Exposition Upon Matthew 27(1), Matthew 5 · Verse 11
Ye are the lyght of the worlde. A cytie that lyeth on a hyl can nat be hyd / neyther do men lyght a candel and put it vnderunder a buſhell / but on a cādelſtyke / and alſo geueth it lyght to all that are in the houſe. Lette youre lyght ſo ſhyne before men / that they ſee youre good workes / and prayſe youre father that is in heuen.
Chriſt goeth forthe and deſcribeth the offyce of an apoſtle and true preacher by another lykeneſſe callynge them as before the ſalte of the erthe. Euen ſo here the lyght of the worlde / ſygnyfyenge therby that all the doctryne / all the wyſdome and hye knoweledge of the worlde / whether it were phyloſophye of naturall concluſyons, of maners and vertue, or of lawes of ryghtuouſnes, whether it were of the hole ſcrypture and of God hym ſelfe / was yet but a darckenes,Darkenes …ll know…edge is …arckenes …ntyll the …nowlege …f Chriſtes …loude ſhe …lyng be in …he harte. vntyll the doctryne of hys Apoſtles came That is to ſaye, vntyll the knowledge of Chryſte came / howe that he is the ſacrefyce for our ſynnes / our ſatyſfaccyon / our peace / attonement and redempcyon / our lyfe therto and reſurreccyon, what ſoeuer holyneſſe / wyſdome vertue / perfectneſſe or ryghtwyſnes in the worlde amonge men, howe ſo euer perfecte and holye they appere / yet is all damnable darckenes / except the right knowledge of Chryſtes bloude be there fyrſte / to iuſtefye the harte before all other holynes.
Another concluſyon. As a cetye buylt on a hyl can not be hyd / no more can the lyght of Chryſtes goſpel. Let the world rage as moche as they wyll / yet it wyl ſhyne on theyr ſore eyes whether they be content or no.
Another concluſyon as men lyght not a candell to whelme it vnderunder a buſhell / but to put it on a candelſtycke to lyght al that are in the hous euen ſo the lyght of Chryſtes goſpell maye not be hyde nor make a ſeuerall thynge, as thoughe it pertaynethe to ſome certayne holye perſons onelye. Naye it is the lyght of the whole worlde and pertaynethe to all men / and therfore maye not be made ſeuerall. It is a madneſſe that dyuerſe men ſay / Laye. The laye ought to hauehave the goſpellthe lay people maye not knowe it / excepte they can proue that the laye people be not of the worlde. Moreouer it wyll not be hyde / but as the lyghtenynge that breakyth out of the cloudes / ſhynethe ouer all / euen ſo dothe the goſpell of Chryſte. For where it is truely receyued, there it purefyeth the harte and makethe the parſon to conſente to the lawes of God and to begynne a newe and a Godlye lyuynge, facyoned after godes lawes and without all dyſſymulacyon.Goſpell The propertye of the goſpel And then it wyll kyndle ſo greate louelove in hym towarde hys neyghboure, that he ſhall not onelyonly hauehave compaſſyon on hym in hys bodely aduerſyte / but moche more petye hym ouer the blyndnes of hys ſoule and to mynyſter to hym Chryſtes goſpell / Goſpell. The true goſpell not hyd in dennes.wherfore yf they ſay, it is here or there, in ſaint Fraunces cote or Domynykes and ſuche lyke, and that yf thou thou wylt put on that cote / thou ſhalt fynde it there / it is falſe. For yf it were there / thou ſhuldeſte ſe it ſhyne abrode de thoughe thou crepeſte not into a ſel or a monkes coulle / as thou ſeeſt lyghtenyng without crepyng into the cloudes ye theyr lyght wolde ſo ſhyne / that men ſhuld not onelyonly le the lyght of the goſpell / but alſo theyr good workes / which wolde as faſt come out / as they nowe ronne in. In ſo moche that thou ſhuldeſt ſe them make themſelfes pore to helpe other / as they nowe make other pore / to make them ſelues ryche.
Kynges. ought to be learned.This lyght and ſalte partayned not then to the Apoſtles and nowe to our byſhoppes and ſpiritualty onelyonly. No it pertayneth to the temporal men alſo. For all kynges and all rulers are bound to be ſalt and lyght not onelyonly in exſample of lyuyng, but alſo in teachyng of doctryne vntounto theyr ſubiectes, as well as they be bounde to punyſhe euell doers. Dothe not the ſcrypture teſtefye that kynge Dauyd was choſen to be a ſheparde and to feade hys people with Godes worde. It is an euel ſkole mayſter that can nought ſaue bete only. But it is a good ſkole maſter that ſo teacheth that fewe nede be beaten. This ſalt and lyght therfore pertayne to the temporalty alſo, and that to eueryevery member of Chryſtes church / ſo that eueryevery mā ought to be ſalt and lyght to other.
The order howe eueryevery man maye.EueryEvery man then may be a comen preacher thou wylt ſay / and preache eueryevery where by his owne auctoryte, Nay verely, No man maye yet be a comen preacher ſaue he that is called and choſen therto by the comen ordynaunce of the cōgregacion,be a preacher, and howe not. as longe as the preacher teacheth the true worde of God. But eueryevery priuate man ought to be in vertuous lyuyng both lyght and ſalt to his neyghbour / in ſo moche that the poreſte ought to ſtryue to ouercome the byſhope and to preache to hym in enſample of lyuyng. Moreouer eueryevery man ought to preach in wordand deade vntounto his houſhold and to them that are vnderunder hys gouernaunce. &c. And thoughe no man may preache openly, ſaue he that hath the offyce commytted to hym, yet ought eueryevery man to endeuoure hym ſelfe, to be as well lerned as the preacher, as nye as it is poſſyble, And euerye man maye pryuatlye enforme hys neyghboure, ye and the preacher and byſhope to, yf neade be. For yf the preacher preache wronge, then maye any man what ſo euer he be rebuke hym, fyrſte pryuatlye and then (yf that helpe not) to complayne further. And when all is proued, accordynge to the order of charite / and yet none amendment had, then ought eueryevery man that can to reſyſt hym / and to ſtond by Chryſtes doctrine, and to ieoparde life and al for it. Loke on the olde enſamples and they ſhall teache the.
The goſpel hath a nother fredome with her then the temporall regyment. Thoughe eueryevery mannes body and goodes be vnderunder the kynge do he ryghte or wronge / yet is the auctoryte of Goddes worde free and aboue the kynge / ſoo that the worſte in the realme maye tell the kynge, if he do hym wronge, that he doth nought and other wyſe then God hathe commaunded hym, and ſo warne hym to auoyde the wrathe of God whiche is the pacyent aduenger of all vnryghtwyſnes. Maye I then and oughte alſo, to reſyſte father and mother and all temporall power with Goddes worde, whan they wrongefully do or commaunde that hurteth or kylleth the bodye, and hauehave I no power to reſyſte the Byſhoppe or Preacher that with falſe doctryne ſleyethe the ſoules for whiche my Mayſter and and lorde Chryſte hath ſhede hys bloude? Be we otherwyſe vnderunder our byſhopes then Chryſte and his apoſtles and al the prophetes were vnderunder the byſhoppes of the olde lawe? Naye verelye, and therfore maye we and alſo oughte to do as they dyd, and to anſwere as the apoſtles dyd. Act. 5. O Portet magis obedire deo quam bominibus. we muſte rather obaye God than men. In the goſpel euerye man is Chryſtes dyſcyple and a perſone for hym ſelfe to defende Chriſtes doctryne in his owne perſon. The faythe of the byſhoppe wyll not helpe me. nor the biſhopes kepyng the lawe is ſuffycyent for me. But I muſte beleue in Chryſt for the remyſſyon of al ſyn, for myne owne ſelfe and in myne owne perſon. No more is the byſhoppes or preachers defending Godes word ynough for me. But I muſte defende it in myne owne perſone and ieoperde lyfe and all theron when I ſenede and occaſyon.
I am bounde to gette worldlye ſubſtaunce for my ſelfe and for my houſholde with my iuſte laboure and ſome what more fore them that can not, to ſaue my neyghboures bodye. And am I not more bounde …o labour for Godes worde to hauehave therof in ſtore, to ſaue my neyghboures ſoule? And when is it ſo moche tyme to reſyſte with Goddes worde and to helpe, as when they whiche are beleued to mynyſter the true worde, do ſlee the ſoules with falſe doctryne, for couetouſnes ſake? He that is not readye to geue hys lyfe for the mayntenaunce of Ghryſtes doctryne agaynſt ypocrytes, with what ſo euer name or tytle they be dyſguyſed, the ſame is not worthy of Chryſte nor can be Chryſtes dyſcyple / by the verye wordes and teſtymonye of Chryſte. Neuertheles we muſte vſe wyſdome, pacyence, mekenes and a dyſcrete proces after the due order of charite in our defendyng ye word of God leſt whyle we go aboute to amende our prelates we make them worſe. But when we hauehave proued all that charyte bindeth vsus and yet in vayne, then we muſte come forthe openlye and rebuke theyr wykednes in the face of the world and ieoperde lyfe and all theron.