Sermons on Deuteronomy, Sermons · Sermon 178
On Thursday the vij. of May, 1556. The CLXXVIII. Sermon, which is the first vponupon the two and thirtith Chapter.
HEarken O yee heauens, and I will speake: and heare thou earth the word of my mouth.
2 My doctrine shall flowe as doth the rayne, and my wordes shal drop as the deawe, euen as the raine vponupon the hearbes, and as the great raine vponupon the greene grasse.
3 For I will call vppon the name of the Lorde God: yeeld yee honour to our God.
4 The workes of the mightie God are perfect, for all his wayes are iudgement: God is true, and without wickednesse: he is righteous and iust.
IT shoulde seeme that for as much as Moses was ordeyned to bee the teacher of the Iewes, hee shold chieflie hauehave exhorted thē to heare the thinges that were spoken to them for their instruction and welfare. But hee seemeth not to vouchsafe to direct his speach to them but rather to heauen and earth, as though hee condemned them aforehande for stubborne people, and not of capacitie to receiue anie good learning. Neuerthelesse his so doing is not for that hee woulde not hauehave the same to serue their turne, that they might benefite themselues thereby: but for that hee was faine to quicken them vp in such wise, as it might grieue them at the heart, to see that God taketh them for condemned persons aforehand; to the end that the same might touch and moue them the better. And so let vsus marke; that because Moses sawe that the people were all prepared, and he ment to teach them to bee reformed by that means; it behooued him to vse such manner of proceeding. And it is verie needfull towards those that are stubborne, and vnwilling to learne at Gods hande; for such are to bee rebuked and threatened; their leawdnesse it to be discouered; and they must bee put to shame; yt being dismayed, they may aduise themselues to returne vntounto God. And this sheweth vsus, that such as hauehave the charge of teaching in ye church, ought to bee indued with wisedome and discretion. For if their hearers behaue themselues meeldly, and be willing to be guided by the hande of God: it were no reason to thunder at them or to vse roughnesse against them. But on the cōtrarie part if there appeare anie hardnes of heart and stubbornesse in them, or if it be founde by experience that it is but lost labour to speake gently to them, as when men make thē selues deafe: then behoueth it the Preacher to step to them with greater vehemencie. And Moses beganne not his gouerning of the people at the making of this song, but he had felt the experience of it long time afore, whereby he perceiued that it was a verie harde thing to bring to passe. And moreouer he regarded not onelyonly the folke then present, but also the ages then to come. True it is that those which liued in the time of Moses, coulde not but hauehave their eares beaten with the thinges conteyned here: but yet was the same to serue for their children also. Moses therfore foreseeing that the Iewes might become worse and worse, as it is the common custome of the worlde, yea and being aduertised thereof by Gods spirite; vseth such a kinde of roughnesse as wee see here. And herewithal we hauehave to remember the thing which I hauehave expounded alreadie: namely that Moses calleth heauen and earth to witnesse,Deut. 30.19 to the intent the people shoulde bee the more ashamed, seeing that the senselesse creatures doe frame their inditement, and that there needeth none other condemnation before GOD. For had Moses called the heathen and vnbeleeuers to witnesse, it had bin sufficient to put those to shame whome God had chosen and adopted to bee his children, but yet woulde not that hauehave mooued them: for all men are of one common nature, al hauehave reason and vnderstanding: and although they bee not al trained familiarly in Gods word, yet hauehave they al some seede of religion in them. Therefore the alleadging of the heathen and vnbeleeuers (as he will alledge them afterward) had not beene of such force as the vsing of this preface that heauen and earth shall bee his witnesses in all ages.Cap 32.8. As if hee shoulde say; as long as there is either Sunne or Moone in the skie, as long as the earth doeth her duetie in yeelding sustenaunce and foode for man: so long shall I hauehave good and faithfull witnesses, that I hauehave spoken in the name of God: and yet for all that, this people continueth hardhearted stil. Ye see then that the worde shall continue still, and although men streine themselues neuer so much to aboolish this doctrine: yet notwithstanding all creatures shall beare me recorde before God, that I hauehave spoken, and that he authorised me to speake, and that he sent me to do it. Thus we see now the meaning of Moses.
And so wee hauehave to note, that they which referre this saying to men and Angels, restraine the wordes of Moses ouer coldlie. True it is that both men and Angels might well beare witnes of the vnthankefulnesse of the Iewes: howbeit (as I hauehave shewed alreadie) the holie Ghost proceedeth yet further, namely that although no man speake in the mayntenance and defence of Gods cause against the Iewes: yet notwithstanding the order of the worlde, and the onelyonly beholding of the sunne and Moone, & of ye thinges which wee see here beneath, will suffice to shewe that God discharged himselfe of the promise which he had made to that people, in powring out his great treasures vppon them: and yet that they continued still in their malice & wilful stubbornesse: insomuch that whereas hee foresawe, that they were fully bent to all euil, and woulde fall away to all manner of wickednesse: he warned them of it aforehande, & yet that woulde not serue, but euen of a malicious and spitefull wilfulnesse they turned away from their God, and would not hearken to anie warning, notwithstanding the good order which God had taken for the procuring of their saluation. Now let vsus applie the same to ourselues also, and let vsus vnderstand that whensoeuer Gods worde is preached vntounto vsus, if we receiue it not, our refusal must be grauen in heauen and earth, and all the worlde shall ring of it, and the same shall serue to confirme our inditement before God. Indeede it will seeme, that when wee hauehave despised the doctrine that is preached vntounto vsus, it was but lost labour, and as a sounde that vanisheth in the aire: but there shal not one of the words that God hath spoken fall to the grounde, whereof we shall not feele the power. For needs must they either turne to mens saluation, or vtterly bereaue them of all excuse and make them double damnable. Therefore let vsus thinke wel vponupon it. For as oft as God graunteth vsus the fauour to be taught in his name, & by his wil: there followeth this seale, that heauen and earth shall be witnesses against vsus to our condēnation, if we wil not yeeld reuerēce to him which hath al authoritie ouer vsus, in shewing our selues obedient towardes him by our willing imbracing of his word with a quiet minde.
Now Moses hauing vsed such a preface, wisheth, that his doctrine may be like a flowing rain, so as it may moisten like the drops that fall vponupon the grasse, and shed abroad like the dew which watereth the medowes. And why? For (saith he) I will call vppon the name of the Lord, I wil exhort mē to giuegive glorie vntounto God. Here Moses sheweth, that when wee bee about to set foorth the praise of God, and to treate of his goodnes, wisdome, and power, to the intent hee may be honoured of men as hee deserueth, it is not for vsus to vse a common and ordinary kind of speeche, but wee must streine our wit and skill to the vttermost of our powers, that our woordes may be aunswearable to the infinite maiestie of God: or if they cannot attayne thereunto, (as in deede we must needes come farre short of that,) they may at leastwise come as neere as is possible, and tend to that ende. When we speake of worldely matters, wee may well vse a common style, & yet if we treate of any matter of importance, we sharpen our wittes to speake after the best maner that we can, for (to our seeming) the thing is worth it. But when we come to GOD: then must we vse a new and more exquisite maner of speaking: specially when we will maintain his maiestie against men, and shewe that hee is woorthy to be honoured of al men, because hee hath created the worlde, and mainteineth it stil at this day by his power, and also because hee feedeth and susteineth men: but most of all for his choosing and adopting of his people and Church, by the knowledge whereof, men see wel howe bountifull God is towardes them. Now then, are wee sufficient of ourselues to treate of such thinges? Who is hee that can bee founde fit for that purpose?1 Cor. 2.16. If all the Angels of heauen woulde magnifie God with one melodie & one accord, could they counteruail that infinite glorie? No surely, they should come farre short of it. And what shall become of vsus then, who be frayle creatures, and can but stammer, when we be to speake of God but somuch as in a shadow? But there was yet one other reason why Moses desired that his doctrine might flowe like raine that moysteneth the grasse, and watereth the medowes. For hee considereth that if our Lorde giuegive vsus not a grace which farre passeth the measure that wee hauehave receiued, all is to no purpose: For although God raise vp Prophets and good teachers, and gouerne their tongues by his holy spirite, and giuegive them wherwith to teach his Church faithfully: yet shal they not greatly edifie it. And why? Not for any default in them: but for that they speak somtimes to stones, men be so dulheaded, and malice doeth so reigne in vsus, that God can hauehave no accesse nor entrie in vntounto vsus. By means whereof Gods worde becommeth drie and barren, notwithstanding that of it owne nature it be moist and hauehave power to wet throughly. For it falleth but vppon stones and Rockes, where it parcheth and is lost out of hand.
Nowe first of all we be taught heere, that the chiefe thing which wee hauehave to doe in all our life, is to magnifie Gods name and to set foorth his praise, not onelyonly with our mouthes, that all other men may be prouoked to praise him with one accord as wel as we; but also with our hearts that euerie man may giuegive himselfe to it, and exercise himselfe therein. That is the thing (say I) wherein men ought to occupie themselues, if they were not misaduised to turne themselues away from such indeuour. And aboue all others, they that hauehave the charge of preaching Gods worde, hauehave heere a good lesson: to wit, that of themselues they bee farre vnable to performe their duetie, they hauehave a charge that is ouer high and excellent for them, yea euen though there were farre greater ability in them without all comparison than there is. Chose me out the ablest in the world; and yet must they be faine to acknowledge such weakenesse in themselues, as that they cannot speake of God with such maiestie and reuerence as they ought to do, no nor once come neere it, vnlesse God gouerne them and giuegive them a new speech, altering and reforming their tōgues, so as they may not speake after the manner of men, but may shew howe it is the holy Ghost that raigneth in them. Nowe if Moses wished this in respect that he might faile bicause hee was a man: if so great a Prophet did both know and acknowledge that hee could not magnifie God as became him: alas, much lesse can we discharge our selues thereof. Therfore let vsus acknowledge our infirmitie and resort vntounto God▪ praying vntounto him that as he hath vouchsafed to admit vsus into his seruice, so he will also giuegive vsus power and abilitie to handle those high mysteries to the edifying of his Church, and to set forth his praises in such wise as he may be honored as he deserueth. And ye two reasons which I hauehave spoken of, ought to moue vsus thereunto. The one is by considering what oddes there is betweene the infinite glorie of God, and the slendernes that is in vsus. For what is it that causeth men to presume to worke wonders, and to stand so much in their own conceits, as to think themselues able to go through with all thinges, but that they thinke not of God as they ought. Now therfore, when we know that God doth vsus the grace to vouchsafe vsus to be his lieuetenants, to beare abrode his name among men, and to bring folke to the knowing of him: truly it ought to induce vsus to humilitie. And when wee once know our vnsufficiency, we must also bee prouoked thereby to pray God to supply our want. Besides this let vsus also consider what ye world is. For although God had giuen vsus more grace than we hauehave: yet is the worlde so frowarde, that the doctrine of God can hauehave no entrance at all. For it belongeth alonely to God to alter mens hearts, that is to say, to soften them, that his doctrine may drop into them and become like a moistening shower watring the medowes, whereas it dryeth away vponupon stones and Rocks. Seeing it is so, let vsus learne to call vponupon God better than we hauehave done, forasmuch as our labor were vnauailable without him.
And herewithall we be all warned in general, after what sort we should receiue Gods doctrine, that is to wit, as a raine. Were a peece of lande neuer so well husbanded and neuer so well seeded, yet if it wanted moistening from heauen, to what purpose were it? Shoulde not all the paine that is taken about it be vnauailable? Euen so is it with vsus: god must water vsus dayly with his word, or else hee shall draw no nourishment out of vsus, we wil bring forth no fruite. Sith wee know this, wee ought to bee more diligent in hearing Gods word than we be. The earth openeth her mouth in the drought of summer, so as it chinketh if it want raine: and (as we hauehave seene heretofore) ye heauen must be faine to hearken to the earth,Osee. 2.21. as though the earth made request and supplication
greatest doctors of ye world shold lay their heads together, they coulde not attaine to the vnderstanding thereof. And I make no reckening of some hypocrits which disguise themselues, and counterfait themselues to be doctors in despite of nature: but if ye Angels of heauen shold come, yet should they be faine to reuerence the wonderfull secrets of God. Wee see howe the Cherubins are described vntounto vsus in Esay, namely how they stretch out their winges to hide their faces,Esa. 6.2. because they be not able to comprehende the infinite maiestie of God. And yet for al that, vnderunder pretence that our braine conceiueth not the full measure of the things which the scripture telleth vsus concerning God; wee reiect it. Thus we see yet better, how it is not for nought that Moses saide that the workes of the mightie are perfect, but [that it serueth] to make vsus to tremble before the maiestie of God, and by acknowledging that he is almightie, to refraine frō incountring him by saying, Why doth he so? Or why willeth he this or that? Nay let vsus simply confesse that his works are perfect, namely in wisedome, in righteousnes, and in goodnes, so as there is no fault to be founde in any of al his workes.
Now hee addeth, that all his wayes are righteousnesse, that God is true, without wickednesse, iust, and vpright. Whereas he saieth that all his wayes are righteousnes, it is a more larger expounding of that which he had said afore. For by a similitude this worde Way, is taken for all manner of doings. And heerein Moses sheweth vsus, that it is not ynough to hauehave glorified God in some part or portion, but that wee must confesse without exception, that hee is the welspring of all wisedome, of all power, of all goodnesse, and of all iustice. We shall see some which will be contented to glorifie God, so long as things fall out to their lyking: but if God deale with them to their misliking▪ they alter their speech, and spit out their venim against him. See howe men woulde part stakes with God, reseruing to themselues the libertie (or rather the diuelish malapeartnesse) to …eate and fume at God when hee doeth not as they woulde wish, and as seemeth good to their opinion. For this cause Moses saieth, that all Gods wayes are righteousnes, that is to say, that although God as now remoue things eft at one-side and eft a tother, and wee see great backturnings and chaunges, and he seemeth to be minded to turn ye worlde vpsidedowne: yet notwithstanding he for his part knoweth why he doeth so. True it is that we shalbe abashed at it, and the rudenesse and frailty of our vnderstanding suffereth vsus not to conceiue Gods wonderfull counsailes: they bee too deepe a gulfe for vsus: but yet doth God alwayes keepe a measurable and euen hande in all his doings. Then is it not any one or two deedes wherein GOD sheweth his righteousnesse, but in the whole gouernement of the worlde. Lo to what point we must come.
Moreouer Moses doth expresly call him true. And that is to bee referred to the doctrine, to the ende that men should learne to receiue that which is saide and set downe vntounto them in the name of God. And indeede, vntill such time as we knowe God to bee true, we can neuer tast of his righteousnesse nor of his goodnesse: or if we hauehave any tast thereof, yet can we not be sure and fully resolued of it. For proofe hereof, we neuer vnderstande Gods iustice, wisedome, goodnesse, or any other of his vertues, but by his worde. True it is that wee hauehave experience of them: and God sheweth himselfe sufficiently both aboue and beneath, that hee might bee glorified at our handes, at leastwise if wee had eyes and …ares to see and heare. But what? Such is our slothfulnesse, that we wore not howe to benefite ourselues by the great number of the recordes wherein God maketh his glorie to shine forth. His worde therefore must goe ioyntly with it: for if wee bee not taught at his mouth, wee shall neuer attaine vntounto him, no nor come any thing neere him. But if wee doubt of Gods worde, and hauehave but an opinion of it, as who woulde say the thinges that are conteined in it hauehave some reason, but yet wee doe but coniecture so: what a thing were it? What certaintie shoulde wee hauehave of God or of any of all his vertues, for the which hee is to bee glorified? Wee shall bee alwayes in a mammering. And so wee see of what importance this saying is, where Moses termeth God True. For hee woulde hauehave vsus to learne to yeelde such authoritie to his worde, as it may benefite vsus, and that as soone as wee heare God speake, wee shoulde bee fully resolued and perswaded, that wee shall not bee disappointed in following all that hee saieth to vsus, and in beleeuing the same. By this meane then wee may consider all Gods workes, so as wee shall hauehave a lampe to guide vsus and to giuegive vsus light, that wee may not runne reeling in continuall doubtfulnesse. But forasmuch as Gods worde is the infallible trueth to vsus, wee shall hauehave a stayed iudgement concerning the thinges that are saide vntounto vsus, and wee shall trust in God, not as the heathenish sort doe, who bee shaken from it out of hande, because there is no steadinesse of faith in them: but wee shall hauehave a good staffe to stande by, so as Gods trueth shall fence vsus against all distrust, against all grudging and against all thinges that may turne vsus from the glorifying of him. And therewithall wee shall also hauehave a good foundation of our saluation, when wee once knowe that God is True. For if wee imbrace not the thinges that God doeth, what will become of vsus? There is nothing but damnation in men, and the more they trust in themselues, the more must they needes bee confounded. Then can wee not conceiue any hope of saluation, vnlesse wee bee well assured that God foadeth vsus not with wordes without effect: but that wee knowe him to bee faithfull and trustie, so as if wee hauehave but a worde of his mouth, it is as good as if our saluation were already shewed.
And thereuppon hee saieth further, that there is no wickednesse in him, [but] that hee is iust and faithfull. It shold seeme yt Moses speaketh too coldly of God in this place, in saying, There is no wickednesse in him. For who doubts of that? Nay, it is to cut off all the wicked imaginations that men deuise, when they be not helde in awe so as they may yeeld to conclude that God is faitfull, good, and iust, yea and voide of vnfaithfulnesse. A…d who accuseth him thereof? But yet wee see howe that euen the holy Prophets were driuen to resist those temptations. Lorde I knowe that thou art iust,… ….1. … 1.13. saieth Ieremie. As much doeth Abacucke, and they crie out so of purpose to shewe that they bee troubled with many incumberances, when they see things so out of order in the worlde. There then wee see howe they had easily beene caried away to blaspheme God, and to deeme some vnrighteousnesse to bee in him, if they had not beene restrained. And so wee see; that it is not without cause, that Moses saieth heere: that God is true & without wickednesse. There is nothing in him (saieth hee) but the same is praise worthie; insomuch that when wee speake of his trueth and righteousnesse, we must exclude all wisedome & power of man. And to be short, he must be praised without exception and not after the common manner of men. And that is the cause that when Gods word is spoken of in the Psalme, it is saide to be like siluer tried seuentimes in the fire after it hath beene molten and all the drosse of it taken quite and cleane from it.… At the first sight this similitude may seeme to vsus to bee but colde. But let vsus looke a little vppon our selues, and we shall finde that our wits doe tickle vsus incessantly; insomuch that when wee hauehave confessed God (yea euen without dissimulation) to be true: yet when wee come to his promises, euermore we will hauehave some reply, and we will neuer be contented in our minds, nor well at rest. For we hauehave a leawdnes which holdeth vsus back, and hindereth vsus that wee cannot glorifie God as becommeth vsus. So then let vsus marke, that Moses doth not heere without cause exclude all iniquitie: to the ende that when we speake of God and of any of all his vertues, wee shoulde doe it with such reuerence and admiration, as wee may not onelyonly not accuse him of any vnfaithfulnesse, and confesse that wee perceiue not any vice in him: but also be throughly perswaded and resolued, that there is such perfection in him, as that there remaineth no more for vsus to doe, but onelyonly to worship him, yea euen though we conceiue not the highnesse that is hidden from vsus.
Nowe let vsus cast our selues downe before the maiestie of our good God with acknowledgement of our faults, praying him to take from vsus al hardnesse and stubbornnes, and to frame vsus to the obeying of him, that the preaching of his worde vntounto vsus may not bee in vaine, but that it may profite vsus, so as wee may become good ground, and serue in such wise to the glorie of our God, as that the labour and paine which he shall hauehave bestowed vponupon vsus, may not be in vaine, but that all may redounde to the full establishing of his kingdom. And moreouer that seeing it pleaseth him that our saluation should be matched with his glorie, he will also so further the same, as wee may bee incouraged by that meanes to giuegive our selues more and more vntounto him. That it may please him to grant this grace, not onelyonly to vsus, but also to all people and nations of the earth &c.