Exposition Upon Matthew 27(1), Matthew 5 · Verse 14
The ryghteouſnes of pharyſeys.For I ſay vntounto you / except your ryghtwyſnes excede ye ryghtwyſnes of the ſcrybes and pharyſeys / ye can not enter into the kyngdome of heuen.
The ryghtwyſnes of the ſcrybes and pharyſeys can not enter into the kyngdome of heuen the kyngdome of heuen is the true knowledge of God and Chryſte / ergo the ryghtwyſnes of the Scrybes and Pharyſeys neyther knowethe God nor Chryſte. He that is wyllynge to obay the wyll of God / vnderſtandeth the doctryne of Chryſte / as it is proued aboue / the ſcrybes and the phariſeys vnderſtand not the doctryne of Chryſte / ergo they hauehave no wyll nor luſte to obaye the wyll of God. To obaye the wyll of God, is to ſeke the glory of God (for the glorye of a mayſter is the meke obedyence of hys ſeruauntes, the glorye of a Prynce is the vmble obedyence of hys ſubiectes, the glory of a huſbande is the chaſte obedyence of hys wyfe / the glorye of a father is the louynge obedyence of hys chyldren) the ſcrybes and the pharyſeys hauehave no luſt to obay the wyl of God,Glorye. H… that ſeketh hys owne glory teacheth his owne doctryne / and not his maſters ergo, they ſeke not the glorye of God. Furthermore the ſcrybes and pharyſeys ſeke theyr owne glory / they that ſeke theyr owne glory, preache theyr owne doctryne, ergo, the ſcrybes and pharyſes preache theyr owne doctryne. The maior thou haſt. Math. xxiii. the ſcrybes and pharyſeys do all theyr workes to be ſene of men / they louelove to ſytte vppermoſte at feaſtes and to hauehave the chefe ſeates in the Synagoges, and ſalutacions in the open markettes, and to be called Raby. And the mynor foloweth the texte aboue reherſed Iho. vii. he that ſpeketh of hym ſelfe or of hys owne heed, ſeketh hys owne glorye / that is to ſaye, he that preacheth hys owne doctryne is euer knowen by ſekynge hys owne glory, ſo that it is a generall rule to knowe that a man preacheth hys owne doctryne / yf he ſeke hys owne glorye. Some man wyll happely ſay, the ſcrybes and pharyſeys had no other lawe then Moſes and the prophetes nor any other ſcrypture, and groūded theyr ſayenges theron. That is truthe, howe then preached they theyr owne doctryne? verely it foloweth in the ſayd, vii. of Iho.Glorye He that ſeketh hys owne glory altereth his maſters meſſage. He that ſeketh tbe glorye of hym that ſent him ye ſame is true and there is no vnryghtwyſnes ī him, that is to ſay, he wyl do his mayſters meſſage truly and not alter it, where contraryewyſe he yt ſeketh his owne glory wyl be falſe (when he is ſēt) and wyl after his maſters meſſage, to turne his mayſters glory vntounto his owne ſelfe. Euen ſo dyd the ſcrybes and pharyſeys alter the word of God for theyr owne profyte and glorye.worde. gods word altered is not his. worde. And when Godes word is altered with falſe gloſes, it is no more Gods word. As when God ſayth, louelove thy neyghbour and thou putteſt to thy leūe and ſayeſt, yf my neyghbour do me no hurte nor ſaye me anye. I am bound… to louelove hym, but not to gyue hym at hys nead… my gooddes whiche I hauehave gotten with my ſore labour. Nowe is thys thy lawe and not Goddes. Goddes lawe is pure and ſingle, louelove thy neyghboure whether he be good or bad.To louelove is to helpe at nede. Prayer. The prayer of Monkes robbeth & helpeth not. And by louelove God meanethe, to helpe at neade. Nowe when God byddeth the to gette thy lyuynge and ſome what ouer to helpe hym that can not, or at atyme hathe not wherwith to helpe hym ſelfe, yf thou and .xxx. or .xl. with the gette you to wylderneſſe / and not onelye helpe not youre neyghboures but alſo robbe a greate number of two or thre thouſande pounde verelye, howe louelove ye your neyghboures? Suche men helpe the worlde with prayer, thou wylte ſaye to me. Thou were better to ſaye, they robbe the worlde with theyr ypocreſye, ſaye I to the▪ and it is truthe in dede, that they ſo do. For yf I ſtycke vppe to the myddle in the myer lyke to peryſhe with out preſent helpe, and thou ſtonde by and wylt not ſocoure me, but knel…ſte downe and prayeſte, wyll God here the prayers of ſuche an ypocryte? God byddeth the ſo to louelove me that thou put thy ſelfe in ioperdye to helpe me. and that thyne hart… whyle the bodye labourethe do praye and truſt… in God, that he wyll aſſyſte the. and throughe th… to ſaue me. An ypocryte that wyll put neyther bodye nor goddes in parell for to helpe me … my neade, louethe me not nether hathe compaſſyon on me, and therfore his harte can not praye thoughe he wagge hys lyppes neuer ſo muche. It is wryten, Iohan. ix. If a man be a worſhypper of God and do hys wyll (whiche is the true worſhype) hym God herethe, Nowe the wyl of God is / that we louelove one another to helpe at nede. And ſuche louers he hereth and not ſottle ypocrytes.LoueLove prayeth. As louelove maketh the helpe me at my nede, ſo when it is paſte thy power to helpe, it maketh the praye to God, Euen ſo where is no louelove to make the take bodely payne with me. there is no louelove that maketh the praye for me. But thy prayer is in dede for thy belye whiche thou loueſte.
what were the ſcrybes and pharyſeys?Scrybes & Pharyſeys what they were. The ſcrybes beſydes that they were pharyſeys (as I ſuppoſe) were alſo offycers, as are our byſſhopes / Chauncelers / Comyſſaryes / Archedeacones, and offycyalles. And the phariſeys were relygyouſe men whiche hade profeſſed, not as nowe, one Dominycke the other fraunces, another Barnardes rules. But euen to hold the very lawe of God / with prayer / faſtynge / and almes dede / and were the flowre and perfectyon of all the Iewes, as S. Paule reioyſeth of hym ſelfe philippen. 3. ſaynge I was an Ebrue and concernynge the lawe a pharyſe, and concernynge the ryghtwyſnes of the lawe I was fautles. They were more honorable then any ſecte of Mōkes with vsus. whether obſeruaūt or Ancre or what ſo euer other be had in pryce.
They myght moche better hauehave reioyſed toThe pharyſes myght better hauehave proued thē ſelues the true chyrch then our ſpyritualty maye. hauehave ben the true churche and to hauehave had the ſpyryte of God, and that they coulde not hauehave erred they men whome all the worlde ſeeth / neyther to kepe Godes lawes nor mannes, nor yet yt deuelyſhe lawe of theyr owne makyng. For God hathe made thē of the olde teſtament as great promyſes / that he wold be theyr God and that his ſpiryte and al grace ſhuld be with thē, yf they kepte his lawe, as he hathe made to vsus, Nowe ſeing they kepe the vttermoſt rote of the lawe in the ſyghte of the worlde and were fautles,The promyſes are made vponupon the profeſ. ſyon of the keping the law of God ſo that the church that wyl not kepe Goddes lawe hathe no promiſe yt they can not erre. and ſeynge therto that God hathe promyſed neyther vsus nor them oughte at al / but vponupon ye profeſſyon of kepyng his lawes, whether were more like to be the ryght church and to be taughte of the ſpyryte of God and they coulde not erre / thoſe pharyſeys and oures? Myght not the general councelles of thoſe, and the thynges there decreed with out ſcrypture ſeme to be of as great actoryte as the generall councelles of oures and the thynges there ordayned and decreed bothe clene with out and alſo agaynſte Godes worde? Myght not the ceremonyes whiche thoſe hade adyde to the ceremonyes of Moſes, ſeme to be as holy & as wel to pleſe God, as the ceremonyes of oures. The thynges whiche they added to the ceremonyes of Moyſes, were of the ſame kynde as thoſe ceremonyes were / and no more to be rebuked then the ceremonyes of Moyſes. As for as enſāple yf Moyſes bade waſhe a table or a dyſhe when an vnclene worme had crepte theron, the pharyſeys dyde waſhe the table with a wete cloute before eueryevery refection, leſte any vnclene thynge hade touched them vnwares to all men, as we put vntounto our tythes a mortuarye for all forgotten tythes.The wyckednes of the Pharyſeys what it was. what was then the wyckednes of the pharyſeys? verely the leuen of theyr gloſes to the morall lawes, by whiche they corrupte the commaundemētes and made them no more Godes, and theyr falſe fayth in the ceremones that ye bare worke was a ſacrefyce and a ſeruyce to God, the ſygnyfycacyons loſt and the opinyon of falſe ryghtwyſnes in theyr prayers faſtynge and almos dedes, that ſuch workes dyd iuſtefy a man before god, and not that God forgeueth ſyn of his mere mercy, yf a man beleue, repent and promiſe to do his vttermoſt to ſynne no more.
when theſe thus ſate in the hertes of the people, with the opynyon of vertue, holynes,Preacher why the true preacher is accuſed of treſō and hereſy. and ryghtwyſnes, and theyr lawe the lawe of God theyr workes, workes comaūded by God and confyrmed by all hys prophetes, as prayer, faſtynge and almoſe dede, and they loked vponupon as the chyrche of God that could not erre, and fynally they thē ſelues ether eueryevery where were the chefe rulers or ſo ſate in the hartes of the rulers, that theyr worde was beleued to be the worde of God.
what other thynge coulde it be, to preache agaynſte all ſuche and to condemne theyr ryghtwyſneſſe for the mooſte damnable ſynne that can be, than to ſeme to goo aboute to deſtroye the lawe and the prophetes? what other thynge can ſuch a precher ſeme to be before ye duplicate page duplicate page blynde worlde / then heretycke / ſcyſmatycke / ſedicyous / Ypocryſy why ypocryſy muſte be fyrſt rebuked thoughe it be ieoꝑdy to preache agaynſte it.poſſeſſed with the deuel and worthy of ſhame moſte vyle and deth moſte cruel? And yet theſe muſt be fyrſterebuked and theyr falſe ryghtwyſnes detecte, yer thou mayſte preache agaynſte open ſynners.
Or els yf thou ſhuldeſt conuerte an open ſenner from hys euell lyuynge, thou ſhuldeſte make hym nyne hundred tymes worſe then before. For he wolde attonce be one of theſe ſorte / euen an obſeruaunt or of ſome lyke ſecte of whiche amonge an hundred thouſande, thou ſhalte neuer brynge one to beleue in Chryſte, where among open ſynners many beleue at the houre of dethe, fal flat vponupon Chryſt and beleue in hym onelyonly without all other ryghtwyſnes. It were an hundred thouſand tymes better neuer to pray, then to praye ſoche lyppe prayers and neuer to faſt or do almes then to faſte and to do almes with a mynde therby to be made ryghtuous / and to make ſatyſfaccyon for the fore ſynnes.