Exposition Upon Matthew 27(1), Matthew 5 · Verse 12 – Verse 13
Ye ſhall not thynke that I am come to dyſtroye the lawe or the prophetes / no I am not come to dyſtroye them / but to fulfyll them. For truely I ſaye vntounto you / tyll heauen and duplicate page duplicate page erthe peryſhe / there ſhall not one Iott or one tytle of the lawe ſcape / tyll all be fulfylled.
A lytle before Chryſt calleth hys dyſcyples the lyght of the worlde and the ſalt of the erthe and that becauſe of theyr doctryne / wherwith they ſhulde lyghten the blynde vnderſtandyng of man / and with true knoweledge dryue out the falſe openyons and ſophyſtycall perſuaſyons of natural reaſon, and deliuer the ſcrypture out of the captyuyte of falſe gloſes which the ypocrety ſhe phareſeys had patched therto and ſo out of the lyghte of true knowledge, to …ere vp a newe lyuynge. and to ſalt and ceaſon the corrupt maners of the olde blinde cōuerſacyon.Falſe doctryne cau…het euell workes. For where falſe doctryne / corrupt opynyons and ſophiſtycal gloſes raygne ī the wyt and vnderſtandynge / there is the lyuynge deuelyſhe in the ſyghte of God / howe ſo euer it appere in the ſyght of the blynde worlde. And on the other ſyde, where the doctryne is true & perfecte,True doctryne is the cauſe of good workes. there foloweth godly lyuynge of neceſſyte. For out of the inwarde beleue of the hart, floweth the outwarde cōuerſacyon of the mēbers. He that beleueth that he ought to louelove his enemy, ſhall neuer ceaſe fyghtynge agaynſt his owne ſelfe / tyl he hauehave weded all rancoure and malyce out of his hart, But he that beleueth it not / ſhall put a vyſure of ypocreſye on hys face, tyl he get oportunite to aduēge him ſelfe.
And here he beginneth to teache them to be that lyght and that ſalte of which he ſpake, and ſayth. Thoughe the ſcrybes and phareſes beare the people in hande, that all I do / is of the deuyll and accuſe me of breakynge the lawe and the prophetes (as they afterwarde rayled on the Apoſtles / that they draue the people from good workes, thoroughe preachyng the iuſtefyenge and ryghtwyſnes of faythe) yet ſe that ye my dyſcyples be not of that beleue. For heuen and erthe ſhall ſoner peryſhe, then one my nume or tytle of the lawe ſhulde be put out. I come not to deſtroye the lawe … but to repare it onelyonly, and to make it go vpryght where it halteth, and euē to make croked ſtrayte, & roughe ſmothe, as Iohan the Babtyſte doth in the wyldernes / and to teache the true vnderſtandynge of the lawe, without me the lawe cā not be fulfylled nor euer coulde. For thoughe the lawe were gyuen by Moyſes / yet grace & verite / Grace and truthe thoroughe Ieſus Chryſtethat is to ſay / the true vnderſtandinge and power to louelove it and louelove to fulfyll it / cometh and euer came thorough faythe in me.
I do but onelyonly wype awaye the fylthy and roten gloſes whiche the ſcrybes and the pharyſeys hauehave ſmared to the lawe and the prophetes and rebuke theyr dānable lyuyng whiche they hauehave facyoned / not after the lawe of God / but after theyr owne ſophiſtycall gloſes fayned to mocke out the lawe of God / and to begyle the whole worlde, & to lede thē in blyndnes, and that the ſcrybes and phareſeys falſly bely me / howe that I go aboute to deſtroye the lawe, and to ſette the people at a fleſhelye lyberte, and to make them fyrſte dyſobedyent and to deſpyce theyr ſpyrytuall prelates, & then to ryſe agaynſt the temporall rulers and to make all comune, and to gyue lycence to ſyn vnponyſhed, cometh onelye of pure malyce, hate, enuye and furyouſe impacyencye, that theyr vyſures are plucked frō theyr faces and their ypocreſy dyſcloſed. Howe be it what I teche and what my lernynge is concernynge the lawe, ye ſhall ſhortly here / and that in fewe wordes.
Who ſo euer breaketh one of theſe leaſte comaundementes and teache men ſo / ſhalbe called the leaſte in the kyngedome of heauen. But he that dothe them and teacheth them / the ſame ſhalbe great in the kyngdome of heuen.
who ſo euer ſtudye to deſtroy one of the commaundementes folowynge whiche are yet the leaſte and but chyldyſhe thynges in reſpecte of the perfecte doctryne that ſhall here after be ſhewed, and of the myſteryes yet hyde in Chryſte and teache other men euen ſo, in worde or enſample,Gloſes They that deſtroy the law of god with gloſes muſt be caſt out whether openly or vnderunder a coloure and thoroughe falſe gloſes of ypocreſye that ſame doctoure ſhall all they of the kyngedome of heuen abhorre and deſpyce, and caſte hym out of of theyr companye, as a ſethynge potte dothe caſte vp her fome and ſkome & purge her ſelfe. So faſte ſhall they of the kyngedome of heauen cleaue vntounto the pure lawe of God without all mennes gloſes.
But who ſo euer ſhall fyrſte fulfyl them hym ſelfe and then teache other, and ſette all hys ſtudye to the furtheraunce and mayntenyng of them that doctoure ſhall all they of the kyngedome of heuen hauehave in pryce, and folowe him and ſeke hym out as dothe the Egle her praye, and cleaue to hym as burres. For theſe commaundementes are but the verye lawe of Moyſes (the draffe of the phareſes gloſes, clenſed out) interpreted accordynge to the pure worde of God and as the open text compelleth to vnderſtande them, yf he loke dylygently theron.
The kyngdome of heuen take for the congregacyon or churche of Chryſte.The church And to be of the kyngedome of heuen, is to knowe God for our father, and Chryſte for our lorde and ſauyoure from all ſynne. And to enter in to thys kyngedome it is impoſſyble, excepte the harte of man be to kepe the commaundementes of God pure lye, as it is wrytten. Iohan. 7.Lawet Excepte a man louelove gods lawe he can not vnderſtand ye doctrine of Chryſte. yf any man wyll obaye hys wyll, that is to ſaye, the wyl of the father that ſent me (ſaythe Chryſte) he ſhall knowe of the doctryne, whether it be of God, or whether I ſpeke of myne owne hede. For yf thyne harte be to do the wyll of God whiche is his commaundementes, he wyl gyue the a pure eye, both to dyſcerne the true doctryne from the duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page falſe / and the true doctryne from the howlyng ypocryte. And therfore he ſaythe.