Sermons on Deuteronomy, Sermons · Sermon 69
On Tewsday the x. of September. 1555. The Lxix. Sermon, which is the first vponupon the tenth Chapter.
THe same time the Lorde saide, cut thee two tables of stone like the first, and come vp to mee into the mountaine, and make thee an Arke of wood.
2 And I will write in those Tables, the wordes that were written in the former tables, which thou hast broken: and thou shalt put them in the Arke.
3 So I made an Arke of Setimwood, and hewed two tables like the first, and went vp into the mountaine, hauing the two tables in my hande:
4 Then wrate he in the Tables as he had written afore, euen the tenne sayings which the Lorde had spoken vponupon the mountaine, from the middes of the fire in the day of your comming together. And afterwarde the Lorde gaue them to me.
5 And I turned me, and went downe from the hill, and put them into the Ark which I had made: and they were there as the Lord had commaunded me.
6 And the children of Israel departed from Beroth of the children of Iaacan towards Mosera, where Aaron died, and was buried there. And Eleazar his sonne executed the office of high priest in his stead.
7 From thence they went towarde Gadgad, and from Gadgad towards Getebatha, in the Countrie where running riuers are.
8 The same time the Lord sorted out the tribe of Leuie, to beare the Arke of the Lords couenant, and to stande in the Lords presence, to minister vntounto him, and to blesse in his name, euen to this day.
WE hauehave seen alredie heretofore the thing yt Moses rehearseth here, yt is to wit, yt God wrate new againe ye ten commādements of his law in two Tables of stone: & that was done to the end yt the people should the better consider, that the couenant which God had made with them, was of his own onelyonly mercy. For we see how God had giuen ouer yt people and it was all one as if he had thrust them into the commō aray of other men, which are vtterly accursed and estraunged from God. Truely Gods former choosing of yt people, was of his owne free goodnes.Eph. 2.3. For (as we hauehave seen) none of them was yet borne, when he made his promise with his seruant Abraham: & therefore needes must they acknowledge yt his choosing of them, was not in respect of any desert of their owne. Howbeit forasmuch as men labour al that they can, to darken Gods free fauor, & seeke pretie fond deuises to chalenge to themselues some peece of their own saluation: it was expedient to hauehave it fully shewed, yt God receiued ye people to mercy againe the second time, without any respect whether they were worthie of it or no, but onelyonly of his owne mere goodnesse. Men are of opinion, yt when God chose them, he foresawe what maner of ones they should be, accordingly as we see how this diuelish errour hath alwayes raigned, and yt there are yet still some fantastical persons, which wil needes hauehave Gods election to be grounded vponupon his foreknowledge, yt is to say, when God chose whom he listed before the making of ye world,Eph. 1.4. they fall to glosing thereupon, yt he foreknew who should be worthy of it, & therfore marked them out for the same purpose, and in the same respect preferred them before those whom he knew would become wicked. But yt is cleane contrarie to ye teaching of the holy scripture. For ye teacheth vsus, yt the cause of Gods chosing of vsus is taken from out of himself, yt is to say, of his owne only free goodnes: for he shal neuer finde any thing in vsus, why he should be inclined to louelove vsus. Howbeit to the end yt this may be the better perceiued in the things which God hath shewed vsus in the people of Israel:Rom. 3.22. he chose ye ofspring of Abraham. And wherefore? Abrahā was a sillie soule, he had neither nobilitie nor worship in him, he was not of any great reputation to the worldward: & yet notwithstanding God marked him out, & chose him alone & his houshold frō all others. And what maner of houshold was it? Was there yet any likelyhood in it? Nay. Abraham was yet childishe, hee was barrain, hee was vtterly past hope of euer hauing any issue. Now then Gods choosing of Abrahā, was when he was as a blocke alreadie dead aforehand: and therefore S. Paule saith,Ro…, ….… yt in the person of Abraham, God shewed yt he chose the thinges which are not, of purpose to giuegive them being. And for ye same cause it is said in the first Chapter of ye first Epistle to the Corinthians,1. Cor. … …. yt we be of God, that is to say, yt he giueth vsus being vntounto saluation, bicause he hath vouchsafed to choose vsus: for we be nothing at all in our selues. Yet notwithstanding, this people made great account of themselues, & bare themselues in hand that they were better than al ye world. For the which cause, the couenant & adoption yt god had made with that linage was broken off: & so ye see that the people of Israel were reiected at God hands. Yea & wel worthy were they to bee abhorred, insomuch yt this sentence of condemnation was alredy giuen vponupon them, that they should bee rooted out of ye world, & the rememberance of them be vtterly destroyed. So little cause then had the children of Israel to make any boast of thēselues, or to take vponupon them aboue the heathē: yt they were thrust beneath them, and vtterly disclaimed and condemned at Gods hand, as whom hee shewed to hauehave nothing else but cursednesse in them. Now therefore it behoueth them to knowe: yt whereas God giueth them his Law, & teacheth them, & performeth his promise towards them: all this is done of so high & infinite fauor. as ought in maner to make them astonished. For what a thing was it, yt God after ye breaking of ye tables of his couenant, did yet still vouchsafe to hauehave pity vppon yt wretched people? Beholde, the two tables were not writtē by mans hand, but by gods hād, yt is to say by his power: & yt was a myracle. And what shal a man say to it, yt Gods own workmanship should be defaced? Was it not meere that ye people which were the cause therof, should hauehave perished vtterly? If we make cōparison betwene Gods word, & mens saluation: surely Gods word is far ye preciouser. But behold, ye word of God yt is written, I meane ye writing yt was set down in ye two tables of stone, came as it were from heaue, & was not ye workmanship of man: God himselfe wrought it of his own power. What punishment then ought they to receiue, which committed so great and heinous a fault, as yt the thing which God had ingrauen with his own hand, was faine to be broken & brought to nought for it? We see then yt God magnified his inestimable goodnes towards this people, in yt he vouchsafed yt the two tables should be made new againe, and that his law should be registred in them new againe, as a perpetuall monument that he was the protector of Abrahams linage, & intended to keepe them to himself for his own flock. Therefore it is not without cause, that Moses maketh mention here of his making of the two tables new againe, & of his offering of them vntounto God, & of the writing of the ten cōmandements in them. Surely, it was a thing worthie of remembrance, & wherein mē ought to exercise thēselues day & night, to know yt God hauing entred freely in league with ye one house, was not contented with that alone, but although their successours became a frowarde and crabbed nation, vtterly rebellious & as full of shameful churlishnes as might be: yet he ceassed not to continue his couenant, yea, & moreouer to renew it againe with them, & to set it in the former state.
And herein we see yt he had not an eye to mē, nor to their worthines, but wil hauehave thē to think themselues beholden to him for al things: insomuch that he ouercommeth al ye lewdnes & frowardnes of men by his goodnes, adopting euen those to be of his house & to be his heirs, which shew themselues vnworthie of the good that he had done for them. That is the thing which wee hauehave to beare in mind. And we must marke that Moses spake not for his own time onelyonly; but that the same doctrine toucheth vsus as much or more at this day, than euer it did them: specially if wee can consider the likenes yt is betweene vsus & the people of old time. In deede we hauehave not nowadayes the law written in tables of stone; but wee hauehave Gods grace much largelier towardes vsus, & which deserueth to be much more highly esteemed, because we be sure that he taketh vsus for his church, & wil hauehave vsus to be ruled by him. Now let vsus see whence this proceedeth, & what is ye cause thereof. True it is yt if we hauehave an eye to ye things yt were giuen vsus in our father Adam, we be creatures shaped after the image of God. But we (to ye vttermost of our power) hauehave defaced Gods image in vsus,Eph. 2.3. & wee be so marred & corrupted by original sin, that God disclaimeth vsus, & we be not worthie to be counted his creatures: & yet for all that, he vouchsafeth to gather vsus to himself. For in baptisme we hauehave gods couenant ingrauen as it were in our bodies;Rom. 6.3. Gal. 3.27. whereby he doth vsus to vnderstand, yt he vouchsafeth to take vsus for his people & inheritance. Now hauehave we any worthines wherby to attaine to so great a benefit? Alas, no: for we be giltie aforehand of ye defacing of gods image. True it is yt that commeth of ye roote of ye first man: but yet are not we our selues faultles. Againe, how hauehave we withdrawen our selues frō God, euen after baptisme? for we hauehave not onelyonly cōmitted small faults, as befalleth to ye faithfull to do: but also in the time of our idolatrie & superstitiō, we hauehave brought to nothing al ye grace that was promised vsus in baptisme, wee hauehave renounced the saluation that was purchaced vsus by our Lord Iesus Christ, we hauehave forsaken our god, & we hauehave broken the spirituall wedlocke which hee had contracted with vsus, so as there hath bin nothing in vsus but corruption, by gadding away …o after our own superstitions: & yet for al this, he hath not failed to returne vntounto vsus, & to bring vsus back againe into the way of saluation. Sith we see this, ought it not to be a sufficient proofe of Gods infinit goodnes towards vsus, to make vsus lay away al fond imagination of deseruing, & to acknowledge our selues beholden to God for all things? Yes: & it is the same thing yt I alleaged cuē now out of S. Pauls sayings,1. Cor. 1.30. where God sheweth vsus, yt we be of him, not in respect that we be men, but in respect yt we be his workmāship, according as it is shewed in the second to the Ephesians,Eph. 2.10. yt he hath shaped vsus: for otherwise there is nothing but wickednes in vsus, because our nature will alwayes be found to be vtterly frowarde & accursed. Thus ye see ye comparison which we ought to make betweene our selues & the people of olde time, to bring our selues low & to make our selues perceiue yt wee be the more bound vntounto God for ye free merciemercy which he hath bestowed vppon vsus, in vouchsafing to take vsus to be of his Church, in which respect we be (say I) more bound vntounto him than were the Iewes.
Now it is true yt gods writing of his law in two tables of stone (as I hauehave declared already heretofore specially in the first place) was to ye intent yt his doctrine should abide sure. For he had an eye to ye cōmon trade among men, who vponupon the making of leags & alliances, are wont to hauehave thē ingrauen in stone or brasse. After ye same maner it was Gods wil yt his law should, for ye better continuance therof, be grauen in two stones. Ye see then how God doth as it were passe a solemn couenant. Neuerthelesse wee must therwithall also come to the figure: namely, yt the writing of the law after yt fashion in a cupple of stones, serued to shew yt it was not ynough for folke to hauehave ye law giuen thē, & to vnderstand it: vnlesse it were ingrauen in their hearts. For we must come to ye similitude yt is made by ye prophets. For although God shewed his law to be sufficiently authorised by vouchsafing to ingraue it so in these stones: yet did he giuegive an incling yt that would nothing boote, verily because ye true tables wherein it behoueth vsus to write the doctrine of God, are our harts; howbeit not as they be by nature. For what maner of ones are they? Euē of stone as it is said of them in Ezechiel. So then, let vsus marke that ye letter of ye law is nothing worth,Ezec. 11.19. & 36.26. vntil god worke in vsus by his holy spirit. And that is the cause why he hath promised to make a newe couenant,Ier. 31.32.33. not after the maner yt hee made it with the fathers: for, that continued not, saith he. And why? Hee sheweth yt the blame & fault therof is in men, be cause they turne away & runne at rouers as soon as God hath called them, & neuer follow him at all. Although they pretend to make great account of his grace: yet is there no stedinesse in them, but rather vtter lightnesse; for by and by they fling away after their own wicked affectiōs. The couenant of God then, yea though it were written in stones, could not hold them in. And why so? Not for that God abode not faithful on his part, or that hee persisted not to shewe that his choosing of Abrahās linage was not in vaine: but for that they were bereft & disappointed of that great benefite, & dispossessed of Gods freebestowed
new againe: But there were fourtie yeares betweene the one and the other. For Aaron dyed at such time as the people had outworne their terme of fourtie yeares, during which time god had forfended them the lande of promise. Now in the ende of that terme, Aaron was depriued of the dignitie of the priesthood, and Eleazer his son was made highpriest in his stead. But here Moses comprehendeth all that had bin done by the space of fourtie yeares, from the publishing of the lawe, vntounto the verie same day that he exhorted the people to put themselues in better readinesse to enter into their inheritance, than they had beene in at the beginning. He telleth them that although there had happened many changes in the meane time, yet had God in effect prouided, that his lawe was to bee had alwayes in estimation, & to be honored, and that the world might perceiue that his maiestie was therein, & that all men ought to submit thē selues thereunto. And for that cause doth Moses say, that hee had chosen the children of Leuye, notwithstanding that Aaron had sinned. For to what ende doeth Moses speake here of his brothers death? Euen to make it knowen, that God had shewed fauour towardes the trybe of Leuye, as well as towards all the rest of the people. The trybe of Leuye was chosen to offer sacrifice: it was a prerogatiue which God had giuen them. And were they worthie of it? Could they boast themselues to hauehave beene more worthie than their brethren? It is true that they executed vē geance vponupon the ydolaters, but yet was Moses faine to call them to him, and to command them to sanctifie their handes.Exod. 32.29 Yee must hallowe your hands to the Lord, sayth he: & howe? in slaying those that hauehave so grieuously offended, and been an occasion of turning all thinges vpside downe. This day therfore it behoueth you to vtter what zeale ye hauehave towards the maintenance of gods honour, and to sanctifie his name without sparing of your own brethrē, or your neerest neighbours, forasmuch as they hauehave so defaced Gods glorie to the vttermost of their power, & therefore they must be vtterly rooted out. The Leuites did well execute the thing that Moses cō maunded them:Exo. 32.2.4. but yet did the high priest Aaron make the golden calfe. True it is that hee withstoode it, or at leastwise consented not to it: but yet did he swarue at length by graunting the peoples importunate request, and therefore was he faine to beare the punishment which GOD tolde him of, saying, thou shalt not come within the land which I will giuegive vntounto my people. Albeit that he represented the person of our Lorde Iesus Christ,Hebr. 5.1.…. and was a figure of him: although he was a mediatour betweene God and men, so as he made intercession for the sinnes of the people, & offered sacrifices for the reconciling of them to the maiesty of God: yet was he banished out of that lande to his shame, hee dyed, hee was stripped out of his robes before his death, hee was as a man disgraded, and God left him as a dishonoured person, and as a man defaced with perpetuall reproche. Now if God extended such punishment vppon the person of Aaron: what had they deserued which were inferiors to him? So then, Moses telleth them, that Gods choosing of the trybe of Leuye to carrie the Arke, and to be occupyed about his seruice, was not for that they were worthie of it,Deut. … but because hee was minded to shewe the same thing to the successours of Leuye, which he had spoken of the rest of the whole bodie of Abrahams ofspring; namely that they had all things of his only free goodnesse. That is the cause why the death of Aaron is rehearsed here.
But by the way, we see that Moses spared not his own brother. For here he repeteth the sentence yt God had giuen & also executed against him, & yt was not for ye honor of his own house. But what? His meaning was yt God should be glorified, & men condemned. Yea & we see that his intent was not to conceale his owne fault, but to shew that God had punished him for it, though there were great cause of excuse in him, & al the blame was to hauehave bin layd vponupon the people, because his ouershooting of himselfe, was but in yt one case, & that not through malice, but onelyonly through griefe of mind. Yet notwithstanding he accuseth himselfe thereof, he acknowledgeth it openly, & maketh a chronicle of it to continue of record to the worldes end. Sith wee see this, let vsus learne, not to be ashamed to confesse our sinnes, & to shew that God is righteous in punishing of vsus. Let vsus not go about to burie yt chasticements that God shall hauehave sent vppon vsus, as wee see a number doe, who when God sendeth neuer so notable punishmentes, coulde finde in their heartes that they shoulde neuer be spoken of. And why? Forsooth because it is not for their honour, worship, or honestie. Verily, as who should say, yee will needes be honorable in spyte of God and his righteousnesse. Is it meeter that you shoulde be regarded than the glorye of his name? Nowe then, let vsus vnderstand that if wee hauehave committed any fault, and God hauehave reached out his hande to punishe vsus: the same must be rehearsed among vsus, and we must think vppon it, and wee must alwayes confesse that God is righteous, and that wee hauehave well deserued that hee should vse correction towardes vsus, sith wee see that Moses beareth not with his owne brother. That is the thing which wee hauehave to beare in mynd.
Howbeit on the other side, let vsus vnderstand, that if Aaron was faine to passe through Gods hande, because he did but consent vntounto euill, & was punished although he claue not to it: (for to speake properly, his consenting was no consent at all:E… for he said vntounto them, what meane you ye wretched people? and in scorne of their idolatrie: Lo here thy Gods O Israel (quod hee) which brought thee out of the lande of Egypt. as if hee shoulde say, is a calfe become thy redeemer? Aaron then did after a sort withstande them, and yet notwithstanding I call it a consenting, inasmuch as hee swarued and suffered himselfe to be caryed away with their importunatenesse:) Nowe if God (say I) did punish his high priest Aaron after he had aduanced him to so great & so high dignitie: what wil he do to vsus? Therefore let vsus learne to withold our selues frō euil, & by no meanes to consent thereto: vnlesse wee intend to wrap our selues in condemnation with the wicked, as wee see did partly befall vntounto Aaron. I say but partly, for God vsed merciemercy towards him, because the punishment was but temporall, because it was vponupon his body onelyonly, and concerned onelyonly this present life. And surely God is exceeding gracious & fauourable to vsus when he punisheth vsus in our bodies, at such time as we deserue to be vtterly rooted out, and when he vouchsafeth to be contented with some chasticemēt of this transitorie life, he sheweth therin that he is minded to vse great gentlenesse towardes vsus. And yet for all that though wee deserue to perish with the wicked, when wee resist them not, ne forsake their companies and confederacies: yet it pleaseth God to spare vsus, and to shewe himselfe mercifull towardes vsus, though at the lest, wee doe in our owne bodies suffer somewhat in respect of this present life.
Nowe remaineth the reason that I hauehave touched afore: namely, that here is expresse mention made of the Tribe of Leuy, which was sorted out to carie the Arke of the Couenant. And Moses plainly rehearseth that point, to do vsus to vnderstande, that God authorised his law by that meanes, in yt it was his wil to hauehave it caryed after that fashiō, that it might bee as a standard for the people to resort vntounto. We hauehave seene in the fourth Chapter how God sayde,Deut. 4.15.16. thou shalt not make to thy self any likenesse or resemblance: for thou heardest the voice of thy God in Horeb, but thou sawest not any shape of man, or of beast, or of any other creature. The only image of thy God, are ye things that he hath writtē wt his own hand, yt is to say ye ten cōmandements. Those (say I) are the liuely image wherin he wilbe seene. And therefore I said it was a standard carried aloft for the people to resort vntounto, as soldiers resort to a standard in a field, to fight the better. So then, it behoued the people to hauehave their eyes vppon the Arke of the Couenant. And specially forasmuch as men are not verie forward of themselues to obey God: it was meete that ye Arke of the couenant should be handled with reuerence, & for ye same purpose had God ordeined the priestes & Leuites. For al of them were priestes: Howbeit, they y• caried the Arke were of inferior degree in the dignitie of priesthod. Neuerthelesse god had appointed the Leuites to beare ye Ark, to ye intent it might thereby the better be knowen, yt it was a matter of excellent prerogatiue, & that it was no dalying in the case: For we see yt God woulde not suffer the Arke to be so much as touched, by any other than by the Leuyts: insomuch yt when Dauid remoued the arke, the partie that did but touch it of good zeale, dyed out of hande for so doing. When he sawe the Arke at the point to tumble down, he did but put forth his hand euē of good wil to stay it vp from falling, & yet notwithstanding he was punished grieuously for his labor. This may seeme to hauehave bin ouerrigorous. But it serueth to shew, yt it is not in any wise lawful to breake the order that God hath set. The …ndis ye thing which he hath an eye at. For if we looke no further than to the thing it selfe; why might not the Ark hauehave been handled & caryed of al ye people? They were al sanctified to God, they were all circumcised, they did all carye about them the marke of the couenant. And why then should yt one man dye out of hand for only touching the Arke vponupon good will? Verily God had an eye to the ende of the lawe: which was yt men shoulde wholly obey his worde. For if his word be despised: there wilbe nothing but rebelliousnes against him. In deede men will pretend a willingnesse to honor & serue him, but yet is it but counterfeting for all that. Will we then doe true seruice vntounto God, & such as he accepteth? Al of vsus both gret & smal must submit our selues to his worde, & followe the singlenes thereof, & therewithall beare in mynd that it is so precious a thing, as men must not mingle aught of their owne with it: for that were nothing else but a corrupting of it. Now forasmuch as men are not easie to be taught this: it was Gods will to shewe by a visible signe, howe highly he esteemeth his own word. That is the cause why he sorted out that trybe from the rest, to beare the Ark of the couenant. It was Gods will yt the Priestes which were specially appointed to offer sacrifice, & to make attonement betwene God & men, & to represent the person of our Lorde Iesus Christ,Hebr. 5.2. should beare abroad his word, & that they shold prease vntounto him to bee as mediators betweene him & men. Ye see then how it was Gods will, to teache his people humilitie by visible signes and outward ceremonies, to the ende that his worde should be embraced with all reuerence, & continue euermore in good state. But as for vsus, wee hauehave not nowadayes the ceremonie any more, but we hauehave the trueth, which ought to continue to the worlds end. Therefore whensoeuer Gods word is preached vntounto vsus,Col. 2.17. let vsus learne to stoope to it, & to know yt it is a heauenly doctrine, wherunto it becommeth vsus to encline, & that it is not for vsus to bring our own fond imaginations in yt case, for then wo be vntounto vsus. Neuerthelesse God granteth vsus a special fauor, in that he inableth vsus to beare abroad his word, & maketh it to dwel in vsus,Esa. 66.2…. whereby he sheweth that he hath performed the thing which he promised by his Prophets, yt is to wit, that he hath chosen vsus for his Leuytes, as shalbe declared more at length to morrowe.
Now let vsus fall downe in the presence of our good God with acknowledgement of our faults, praying him to make vsus feele them better, yea, euen in such wise as it may lead vsus to such repentance, that we may be sorie for them all our life long, & be ashamed that we hauehave bin so wretched sinners: And that therwithall wee may be quickened vp to glorifie him the more for the great goodnes which he hath shewed vponupon vsus, & proceede continually more & more in obeying him, to the intent that his law may be the better ingraued in vsus by his writing of it in our hartes, & we become the readier to follow the things yt he shal hauehave shewed vsus, so as we may be forward to obey him all our life long, & our life be wholy dedicated vntounto him. That it may please him to graunt this grace, &c.