Sermons on Deuteronomy, Sermons · Sermon 80
On Saturday the xxviij. of September. 1555. The Lxxx Sermon, which is the first vponupon the twelfth Chapter.
THese are the ordinaunces and Lawes which yee shal keepe, that yee may doe them in the Lande which the Lord God of thy fathers hath giuen thee of possesse, all the dayes which thou shalt liue vponupon the earth.
2 Ye shall destroy all the places wherein the people, whom yee shal conquere hauehave serued their gods, whether it be vponupon high mountaines, or vponupon the hils, or vnderunder any maner of greene trees.
3 Also yee shall digge downe their Altars, and breake their images, and burne their woods with fire. Yee shall destroy the images of their gods, and dispatch the names of them out of that place.
4 Yee shall not deale so with the Lord your God.
5 But looke what place soeuer the Lord your God shal choose out of al your tribes to set his name in and to dwel in: there shall yee seeke him, and thither shall yee resorte.
WHeras Moses exhorteth ye people here againe to obserue the ordinances & statutes of ye law, and to do thē; it doth vsus to vnderstand, yt if we be not diligēt in following Gods will, we shal soone be carried away vntounto wickednes one way or other. For it falleth out vponupon vsus yt we do cōmit many faults through ouersight, we stumble at eueryevery turning of a hand because ye deuill doth easily beguile vsus; & we hauehave no great wit or discretion in vsus, our mind is ful of fondnes, & consequētly vnconstant: & therfore if we be not very diligent in obeying our God: we shall neuer obserue his law as we ought to do. Now thē let vsus beware yt we set our minds earnestly to y• ordering of our life. For if we bethinke vsus not aduisedly of it, ne hauehave any great care of it; we shal not fail to do amisse some way or other. That is ye thing which we hauehave to gather vponupon this place where Moses saith yt we must not only put gods cōmandemēts in execution, but also keepe thē to do them. As if he should say, yt if men holde not themselues well in awe; if they bee not very watchfull in following their duety, & if they be not well aduised & earnest in their doings: by & by they slip away, and there is no stedines in them; and although there hauehave bin some good zeale in them, yet it vanisheth away out of hande.
And he sayth expresly that they be the statutes and ordinances of the God of their fathers. Which serueth to the better confirming of the matter yt we hauehave seene heereto fore: which is, that the Land of Chanaā was giuen thē by vertue of the couenant and promise yt was made before they were borne. The Iewes then are put in minde in this place to thinke thēselues beholden to Gods free bestowed goodnes, for their promised inheritāce forasmuch as they coulde not boast of it as of a cōquest, because God had assigned it to their fathers before they were borne. Neuerthelesse his purpose is also to confirme them in the doctrine of the Law, to the end they might knowe yt they worshipped not a new god, or a god lately found out: but the same God which had bin reueiled to their fathers in all ages afore, & therfore he telleth them they were lesse to be excused, if they held thē not to the religion yt had bin knowen in all times afore, at leastwise among their fore fathers. For we heare what God vpbraydeth them withall by his prophet Ieremie. Go seeke all the worlde about (saith he) go ouer ye sea,Ier. … & see if the heathen nations hauehave changed their gods, and yet they be but idols. Sith you see such stedfastnes & constancie in the infidels, yt they be not variable in their superstitions, but rather as it were wedded & wilfully giuē ouer to thē: what a shame will it be to you to hauehave forsaken the liuing God when ye hauehave knowen him, & not to continue in his word? Then let vsus marke wel in this text, that Gods vpbraiding of ye Iewes with his manifesting of himself vntounto thē & to their fathers so long time aforehand, is to ye ende they should be the more worthy to be condemned, if they hild not them selues to the doctrine which had bin so well warranted vntounto thē. But let vsus marke also yt it is not inough for vsus yt our forefathers held some kind of religion: but we must also see yt the same be alowable. And whereas it is sayd here, yt their forefathers knew the same God which had setforth his Law to thē at yt time: the knowledge or opinion which the fathers had, is not ye chief ground that we ought to stand vponupon; for God presupposeth yt he had so certified thē of his word, as they were not in any doubt at all. Therfore first let vsus learn to knowe what our Lord declareth vntounto vsus; and then let vsus afterward go to antiquitie. And it is certaine that if the religion be true, & good, it is not new nor deuised in our time; but our repaire must be to the things yt are witnessed in the Law and ye prophets. There we shal see how God hath gathered his Church, how he hath gouerned it, & how it hath alwayes had his truth, euen from the beginning of the world. In dede the number of people is but small yt hauehave followed godlinesse: the rest hauehave turned away after their owne inuē tions. Howbeit, we must not hauehave an eye to the world, but let it suffice vsus yt god hath had a church of his owne in all ages, whereunto it behoueth vsus to be ioyned & to become one wt it. For although the Church hauehave bin despised of the worlde; yet hath it alwayes bin precious in Gods sight. And we see the like still at this day. True it is that the most part of such as boast thēselues to be beleeuers, are doted with leasinges, errours & abuses: but wee must let thē alone, & submit ourselues to the truth yt God telleth vsus, knitting ourselues in vnity of faith & concord with the faithfull which are contented to followe whatsoeuer God hath shewed thē. Thus ye see yt the way for vsus to put this text in vre where the God of the fathers is spokē of, is yt it is not ynough for vsus to hauehave som antiquitie as the papists alledge, saying; we hauehave bin a long time in possession: but we must be well groūded vpō certainty, so as we know yt the God whom we worship is not an idoll. When a man knowes yt once, then let him proceede to the cō sent & agreement of faith, according to our beleef wherby we confes yt there is but one almightie god, which is ye father of our lord Iesus Christ, and by the same reasō our father too; yt our Lord Iesus Christ is the redeemer that hath appeared vntounto vsus; that we be sanctified by the holy Ghost, and also yt we can beare record of the maiesty of our God, at leastwise according to his vttering of himselfe vntounto vsus by his holy scriptures. Which done, then let vsus adde, yt we beleeue the holy catholike Church, and that there is a cōmunion of Saincts, so as there is but one body. But yet must God be faine to shewe himselfe to vsus to be the almighty: that he is ye same which made both heauen & earth, that he is the same at whose hande we must hope for saluation; yt he is able to maintaine his owne glory, so as all the thinges yt men hauehave deuised of their owne braine are but lies. That is the first end whereat we must begin. And afterward we must agree with the holy patriarks, Apostles, & all the faithfull that hauehave liued since the worlde began. We must hauehave yt indissoluble band of faith, & al must come to this point, namely that they be grounded vponupon the certaine and vnfallible truth. As for example, The Iewes that came after, had the fathers as well as they, of whom also they made thēselues a sheelde. but God did vtterly mislike their so doing, according to this saying of the prophet Ezechiel;…ech. …0.18 Walk not after the righteousnes of your forefathers. At the first blush here seemeth to be some cōtrarity. For in this same place it is sayd; Worship ye the God of your fathers, stick to him, & beware ye change not your religion. And there ye prophet Ezechiel sayth contrariwise, beware that ye follow not ye deuotion of your fathers. Yea verily: for there were two sortes of fathers among the Iewes: the one was Abraham, & the holy Patriarkes & Prophetes, and such as knewe the liuing God, & serued him in all purenesse: those it behoued the Iewes to rule thēselues by. And in yt respect doth Moses say now vntounto them, beware yt ye turne not away from the God of your fathers, but cōtinue still in their faith. Besides this, they had other fathers also, which were backesliders, & frowarde, and had corrupted the Lawe, & made a mingle-mangle of it with all the superstitions of the heathen. In respect of this it is said, beware ye folow not your fathers: for they were frowarde & false-harted towardes God. In the same taking is the world at this day. The Papistes alledge their fathers. But what? Are not the Apostles the true fathers of the christian Church? Yes, but the papistes will not heare them speake, nor any other that hauehave stablished such order in the Church as God cōmanded. But they hauehave their bastarde fathers like themselues, which being a misbegottē generation, they take Monkes & old dotterelles for their fathers. Againe, when they alledge any of the auncient doctors, if there be any folly or superstitiō in their writings, they can skill to cull it out eueryevery whit: but as for the good, they cast yt a great way off Now then let vsus beware of such maner of fathership, & let vsus vse discretiō in chosing out ye true fathers, & let vsus put yt in vre which Paul speakes of where he sayth yt all fatherhood dependeth vponupon God and vponupon our Lord Iesus Christ.Eph. 3.15. Thither (say I) must we refer our fatherhood, if we wil hauehave good fathers; so as God may be the chiefe father of them all, & they giuegive record yt they be his sonnes, yt they may beget vsus by the vncorruptible seede of his word: or els there wilbe nothing but vtter confusion. Thus ye see what we hauehave to remember vponupon that saying.
Now heretofore Moses addeth further, yt the Iewes must not serue God at the first, and afterward become cold: but yt they must perseuere in it all the time of their life. And after yt maner will God be honoured of vsus. For he taketh vsus not to hyre for certain dayes, & then to let vsus go, or to giuegive vsus leaue to depart at the ende of our terme: he taketh vsus for life & death. And it is good reason, as S. Paul sheweth vsus where he sayth yt our Lord Iesus died & rose again to reigne both ouer the quicke & the dead.Rom. 14.9. Though there were none other respect than this, were it not ynough? Behold, ye son of God which bought vsus by his death and passion, is risen againe immediatly: & is it not meete then yt we shold giuegive our selues to him & to God his father, and yt we should be wholly dedicated vntounto him, & that we should both indeuor to serue him as long as we liue vponupon ye earth, and also yt our death should be as a sacrifice & offering vntounto him, to shewe ourselues obedient to him in all points? Yes: & therefore let vsus marke well, yt we must not doe it, as it were in a pang, as a number of folke do, who are very whot in gods seruice for a two or three dayes, and afterward their mind is altered, & their deuotion is quite gone, & they shew full well yt there was no zeale in thē. But let vsus alwayes beare in mind to serue God as long as we liue. And therewithall let vsus also bethinke vsus of yt which is set downe he ere, where Moses speaketh yet againe of the heritage that had bin promised to ye Iewes. For seeing that our Lord doth daily put vsus in mind of his grace: it is good reason yt wee should plucke vp a good corage to honour him, & gather new strength to say, forasmuch as I hauehave liued out this day in the world, & hauehave serued God this morning, seeing yt I perceiue he cōtinueth his goodnes stil towards me, yea, & incre aseth it: is it not reason that my zeale & mine affection to serue him should be ye more kindled, and yt my hope shold not be abated? That is the thing which Moses ment in saying, Ye shall possesse ye land & as long as ye possesse it ye shal hauehave a faire mirrour before your eyes to shewe you how your God calleth you to him, & mainteineth you in the possession of the benefit which he hath once bestowed vponupon you.
And therefore let vsus marke, yt we deserue well to be bereft of the grace yt God shal hauehave granted vsus, if we acknowledge it not toward him, but for get it, & apply it to another end than he ment it. It hath bin sayde heretofore yt the Iewes should possesse the land,Deut. 11.21. as long as ye heauen hung ouer the earth. And yet we see how they be put out of it, insomuch yt at this day they possesse not any part of it, but wander abroad in the world, & are hunted to & fro. And what is ye cause therof? Surely God had mainteined them in the inheritance which he had promised thē, if they had not turned away frō him after ye fashion.Psal. 132.14 For it was not without cause, that ye land was called Gods resting place. As if he had said, yt when al the residue of the worlde were tossed & turmoyled, ye Iewes shold dwel at ease & rest in yt land, so as if any mā made war vponupon them & troubled them, yet God wold stablish thē there. Yea but they hauehave brokē couenant wt him. And therfore at this day (as we see) they be banished frō resting in any place of the whole world. They be as vagabonds euerie where. And what is the cause of it but their own vnthankfulnes in yt they hauehave forsaken gods promise through their vnbeleefe and stubbornesse, and hauehave vtterly disanulled it to the vttermost of their power? Therefore let vsus bethinke ourselues.Hebr. 11.13 16. True it is yt we must be as wayfarers in this world, if we wilbe heires of heauen, as ye Apostle telleth vsus. But howsoeuer the case stand, if we intend to be blessed of our God, & to feele yt he is a good defence for vsus: let vsus hold vsus in obedience & subiectiō to him. Otherwise let vsus assure ourselues, yt although al ye whole world hold with vsus, yet we shall finde ourselues so persecuted and pursued, as we shall finde no rest any where. If a faithful man walke in the feare of God, although he be persecuted & tormented; yet may hee rest vponupon this point to say, yet is God my protector; and he will call vponupon him, & by his calling vponupon him he shall finde cause of cōfort. But on ye contrarie part, if an vnbeleeuer play ye rebell against God, although he hauehave peace to the worldward, and be in fauor of men, yea & also dreaded: yet shall he euer be vnquiet & agast. And the reason is, because he seketh not to be at peace with God. So then let vsus marke that whereas Moses exhorteth the people heere to serue God all their life long; it is to the end wee knowing yt God renues his merciemercy and goodnes daily toward vsus; should be inflamed to serue him with ye greater corage, & that frō day to day we shold always continue therin as though we were at rest. We see yt euen sleepe setteth a man in good plight againe, so yt when he hath wearyed himselfe with walking or working, he becommeth ready and disposed to returne to his labour againe the next morning. Euen so must we take corage at our Lords incoraging of vsus, and at his calling of vsus vntounto him, so as it may appeare that we be willing and readie to follow him.
But now let vsus come to that which Moses hath set down concerning the Lords ordinances and statutes. The first cōmandement yt he giueth the Iewes, is that when they be come into the Land which they were to possesse for their inheritāce they shoulde beate downe all the altars of the heathen, breake and deface their ydolles, burne all the grones where they had vsed their superstitions, and vtterly root out the remembrance of them. Here we see again how hatefull a thing ydolatrie is vntounto God, and that he can not abide yt his seruice should in any wise be corrupted. Let vsus marke I say, that God accepteth not any seruice at our hands, when it is mingled with any abuse or folly of our owne heades: but as we must serue him onelyonly, so must we serue him not after our owne fashion, but according to his owne wil, cōmandement & allowance. Wherein we see how a great number of ignorant wretches beguile themselues nowadayes. For hauing protested that their intent is to serue ye only one God, they put to many patches of their owne, bearing themselues in hand that yt is not amisse. And why? So long as mine in deuour be to serue God say they, & that I do it of a good intent; why shold it be condemned? Yea, but we heare how our God can not away with any companion,Esa. 42.… as he declareth euerywhere; and euen in this text we be taught the same expressly ynough: for God will hauehave all remembrance of ydols vtterly rooted out. For why? As long as ydols hauehave their vse; God is defaced & ouercouered that he can not be discerned, and likewise all things in the world are confounded by it. Therfore it is all one as if mē shold go about to spoile him of his maiestie & glory. And euen ye papists themselues auow the same thing in their cōmon byword, when they say that God is not knowen for the Apostles. And it was Gods will that they should make a common prouerbe of it, to shewe that they cut their owne throtes with their own knife, in that they can alleadge no excuse at the latter day. For they say they ment it not: no, but will not their prouerbe proue them liers? Yes: for their owne wordes shall iudge them. Howsoeuer they fare, let vsus note that if Gods seruice be not kept in the owne purenesse, all is marde: so that although men worship him neuer so much, yet hee misliketh it, as wee see by his speaking thereof in his prophete Ezechiell.Ezec. ….… Goe serue your owne Gods sayth he, for I hauehave done with you. As if hee should say; belong altogether to the deuill if you will: Seeing that ye hold ye not all wholly to me, but that I must hauehave companions ioyned with me, and ye make me but as one of the common sort, so as I must bee as good as no body: I renounce you and giuegive you ouer yt ye may goe to the deuill; for I will hauehave no more to doe with you. So then let vsus marke well, that to serue our God aright, wee must yeelde such preheminence to his maiestie, as to depende all wholly vppon his worde and doctrine, without adding any thing to that which hee commaundeth, as shall be declared more at length in the next Lecture.
Nowe furthermore, whereas it is sayde that the [very] remembraunce of ydolles must be rooted out: it is to the end that folke should be the better aduised. Truely God sheweth vsus on the one side (as I hauehave sayde) howe greatly he hateth all ydolatry, seeing hee willeth men to burne the woods & all that euer hath serued to the mainteinance thereof, insomuch that hee will hauehave the very stones beaten to pouder, and the golde and siluer broken, so as all may be quite & cleane done away. Seeing that God doth so condemne the creatures which are good as in respect of thē selues, because they hauehave beene instrumentes of superstition: thereby we see well that hee can in no wise away with ydolatrie. Besides this hee hath alwayes respect to the frailetie of men: for as soone as we meete with any thing, by and by we be miscarried: wee be euer starting one way or other. And what is the cause? Naturally we be inclined to ydolatrie: and because wee bee earthly and fleshly; wee bee euer imagining of God some thing that seemeth good to ourselues, by reason whereof wee turne him into sundrie shapes. If we hauehave neuer so small an occasion, by and by we be drawen vntounto euill. If a flye do but crosse our eyes, we make an ydoll of it. We see then whereat God looked when hee gaue so straite commaundement to beate downe the altars, to heawe downe the groues, to burne vp the woods, to breake the images, and to destroy the puppets vtterly. For had those things continued still among the Iewes; there woulde euer hauehave been some among them, which would hauehave giuen themselues to the superstitions of the heathen. Tush, would they hauehave sayd: what and if a man had deuotiō to it? it is a hallowed thing: like as at this day, such as hauehave beene nusled in papistrie, are so held to it as long as they see their pelting trash, that they can neuer winde themselues out of it, though they would neuer so fain. If a man that hath beene long inured to the Masse doe see a chalice: his minde giues him still that there is some holinesse in it; whereas cleane contrariwise it is as filthie and stinking an infection as any can be, and yet notwithstanding wee can not conceiue it. For why? As I sayde afore, we be fleshly by nature: and besides that, Satan vseth such slight, that when he setteth such thinges before our eyes to beguile vsus with, we be snared by them out of hande; and therefore there is none other remedie, but to make cleane riddaunce of all such thinges as may allure vsus to superstition. Truely if their were puppettes among vsus as are in the Popedome, it might be alleadged that they could not hurt vsus as long as they were not worshipped. In deed it is true that they of themselues could not hurt vsus: but lette vsus looke into ourselues, and wee shall finde ourselues so weake, that wee shoulde be blinded immediatly by such baggage, and it would turne vsus away from Gods pure worde, insomuch that if we had altars still, we should not knowe that the Lordes supper were ministred vntounto vsus to the intent wee should be partakers of him, and inioy all his goods: but there woulde remaine I wote not what a wicked imagination of yt hellish Sacrifice which is done in the popedome; namely of the Masse, wherein men thinke that Christ is offered there to GOD his father for the remission of our sinnes. And so there woulde alwayes remaine some wicked fancie still in our heade. That is the cause why God hath so straitly commaunded to breake the ymages, destroy the altars, and burne vppe the woods or groues where ydolles hauehave beene serued and worshipped. The Papists in these dayes replie that that commaundement was giuen but to the Iewes, because they were giuen to superstition. Verily as who shoulde say that we were better disposed noweadayes than they were. True it is that GOD giueth not this commaundement to vsus as touching the Ceremonie of burning all thinges wherewith ydolles hauehave beene serued: but yet for all that, his will is that we should make cleane riddaunce of all thinges that may turne vsus from the pure religion. If it were of necessitie that all thinges shoulde bee doone away wherewith ydolles hauehave beene worshipped; this temple shoulde not nowe stande to hauehave the name of GOD preached in it. It hath beene a brothelhouse of Satans, but nowe must wee apply it to good vse, by taking away the trumperie that hath reigned in it, which was quite contrarie to Gods worde. But howesoeuer the worlde goe, if we looke well vppon our infirmitie, wee shall finde that this lesson belongeth to vsus at this day, namely that all remembraunce of ydolles is to bee vtterly rased out. And nowe insomuch as the maladie of superstition is so rooted in vsus, there is none other remedie for it, but to take away all obiectes that may moue vsus thereunto, that the deuill may hauehave no more any meanes to intangle vsus in his nettes which hee layeth for vsus: but that wee may knowe simply after what manner God wilbe worshipped and serued.
Also we may gather further vppon this text, howe mad men bee in their superstitions, accordingly as the prophetes doe speake thereof. For they vse such similitudes as these; namely that men not onelyonly resemble such folke as are carried away with fonde louelove,Ier. 5.8. and hauehave lost both honestie, witte, and countenaunce: but also resemble horses that ney after Mares, and such other brute beastes. Yee see then after what manner the wretched Idolaters are carried away in their superstitions. And this is declared vntounto vsus, in that wee heare him speaking of woods of high grouth, as men terme them, and of Mountaines and Hilles. For there was not that odde nooke where in the Iewes hadde not some peculiar deuotion; after which manner we see howe our ydolaters also hauehave poysoned the fountaynes, Woods and Hilles with the filthinesse of their superstitions and charmes. Wheresoeuer was any notable thing, by and by there was reared some Temple, or there was some chappell builded, and all to worshippe some ydol in. There is neuer any ende or measure when men take leaue after that fashion to worshippe GOD after their owne liking. And forasmuch as wee see that, wee ought to brydle our selues the more, that we attempt not any thing without the warrant of Gods worde. For if we hold not ourselues within our bounds, and as it were tye our selues simplye to that which GOD hath commaunded: it can not bee but that Sathan shall leade vsus out of the way, so as there will be horrible confusion in our case.
The first reason then is, that such as will needes serue GOD after their owne fancie, doe alwayes goe into such a dungeon as they can neuer gette out of againe, and they fall continually from one superstition to an other. Marke that for one point. And on the other side we see howe greatly it will bee to our condemnation, that we can not finde in our heartes to dedicate our liues vntounto GOD, seeing that the ydolaters are so carried away by their foolishe fancies, that they hauehave neuer doone with them, nor can neuer thinke themselues superstitious ynough. Therefore if we for our parte seeke not to keepe ourselues in obedience to our GOD, what will become of vsus? For God hath layde such a yoke vponupon our neckes, as is gentle ynough.Matt. 11.30. He hath an eye to our infirmitie, hee giueth vsus such strength as he knoweth to be meete for vsus, hee beareth with vsus as gently as may bee. And yet for all this, hee can not compasse vsus, wee bee so nice as is pittie to see. Wee fall to complayning and say; Alas, GOD pincheth vsus too sore. And if wee doe him but halfe seruice, yea or but the hundreth parte of our duetie, wee thinke hee ought to holde himselfe contented with it: whereas in the meane while the ydolaters doe martyre themselues out of measure, they indure after a sorte the peines of damned soules, and they are euer readie to increase their superstitions.
Wherefore let vsus looke well to ourselues; and seeing it is not lawefull for vsus to attempt any thing beyonde Gods will; but it behoueth vsus to knowe what he requireth of vsus, and to submitte our selues wholely vntounto him: lette vsus be gentle and meeke minded to beare the yoke patiently which GOD layeth vppon vsus, seeing it is neither harde nor greeuous (as I sayde afore). And seeing that the ydolaters doe so followe their geere, and nothing can stay their trotting and gadding, but that they doe as it were flye to the seruing of their ydolles: Lette vsus steppe forewarde also, sith wee see that our Lorde sheweth vsus the way, yea and such a way as though it be verie harde as in respect of our corruption, is neuerthelesse verie playne and easie to vsus, in respect of the grace of his holy spirit.
Heere is this moreouer, that Moses sayeth not heere, yt the Iewes shall destroy and breake the ydolles in all places wheresoeuer they become: but that GOD commaundeth them to doe it in the lande that is giuen them to inherite. Wherein we see that the holy Ghost commaundeth not all the faithfull in generall to pull downe and to breake all ydolles in the worlde: but onelyonly where they themselues hauehave authoritie. And it is a point well worth the noting. For if we be among ydolaters, it lyeth not in vsus to ridde the Lande from the superstitions that reigne in it. What is to bee doone then? Euerie man must reforme himselfe in his owne heart, so as all ydolles may be thrust out from thence. When I see Gods seruice corrupted any where, I must forbeare to haunt that place or to communicate in companie with those ydolaters. I must cutte off all the wicked affections that are in my fleshe, and I must shew moreouer that I am not minded to forsake my GOD, nor to falsifie the faith that I hauehave plighted vntounto him by defiling my selfe with the ydolatries that are about mee. Therefore euerie man must first and formost reforme his owne heart, and secondly separate himselfe from all things that may defile him. And that is because GOD hath giuen vsus a charge of our owne persons, and made vsus as it were keepers of his temples, to the intent that eueryevery of vsus shoulde looke narrowly to ourselues. That is a thing which it behoueth vsus to doe when wee be in the countrey of Idolaters. Besides this, euerie man must purge and clense his owne house from all filthinesse. So as if a man be a housholder, hee must looke well about him that he hold well his children and seruauntes in the feare of GOD and in the purenesse of religion. For if a man suffer his house to be defiled, and all thinges there to goe to hauocke: he shalbe sure to make account thereof to God. Not that a man can holde his wife and seruants continually tyed to his sleeue to turne them to the christian faith when he lysteth: but my meaning is, that he must not suffer any superstition or ydolatrie. For why? Seeing that GOD hath giuen him souereigntie in his owne house; it behoueth him to deale in such wise as GOD bee honoured there, and as no filthinesse be mingled with the pure religion, but that all be ridde quite and cleane away. But as for Kinges, Princes, and Magistrates, which hauehave power and authoritie, they must roote out all superstition and ydolatrie. And seeing that GOD hath armed them with the sworde: it behoueth them to vse it in that behalfe, so as they doe not in any wise suffer or giuegive leaue, that there be anie vncleannesse to greeue GOD withall, or to abolish or deface his seruice. Those are ye thinges which we hauehave to marke vponupon this text of Moseses. And therefore to be short, let vsus remember that hee commaundeth eueryevery of vsus to keepe cleane his owne body and soule. For why? God hath laide such a charge vppon vsus, that he will hauehave vsus to be the Temples of his holy Ghost:1. Cor. 6.19.20. and therefore hee will hauehave euerie of vsus to keep his bodie as cleane as can bee. Nowe then let vsus bee carefull to driue al idolatrie farre from vsus, and not to meddle with it in any wise. And agayne, let euerie of vsus hauehave an eye to his householde, that there bee no infection in it to mar the seruice of God. And thirdly let those that are in estate of cheefe souereintie; as kinges, Princes and magistrates, let them I say consider, that sith the Lord hath giuen them authoritie and power, if they suffer his seruice to bee defaced; they shall bee called to account for it. For it is saide that when thou art come into the lande: thou must driue out al Idolatrie, and vtterly deface whatsoeuer hath serued to any superstition.
And in speaking after that manner, Moses sheweth that the putting away of idols is not all that wee hauehave to doe: but that the cheefe point is the aduauncing, restoring and stablishing of Gods pure seruice. And that is well worthie to be noted. For wee shall see a great number nowadayes, which can wel enough mocke at the follies of the Pope, & at the abuses which reigne vnderunder his tyrannie. They dare well enough eat fleshe vponupon frydayes, and they make no great account of Lent & Saints euens, or of the taking of holy water, or of kissing of Relikes, or of gadding on Pilgrimage, or of anie other such petie trashe. They hauehave no great deuotion to ye masse, or to Shrift, neither passe they for the deade, or for the singing [of diriges and such other paltrie] for such as are deceased. Wee shall see a great number that can well enough despise all the superstitions of the Popedome, yea and euen laugh them to skorne and vtterly condemn thē. But what? There is no feare of God, there is no Religion in them. Surely it were much better for them to hauehave gone on still like bruite beastes in their ignorance, than by such contempte to fall to rushing against Gods Maiestie like wilde beastes, and not to perceiue that there is a God which reigneth ouer the whole worlde. Then doeth it not greatly boote to hauehave abolished Idols, except the true religion bee set vp in the steede of it: Like as when a house is builded amisse, if it be saide to bee nothing worth, or that there be many faultes in it; it shall be wel done to pull it downe againe, whereas notwithstanding if it were let alone in the same plight, so as a man had leuer to hauehave some Hoggescote to lodge in; yet for all the ilfauorednesse and faultinesse of it, it would serue his turne after a sorte being let stande still: but if it were pulled downe and rased to the grounde and none other builded vp in steede thereof, the pulling downe of it were to no purpose at al.
Let vsus marke then that here Moses deliuereth vsus a perfecte doctrine which consisteth of two rules: Namely that wee worship our GOD purely; and moreouer that all superstitions bee cast downe, so as nothing may hinder the worshipping of God according to his worthinesse, but that men may hauehave an eye to him alone, & holde themselues alonely to his Maiestie. And first he speaketh of the abolishing of al superstitions. Why so? For if a man intende to til & sow a feelde, if the same bee full of bryers, thornes, and noysome weedes, he must first and foremost cleanse ye ground,Ier. 4.4. or else he must breake it vp wt ye plough to kil wicked weedes before he lay his seede into it. Euen so must all corruptions be taken from among vsus, ere we can giuegive our selues ouer to the seruing of God. Well may it be preached vntounto vsus that there is but one God whome we ought to worshippe: but if wee bee possessed aforehande with fond fancies or imaginations, we shall be neuer the better for it, but our minds shall euer be intangled. That is the cause why Moses beginneth at that ende. But yet hee addeth further, that it is not inough to hauehave clensed a peece of grounde, vnlesse it be also tilled & sowed, that it may bring forth fruite, for else it will continue barren still. And what is a man the better then for his plucking vp of the bushes and brambles that were in it afore? That is the thing which is shewed vsus here. But first let vsus marke, that it is but a flat mockerie, when men will needes set foorth Gods worde, without correcting of the vices that are contrarie to the right religion; after which manner there are a number to be founde noweadayes in the Popedome, which rowe betweene two streames, of which sorte are these hypocrites which hauehave perchaunce some taste of the Gospell, and can boast indeede of the preaching of Gods worde But howe is that? Whereas they see the wretched worlde as sore blinded and besotted as may be, so as nothing else is minded but idolatrie and superstition: yet they thinke it enough for them to say, there is but one God whome it behoueth vsus to worshippe. They dare not say that he onelyonly is to be worshipped: but let vsus worship God, say they. And will not the Paynims say as much? HaueHave not the Papists alwayes sayd the same? And yet when they hauehave saide, wee hauehave Iesus Christ for our aduocate: it is seene neuerthelesse, that they let him alone behinde them and run gadding after the patrons which the worlde hath deuised, and holde the wretched world at such a bay, that (like a sort of traytors to God and his Church) they make mē beleeue that it is not euill to be partakers of all the abhominations that are committed in it. But we see howe Gods meaning is cleane contrarie. For Moses saith not onelyonly, You shall serue the Lorde your God: but before hee come to that point, he saith, Ye shal beat downe the Altars, breake the images, burne the groues, and make cleane riddance of all that euer hath serued vntounto wickednesse: euerie whit of it must be vtterly done away. And why. For had the people continued still in such infections: it had beene vnpossible that God shoulde hauehave beene worshipped purely. Then it is not enough for a man to giuegive some tast of Gods trueth: but if we see that Leasinges hauehave borne swaye aforetimes; they must be cut off, men must crie out against them, men must be reformed, they must bee brought into the right way, and they must not bee suffered to stray so any more. But yet therewithall let vsus also learne, that when men hauehave cryed out against superstitions, they must not stay there: but they must cheefly proceed to ye setting vp againe of Gods seruice, as Moses speaketh thereof. For the very cause why there are so many Epicures in the worlde nowadayes, and why there are so manie folke that resemble swine and bruit beastes rather than men: is that they be contented to mocke at the fondnesse and ignorance of the vnbeleeuers, and yet coulde neuer skill thē selues what it is to worshippe GOD purely, and to sticke to him, and to humble themselues to his worde. And therefore it is meete that they should be giuen vp to a reprobate sense, & that GOD should giuegive them the bridle, that they might no more hauehave any honestie, humanitie or aught else in them that is good. Wherfore let vsus learne not onelyonly to know that Papistes are miserabl… & wretched creatures, and to condemne them in all their follies & superstitions: but also to be ready to goe vntounto God when he calleth vsus. And let vsus vnderstand that when he hath beene so gratious vntounto vsus as to teach vsus the true religion and doctrine of his Gospel; thereby he sheweth vsus that it is he onelyonly whome wee ought to worship. Thus ye see what we hauehave to remember vntill the rest may be laide forth more fully.
Now let vsus kneele downe in the presence of our GOD with acknowledgement of our faults, praying him to make vsus feele thē the more liuely, that being cast downe and as it were ouerwhelmed in our selues, wee may go seeke ye merciemercy which he hath promised vsus for our Lord Iesus Christes sake. And seeing he hath graunted vsus the grace to put away all superstitions from among vsus, let vsus beseech him that his seruice may be so set vp again, as he suffer vsus not to become heathenishe, but that as he hath once sanctified vsus, so we may holde out in the same, and profit continually more and more therein, vntill wee hauehave finished the course of this life. That it may please him to graunt this grace not onelyonly to vsus but also to all people and Nations of the earth &c.