Sermons on Deuteronomy, Sermons · Sermon 24
On Fryday the xxiiij. of May. 1555. The xxiiij. Sermon which is the sixth vponupon the fourth Chapter.
19.20 Also that when thou liftest vp, &c.
21 And the Lorde was angrie with mee for your woordes, and sware that I should not passe ouer Iordan, nor goe into the good land which the Lord thy God giueth thee to inherit.
22 For I shall die in this land, without passing ouer Iordan: but you shall passe it, and possesse that good Land.
23 Beware that ye forget not the Couenant of the Lorde your God which he hath made with you: and that ye make ye not any grauen image, nor the likenesse of any thing which the Lord your God hath forbidden you.
24 For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire and a ielous God.
YEsterday I began to shewe mens vnthankefulnesse, in that they cannot finde in their heartes to profit themselues by the benefits that God putteth into their handes, as this present example sheweth sufficiently. Beholde, God hath ordained the starres of the skie to doe vsus seruice. There ought wee to espie his infinite goodnesse towardes vsus, howe greatly he loueth and esteemeth vsus, in that he hath made so noble creatures our seruaunts. But in stead of magnifying our God, and of worshipping him as wee ought to doe, we cleane contrariwise fall to deuising of some errour and idolatrie in our heades. After which manner the Gentiles tooke occasion to worship the Sunne and the Moone, bicause they sawe the great benefites that were receiued by them. Yea, but therewithall they shoulde hauehave mounted vp higher, and hauehave considered yt God is the author of them, and that the Sunne and Moone and the Starres are but instrumentes of Gods fatherly louelove towardes vsus, and hauehave not any power which proceedeth not from him. Furthermore let vsus marke that men sinne not in this behalfe through simple ignorance, but through wilfulnesse, bicause they can not finde in their heartes to yeeld themselues to God with a single minde. For if we intend to serue the liuing God, we must not goe to it by windlasses, but we must go right foreward. But when men see them selues so pinched: they seeke startingholes, and deuise new fashions of seruing God on their own head, so as they neuer come neere him. And that is the cause why the worlde hath euer gone astray, and loued better to followe lawes of their owne inuenting, than to cleaue to Gods pure doctrine, and to rest vponupon the same, as wee see is done still at this day in Poperie. What is ye cause that the supertitions which reigne there, doe seduce men so much, and make them to bee so farre ouerseene? Euen for that it is easier for mē to ouerrunne a fewe gay Ceremonies, than to serue GOD rightly and with a single meaning heart. Behold, God will not bee outfaced with a sort of pelting trifles, but commaundeth vsus to walke foundly before him, so as wee forsake our owne imaginations and desires, and seeke to bee gouerned by him & to hauehave his holy spirit reigne in vsus. Surely it is a verie hard thing to forsake our owne reason, so as we should not bee wise in our owne conceites, to behaue our selues after our owne liking, but yeeld that there is nothing but vanitie and vntrueth in vsus, and learne to humble our selues. That (say I) is a thing contrarie to our nature: for we hauehave a fond beliefe that we bee wise of our selues. But God on the contrarie part will hauehave vsus to be bereft of our selfe-wit and selfreason, and to giuegive ouer our selues to be gouerned by his spirit. Also our affections do carrie vsus away, in so much that mē would faine hauehave the bridle laid loose in their necke to do all maner of euill, and that God should giuegive them leaue to doe what they list. Nowe our affections are sinnefull, and God will hauehave vsus both to condemne them and to restraine them,Rom. 8.6. & 6.18. and 1. … 2.1…. & … so as wee may bee as prisoners in that behalfe, and with maine force withstand whatsoeuer carieth vsus away to euill. But ye see that men list not to serue God with that condition. Againe wee bee commaunded to louelove our neighbour as our selfe,Matt. 19.… Whereas we bee giuen to seeke euerie man his owne profite: God pulleth vsus from it, and contrariwise will hauehave vsus to procure the welfare of our neighbours. And whereas wee bee giuen to suttletie,1. Pet. … 3.9. Matt. 5.…. to shifting, and to all maner of naughtinesse: he will hauehave vsus to deale plainely, and to lay aside all desire of reuenge. If any man doe vsus harme or wrong: the world sees how hotte wee bee to acquite like for like. But Gods will is that in such cases we should yeeld him such seruice, as to forgiue the wrongs quietly that are done vntounto vsus. Againe whereas we bee desirous to runne at rouers in taking our delightes and pleasures: Gods will is that we should but waifare through this world, still hauing our eye vponupon the euerlasting life: that we should mortifie whatsoeuer is earthly in vsus: and that although he giuegive vsus some commodities and ease, yet our vsing of them shoulde bee but as it were running by them. Moreouer he will hauehave vsus patient in all our aduersities. If it please him to keepe vsus occupied with neuer so many crosses, he will hauehave vsus to beare them meekely. These thinges are good & holy: but mās nature striueth altogither against them. And what doe men in stead hereof? It is a much easier matter to hauehave a sort of gawdies, & gewgawes. Churches are fraught full of idols, and they be worshipped with great pompe, so as they bee throughly perfumed, besenced, & painted, and a nomber of ceremonies are done vntounto them: there is great solemnitie, with goodly chaunting on the one side, and with ringing of peale vponupon peale vppon the belles on the otherside: there is scudding frō aultar to autar: there is fasting on this day, and forbearing of flesh on that day: there is trotting to shrift, and gadding on Pilgrimage: men found Yeeremindes, and cause Masses to be sung by note. Thus ye world raunging away from GOD, will neuerthelesse needes seeme to be duetiful towardes him. [And all is] bicause we be so froward, that we couet nothing but to mocke God with our hypocrisie, and that he should hold himselfe contented with our dooings, which are no better than rattlebagges to please babes withall. So then let vsus mark, that in stead of worshipping God, the world is giuen to fondnesse and superstition, and yet notwithstanding that it doeth it not so much of meere ignorance, as for that it cannot abide to be obedient as were requisite, and therefore it goeth to worke by windlasses, and seeketh by all meanes to stray from the right way. To be short, we shall finde that men are alwayes guiltie of wilfulnesse in committing idolatrie, and that it is vaine for them to shrowd themselues vnderunder pretence of simplicitie. For contrariwise they bring it with them of nature, and they will needs be deceiued, and so they be. And therefore doeth God blind them also.Rom. … For (as saieth S. Paul) it is reason that such as list not to serue their maker, should bee vnderlinges to the creatures: and that such as cannot finde in their hearts to beare the yoke of God, should indure the tyranny of the diuel, as is come to passe, and as we see accomplished stil at this day in the vnhappie Popedome. Now therfore let vsus mark wel the thing yt I hauehave said alredie: yt is to wit, that mē insteed of being thankfull to God for the good yt he hath done thē, do turn his creatures to their own decay & condēnation, & falsely abuse them: for they peruert ye vse of thē cleane contrarie to Gods meaning. And this is seene to be done, not only in the Sunne and the Stars according to that which Moses saith here: but also in all other things whatsoeuer. So much the more therefore behoueth it vsus to watch and to stand vppon our garde, as it is saide heere, to the end that in vsing of gods benefits, we may euer hauehave our eyes vponupon him to doe him homage for them, and neuer be turned away from him.
Moreouer let vsus marke the saying that Moses setteth down here, namely, Least thou fal, least thou be prouoked. Hereby he sheweth yt wee hauehave in vsus the seede of falling: that is to say, yt we hauehave such a crabbednes in vsus, yt as soone as we hauehave neuer so smal an occasion, by & by we be downe, yea & we do euen seeke occasion when none is giuen, as I said afore. Wheras god hath ordeyned his creatures to do vsus his seruice, and the same should be a help to guide vsus vntounto him, so as we shold be the more prouoked to louelove him, because he sheweth himself so good & louing a father towards vsus: we take occasion therat to stumble. His dealing is as though he should set vp a ladder for vsus: or make a paire of stayers for vsus to goe vp vponupon: & we fal to iustling against it. Greeces & stayers are made to helpe vsus: but if a man fal to rushing & dashing against thē, he may hap to break his legs & to hurt himself, & he shal rather be hindered thā helped vp by them. Euen so deale we. For gods meaning is to draw vsus to him by his creatures, and we fall to rushing against them wilfully and as it were in despite. Now then it stādeth vsus on hand to mark will this saying, yt we may looke the better about vsus, to profite our selues by the thinges that God giueth vsus for our helpe and furtherance to bring vsus vntounto him. Thus ye see what we hauehave to beare in mind. But now we see that Gods goodnes extendeth euen to the vnbeleeuers & infidels, according as it is written,Matt. 5.45. that hee maketh his Sun to shine both vppon good and badde. Likewise in this place Moses saieth, that God hath imparted the light of the Sunne and the Moone, together with their influences and properties, not onelyonly to such as vse them well, but also to all folke vnderunder the cope of heauen. Nowe wee knowe that at that time all Nations were ydolaters, and there was no truth nor knowledge of God among them: and yet notwithstanding God ceased not to do thē good for al that. And it is an excellēt token of his goodnes aboue all yt he sendeth them the light of the Sun, & maketh the stars to do them seruice. Thē let vsus marke wel that although god was neither worshiped nor knowen of the heathen: yet failed he not to do the office of a father towards them, and alwas to their condemnation. For inasmuch as they abused his benefites in such wise, & could not finde in their hearts to looke vp vntounto him: it must needs be yt they were ye more vnexcusable.
But yet herewithal let vsus mark wel the condition yt Moses setteth downe here, As for thee (saith he) thy God hath rid thee from the yron furnace of the thraldome of Egypt, to the intent that thou shouldest be vntounto him a sure people & an inheritance. Although yt Moses hauehave declared that the vse of the sun & of the stars is common to al folks: yet doth he shew that they bee specially appointed to the people whom God hath chosen. As if he should say, that the order of nature is common to al ye world: we see that both great & smal are partakers of ye benefites that God bestoweth: the earth bringeth forth corne wine and al other things, to susteine both ye faithful & the vnfaithful: the wicked & the despisers of God do eat & drink as wel as we: nay (which more is) we se they abuse gods creatures with al excesse, & hauehave more abundance of them than ye faithful: for he that knoweth yt God susteineth him, wil vse his meat & drinke and al other things soberly & measurably, & he wil consider yt he must not vnhallow the things which god hath ordeined to a good & moderate vse. But what do the wicked? There is nothing with them but crā ming, as if they were minded to spyte God of set purpose. But yet for al yt, it is Gods will that the propriety of his creatures shoulde belong to vsus. And after what sort? Euen to vse thē as his true & lawfull heires, and to hauehave them so warranted as we may auow yt the things which he giueth vsus are our own, & belong vntounto vsus of right, & that we possesse thē by iust title. And soothly there is not a more singular benefite than this. For although ye wicked do cram themselues with gods benefits til they burst, as I said afore: yet hauehave they always a hartbyting within, so as they know not by what right they eat & drink, nor can skil to desire God to sustaine them. Nay verily, we see they coulde find in their harts, yt al remēberance of god were abolished. For when they make good cheere (as they terme it), they must minde nothing but to play the brute beasts. But contrariwise when we cōsider in our eating & drinking, yt it is god which feedeth vsus: it is a warrant vntounto vsus yt hee is our father, and that he taketh vsus for his children. And surely (as I said) there is not a treasure that deserueth greater estimation, thā ye growing of corne, and wine in the world, & the increase of cloth & other things yt serue for mans vse, together with the fruition of al the other creatures wherof god hath giuen vsus the sight & hearing, to inioy them al in such wise, as we may say, yt the world is created for vsus, & that our God will not hauehave vsus destitute of any thing at all, but hath prouided for all our neede, and sheweth himselfe so liberall to vsus, as we hauehave indeede iust cause to magnifie him, & to be rauished with wondermēt at the sight of so great goodnes. This thē is the cause why Moses saith here namely, but as for thee. After he had generally declared y• god causeth his merciemercy to extende euen to the infidels & vnbeleeuers: nowe speaking to the chosen people, O (saieth he) you hauehave a state of preheminence▪ you hauehave a much more singular priuiledge then ye ignorant & blind wretches hauehave. For why? They wote not by what title they possesse the good thinges which they hauehave. But your God wil hauehave the world to belong by right vntounto you: for as all the faithfull are his children, so bee they heires of his good thinges likewise. Therefore we must conclude, that if the vnbeleeuers be to be condemned for abusing the benefits which God hath bestowed vppon them: much lesse excuse is there for vsus that are taught in his lawe and doctrine. Thus yee see what we hauehave to marke.
But withal let vsus also beare in mind the lesson yt is set downe here: that is to say, to know and feele this, that when we inioy Gods creatures, we possesse them as our heritage, & yet that this is not for any worthines of our owne: (for we must not here imagine any desert of ours,) but because our God hath chosen vsus, as it is saide expresly here. Moses saith not, Thou thy selfe hast gotten this priuiledge: but he saith, Thy god hath takē thee. He referreth all to that free election of God, at what time that it pleaseth him to choose vsus to himselfe: that he sheweth himselfe to be our father, yt he adopteth vsus to be his children, and will hauehave vsus to be of his houshold and that we should be as it were his flocke. Therefore let vsus marke wel that we hauehave not any thing which can say is our owne for any desert of ours, but onelyonly because it hath pleased Gods goodnesse to hauehave it so.
Moreouer Moses setteth downe two thinges here: Thou wast taken from the yron furnace, & now thou art become Gods people and his inheritance. Here he sheweth what the state of the people was before God chose them to himselfe: and also to what dignitie they were exalted afterward. Now although we hauehave not ben fetched out of Egypt: yet doth the thing that Moses speaketh here belong to vsus. For in what case are wee, as long as God letteth vsus alone?Rom. 5.12. Are wee not accursed, if we continue the children of Adam? And if God shake vsus off, are wee not vnderunder the tyrannie of Satan? Doeth not sinne reigne in vsus? Doe wee not see here a furnace much worse than the furnace of Egypt? And he vseth here a similitude in calling it an yron furnace, as a place that was so to consume the people, as there was no remedie for them to get out of it. If a furnace be once inflamed, and that the same be made of yron, must not a man needs perish out of hand if he be cast into it? If a furnace be but of bricke: yet do we see howe sore it burneth. But here is mention made of a furnace of yron. Therefore it is all one as if God shoulde say, Thou haddest no hope to get out of that thraldome, thou wast as a people vtterly forlorne: and yet hauehave I deliuered thee from it after a wonderfull manner. And now at this day,Eph. 2.5. 1. Pet. 1.18. Ro. 5.8.10. coulde wee scape out of that bondage vntounto Sathan, vntill such time as God deliuered vsus out of the same? Must not that curse hauehave altogether lien vppon vsus still, if we had not remedie from else where, that is to wit, from the merciemercy that God hath shewed vsus in our Lord Iesus Christ? So then let vsus marke, that here we be warned to thinke vppon our beginning, that so we might alwayes know from whence God hath deliuered vsus, and in what taking we were when it pleased him to choose vsus. [Which thing if we do,] we shalbe ashamed of our owne wretchednes, yea & we shalbe euen astonished to see how we had bene vtterly damned, if our God had not pitied vsus. And thus much for one point.
Secondly let vsus consider againe, that our God thought it not ynough to hauehave deliuered vsus from such a bottomlesse pit, and from so horrible confusion: but hee hath also made vsus his heires,1. Pet. 2.3. and likewise vouchsafed to take vsus for his heritage. What are wee, or what can God receiue at our hands? [Nothing:] and yet doth hee call vsus his heritage, to shewe howe dearely hee loueth vsus. Like as a man loueth a peece of grounde that findeth and maintaineth himselfe and his housholde, and setteth as it were his heart vponupon the same: so doeth our Lorde shewe that he delighteth in vsus, yea euen in vsus that are but wormes and rottennesse, and which hauehave nothing but al manner of sinne and corruption in vsus. Wee see then hereby that Moses ment to magnifie Gods grace, to ye end that being humbled in our selues by beholding the miseries wherout of we be waded, we might againe and againe magnifie Gods goodnesse, in that hee thought it not ynough to rid vsus out of the bondage wherein we were, but also hath set vsus in so high degree, as to choose vsus to be his children. And besides, by terming vsus his owne heritage, he sheweth that he will hauehave his hart as it were fast tied vntounto vsus. Thus ye se what we hauehave to remember vponupon this text or place.
Immediatly herevnto Moses addeth, that the Lord was angrie with him, because of the peoples words, and that he had sworne to him that he should not passe ouer Iordan to goe into the lande of promise. But as for you [saith he] you shall passe ouer, and inioy the possession thereof. Moses doth stil vpbraide the people with Gods bereauing of him of the inheritance that was promised to all their tribes, not so much for his own fault, as for the common fault of them all in murmuring against God: but yet hath Moses a further meaning. He speaketh this as it were by the way, yea as hauing respect to this, that he should shortly die: and forasmuch as he himselfe might not inioy the lande, hee had a care to instruct the people, to the end that they might abide in Gods couenant, and continue stedfast in it, without swaruing aside, or without any changing of religion to peruert the doctrine that had beene giuen them. The effect then is, that Moses being at the point of death doth as it were make his last will, & hath so much the more care of the peoples welfare, for feare least they should start away after his death, as he had seene them doe oftentimes in his life. And he interlaceth this particular matter that I spake of: namely that their words were the cause that he should die before he passed ouer Iordan, and before he entered into the lande of promise. For as I hauehave touched heretofore, Moses ment not to iustifie himselfe: for indeede he was greatly blameworthy before God, & surely God neuer vseth any crueltie towards such as are his. Now, the case is so, that Moses is shut out of the land with an oth: therfore must it needs bee that he had offended. But his doing of this, is to the intent that the people on their side should think the better vponupon the fault that they had committed. And in good sooth, so ought all faithful teachers to do: that is, they ought to touch sinners to the quicke, that they may hauehave remorse of their sinnes, that they may crie to God for merciemercy & aske pardon therof, that they may be sorie for thē, that they may mislike of themselues for them, that they may hate them, and vtterly forsake them. For when men are flattered in their vices: first they bee hardened in them, and take alwayes greater libertie to do euill: secondly they thinke not that euer they shal come to account before God: and finally they neuer forsake the world that so they may glorifie God, & consider or feele how much they be bound & beholdē to him. By this means thē is Gods merciemercy defaced, & his grace slippeth away and is vtterly abolished. Besides this, there is yet a greater enormitie, namely that men goe on still from euil to worse, vntil they be falne into vtter confusion. Now then for this cause it is the duetie of such as hauehave the bearing abrode of Gods word, to exhort their hearers continually to consider their sins and to search thē throughly. And to what end? Not only to make them barely ashamed of them: but also to make them hūble themselues before God, & to goe forward continually in repentāce, yt so they may learne to mislike of their faults, & to glorifie God when they wholly repaire to him for refuge, by asking him forgiuenes of the offences that they hauehave committed. But what? There are very few that can a way with this order of teaching: for there is not so wicked a man, but he would be flattered. And the world seeth that as soone as a man speaketh, some gnash their teeth & seeke nothing else but to bite him: and othersome though a man do but by the way glaunce at their faults which are too too farre out of al square, feare not to check him, or to stand with him face to face in the maintenance therof. But yet for all that, the rule which God hath appointed vsus, vsus I say which hauehave the charge to beare abrode his word, is that we must dayly labor in warning our hearers, to cal themselues to account, and to examine well their owne faults, that they may be sorie for them.
When as he speaketh of hearers: we our selues are comprehended in ye number: for we must not condemne others, & exempt our selues: but he yt speaketh to others, must first stick & look to himself & cite himself before God. But yet neuerthelesse we must proceede in this order yt we must al of vsus be summoned before God, & hauehave our inditement redy framed & made,…. Cor. 11.31 32. and not tarie til God pronounce the sentence of condemnation vppon vsus, but eueryevery of vsus play the iudge against himself, & that, not by saying in a word or two, I hauehave done amisse: but by being throughly wounded within, so as we be ashamed of our misdeeds. After this fashion must wee deale. In the meane season if we perceiue yt the wicked cannot away with any correction, but conceiue rancor against Gods word, as we see these despisers of al religiō do, who cannot abide that any mā should rebuke them, let vsus not maruell at it, for if they bee pinched, by & by they spit out their poison like toads as they be: But if we purpose to shewe our selues to be Gods children, let vsus learne to suffer correction willingly, & to hauehave our sins laide afore vsus, yt we may cōdemn them. For our acknowledging of thē, wilbe a mean to hauehave them buried before god. Thus ye se what we hauehave to note vpō yt text.
But now let vsus come to Moseses chiefe intent which I hauehave touched afore. I shall not go into this good land, saith he. And therfore I warne ye continue stedfastly in the couenant of God, so as yee neuer forget it, to worship ydols in his steede, but serue him, seeing he hath once chosen you, & vouchsafed to shewe himselfe your god & father. Here we see yt Moses was not out of hart, though God chastised him roughly. And here we see how the faithful ought to behaue themselues. That is to say, if God punish them, yet must they not therefore cease to louelove him, and to go forward in their course still, yea & to giuegive ouer themselues wholly vntounto him. As soone as the wicked feele but one yirke of the rod with Gods hand, and by and by they kicke against him, and if they may scape from him, they play the horse that hauing shaken of the bridle casteth his rider downe, & afterwards becōming as if he were mad, he stormeth as though no mā were able to lay hold on him, or to restrain him: Euen so play the wicked, which can neuer abide yt God shold chastise thē and tame them, to hold thē in obedience to him. If he make thē to feele their sins, they burst out into impatiēcie, & thervpon fal by and by to rebellion & furie. But contrariwise, when our Lord visiteth vsus with afflictions: we know it is not for vsus to stray far from him, nor to take occasion to scape his hands: but rather to submit our selues quietly to his seruice, & to keepe our selues from these tentations yt run oftētimes in our heads. If we fal to scanning, so as we say to our selues, how now? must I for seruing of god hauehave so hard & cumbersome a condition? It should seeme yt he is minded to discorage me: Let vsus beware of such conceits, & rather follow ye example of Moses. He saw himself bereft of ye inheritance yt had bin promised to ye whole people, he saw he had as it were a marke of reproch for euer, as though God had withered him: for wheras God had chosen him to bee the leader of his people, & to supplie his roome in bringing to thē that welfare that they had loked for so long time: now towards his death he must bee disgraded at Gods hand, and be banished from the possession that was as a pledge of the kingdome of heauen. True it is that Moses continued and doth continue still an heire of Gods kingdome: but he had not that earthly pledge of it, that was set before the people. He saw, that of six hundred thousand persons, (for the whole multitude was so manie) there was not one among them al that was worthier to enter into the land than himselfe. Therfore he might hauehave stormed thus with himselfe: Howe nowe? I see I hauehave taken great payn… in leading this people, God hath wrought so manie miracles by my hand, I hauehave yet stil such zeale to the honor of God and to ye welfare of his people as I neuer cease to procure the same, & therwtall I may well say God hath granted me ye grace to walke more roundly than al ye rest: and yet notwt standing must I be barred out of ye land, & the residue enter into it, which hauehave not taken so much paine as I nothing neere? Moses might hauehave bin in a chafe & chawed vponupon his bridle saying: wel, seeing I hauehave taken so much paine, & God ment to serue his turne by me heretofore: it is ynough for me, I am contented with that which I hauehave done, but notwithstanding I will giuegive ouer my roome, and seeing that he will not set me aworke any longer, let him serue his turn by some other. Moses might wel hauehave entred into such fancies. But what? Notwithstāding yt God listed to abace him so before men, by bereuing him of the benefite that he esteemed aboue al other, and to preferre the meanest and miserablest of the people before him who was so excellent a Prophet: yet ceased he not to discharge his duetie, and to goe through with it still. And we see with what carefulnes he goeth about it. My friends (saith he) although I must dye here, and God cutteth me off from you as touching the bodie: yet notwithstanding I will discharge my selfe both towards him and you, and seeing it hath pleased him to make me his minister to teach you his doctrine, I will neuer faile to doe my duetie. In deede he might hauehave twyted the people, as them that had caused God to lay such punishment vppon him: but yet for all that hee ceaseth not to serue God and to louelove the people still, which (as I said) had caused him to be disinherited of the Land that was promised to Abraham.
Therfore hath Moses good right to say, Because of your words God sware that I should not go ouer Iordan to enter into this good land. Neither murmuring nor blaspheming proceeded from Moses: Nay (which is more) we see he crucified himself whē he saw that god was not honored as he ought to hauehave beene: whereas on the contrarie part there was a froward & wilfull people, which could not be brought into order by any meanes. It seemeth then indeede yt Moses had iust cause to be angrie with the people, seeing that God had punished him so grieuously for their disobedience. But yet for all that, a man may see hee sheweth himselfe still a father towardes them, and taketh them as his children, for hee knewe to what state he was called. True it is that he vsed sharpnesse and rigour in due time and place, specially when it behooued him to shewe the people their offences. We see that Moses was [in that behalf] as a burning fire: we see howe vehemently he rebuketh the despysers of God and the Rebels. But when yt was once ouer, he shewed himselfe alwayes to beare an affection of louelove, towards such as could abide it. As for example, God had now punished the people by the space of fortie yeres, insomuch that they which had brought punishments vponupon the people, and had beene the authors of sedition, were alreadie dead and their carkesses were rotten in the wildernes: & yet now behold, Moses pitieth the children that were descended of them, and ceaseth not to louelove them. So then let vsus marke, that if God call vsus to the preaching of his word, the vnthankfulnesse of such as ought to heare it, must not stay vsus from procuring their saluation as much as in vsus lyeth. Moreouer let vsus not forbeare to pronounce Gods iustice against the wicked. And though there be some that are vtterly wilful & past hope of recouery, whose diseases are vncurable: wel, yet let vsus do our duetie towardes them: let vsus cite them to Gods iudgement, & let our doctrine serue for their condemnation to sende them to hell. And in the meane while, looke where we can reclaime them that hauehave done amisse: let vsus giuegive good heede therto and bestow our labor thereon. Behold yet what we hauehave further to remember out of this place.
And herewithall wee see also, that when Gods seruants perceiue themselues to bee neere their ende, they must be the carefuller to stablish the doctrin which they taught in their life time. And why? For we see how men do easily slip away, & that euen such as hauehave shewed some good signe, will anon after start aside, if they be not helde in with a dubble reine as they say. And when a seruant of God seeth yt in his lifetime he was greatly hindered in the maintenance of Gods seruice, and had much adoe to represse euil: what should he thinke but that the diuell will take possession after his death, if God remedie not the matter? Therfore such as hauehave felt and found by experience in their lifetime, how painefull a thing it is to maintein the church, ought euē for this cause to take so much the more paine & trauell when they draw towards their death, to cause the syncere religion to be mainteined in his purenesse, that men being once set in a good course, may not swarue away from it. Beholde the example which Moses sheweth vsus.
And besides this let vsus mark also that he doth not only discharge himselfe here at his death, by vttering some sodaine speach, or by shewing some signe of zeale onelyonly: but that he stood vponupon this, and did most vrge it, to wit, all his life long that the people might bee edified in the feare of God. For yee shall see a number that are negligent all their lifetime: and yet they thinke that if they do but once exalt God and make a faire protestation at their liues end: it is ynough. But Moses delt not so. For hee neuer forgate the commission that was giuen him, but continued throughout in preaching to the people. Neuerthelesse, whatsoeuer he did all his life long: yet when he sawe his death at hande, hee inforced himselfe the more, and burned the whotter in earnestnesse of zeale, because of the vrgent necessitie aforesaide. Wherefore let those whom God hath ordeined to preach his worde, looke well that they discharge their duetie al their life long. And that when they shall hauehave done their indeuer to stablish the true religion, and brought to passe that God is honoured, and that they hauehave builded Gods Church as much as they coulde, and taught those to walke in the feare of God which were committed to their charge: let them indeuer to seale vp al the same doctrine, & to cause it to continue after their decease. This thē is another thing which we hauehave to remēber.
Also let vsus marke further, that seeing Moses was so carefull for the people of Israel: wee also hauehave neede to bee vponupon our watches. Do we see that God taketh away a man that hath serued faithfully in his time? Then let vsus bee sure that anon after, the diuell will indeuour to marre al, and that he will soone make some breach to enter vponupon vsus, if we be not lustily vpholden & kept. And there is not a more profitable lesson than this same. For wee knowe not how great a good turne God doth vsus, when he giueth vsus such men as seeke nothing else but to hold vsus in aw of him, and to bring to passe that hee may reigne ouer vsus, and we liue vnderunder his obeysance. On the contrarie part, when our Lord taketh such out of the worlde as are able to builde his Church: wee bee carelesse of it▪ and this carelesnesse is the cause, that the diuell findeth a gappe open amongst vsus, that so hee may vtterly make hauocke of vsus. So much the more therefore doth it stande vsus in hand to be watchful in this case, & to know that wee bee well fenced when God giueth vsus men to guide vsus in his feare. Contrariwise if he leaue vsus destitute of such: it is as if a man were without munition in a towne, wheras were no power nor meane of defence. Ye see then how it standeth vsus in hande to bethinke our selues, and to pray god that when it pleaseth him to take away those that hauehave taught vsus faithfully, that then the doctrine which wee shall hauehave receiued by them, may not die anon after them, but liue stil & continue alwayes fast setled in our hearts, and that it may hauehave full force and strength, and we be fenced by it against al Satans temptations, neuer to turne away from it, but euermore to remember what we hauehave learned & always to set our minds vponupon it, that it may serue vsus for a shield to warde all Satans blowes withal,1. Pet. 5.9. Eph. 6.13. and that wee may be so armed with it from top to toe (as they say) that Gods worde may bee a sworde to vsus, our hope a helmet, & our faith a buckler, so as the diuel may not bee able to foile vsus in any wise whatsoeuer: that when the meanes shalbe taken away wherwith Gods will was to hauehave vsus edified, yet neuerthelesse he may stil continue with vsus, and we likewise keepe on our way to him.
Nowe let vsus kneele downe in the presence of our good God with acknowledgemēt of our sins, praying him to make vsus perceiue them better than wee hauehave done heretofore, so as we may learne to mislike more and more of our selues for them: And that in acknowledging the great benefits which hee bestoweth vponupon vsus, wee may call vponupon him as our father, seeking nothing else but to giuegive our selues wholly vntounto him, to be gouerned by his holy spirite as his teachable and meeke children: & seing that he doth vsus this honor to take vsus for his heritage, & to giuegive himselfe to vsus, that we may also remember, sith he taketh delight in vsus: to be vntounto him such a possession, as may serue to his glorie, & that hee would neuer cut vsus of although we wel deserue it. That it may please him to grant this grace, not only to vsus but also to al people and nations of the earth, &c.