A Christian Instruction Containing the Law and the Gospel, Exposition 2 · Part 37 – Part 43
Of the manner hovv to accord and agre the paſſages and ſentences of the lavve and of the holy Scriptures, vvhichwhich ſeme to diſagree, ſet foorthe vppon the commaundement giuen to honoure father and mother, and vvhat louelove or hatred he vvould that we shuld beare them.
T
HOw may this be? hath God giuen a lawe which is contrary to it ſelfe and doth conteyne commaundements which cannot be obſerued without tranſgreſſion of others?
D.
No, if the lawe bée well vnderſtoode in that meaning & ſenſe, for the whiche it was giuen by God, and for the better vnderſtanding of all thys difficultie. I will declare it vntounto thée by certayne examples which are very familiar: God commaundeth me to honoure my father: to what ende is this commanded me? To the ende that God moughte be honoured, in the honoure that we giuegive to our fathers, acknowledging the goodneſſe that we hauehave receyued of him by them, who hauehave bin the inſtruments and miniſters of his louing kindneſſe toward vsus.
D.
Thou haſt well aunſwered: thou doeſt then ſee here howe that this commaundement hath his foundation in the firſte table, in ſuch ſorte that if thou diſhonor thy father, thou doeſt not only diſhonor that man which is thy carnall father, but in him doeſt thou diſhonor God thy eternall father, of whome the carnall father is nothing elſe but an Image or inſtrumente, towarde whome thou declareſt of what affection thou arte towards him whome he repreſenteth, and the more neare that this image is to thée, and the more neare thou draweſt to the nature of it, and that God doth more familiarly and more plenteouſly communicate vntounto thee his louing kindneſſe by this inſtrument, and the more that he maketh his image to ſhyne in him, ſo muche the more is thy wickedneſſe & iniquitie the greater, but if it ſhould ſo come to paſſe that thy father ſhuld be vntrue toward god, & ſhould require of thée a thing, wherin thou couldeſt not obey him, vnleſſe thou ſhouldeſt diſobey God, thou arte not at all in any thing bound vntounto him in ſuch a caſe, for in ſuch a caſe thou arte diſpenſed with in the firſt table, & by the interpretation & true meaning of the ſame. For ſeing that the honor which thou oweſt to thy father, dothe comprehend the honor of god, & is grounded vpō the ſame, it is certayne that if god be diſhonored in that which thy father requireth of thée, thou doeſt not honour him at al in ſuch ſorte as thou arte commāded by god to honour him, if thou do it in ſuch ſorte as thy father requireth thée to do, for thy father cannot be truly honoured, in yt wherin god is diſhonored, but is diſhonored in that wherein god is diſhonored, although that men cannot alwayes vnderſtand & know it. Therefore when thy father doth commaund thée any thing, thou oughteſt to hauehave good regard to ye nature of the thing whiche he commaundeth thée to doe, if it be a thing that thou maiſt doe without offence towarde God and thyne owne conſcience, ſéeke by all meanes poſſible to pleaſe him, for the honoure of him that dothe ſo commaunde thée, howe harde ſoeuer it be to doe: if it bée otherwiſe, in ſuche a caſe acknowledge him not at all for thy father, bycauſe that the deuill doth require by him that thou ſhouldeſt yelde him in thy father that honoure which thou oweſt to thy only God, and that he will make thy father his inſtrumente, but leaue that Sathan tranſfigured into the likeneſſe of thy father, and ſay vntounto him that thou haſt no father for whome thou mayſt refuſe and leaue God thy heauenly and eternall father. For if a father ſhould require his daughter to giuegive ouer hir ſelfe vntounto him, that he mought make hir a harlot, or elſe that he himſelfe moughte abuſe hir, or otherwiſe that he ſhoulde deliuer hir to anye whoremaſter, ought ſhe to acknowledge ſuche a father for hir father? and were ſhe bound to obey him in ſuche a matter?
T.
There is no man if he hauehave ſo muche as one ſparke of good iudgement, but would iudge hir worthy of greate blame if ſhe ſhould do it: and worthy of great prayſe, if ſhe did rather chooſe to die than to pleaſe hir father in ſuch wickedneſſe, for by ſuch meanes ſhe ſhould not obey to hir father, but to a bawde, a whoremaſter and an horrible inceſt, and to a very Deuill.
D.
Thou haſt ſaide well. Then if it be not lawfull for a daughter to giuegive ouer hir body to hir owne father, to abuſe it in any kinde of villanie, how much leſſe lawfull is it then for the ſoule, whiche is much more precious than the body, to giuegive ouer it ſelfe to any creature whatſoeuer he be, whereby it may be ioyned to the Deuill? Then if thy father will be an idolater, and will hauehave thée to be ſuch an one with him, and will hauehave thée to leaue Ieſus Chriſt to pleaſe him, thou oughteſt than to hauehave recourſe to the interpretation that Ieſus Chriſte dothe make of this cōmaundement, of the honor whiche is due to father and mother, founded in the firſt Table: as it ſhalbe more amply declared when wée ſhall come to the expoſition of the fifte commaundement.
T.
Of what interpretatiō meaneſt thou?
D.
Of that where he ſaithe:Luc. 14. Matth. 10. Whoſoeuer doth not hate his father and his mother for my ſake: whiche is to ſay (as he doth expounde it by an other Euangeliſt) he that ſhall louelove them better than me, is not worthy of me, nor may be my diſciple: beholde this interpretation is very plaine, whiche declareth vntounto vsus that it is a great vertue, and worthie of commendation, to contemne father and mother in time and place, which is to ſay, in ſuch like caſes as wée hauehave already ſpoken of: for ſuch a contempt of them, is not a contempt, to ſpeake properly, but onelyonly in the iudgement of man, no more than the hatered whiche Ieſus Chriſte willeth vsus to beare them for his ſake, is a hatered, but a very true louelove, founded in the louelove of GOD. For wée muſt rather iudge of thinges according to their effectes, than according to the affections of men, in whom we doe conſider them, as in diuers other like paſſages of the Scripture: It is written in the Prouerbes, in the which Salomon ſpeaketh in the perſon of wiſedome:Prouerb. 8. All thoſe that hate me, louelove death. There is none but he hateth and abhorreth death: and yet for all that, ſeyng that he whiche deſpiſeth and hateth wiſedome, doth purchaſe his owne death, and ruine, doth it not then ſeeme that he loueth it, and that he deſireth it? and what coulde he more doe if that he deſired it? It is alſo written,Prou. 29. he that dothe take parte with the théefe hateth his ſoule: Moreouer,Prouerb. 13. he that ſpareth the rodde hateth his childe, yet notwithſtanding there is no man that both this for any hatered that he beareth either to his ſoule▪ and his life, or to his childe, but rather for louelove, if wée doe conſider the affection of the perſon: yet notwithſtanding the truth is euen ſuche as the ſpirite of GOD hath ſpoken in déede, as the effect dothe right well declare. Then, as he hateth in deede, whiche dothe foliſhly louelove, and otherwiſe than he ought to doe: euen ſo dothe he truly louelove, whiche hateth as he ought to hate, and that ſame whiche he ought to hate. The like is of the honour and diſhonour: but it is not néedefull here to ſpeake any more of this matter, conſidering that it ſhall hauehave more apte place in the expoſition of the Cōmaundement of the which wée hauehave now ſpoken. Therefore I hauehave ſpoken this but onelyonly for an example.
An example to the like purpoſe, vponupon the commaundement giuen of the obedience due to Princes, and vponupon the commaundement giuen againſt murder.
T.
WE alſo may in mine opiniō, ſay the like of Princes & Lords.
D.
S. Peter & S. Iohn doe teach vsus by their example what we ought to thinke therein: For did they tranſgreſſe the commaūdement which cōmaundeth to yelde obedience vntounto Princes & Magiſtrates,Actes. 3.4.5. when they did contemne the forbidding of the counſell of Ieruſalem, which was contrary to the commaundement of God: and did anſwere them, that it was better to obey God than man?
T.
No, but did much better fulfill it than if they had otherwiſe done, and did truly declare it.
D.
Numbr. 25.Phinees in like ſorte was greatly cō mēded by God, for the whore & the whore maſter which he did ſlea, and was not rebuked as a murderer, for ſo much as he did it not of hatred, nor of any blouddie affection, but onelyonly for the dutie and obedience whiche he ought to God, who had bene greatly diſhonored, if that ſuche a villany had not bene puniſhed & reuenged by him with ſuch a zeale. Thou maiſt thē know by al theſe examples, how that the worke whiche may ſeeme vntounto men to hauehave ſome ſhew of wickedneſſe, and to be contrary to the cōmaundements of God, is not at all wicked in ye ſight of God, nor in the iudgmēt of thoſe which take ye law of God in his true meaning, & doe know how to rule the ſecōd Table by the firſt, but is pleaſant & agreable to his will.
Of the hidden ſinnes that are in the conſcience and vvicked vvil of man and hovv that concupiſcence is a ſinne vvorthy of damnation in the ſight of God, and hovv greatly it doth diſpleaſe him, and for vvhat cauſe.
T.
IT ſéemeth to me that this matter of workes hath bene ſufficiently, fully, and familiarly entreated of: wherefore let vsus procéede to the reſt.
D.
If that which hath bene ſayd of workes be well vnderſtoode, the reſte ſhalbe eaſie inough vntounto vsus: for wee may by the very ſame meane, iudge of the wil, & of the affectiōs, according to which God doth iudge of the worke. If then thou be ſtirred vp to euill, by any wicked affection, & thy will doth conſent and agrée therevnto, in ſuch ſorte that there wanteth nothing but the onelyonly meane to execute it: Behold the wickedneſſe is already accōpliſhed before God, thou knoweſt by that which hath bene already ſpoken, how God will iudge. If on the contrary; there be any reſiſtance in thee, & that thy ſpirite & thy wil in no caſe will agrée to that cōcupiſcence which cō tinually doth procure thee, but dee reſiſt and repulſe it as farre from them as they may, it is certaine that the iniquitie is not ſo great: albeit that ſuch a concupiſcēce, what reſiſtance ſoeuer there be, can not be without ſinne, by reaſon of the corrupted and wicked ſpring frō whence it procéedeth. For that is a ſure teſtimonie, that there is much poiſon and corruption there, where ſuch fruite doth budde forth: although that it finde hinderances which will not permitte and ſuffer their buddes and fruites to come to their ripeneſſe. Now ſuch a corruption can not be but very diſpleaſant to God, conſidering that it doth procéede from his aduerſarie, and that it is contrary to his holy maieſtie: as wée ſée it proued and euident in litle children: yea euen in thoſe whiche are not onelyonly not in age to put any euill acte in execution, but alſo hauehave not diſcretion to iudge neither of good nor euill,Rom. 5. wée ſee how death hath power ouer them, and taketh them out of the worlde: which he could not do except that there were ſinne in them. For ſeyng that ſinne did begette death, and that it is a frute of his curſe, it is a thing certaine, that there where ſinne doth not raigne, death alſo can hauehave no power, as S. Paule doth very well conclude.
Hovv that by reaſon of that concupiſcence vvee are iuſtly vvorthy of death and damnation, euen from our mothers vvombe.
T.
WHat ſinne is that then in little children, that doth ſo diſpleaſe God, that it doth not make thē only ſubiect to bodily death, but alſo to eternall death, and maketh them the children of wrath and of the curſe, euen before they hauehave the vſe of reaſon: to know & diſcerne either good or euill.
D.
It is that naturall corruptiō whereof Dauid ſpeaketh, ſaying:Pſalm. 51. I was conceyued in ſinne, & my mother did beare me in ſinne: nowe if wée would hauehave the meaning of the words of Dauid expreſſed according to the ſignification that they hauehave in the Hebrew, we muſt thē ſay: And my mother hath warmed me in ſinne, or with ſinne, whereby he giueth to vnderſtād that he hath bene begotten, conceiued, and nouriſhed, in his mothers wombe, with the ſinne, euen as if he & ſinne were brothers, twinnes, begotten, conceyued & nouriſhed togither in the wombe of one very mother: it is then eaſie to vnderſtand how natural ſinne is now to man, being in this corrupted nature, wherevnto he is fallen by meane of his tranſgreſſion: for that whiche Dauid ſpeaketh of himſelfe, doth appertaine to the whole race of man. Wherefore that conception whereof he ſpeaketh in this paſſage, is common to vsus all. Then euen ſo as a litle Serpent doth offend vsus, not only as ſone as he is brought or hatched, but béeing in his egge, or in the belly of his dame: euen ſo do we in déede diſpleaſe God from our very mothers womb. And what is the cauſe that this little ſerpent doth ſo muche offende vsus? by meanes of the venemous nature that is in him. For all be it that he hauehave not yet ſhewed it, yet notwithſtanding it is ſtill abiding in him, and doth not let to ſhewe it, but only bicauſe it wanteth the meane: but it ſhall be ſufficiently ſhewed in his tyme.
T.
Is it the like of man?
D.
There is no doubt of it, for experience doth ſo plainly declare it: for ſith the time that our firſt father was poyſoned with the venime of the olde ſerpent, he coulde beget no children but ſuche like as he him ſelfe was, and little ſerpēts of the ſame nature that he was, and infected with the ſame venime, the which albeit that it doth abyde hidden for a certen time in vsus, doth not let for all that to ſhewe it ſelfe foorthwith at the firſt occaſion that it may finde. This is the firſt ſpring, the firſt foundation, and the firſt cauſe, as muche as doth pertayne to man, of all the ſinnes that he may cōmit. Nowe if that wicked ſpring, how ſecret or couert ſoeuer it be, dothe ſo muche diſpleaſe God, that it hath already deſerued eternall damnation, before that it hath ſo muche as once budded foorthe: howe muche more ſhall it diſpleaſe him with his buddes, his braunches, and the whole trée and his fruit?
T.
That is very eaſie to iudge.
D.
So eaſie as nothing is more eaſie.
Of diuers degrees of ſin, and of the roote and fruites, and of their begetting and conſummation.
T.
IT ſéemeth to me that we may eaſily diſcerne and extinguiſhe by the deductiō which thou makeſt, all the degrées of ſin.
D.
It is eaſie to do. This ſame firſt ſpring & natural corruption, with that inclination & nature which is alway giuen to euill, is the ſame which we do properly call originall ſinne, which of it ſelfe is wholly damnable, & can not be ouercome by man, but only in that that he is deliuered, and that he is regenerate by the only grace and ſpirite of God. Afterward, that ſame concupiſcence which watcheth continually in man, and procureth him to euill, is as it were, the budde of that rotten roote, and of that curſed ſpring, which is neuer without caſting foorth ſome ſuche bud, how generate ſoeuer a man be, during the time that he is in this worlde wrapped in this body of ſinne, and in his outwarde man, and in his olde Adam. Therefore it followeth that there is no man liuing, howe holy ſo euer he be,1. Iohn. 2. but that he is a great ſinner before God, yea although he had no more faulte but thys ſame, and hath good occaſion to ſay continually wyth the whole Churche: And forgiue vsus our offences. But if this budde come once to determination,Math. …. Luke. 1…. and to bring foorth the conſent of the wyll, then dothe the rebellion continually declare it ſelfe to be the more great, and the ſinne dothe growe one degree more, and is more encreaſed than before. Nowe when manne is come to this degree of wickedneſſe, and doth acknowledge hys fault, and before he procéede any further, he refrayneth from it, and aſketh pardon of God, he dothe leſſe offende, than he that proceedeth to the putting of his wicked purpoſe in execution, or bothe perſeuer in the ſame, although he hauehave not meane to accompliſhe it, beeing ſory that he can not put it in execution. And he that doth finde ready reſiſtance in his cō ſcience, agaynſt the euill that doth continually prouoke him, and notwithſtanding deſpiſeth the admonitiōs which God giueth him in his owne conſcience, and of a ſet purpoſe doth followe his wicked affection, the ſame is muche more faultie, than he that hath bene taken ſodenly, either through ignorance or weakneſſe.
Of the names of ſinnes, according to their degrees and proper kinds, vvith their generation.
T.
WHat names may wée giuegive to theſe ſorts and ſundry degrees of ſinnes, to diſtinguiſh them from the ſame firſt ſpring which thou haſt called originall ſinne?
D.
Albeit that we doe commonly call thoſe actuall, whiche come to the acte and outwarde execution, yet notwithſtanding we may well call by the ſame name the other degrees, for ſo much as all the fault that proceedeth from that wicked originall ſpring, proceedeth foorth to the acte and effect, although not in the ſighte of men, yet in the ſighte of God. There is no differēce but only of more or of leſſe, which doth either aggrauate or diminiſhe the ſinne, or the heinouſneſſe therof, according to the degrées whereby it proceedeth, from whence it commeth to paſſe that the one ſorte are accompted veniall, and the others mortal, according to the diſpoſition of the perſons towards God, concerning their fayth or vnfaythfulneſſe.
Of deadly and veniall ſinnes, and of the difference of them: and in vvhat meaning vvee oughte to vnderſtande the ſinnes to be veniall or mortall.
T.
THou haſt nowe touched one point the which I would gladly vnderſtande: which is to ſay, what ſins they be that be veniall, and which they be that be mortall: and what is the cauſe of that difference. If thou wilte conſider ſinne in his owne nature, there is no ſinne but it is deadly, to witte, it bringeth with it death, not onelyonly corporall, but alſo eternall, and doth right well deſerue it. For if this naturall corruption whereof we hauehave already ſpoken, be in the fighte of God worthy of ſuch puniſhment, if there were no other thing in man, we may wel thinke what it is that the other ſortes do deſerue, which do daily aggrauate ye euill and encreaſe it more continually. Wherfore this originall ſinne ought not to be eſtéemed a ſmal ſin, no more ought theſe buddes of concupiſcence, and the wicked affections, as many do accompt them, and chéefly the Papiſtes. For the maieſtie of God is ſo great, that there is no rebellion what ſoeuer it be, nor roote of rebellion & wickedneſſe, but it is a crime of treaſon agaynſt the maieſtie of God. For God hath not only forbidden the act & conſent to euill, but alſo the very concupiſcence it ſelf, although that it do not procéede ſo far as to the conſent: as it appeareth by that which he ſayd, thou shalt not couet, which ſhal be more plainly declared in his place. Now it is méete that ye puniſhmēt be giuē according to the nature of ye ſinne, wherfore ſeing yt God, againſt whoſe maieſtie the fault is cōmitted, is eternal, it is certē that there is no pain whatſoeuer it be that is ſufficient for the puniſhmēt of an offēce cōmitted againſt the maieſtie of ſuche a prince, nor may ſatiſfie for ye diſhonoring of the ſame: for the caſe ſtādeth not with god, as it doth wt mā, for ſo much as mā is mortal, how gret a prince ſoeuer he be, he may ſtretch & extend his auctoritie no further thā vpō the earthly goods, or body of the offender: and according to ye faulte by him cōmitted, he taketh either his goods or his body: & if the worſt fal, he can take frō him but his body & temporall life, for ſo muche as his power extendeth no further but to this life, and that ye fault touching either his perſon or his office, is but temporall as he is: but God hath a reigne & power which ſtretcheth further, for it is eternall as he is. And therfore the faults which are cōmitted againſt him, are worthy of eternall puniſhment. And therfore our ſauiour Ieſus Chriſt ſayth, that God hath not only power to ſley the body, as men hauehave: but he is able alſo to ſley both body and ſoule, and then to caſt bothe the one and the other into euerlaſting fire, which is ordeyned for eternall puniſhments.