Exposition Upon Matthew 27(1), Matthew 5 · Verse 15 – Verse 16
Ye hauehave harde howe that it was ſayde to them of olde tyme / kyl not / for who ſo euer kelleth ſhall be in daunger of iudgement. But I ſay vntounto you / who ſoo euer is angrye with his brother / ſhall be in daunger of iudgement. And whoſoeuer ſaye vntounto his brother Racha / ſhall be in daunger of a councell. But whoſouer ſay to his brother / thou fole / ſhalbe in daunger of hell fyre.The lawe is reſtored.
Here Chryſte begynneth, not to deſtroy the lawe (as the pharyſeys had falſly accuſed hym) but to reſtore it agayne to the ryght vnderſtandynge and to purge it from the gloſes of the pharyſeys. He that ſleyeth ſhall be gyltye or in daunger of iudgement / that is to ſay / yf a man murther, hys dede teſtefyeth agaynſt hym, there is no more to do / then to pronounce ſentence of dethe agaynſt hym. This texte dyd the pharyſeys, extende no further then to kyll with the hande and outwarde members, But hate / enuye / malyce / churlyſhneſſe and to withdrawe helpe at neade, to begyle and cyrcumuent with wyles and ſottle bergenynge, was no ſynne at all, No, to brynge hym home, thou hatedeſt to dethe with crafte and falſhed, ſo thou dyddeſte not put thyne hande therto / was no ſynne at al. As when they had brought Chryſte to dethe wrongefully and compelled Pylate with ſotteltye to ſleye hym / they thoughte them ſelues pure. In ſo moche that they wolde not go into the hall for defylynge them ſelues and beynge partakers with Pylate in his bloud. And Ac. 5 they ſayd to the Apoſtles, ye wolde bryng this mannes bloude vponupon vsus / as who wolde ſaye, we ſlue hym not. And Saul in the fyrſte boke of the Kynges in the .xviii. Cha▪ beinge ſo wrothe with Dauid, that he wold gladly hauehave had him ſlayne determyned yet that he wold not defyle hym ſelfe, but to thruſt hym into the handes of Phylyſtynes, that they myght ſley hym, and he hym ſelfe abyde pure.
And as our ſpyrytualtye nowe offer a man mercy / once thoughe ye hauehave ſpoken agaynſte holy chyrche / onelyonly yf he wyll but periure and bere a fagot. But yf he wyll not, they do but dyote hym a ſeaſon / to wynne hym and make hym tell more, and then delyuer hym to the lay power ſayenge, he hathe deſerued the dethe by our lawes and ye ought to kyll hym / howe be it we deſerc it not.
¶ But Chryſte reſtoreth the lawe agayne and ſayeth / to be angry with thy neyghboure to ſle hym and to deſerue dethe. For the lawe goeth as wel on the harte as on the hande, He that hateth his brother is a mutherar .i. Io. 3. If then the blynd hande deſerue dethe howe moche more thoſe partes which hauehave the ſyght of reſon. And he that ſayeth Racha / Racha.lewde or what ſo euer ſygne of wrath it be, or yt prouoketh to wrath▪ hath not only deſerued that men ſhuld immedyatly pronounce ſentence of deth vponupon hym, but alſo yt when deth is pronoūced, they ſhuld gather a councel / to decre what horryble dethe he ſhuld ſuffer. And he that calleth hys brother fole / hathe ſynned downe to hel.
how a man may be angrye without ſīnyngShal then a man not be angry at al nor rebuke or ponyſhe? yes yf thou be a father or a mother / mayſter / mayſtreſſe / huſbande / lorde / or ruler / yet with louelove and mercye / that the anger / rebuke / or ponyſhmente excede not the faute or treſpas. Maye a man be angrye with louelove? ye, mothers can be ſo with theyr chyldrē It is a louinge anger that hateth onelyonly the vyce and ſtudyeth to mende the perſone. But here is forboden not only wrath agaynſte father / mother / and all that hauehave gouernaunce ouer the / whiche is to be angry and to grudge agaynſte God hym ſelfe / and that the ruler ſhall not be wrath without a cauſe agaynſt the ſubiecte. But alſo al pryuate wrathe agaynſt thy neyghbour ouer whome thou haſte no rule nor he ouer the, no though he do the wronge. For he that do the wronge lacketh wytte and dyſcrecyon and can not amende tyll he be informed and taught louyngly. Therfore thou muſt refrayne thy wrath and tell hym hys faute louyngly and with kyndenes wyn him to thy father / for he is thy brother as wel made and as dere bought as thou / and as wel beloued, though he be yet chyldyſhe and lacke dyſcrecyon.
But ſome wyl ſay, I wyl not hate my neyghboure / nor yet louelove hym / or do hym good.LoueLove is the kepyng of the lawe. yes thou muſt louelove hym for the fyrſt cōmaundemēt out of which all other flowe, is, thou ſhalt louelove the lorde thy God with all thyne harte / with all thy ſoule / and with all thy myght. That is / thou muſt kepe all his commaundementes with louelove. LoueLove muſt kepe ye fro killyng or hurting thy neyboure and frō couetynge in thyne harte what ſo euer is his. And .1. Ioh. 4. Thys commaundement hauehave we of hym / that he whiche loueth God, louelove his brother alſo. And agayne 1. Iohan. iii. he that hathe ſubſtaunce of thys worlde and ſee hys brother hauehave neceſſyte, and ſhutteth vp hys compaſſyon from him, howe is the louelove of God in hym? he then that helpe the not at neade louethe not God, but breketh the fyrſte commaundement. Let vsus louelove therfore ſayth ſaynte Io, not with worde and tonge, but in the dede and of a truthe. And agayne ſaynte Iohā ſayd in the ſayd place / he that loueth not hys brother by deth yet ſtyll in dethe. And of louelove hath Moyſes textes ynoughe. But the pharyſeys gloſed them out, ſayenge they were but good councelles yf a man deſyred to be perfecte / but not preceptes. Exodi. xxiii. yf thou mete thyne enemyes oxe or aſſe goynge a ſtraye thou ſhalte in any wyſe brynge them to hym agayne. And yf thou ſe thyne enemyes aſſe falle downe vnderunder his burthen / thou ſhalt helpe him vp agayne. And Leuyti, xix. thou ſhalt not hate thy brother in thyne hart / but ſhalt in any wyſe rebuke thy neyghboure,Synners he yt helpeth not to men…de ſynners muſte ſuffer with them when they be ponyſhed. that thou beare no ſyn for hys ſake. For yf thou ſtudye not to amende thy neyghboure when he ſynneth, ſo art thou partaker of hys ſynnes. And therfore whē God taketh vengeaunce and ſendeth what ſoo euer plage it be, to ponyſhe open ſinners, thou muſt peryſhe with them. For thou dydeſt ſynne in the ſyght of God as depe as they / becauſe thou dydeſt not louelove the lawe of God to maynteyne it with all thyne harte, ſoule / power and myght. Is not he that ſeeth hys nyghboures hous in ieoperdye to be ſette on fyer and warneth not, nor helpeth in tyme, to auoyde the parell, worthy yf his neyghboures hous be brent vp, that hys be brent alſo / ſeynge it was in hys power to hauehave kepte all out of ieoperdy, yf he had wolde / as he wolde no doute yf he had loued hys neyghboure? Euen ſo when God ſendeth a generall peſtylence or warre to thy cytye / to ponyſhe the ſynne therof / arte not thou worthy that thyne houſe ſhulde be infected or peryſhe, yf thou myghteſt hauehave kepte it frō ſynnynge, and thou haddeſt ben wyllynge therto? But yf thou do thy beſte to further the lawe of God and to kepe thy land or neyghboures frō ſynnyng againſt God, thē (though it pelpe not) thou ſhalte bere no ſynne for theyr ſakes when they be ponyſhed. He therfore that loueth the lawe of God, may be bolde in tyme of peſtylence and all ieoperdy to beleue in God. And agayne in the ſame place thou ſhalt not auenge thy ſelfe nor beare hate in mynde agaynſte the chyldren of thy people. But ſhall louelove thy felowe as thy ſelfe, I am the lorde. As who ſhuld ſay, for my ſake ſhalt thou do it. And Deuteronomy .10. The lorde your God. is the God of Goddes and lorde of lordes, a greate God / myghty and terryble, which regardeth no mannes perſone or degree or taketh gyftes. But doth ryghte to the fatherleſſe and the wydowe, and loueth the ſtaunger, to gyue hym rayment and fode / louelove therfore the ſtraunger / for ye were ſtraungers in the lande of Egypt. And Leuytycum, .xix. yf a ſtraunger ſoiourne by the, in your lande, ſe that ye vexe hym not. But let the ſtraunger that dwelleth amonge you, be as one of your ſelfes, and louelove hym as thy ſelfe. For ye were ſtraungers in the lande of Egypt / I am the lorde. As who ſhulde ſaye, louelove him for my ſake.Hate when a man may hate hys neyghbour Notwithſtandynge when thy neyghboure hathe ſhewed the more vnkyndenes then God hath louelove / then mayſte thou hate hym / and not before. But muſte louelove hym for Goddes ſake / tyll he fyght agaynſte God to deſtroy the name and glorye of God.
Therfore when thou offereſt thy gyfte at the alter / and there remembreſte that thy brother hathe ought agaynſte the / leaue there thy gyfte before the alter / and go fyrſt and reconſyle thy ſelfe vntounto thy brother / and then come and offer thy ſelfe. Agree with thyne aduerſarye attonce / whyle thou arte in the waye with hym / leaſte thyne aduerſarye delyuer the to the iudge / and the iudge delyuer the to the mynyſter / and thou be caſte into pryſon. Verely I ſaye vntounto the / thou ſhalt not com out thence / tyl thou hauehave payd the vttermoſt farthynge.
This texte with the ſimilitude is ſomewhat ſotle / and byndeth both hym that hathe offended to reconſyle him ſelfe as moch as in him is and hym that is offended to forgeue and be attone.Offeringes or ſacrefyces what they mente The offerynges were ſygnes and dyd certefye a man that God was at one with hym and was hys frende and loued hym. For the fat of beaſtes was offered and wine therto, as though God had ſate and eate and dronke with them, and the reſt they and theyr huſholdes dyd eate before god / as though they had eate & dronke with God, and were commaunded to be mery and to make good chere / full certefyed that God was at one with them and had forgote all olde offences, & nowe loued thē / that he wold fulfyl all his promyſes of mercy with them.
Nowe wyl God receyue no ſacrefyce / that is to wyte / neyther forgeue or fulfyll any of hys promyſes, eycept we be fyrſt reconcyled vntounto our brethren / whether we hauehave offended or be offended. In the Chapyter folowynge thou redeſt ye forgeue, your father ſhal forgeue you And Oſia, 6. I louelove mercy & not ſacrefyce and the knowledge of God more then I do burnt offerynges / that is to ſaye / the knoweledge of the poyntementes made betwene God and vsus what he wyl hauehave vsus to do fyrſt, and then what he wyl do for vsus agayne. And Eſaias. 58. God refuſed faſtynge and ponyſhynge of the body that was coupled with crudelyte / & ſayth that he deſyred no ſuche faſt, But ſayth thys faſte requyre I, that ye be mercyfull and forgeue, and clothe the naked and fede the hungry. &c. Then cal (ſayth he) and ye lord ſhal anſwere, cry, and he ſhall ſaye, ſee, here I am.
And that ſymylytude wyl, that as a man here yf he wyl no otherwyſe agre / he muſt ſuffer the extremite of the lawe, yf he be brought afore a iudge (for the iudge hath no power to forgeue or to remyte, but to cōdemne hym in the vtmoſt of the lawe) euen ſo / yf we wyll not forgeue one another here, we ſhall hauehave iudgement of God, without mercy.
And that ſome make purgatory of the laſt farthynge,Laſte ferthynge. they ſhewe theyr depe ignoraunce. For fyrſt no ſymylytude holdeth eueryevery worde and ſyllable of ye ſimilitude, furthermore whē they dyſpute / tyll he paye the laſte ferthynge, ergo he ſhal paye. But not in hell, ergo in purgatory. A wyſe reſon. Ioſeph knewe not Marye tyll ſhe had borne her fyrſt ſonne, ergo ſhe bare the ſeconde or he knewe her after, I wyll not forgeue the tyll I be dede or whyle I leue▪ ergo I wyll do it after my dethe / and a thouſande lyke.