Sermons on Deuteronomy, Sermons · Sermon 75
On Munday the xxiij. of September. 1555. The Lxxv. Sermon which is the second vponupon the eleuenth Chapter.
5 And what hee did for you in the wildernesse, vntill yee came vntounto this place:
6 And what hee did to Dathan and Abyram the sonnes of Eliab the sonne of Ruben: how the earth opened her throte, and swallowed them vp with their householdes and Tentes, and with all the substance that was vnderunder their feete, in the middes of all Israell.
7 For your eyes hauehave seene all the greate workes of the Lord which hee hath doone.
8 Therfore keepe all the commaundementes which I commaund you this day, that yee may bee strong and goe in and possesse the Land, whereunto you goe to possesse it.
WE hauehave seene heretofore howe Moses hath tolde vsus, that such as hauehave bin witnesses of Gods wonders, are much lesse to bee excused than such as hauehave but only heard ye things by report, and hauehave not seene them with their eyes. For when God hath beene so gracious vntounto vsus as to shewe vsus his power to our faces; it must needs be that we bee too blockish, if wee bee not mindfull therof. When our children shal but heare of it, it shal becom thē to be moued at it: & what ought then to bee done in the very presentnesse of the things? Hitherto Moses hath shewed after what manner God had delt with his people through his goodnes, for he had behaued himselfe as an vtter enemie to ye Realme of Egypt, to shew him selfe to be the sauiour of the linage of Abraham. It is a benefite that ought to bee very highly esteemed, when God chooseth vsus after that sort to be his: which is not for any worthines that he findeth in vsus, but of his owne onelyonly goodnes, in that he vouchsafeth to prefer vsus before others, so that although we bee no better than they, yet he taketh part with vsus, and fighteth for vsus at our neede. If folke doe trouble and torment vsus, and God be alway ready to succour vsus; is it not such a bond, as if we keepe it not vnbroken, the verie world may condemn our malicious frowardnes? Nowe after he hath spoken of the wonders that were wrought in Egypt, & in the passing of the red sea, he telleth them briefly, that they ought to consider well how God handled them in the wildernesse. And vnderunder that speech hee comprehendeth the thing which we hauehave seene expounded heretofore: that is to wit, both ye great number of benefits which they had receiued at Gods hand, and also his chastisements: for both of them ought to teach vsus to feare God, & to walk in his wayes. If he do vsus good, it is to draw vsus to him by gentlenes, yt we should worship him. And if he correct vsus for our faults, it is to meekē vsus, yt we may learn to beare his yoke, & to serue him as becommeth vsus. Moses therefore comprehendeth here both twain of them: As if he should say, Seeing yt God hath fed you wt Manna, without any trauell or labor of your own; ought ye not to giuegive your selues al wholy to ye seruing of him▪ If a mortal man had kept you in his house & maintained you wt foode & apparel, should ye not be so bound vntounto him, as your whole life might bee answerable to such a benefite? Behold, God hath maintained you in ye wildernes,Exod. 16.4. by sending you Manna from heauen. Now then if ye shold forget such a gracious good turne, what an offence were it? Nay, he hath not only sent you Manna: but he hath also preserued your garmēts,Deut. 8.4. so as thei hauehave not bin marred nor outworne by ye space of forty yeares together. He hath shewed himself to be your guide in ye night,Exod. 13.21. in giuing you a visible sign by fire: & he hath kept you likewise a day times from ye heate of ye sun, by spreading his clouds ouer you. In al sorts he hath tendered you as much as was possible. When ye were thirsty,Exod. 17.6. he made water to come gushing out of ye rock that was dry before. To be short, he left nothing vndone, wherby he might shew himself a louing & liberal father towards you. Now then what can you lesse do, than yeeld your selues to ye obeying of him?… 33. Again, remember what he did, when ye murmured against him for your fonde lusts sake. Did ye not then feele his heauy hand for your labor? When ye required flesh, indeede he sent it you; but he made ye to pay deare for ye shot: for ye meat was as good as a choking of you. While the meate was yet in your mouthes, his wrath came downe vponupon you. Againe, when yee misbehaued your selues in whoredome, ye know yt his hand strake ye in such sort,… yt a great nūber of people perished among you. When yee were disobedient to his mouth,…. 11.… 21.5.6. he sēt a fire amōg you yt consumed you, vntill ye brasen serpent was set vp. All manner of wayes therefore hauehave you bin chastised at Gods hande; so as if ye be not mindfull of it, ye be worse than brute beastes.
Now after that Moses hath declared al these chastisemēts: he inferreth an example yt was notable and worthy to be borne in mind aboue all ye rest: that is to wit, of the rebellion that was made by Coree, Dathan, and Abiram. For (as is declared in ye sixteenth of ye numbers),… these three with another of ye tribe of Rubē, made insurrection against Aaron, laying to his charge yt he had vsurped the priesthood, which was an office of great authority among ye people. For Aaron was there as in ye person of our Lord Iesus Christ, & went into the Sanctuary to make attonement between God & the people. Nowe it spited these men, that they could not come to ye like dignity, & therfore vponupon enuy they would needs stir the people to a commotion, saying: What? This is a derogation to ye prerogatiue yt belongeth in common to al of vsus yt are the children of Abraham.Exod. … God hath sanctified vsus, he termeth vsus his heritage and a priestly kingdome: & yet ye see here how Aaron and his children hauehave taken ye thing peculiarly to themselues, which belōgeth generally to ye whole people. Therfore let vsus maintain our right, & not suffer this dignity to be turned to a state of inheritance. This was their pretence: but indeed they did it of great spite. For first of all God had well prouided aforehand, yt there shold be no indirect or wicked suspition against Aaron, & his childrē for the priesthoods sake. Moses was ye leader of yt people; he was ye setter of them at liberty, & therefore there was good likelyhood yt his ofspring should hauehave bin preferred before all others. Hee had childrē: & yet he took not ye priesthood vntounto himselfe, but left it to his brother. True it is yt he made no choice, god did that. But howsoeuer he fared, to ye intent that ye law and the things yt depended thereupon shold not be suspected: Gods will was not to doe Moses so much honour as to make him ye priest, but he was faine to stand humbly aloofe wt the rest of the people worshipping God, when Aaron his brother went to carie the names of ye people of Israel into ye sanctuary, & to offer sacrifice to God in their behalfe.Exod. … And what wer his childrē? They abode in ye inferior degree, without aduancemēt to yt dignity, which remained to his brother Aaron. Wherby God shewed that those things were not done vponupon ambition or worldly couetousnesse, but that it was his own doing, who had set down the order that shold be kept in his Church and Temple. Notwithstanding al this, those leawd persons fel to rebelling, & charged Aaron falsly with vsurping ye dignitie of ye high priesthood. So was God faine to maintaine his own doing. And thereupon Moses said vntounto thē, How now? What is Aarō? As if he shold say, hath he thrust himselfe in of his owne head? No: & now although he be of Gods aduancing to yt high and honorable state, yet if ye consider all things aright, hee doth but onelyonly serue you. But those malicious creatures were not contented wt that. We be sāctified (said they) we be gods people; & what are you more? In this case god was to put to his hand for ye redres of it: And according as was commanded by Moses, To morow (quoth he) let eueryevery of you bring his sensor, & you yt are the chief of this rebellion, (for they were as then to ye number of two hundred & fifty) come together, & you shall see by your offerings, whether parties seruice is best liked of God. This done he said vntounto ye people, Assure your selues that if these folk do dye ye common death, and yt God lay not his hand vpō them in your sight, so as some horrible & dreadful punishment do not light vppon their heads: I am contēted yt ye shal not esteeme me as sent of God. But if ye perceiue ye god make good the thing yt I hauehave vttered with my mouth, then be ye sure that I hauehave don nothing on mine owne head, but that I hauehave faithfully performed that which was inioyned me from heauen. Hereupon the earth opened and swallowed vp those rebels yt had made the insurrection among the people. And when this was done, ye people forbare not to murmur still & to say, See here I pray you, how Moses and Aaron fall to destroying of Gods people. Those whom God hath chosen must be fain to perish at their pleasure, to maintaine their priestly dignitie, and of ye same number are we also. What an vnkindnesse is this? Ye see here how God had wrought a myracle that ought to astonish & amase the whole world, yea euen the very brute beasts & al: and yet this people which reported themselues to be chosen and holy, cease not to repine & rebel still of malicious set purpose, against God and his hand that was openly to be seene.Num. 17.2.8 God was faine to ratifie Aarons priesthood yet once againe: whereupon he commanded that eueryevery of them should bring a wodden staffe wt their names written vpō them and put them altogether, so as they might not bee discerned asunder but by the sight of the names. These Staues were laid before God in ye Sanctuary: & when they were taken thence againe, Aarons staffe that had his name vponupon it did florish, & al the residue remained drie: wherby God shewed that he had chosen that house to the High priesthood.
Of these things doth Moses here put ye people in rememberāce, to do them to vnderstand, first yt if they dalyed any more with God by seeking any chaunge, or by attempting any thing against the commandemēt of his word: they shold feele his vengeance in likewise as they had seene it light vponupon Coree, Dathan, & Abiram, and their partakers. Besides this, he telleth them of their spitefulnes, how they had prouoked God againe, euē after they had felt his iustice: to ye intēt they should no more returne to such doings, because yt if they abused Gods patience & bearing with them for yt one time, he wold in ye end vse ye greater rigor against thē. And so ye see what ye intent of Moses was. Now hereby we be warned to consider wel with our selues, yt whensoeuer any fault or offēce is cōmitted among vsus, & God hath laid his hand vppon vsus for it: wee ought to beare it so printed in our hearts, as it may make vsus to keepe his commaundements, as Moses addeth afterward. For it is not ynough for vsus to know ye bare storie: but we must also apply ye same to our instruction. So yt if god hauehave corrected vsus gently, we must acknowlege his fatherly goodnes towards vsus. And from thencefoorth let vsus not prouoke him any more, but to ye intent we may keepe our selues frō offending, let it suffice vsus to know yt he cannot away with sin. That (say I) is ye thing wherof we be warned in this text. And here wtal let vsus also hauehave such humilitie printed in our hearts, as to be cō tinually sory for the faults yt we shall hauehave committed. And if our God hauehave bin so gracious as to execute his wrath vppon some others, let vsus bee wel ware yt we wrap not our selues in ye same cō demnation with them, by taking their part. Nay, let vsus shun them a great way off, and let vsus hauehave nothing to doe with them, if wee intende not to prouoke ye wrath of our God. That is the effect of the matter which Moses speaks of here. And it is written for our sakes, to the intent that eueryevery of vsus should hauehave an eye to himselfe.
I hauehave tolde you already, yt the thinges which were spoken as then to ye people of Israel,1. Co… ▪ 10.11. do concerne vsus likewise. After what sort hauehave wee felt Gods hand? I meane as well those that are Citizens borne, as those yt resort hither from strange Countries. Is there any of vsus that hath not perceiued gods wonderful power in his deliuerāce? For hath not this Towne bin as it were appointed to ruine and destruction? Was it not likely yt it should vtterly hauehave perished, and yt there was none other remedy as in respect of ye world? Yet hath God reached out his hād after such a fashion, as the world hath seen an incredible alteration. It was as a dreame, men would neuer hauehave thought it: euen they themselues yt did seruice in it, were astonished at it afterward. Nowe then, if this be forgotten, on whom shall we lay ye fault? And God hath not only giuen liberty to those yt were in bondage, and drawen them out of ye gulf of death at such time as it was looked yt al should hauehave gone to hauocke: but also vouchsafed to set vp his kingdome among them. He hath planted his Gospel here, he hath set vp his chayre of estate here, here hath he chosen him a sanctuarie & a place to dwel in. And as touching them that are come from strange Countries, how hath god reached his hand to thē? Were not they also as it were in ye gulfe of hell, when they were in the cursed popedome? Ye see then how we be gathered here, altogether vnderunder ye hande of God. And therfore wel ought we to esteeme this grace, and not onelyonly to preach it with our mouthes, but also to shew throughout all our whole life, that forasmuch as our Lord hath gotten vsus to him, wee be willing to be his, & thereupon indeuor to please him in al things. Vnlesse we do so, surely there wil be no excuse for vsus, but yt we shalbe a hundredfold more blameworthy, than those whom God hath let alone, so as they continue still in their old trade, wtout finding him so gracious & fauorable towards them. Besides this, Gods working in our behalfe hath not bin for once & away: but if we looke wel vponupon his maintaining of the state which he hath stablished in this city; there hath not bin any yeare wherein he hath not renewed his myracles, & made it appeare openly by some notable signe, yt he hath had a continuall care of vsus, and yt he hath neuer forsaken vsus. And in deed we be worse than blind, if we perceiue not yt our life hāgeth as by a threed. For there needeth but ye turning of a hand to dispatch vsus al: one conspiracy was like inough to hauehave put ye whole church of God in daunger of destruction. But yet for all this God hath preserued vsus. And after what fashion? We cannot tell. Had we any drop of wisedome, surely as oft as it came to our minde wee wold be astonished at it & say; Lord, how far hast thou exceeded ye expectation of men! Againe on the other side let vsus mark, let vsus marke I say how God hath lifted vp his hande to punish such as went about to trouble ye order of his Church, and to ouerthrowe ye building which he had set vp by his Gospel. For it is certaine yt he hath punished them, to ye end that we should take instruction at their cost. He hath bin so gracious to vsus as to let vsus see and know his vengeance, and yet wee our selues hauehave beene exempted from it: not for our own deserts, (for there is none of vsus al, but vponupon due examination of his doings, he shall find him selfe faulty) but because it pleased God to spare vsus. Neuerthelesse hee hath shewed vsus as it were with his finger, that it is not for any man to prouoke him: and that if any bodie step vp against him, he shall finde himselfe too hardly ouermatched. This (say I) hath bin tolde vsus sufficiently. But what? God worketh, and we hauehave no eyes to see his working: & although we hauehave, yet do wee wilfully shut them against him. Yea & (to goe no further,) let vsus apply this storie to our owne vse. Truly I touch things as soberly as I can; but yet is not ye holy scripture written to ye end we should but onelyonly know what was done to the people of Israel: but to ye end we shold consider the likenes that is betweene them & vsus, yt when the like matters befal amōg vsus, we might do our selues good by the warningpeales that are giuen vsus by thē. According wherunto S. Paul saith,1. Cor. 10.11 that ye things which God did at that time, are as a picture for vsus to look vponupon, to ye end we should refer al to our own profite: For ye end of time (saith he) is come vponupon vsus, and we see nowe the perfection of the things which God had but begun as then.
And here is mention made of Coree, Dathan, and Abiram, yt is to wit, of such as could not abide the obseruing of thinges in such sort as God had then commanded them by Moses. True it is that they professed thēselues to be Gods chosen, & the children of Abraham: mark yt for one point. For they alledged yt they were sanctified; their intent was that their circumcision should be as a warrāt for them that they were a holy & sacred generation. But yet for al yt, they would none of the preesthood, at leastwise not as God had ordeyned it, but eueryevery of thē would hauehave it to him selfe. Now I pray you, hauehave not we for our part seene the like rebellion against God & his word? For wherefore hath al the skirmishing bin, both against the doctrine & against ye disciplyne of the church with such rage: but to displace the order yt God set among vsus? When heretikes, (yea euen such heretikes as brought mo blasphemies than euer were herd of since there was any christian Church) came hither: they were mainteyned here with tooth & nayle, & openly, yea euen by such as sate in the seate of Iustice: in so much as they tooke part with them, and shewed them as much fauor as Turkes shoulde hauehave vnderunder Mahomet. Afterward when other heretikes came hither to bring in Freewil again, & to set it vp to the derogation of Gods grace, blaspheming his election and Prouidence: they had those mē for their Patrons & Aduocats, which ought to hauehave bin their Iudges: & those spake for them in our presence, and that with such impudencie, as if they had bent them selues like buls to strike vsus with their hornes, & to set themselues as shamefully as could be, against God and his doctrine. This hauehave we seene. Againe, when thinges were shewed them so plainly by the holy scripture, as would hauehave beene receiued euen among the very papists, and when so cleare and euident texts were alledged, as coulde not be gaine said, which things we not only spake by mouth, but also gaue them the articles in writing, & set downe ye sentences of the scripture whereby the truth was pointed to as with ones fiuger: They were not ashamed to reiect all, but stepped forth proudely still, as it were to say; wee will fight against God whatsoeuer come of it. True it is that they spewed not out such sayings with full mouth, for they protested still to hold themselues to the Gospel. O (sayd they) our desire is to hauehave ye Gospel. Yea but what maner of Gospell? A tauerngospell. There was no talking among them of the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ: For it was a cōmon by word among them to say, There needs no more to be knowē than yt which al of vsus know; that is to wit, that we must louelove God and our neighbour. And what needeth there so much preaching for that matter? If a man replyed hereupon & sayd vntounto thē, how can yt be? If yee wil hauehave preaching to ceasse & the Sacraments to be superfluous, the must the whole order which God hath set in his church be disanulled: Wel (would they say) then let ye Gospel be preached simply wtout such storming. And againe as touching ye Sacraments, belong they not to vsus as well as to you? Why not? would we yt there should be no more order kept? Nay we cā minister ye supper as wel as you preachers. Such things as these (I say) were seen and herd. But if Coree, Dathan, & Abirā be condemned here by ye holy ghost, to hauehave intēded ye breaking of al order: I pray you what shal a man say, of those which hauehave fought so manifestly against god after this fashion? for these things were not done of ignorāce. Although they be so shameles as to say stil, wee hauehave ment no such thing yet is their malice too too apparant. For had no man spoken to them of it, or had no man pointed thē as with his finger to ye texts of the scripture, so as it might hauehave bin saide, see here the will of God, there is no difficultie in ye matter, it needeth not any scanning as though there were any doubtfulnes in it, see here ye opē text: [they might hauehave had some colour for their pretence]. But seing yt things were so shewed vntounto them, & yet they cō tinued wilful still: see yee not that it was an open making of war against God? Is it not to be seene also what pretence was made by Coree, Dathan & Abiram? Out of question, their sayings were after this maner: Why? If Aaron hauehave the highpriesthod alone to himself, he shal hauehave al superiority, & what shal we be? Euen so standeth ye case with these men: to their seeming, al were marde on their side, if God should beare ye sway. But god will beare the sway by this order, and we see it is no impeachement at all to the ciuill power which is a thing vtterly distinct from it, neither can any thing better maintaine Magistrates in their souerainty, forasmuch as ye order of Gods Church is spiritual, so as it medleth not with ye punishing of mens bodies, nor wt penalties, nor with imprisonments, nor with such other like things: but all is referred to ye word & the sacraments. Seeing yt this is apparant doth it not serue better for ye stablishment of Empyres, kingdomes, & Lordships: than if there were nothing else to be had than a confused tyranny, where nothing were reserued vntounto God & to our Lord Iesus Christ? And therfore when men streine themselues to ye vttermost of their power to ouerthrow yt order, do they not fal to spitting in ye face of Iesus christ to spite him withall? For it is his will to reigne among vsus, yea & he will hauehave his kingdom to be in vsus. Now thē, when he chooseth men & setteth them vp to gouern his church in his name, is it not too shameful an vnthankfulnes to say, we will not admit it, but thrust it from vsus? As who shold say, they wold make men beleeue yt the Consistory were a thing vtterly seuered from Geneua it self, wheras God hath granted vsus ye grace to make it a member of the body. Nowe then, to dismember Iesus Christ by separating ye things which he hath ioyned together, is it not a setting of themselues openly against him? We see then yt these rebellions hauehave happened among vsus: & who is to bee blamed for it? Truly ye heads of the sedition are to be seene, and ye perceiuing of thē hath not bin at some one time, or a day or twaine ago, but it is now a seuen or eight years since it began, insomuch as Gods children hauehave bin faine to grone and sigh vnderunder their burthen, & to cry out alas, beseeching God to hauehave pitie on his poore Church, seing it was in such a hurly burly. Things went worse & worse, and one licentiousnes brought in another, so as they bare thēselues in hand yt al things were lawful for them. And yet notwithstanding, of all that while they did but double the stings which they had felt afore in their wicked cōsciences, by thin king thus wt thēselues: What? We can neuer hold out, except we lay our heads together to fortifie our selues thus & thus. Herupon they made cō tinually new prouisions. And after what maner? By practising al maner of treasō & disloyalty, & by applying their minds to al wicked shifts for ye maintenance of ye thing yt they had misbegun. But in ye end our Lord wrought. And what hauehave we to cōsider therin? That we be worthy of blame. For although those folk did fight opēly against God: yet would he not hauehave suffered such miseries to hauehave happened among vsus, but for our offences. And therefore let vsus consider yt seeing he hath so punished ye parties that came to set themselues apparantly against him, & made their reckening to ouerthrow all yt he had builded: he hath scholed vsus at their cost, & therefore we ought first of al to thank him for his sparing of vsus, and that he wrapped vsus not in ye cōfusion yt was prepared for vsus, but hath put a myraculous differēce betwene them & vsus. Thus ye see that the thing which we hauehave to marke, is on the one side Gods mercy in bearing with vsus, & on ye other, the punishing of a few folk, which ought to serue vsus for an instructiō to teach vsus to fare ye better by it. For it is certain yt thereby God hath shewed vsus, how it is his wil to hauehave things go peasably, & to keep their ordinary course according to his worde. For it is not for men to pretend Gods name falsly in this behalf, to swarue aside one way or other. The ministers of ye word & such as are appointed to be preachers, must for their part bee able to protest before God, & to shewe openly before men, yt they neither be nor desire to bee counted any other, than as persons to whom God hath committed ye charge of preaching & of administring his sacraments, with such purenes as things may not bee corrupted in ye church. Whē it is so: let vsus vnderstand yt we must submit our selues thereto, & that we shal winne nothing by striuing against it, but Gods hand must needs be always against vsus. For he forgetteth not what he hath ordeined, but wil maintaine & defend ye same continually. Therefore let vsus learn to leaue ye seeking of any change against Gods ordinance. Let vsus looke vponupon the rule that is conteined in the holy scripture, & let no man attempt to incounter it by any maner of meanes. Let vsus rather die than alter any thing, or attempt any thing against our God. Let vsus be as sheepe, if we will hauehave Iesus Christ to bee our shepherd. For whatsoeuer hee is that hath not a meeke heart like a lamb, is vnworthy to be counted of Gods Church,Mat. 16.24. & Ioh. 10.27 because our Lorde Iesus Christ wil not be our shepherd, but vponupon ye condition. That then is the thing which wee hauehave to beare away in the first place. But let vsus also look wel vponupon the maliciousnes of ye Iewish people, & take good heede that we become not like them. Sothly it is a terrible case yt God shold shew forth his power so vponupon rebels, yt the very earth should open and swallow them vp with their wiues and children. There were to the number of 250 that had murmured against Moses and Aaron, which were al rooted out in ye open sight of men, so as men saw that God wrought from heauen: & yet notwithstanding complaintes were still cast foorth against Moses and Aaron, men charged them with al ye blame, all ye fault was laid in their necks. Seing it was so, must it not needs be that y• people was exceedingly hardharted? Yes: but let vsus nowe looke into our selues. For we also are guilty of the like maliciousnes nowadays in that behalf. For there are a number to be seene which foster poyson in their hearts, & are wilfully wedded to wicked matters, and yet knowe neither why nor wherefore. If a man aske them what it booteth them: they cannot tell, sauing that the diuell hath so caryed them away, that they bee easily wonne to maintaine euill matters, and to murmure and grudge: and therwithal they fal to running vponupon those that cannot doe withall, for none other cause but yt they indeuour to mainetaine the things that concerne God. How hauehave wee had an eye to the thinges which God hath done beyond mans expectation? He wrought of al the while▪ when no mā thought it. There were neither Iudges, nor people, nor ministers of the word, yt euer thought vponupon ye thinges yt are come to passe. Wel: is the thing done & past? and do we not perceiue yt God pitied vsus in ye ende, and that therby he ment to schole vsus, and yt we shoulde be mindfull of that deed for euer? Why consider we not yt he laid his hand vponupon vsus to humble vsus, to ye intent we should henceforth liue in al subiection vnderunder him, & according to his order? Are they not too too vnexcusable, which cannot make their profit therof? Yes surely. For it is as a wilful shutting of their eyes against Gods workes. But no maruel if things be so out of order nowadays. For wee see yt in the countries where the Gospel is, there is more inordinate liberty & more leaudnes than is among ye papistes. Whereby we may vnderstande, yt God doth iustly giuegive them ouer. For when men hauehave heard ye gospel and will not beleeue it: they must needs alwayes become deuils incarnate and as badde as monsters, so as nothing may be seen in thē but cursed disorder. In deede ye Papists, forasmuch as they be deadly enemies vntounto God, are well worthy of ye reprobate minde wherin they be. But as for them that boast of ye Gospel, & make a mocke of it, vtterly refusing al good doctrine, & fighting against god: must not God needs vtter greater rigor towards them, as men see he hath done? And a mā needs not to looke far for ye matter. Let vsus but looke a little about vsus, & we shall see yt Gods vengeance hath broken out to ye vttermost, vppon those vnhappie creatures which doe so refuse his grace dayly offered vntounto them. Now then, if those kind of folk conceiue rancor against al goodnes, what get they by it, but yt they heape vp stil greater punishment vponupon their owne heads? But as for our part, let vsus learn to keep our selues in aray vnderunder ye standard of our God: and then let vsus assure our selues▪ yt as he made Aarōs rod to florish in spyte of all ye rebels, so will he also make ye order to florish which he hath set among vsus. Let vsus wait vponupon him, & rest vppon that order: and in ye meane while shrowd our selues vnderunder his wings, and not seeke any thing against his preheminēce & dignity, but honour him all of vsus both great & smal. If we proceede after yt fashion, we may wel hope that as he wrought then, so will he continue also towardes vsus.
But by the way let vsus beare in mind what Moses saith here. Bethink your selues (saith he) euen to keepe the commaundementes which I set before you this day. Hereby he sheweth vsus whereto ye minding of the chastisements which we hauehave perceiued to hauehave bin done by Gods hand, shold serue vsus. Namely to bring vsus vntounto his obedience. For if we think to quit our selues by condemning such as hauehave so troubled gods order, & gone about to ouerthrow the doctrine of our Lord Iesus Christ: and yet in the meane while do play same pageants, and followe their footesteppes within an houre after: surely wee shalbe double punished. Wee see what befell to Iehu▪ 2. …and it is a looking glasse for vsus to behold continually. For if a iudge turne his one hand vntounto bribes, and punish theeues with the other for his owne profite: is not he himselfe worthy of dubble punishment? Euen so stoode yt case wt Iehu. True it is yt God vsed his seruice in punishing ye ydolatries & abhominations of Achabs house: but yet for al that, Iehu himself followed the same, & therfore was God faine to punish him also as a robber, & to vse greater rigor against him than against the house of Achab, though al things were out of order there and ful of wickednes. As much shall befall vsus when wee shall hauehave condemned the wicked, and the despisers of God, and such as hauehave turned quite & cleane against him: if we our selues resemble thē afterward. Therfore let vsus take heede to yt which is spoken heere, which is that God calleth vsus home to him, by our beholding of ye desolation that men had practised. Very well then, our Lord punisheth them: but his punishing of the wicked is for our benefite. For his meaning is yt by their example we shoulde learne to turne head when we hauehave gone astray, that wheras erst we followed him not, ne framed our liues according to his word, we shold come to attonemēt again in him, and take heed to our conuersation, yt we obserue al the cōmandemēts which he setteth before vsus.
Againe, Moses sheweth vsus heere, that it is not ynough for vsus to serue God by halues, as men commonly doe to make their market as they list themselues. Indeede we wilbe ashamed so to do, specially if we perceiue that God chastiseth any man for the like doings, and that wee our selues hauehave found that hee hath vouchsafed to beare wt vsus, and to shewe himselfe as our father. I say wee will be ashamed to disdaine to hauehave any regarde at all of it. But what? We will set a good face vponupon the matter, and we will pretend some shadow of vpright dealing, at leastwise in smal particular matters: but otherwise, wee will holde on still in our old trace, and we will do such thinges as may wel bewray that in al the rest there was nothing but hypocrisie, so as we went not to work roundly & soundly because we be doubleharted. But god admitteth no such parting of stakes▪ He saith expresly, Looke about you when I punish such as hauehave done amisse. For vnlesse ye purpose to wrap your selues in the same curse, ye must not onelyonly reforme your liues in one or two points, but also rule your selues throughout according to my law, ye must walk in such vprightnes, as it may be perceiued that ye hauehave giuen your selues to my seruice, and yt your whole seeking is to hauehave me to be your Lord & master. Thus ye see whereat Moses looked in saying. Therfore do yee all the cōmandements which I set before you this day.
But surely mans frailty is such, as he can neuer attaine to the full performing of the law: but yet must we stil indeuour towards it. When we hauehave inforced our selues to yt vttermost, yet shal we be behind hand stil in many things. And if we enter into accoūt for eueryevery poynt which we shal hauehave performed, we shall hauehave failed in a hundred. Therefore let vsus acknowledge our faults: but yet for all that, the marke that wee must shoote at, must be the obeying of our God without exception, so as we make no parting of stakes with him to say, Go to, as for in this thing, I am contented to yeelde to God, but hee must pardon me in that thing, and he must beare with me for the other matter. If we fall to such chaffaring with him, wee shall finde in the ende that our fond ouerweening hath beguiled vsus.
And in any wise let vsus wey well this saying, where he sayth: that it is hee himselfe that setteth forth the commaundements of God. And thereby he bringeth vsus back to Gods word in such wise as it is preached, for he wil not hauehave vsus go seeke in the aire, nor yet aboue the clowdes for ye knowledge of his wil. We must be contented with his comming downe vntounto vsus, and with his speaking to vsus by the mouthes of men. The rebellious sort hauehave alwayes sayd that their intent was to serue God: for it were too horrible a thing to be so blasphemous in wordes, as to say that they giuegive ouer God and will be none of his. Therefore doe they make faire protestations: but in the meane while they tread vnderunder soote the worde whereby God will be knowen and serued. This hath bin seene in all ages: and we hauehave found it in these despisers that hauehave crept in here among vsus to corrupt vsus, that all their talke hath tended to none other end, but to abolish some peece of the holy scripture. For they hauehave giuen forth that there is no more neede of the Lawe and the prophets, but that they be quite abolished. And this blasphemie hath bin held or rather flushed out in such sort, as it required to be resisted with stoutenesse. Insomuch as they hauehave not bin ashamed to spew out such wicked sayings as these in my presence: namely yt the old Testament was to be reiected, and belonged not at all vntounto vsus. And on their Alebenches they made it a common prouerbe, that the hauing of the Gospell was sufficient, that is to say, that wee ought to holde vsus contented with these two wordes, A man must louelove God, and he must louelove his neighbour. Thus ye see how they hauehave gone about to bring in a Turkishnesse vppon vsus, yea and a confusion more horrible than Turkishnesse, in that they durst so openly pronounce all those leawd speaches. Let vsus marke then how it is not without cause that Moses sayth here, The commaundementes which I set before you, as if hee should say: come not hither to protest dissemblingly that your intent is to serue God: but [say flatly] yt ye wil not admit his Lawe because it is preched vntounto you by me, by me (I say) which am a mortall man as you be and not your God, least ye should make an idoll of me. Alledge none of all these shiftes, sayth he: for God hath ordained me to set forth his Lawe, and he will hauehave it receiued at my hand. And seeing he hath giuen me that charge and office: it behoueth you on your side to obey. Now againe wee knowe that our Lorde Iesus Christ intendeth not to dwell here visibly in his owne person among vsus. Hee hath ordeined Pastors in his Church, and hee will be heard by their meanes: that is the perfection whereunto hee bringeth vsus, vntill wee come to that happy meeting,1. Cor. 13.12 to bee throughly ioyned vntounto him. Those are the wordes of Saint Paul. Now if wee will not submit our selues to that order: it is as if we would rend asunder the body of Christ as much as in vsus lyeth. Therefore let vsus beware that wee yeelde due authoritie to Gods word, and accept it reuerently when it is preached vntounto vsus. So then, whensoeuer we hauehave to deale with Gods seruice and religion: let vsus not fall to fancying of high speculations, as if we would say, Let God shewe me what pleaseth him, and I wil doe it. For that is but a vaine excuse, as wee shall see that Moses himselfe will tell vsus hereafter where he sayth:Deut. 30.11.12.13.14. Thou needest not to goe ouer the sea, nor to mount vp into the ayre, nor to goe downe into the deepe, forasmuch as thou hast the worde in thy heart and in thy mouth.Rom. 10.8. And this word (saith S. Paul) is not only that which was preached by Moses: but also the same word of faith which we preach at this day. Sith it is so, let vsus beare in minde yt God ment as it were to bridle vsus by telling vsus yt it was his wil to make vsus subiect vntounto him, and yt for the bringing thereof to passe, it behoued vsus to obserue the doctrine which he did set forth by the hand of Moses. And cōsequently it behoueth our Lord Iesus Christes gouerning of vsus nowadays to be such, as we receiue and beleeue whatsoeuer is preached to vsus in his name. Ye see thē that the way for Gods word to hauehave due preheminence and authoritie among vsus: is that wee gouerne not our selues after our owne lyking: but hearken to the voyce of Iesus Christ to submit our selues thereto, so as hee may hauehave the souereintie ouer vsus that is giuen him by God his father, and we receiue his word without exception or gainsaying, knowing that that is the meane whereby God intendeth to try what obedience wee yeelde vntounto him.
Now let vsus kneele downe in the presence of our good God with acknowledgement of our faultes, praying him to make vsus perceiue them better than wee hauehave done heretofore, so as we may fare the better by all the instructions that are giuen vsus, as well by the benefites that are dayly bestowed vppon vsus at his hand, as by the chastisementes which hee sheweth vsus: that thereby we may be brought to feare him, and to honor him by all meanes, and not take vppon vsus the name of Christianitie falsely, but become his people in very deede, being separated from all worldly infections, and from all wiched lustes that are contrary to his lawe, or which striue against it. That it may please him to graunt this grace, not onelyonly to vsus but also to all people and nations of the earth, &c.