world, euen our fayth. But the blynd world nether ſeyth our comfort nor our truſte in God, nor how god thorowe faythe in his worde, helpeth vsus and maketh vsus ouercome.
Howe ouercome they (wylt thou ſaye) that be all wayes perſecuted and euer ſlayne? verely in eueryevery batayle ſomme of them that wynne the felde / be ſlayne, yet they leue the vyctorye vntounto theyr deare frendes for whoſe ſakes they toke the fyghte vponupon them / and therfore are conqueroures, ſeynge they obtayne theyr purpoſe and maynteyne that they foughte for. The curſed ryche of thys worlde whiche hauehave theyr ioy and comforte in theyr ryches / hauehave ſence the begynnynge foughte agaynſte them / to wede them out of the worlde. But yet in vayne. For thoughe they hauehave all wayes ſlayne ſomme yet thoſe that were ſlayne / wanne the vyctorye for theyr brethern with theyr deathe / and euer encreaſed the number of them. And thoughe they ſemed to dye in the ſyght of the folyſſhe / yet they are in peace and hauehave obtayned that euerlaſtynge kyngdome for whiche they fought. And beſide all this whē God plageth the world for theyr ſynne / The mourners for ryghtwyſnes are ſaued w… God taketh vengeaunce on the vnright wyſe.theſe that mourne and ſorowe are marked with the ſygne of Thau in theyr fore heddes and ſaued from the plage / that they peryſhe not with the wycked / as thou ſeeſte Ezechiel. 9. and as lot was delyuered from amonge the Sodomytes.
And contrary wyſe / curſed are they that laugh nowe, that is to ſay / which hauehave theyr ioy, ſolaſe and comforte in theyr ryches / for they ſhall ſorowe and wepe / Luke. 6. And as it was anſwered the ryche man, Luke. 16. ſonne remember howe that thou receauedeſt thy good dayes in thy lyfe tyme, and Lazarus lykewyſe euell▪
And therfore is he comforted and thou tormented.
Bleſſed are the meke, for they ſhall enheryte the erthe.
Mekenes poſſeſſeth the erthe.By the erthe vnderſtande all that we poſſeſſe in thys world, whiche al god wyl kepe for vsus yf we be ſofte and meke. And what ſo euer trouble ariſe, yet if we wylbe pacient and abyde, the ende wyll go on our ſyde, as it is wrytten in the xxxvi. Pſal. the wycked ſhalbe weded out, but they that abyde the lordes layſer, ſhall enherete the erthe. And agayne, with in a whyle the wicked ſhalbe gone, thou ſhalt behold the place where he was and he ſhalbe away / but the meke or ſofte ſhal enheryte the erthe. Euen as we ſay / be ſtyl and hauehave thy wyl / and of lytle medlynge cometh moche reſte / for a pacyent man ſhal were out all hys enemyes.
It is impoſſyble to dwelle in any place where no dylpleſure ſhoulde be done the▪ If it be done vnwyllyngly / as when thy neyghbours beaſtes breke into thy corne by ſome chaunce agaynſte hys wyll. then it is reaſon that thou be ſofte and forgeue. If it be done of malyce and ſelffe wyll / then with reuengynge thou doeſt but with poderynge in the fyere make the flame greter / and geueſt an occaſyon of more euell to be done the. If any man rayle on the and rebuke the / anſwere not agayne / and the hete of hys malyce ſhal dye in it ſelfe and goo out ymmedyatly / as fyer dothe when no more wode is layde theron. If the wronge that is done / be greater then thou arte able to beare / truſte in God and complayne with all mekenes vntounto the offycer that is ſet of God to forbyd ſuche vyolence, And yf the gentylmen that dwelle about the / be tyrauntes / be ready to helpe to fet home theyr wode / to plowe theyr lande / to brynge in theyr herueſt and ſo forthe / and let thy wyfe vyſet my Ladye nowe and then with a cople of hennes or a fat capon and ſuche lyke / and then thou ſhalt poſſeſſe al the remmanaunt in reſte… or els one quarel or other may be pycked to the, to make the quyte of all togyther.
Choſe whether thou wylte with ſoftnes and ſofferynge hauehave God on thy ſyde / euer to ſaue the and to gyue the euer ynoughe / and to hauehave a good conſcience and peace on the erthe / or with furyouſneſſe and ympacyency to hauehave God agaynſte the and to be polled a lytle and lytle of altogether / and to hauehave an euell conſcyence and neuer reſte on the erthe, and to hauehave thy dayes ſhortened therto, God hathe promyſed if thou he meke and ſoft, and ſoffer a lytle perſecucyon to geue the not onelyonly the lyfe to come / Hundred folde.but alſo an hundred folde here in this lyfe, that is to ſay to geue the hys owne ſelfe and to be thy protector and to minyſter the euer ynough, whiche may of right be called an hundred folde, and that is a treaſure paſſynge the treaſure of al prynces.
Fynally Chryſte teacheth here howe eueryevery man muſte lyue for hym ſelfe amonge them to whom he is a neyghboure / The pryuat perſon.and in pryuat matters duplicate page duplicate page in whiche he is but as a neyboure (thoughe he be a kynge) and in whiche thou canſte not be to ſofte But and yf thou be an offycer / may not aduenge But the officer muſte.then thou muſt be good, kynde and mercyful, but not a mylkeſoppe and neegligent, As to whom thou art a father, them muſte thou rule and make obay and that with ſharpenes. if ſoftenes wyll not be harde, and ſo in all other offyces.
Bleſſed are they that honger and thyrſte for ryghtwyſneſſe, for they ſhalbe fulfylled.
Ryghtwyſnes.Ryghteouſnes in thys place is not taken for the pryncypall ryghtuouſnes of a chryſten man thorowe which the perſon is good and accepted before God. For theſe .viii. poyntes are but doctryne of the frutes and workes of a chryſten man before whiche the faythe muſte be there, to make ryghteous without all deſeruynge of workes and as a tre out of which al ſuche frutes and workes muſte ſprynge. wherfore vnderſtande here the outwarde ryghteouſnes before the worlde and true and faythful dealynge eche with other / and iuſte executynge of the offyces of all maner degrees / and meke obedyence of all that are vnderunder power / So that the meanynge is / happy are they whiche not onelyonly do theyr dutyes to all men, but alſo ſtudye and helpe to the vttermoſte of theyr power with worde, deade, councel and exortynge, that all other deale trulye alſo aceordynge to the degre that eueryevery man beareth in the wolde, & be as deſyerous to further good order order and ryghtuous dealynge, as the hongrye and thyrſty be deſyrous to eate and drynke.
And not that it is not for naught that he ſayth hongre and thurſt. For excepte thy ſoule hongre and thyrſte for thys ryghteuoſnes of her newe nature, as the bodye dothe for meate and drynke of hys olde nature, the deuell and the chyldren of thys worlde (whiche can not ſoffer that a man ether deale truly hym ſelfe or helpe other) wyll ſo reſyſte the,Monke. plage the and ſo wery the, that thou haddeſte leuer of very myſtruſte and deſperacion that ought ſhulde be better,Monkes. why they ronne into relygyon. forſake al and make thy ſelfe a monke or a fryer, ye and to ronne into a ſtraunge contrey and leue all thy frēdes, then to abyde in the world, and to let it choſe whether it wyl ſynke or ſwyme.
But to comforte vsus, that we faynte not or be wery of wel doynge, Chryſte promyſeth that all that hauehave thys thruſte and hongre, ſhall hauehave theyr luſt ſatyſfied, and be trāſlated into a kyngdome, where none vnryghtwyſnes is, be ſydes yt thou ſhalt here and ſe at lēgth many come to the ryghtway and helpe with the, and many thynges that cannot be al together mēded, yet ſomewhat better & more tolerable ſo that all ryghtwyſnes ſhal not be quenched.
And contrary wyſe curſed be all they that are full, as Luke in the .vi.Luc. vi. ſaythe … that is to ſaye they pocrytes whiche to auoyde all laboure, ſo rowe, care, comberaunce and,Monkes be curſed. ſofferynge with theyr bretheren, get them to dennes to lyue at reſt and to fyll theyr belyes, the wealth of other duplicate page duplicate page men not regarded. No, it were a grefe to them that other were better, that they alone maye be taken for holye, and that who ſo euer wyl to heuen muſt bye it of them, ye they be ſo ful, that they compare them ſelues to other poore ſynners and lo… as narowly on them as the phareſeye dyd on the publycane, thankynge God that he alone was good, and the other euell. Curſed are they yet for al their fulnes, for they ſhal honger with euerlaſtynge honger where none ſhall geue them to eate, nor they hauehave any refreſſhynge of theyr paynes.