Sermons on Deuteronomy, Sermons · Sermon 72
On Fryday the xiij. of September. 1555. The Lxxii. Sermon which is the fourth vponupon the tenth Chapter.
15 Yet notwithstanding the Lorde hath through louelove acquainted himselfe with thy fathers, and loued them, and chosen their seede after them, that is to wit, euen you aboue all people, as appeareth this day.
16 Therefore cutte away the foreskin of your heartes, and harden not your neckes from henceforth.
17 For the Lord your God is God of Gods, and Lord of Lords, a great, mightie and terrible God, which regardeth not anie mans person, nor taketh anie giftes.
WEe hauehave to lay foorth more at large, the sentēce that was begun yesterday, which is, that here Moses declareth vntounto the Iewes, that all the goodnesse which they had, proceeded of Gods louelove, yea euen of free louelove. For his louing of them aboue all other people was not for that they were worthier, but because it so pleased him. Moreouer, he addeth that God tooke not Abraham onelyonly, but also all his ofspring into his fauour, so as his choosing of the people, proceeded thereof. Wherof commeth it then, that the Iewes were so preferred before all the rest of the worlde? If we say it was because they were better than the rest, yt is a manifest gainsaying of God, who will hauehave vsus to acknowledge his only fauour & goodnes in that behalfe. Then let vsus conclude, yt God sought not the cause thereof els where than in himselfe: But yt his will was to lay forth the infinite treasures of his mercy, to shew that he was not indetted to any creature, but that his bearing of good will towardes them, is for yt he himselfe is good, and therfore all things are to be referred to his praise according as the scripture sheweth that his chosing of his church in all ages hath beene to that end.Ephes. 1.6. Nowe we see in effect what this doctrine meaneth.
Yesterday it was declared what was the vse of it, namely that men should be humbled in them selues, to exalt Gods goodnes, & thereupon take the better courage to serue him. For how greatly are we bound vntounto him, seeing he hath vouchsafed to take vsus for his heritage, & to adopt vsus to be his children, whereas in the meane season he hath reiected others that were like vntounto vsus? For if it be demanded wherein we differ from other men: there wil no difference be found in respect of our selues. And therfore, seeing that God hath esteemed vsus so highly, we are bound to serue him and to giuegive our selues wholly vntounto him. But by the way let vsus marke, that there is a generall election belonging to all this people, which election deserueth well to be had in estimation. But yet should not al auaile, except eueryevery man were made partaker of it particularly in himselfe. This would be darkesum, if it were not declared more at large. But it wil become easie ynough, if we cal to minde, first what Moses teacheth here, and which wee hauehave seene already heretofore: namely that God chose Abrahams ofspring out of the whole worlde. And why? because it pleased him. All the world was his (as hath beene declared already) and al nations were alike neere vntounto him, and in equall degree as that ofspring was that was to come of Abrahā. Nay: (which more is) he chose a people yt had no being, and of whō there was no hope. For Abraham was like a drie timberlogge,…om. 4.19. and therefore was there no hope that euer he could hauehave any ofspring. Sara his wife was barrē & both of them drooped for age, and their bodies were withered, so as God chose the thing which was not, and his promise seemed as it were to hang in the ayre, without foundation to rest vponupon. And yet notwithstāding, by vertue of the promise wherein God sayde that hee would blesse Abrahās lynage,Gen. 17.6.7. there must needes come a people, as shall be shewed in the next lecture. See here I pray you the election of God, wherby he putteth such difference betwene the lynage of Abraham and all the rest of the world, that he made the same linage his Church of purpose that the signes of his fauour and of his couenant should remaine there, and that his name should be called vponupon there, so as he offered the promises of saluation to them that descended of the same race and linage, & the redeemer yt was to be sent into the worlde, was set forth vntounto thē that they might be gathered together vnderunder him. Loe here (I say) a general election that belonged to al the children of Abraham, and yet was that grace to be confirmed by faith but in a parte of them, & in some of them. For we see that many of them were cut off, not for that they were not Abrahams children, in respect of the fleshe and the worlde: But for that they were not his children in spirite and before God, which was the chiefe point,Rom. 2.28. & 9.7.8. as S. Paul declareth. As for those which were vnbeleeuers and vnthriftes, and imbraced not the promise that was made vntounto Abraham with true faith, those were set beside the inheritance. In deede they were accounted for his children: howbeit, that was but as Ismael was who was not lawfully begotten. Now then Gods generall election which extended to the whole people, was not sufficient: But it behoued euerie man to be partaker of it in his own peculiar behalfe. And how was yt to be done? by faith. But let vsus see from whence faith proceedeth, but only of Gods wil, in that he vouchsafeth to confirm his fauor towardes whō he thought good. Therfore chose he whom he listed out of this people,Eph. 1.13.14. and sealed his promise in their hearts by his holy spirite, so as they were made partakers of his trueth, & it tooke full and perfect effect in them. Lo here the double election of God. The one extendeth to the whole people, because circumcision was giuen indifferently to all, both smal and great, and the promises likewise were common. But yet for all that, God was faine to adde a seconde grace, by touching the hearts of his chosen, namely of such as he listed to reserue to him selfe, and those came vntounto him, & he made them to receiue the benefit that was offered them. And in deede, we see that the greatest number of that people hauehave bin cast off, and as it were banished from Gods fauour, so as there remained but a small remnant of them, not onelyonly at some one time, but also euen after the captiuity of Babilon, according to this foresaying of the prophet Esay:Esa. 10.22. Although thou wart neuer so many in nūber, so as thy folke were as the sande of the sea, yet shall the remnant of you be very small yt God wil saue. For the hypocrites abused Gods promise falsly. And because it was sayd yt the people shold be in multitude as the sande of the sea, they bragged at the sight of a great number, and in the meane while dispised God. But he telleth them that he coulde aswell diminish them, as he had multiplied them: so as there should remaine but a small portion of them. And so it came to passe, insomuch as the prophet sayth,Esa. 1.9. yt if God had not reserued some seede, the countrie of Iuda had bin as Sodom & Gomorre, & God had vtterly rooted them out as they had well deserued.
Now is this very profitable for vsus. For nowadayes; when it is tolde vsus yt we hauehave the pure doctrine of ye Gospell preached vntounto vsus, & we hauehave the sacrament of baptism for the warrant of our saluation, yt is one choice that God maketh of vsus. We be no better than other men, yt are drowned in ydolatrie & abhominations, on whō God hath not vouchsa…ed to looke wt such pity, as to make ye truth of his gospel to shine vponupon thē: but hath let thē alone as destitute of all things, so as there is nothing but horrible cōfusion amongest them; & yet in the meane season, he taketh vsus between his armes, and into his bosome, vouchsafing to cause his word to be preached vntounto vsus, whereby we see Iesus Christ who inlightneth vsus as ye daysun of righteousnes, & we hauehave the sacramentes whereof we knowe the vse. Lo here one choise yt God maketh of vsus, which is well worthy to be esteemed, wherin it behoueth vsus to cōsider Gods only infinite goodnes, for yt he espieth nothing in vsus, for ye which he should preferre vsus, before such as are nobler thā we, & hauehave much more thā we to outward appearance. But yet is it not ynough for vsus to be so chosē of God as yt he taketh vsus into his house, admitteth vsus to bee of his flocke, & dwelleth among vsus; eueryevery of vsus must hauehave an eie to himself, so as ye gospel be not preached in vain nor we beare the bare name of Christians, without shewing ye effect of it in our deedes. For vntil our adoptiō be sealed by ye holy Ghost, let vsus not thinke yt it auaileth vsus any whit to hauehave herd the word of God but it shal turne to our double condemnation, because yt when God had chosen vsus, we offended him; whē he had entered into a couenant with vsus, wee brake our faithfull promise which wee had made & plighted vntounto him; and therfore me must be punished ye more greuously. But whē we hauehave once a warrant in our hearts, yt his promises belong vntounto vsus, & are behighted vntounto vsus, by reason yt we receiue them wt true obedience, & sticke to our Lord Iesus Christ, suffring him to gouerne vsus:1. Pet. 1.10. yt is a sure seale of Gods chosing of vsus, so as we not onelyonly hauehave the outwarde apparance of it before men, but also the truth of it before our God. And like as Abrahā was made the father of all ye faithfull before God:Rom. 4.11. so are we made his children in spirit & truth, and not only as in respect of adoption to ye world. Thus we see what we hauehave to gather vpō this text, & vpō this declaration yt Moses maketh here to the Iewes.
And for the same cause he addeth the exhortation which we hauehave read, in that he willeth the Iewes to circumcise their heartes, and to beware that they harden not their neckes any more. Good reason it is that men should submit themselues to God after y• maner by forsaking thēselues, seeing that his seeking to win vsus to him is not for any cōmoditie to himselfe, (as was shewed yesterday,) but because hee is desirous of our welfare, so as hee putteth vsus not to the doing of any thing which redoundeth not to our own benefit & profit. Seeing then yt God respecteth nothing but vsus in his alluring of vsus to come vntounto him: should we drag backe in that case? Or should wee hauehave proude and loftie heartes to aduaunce ourselues against him? Nowe for the better vnderstanding of this doctrine, let vsus note that Moses had an ey to the outward signe that was giuen at that time to the Iewes, after the same maner that wee hauehave baptisme at this day. For circumcision serued to two endes. First, God thereby condemned all mankinde and all that is of mans owne nature: shewing them thereby, that all of it is euill. And secondely he gaue hope of saluation in ye seede of Abraham, accordingly as he had promised. To this purpose (say I) serued ye figure of circumcision, namely to put the Iewes in minde, yt frō their mothers wombe, they brought nothing with thē but condemnation, & that all yt euer was of man was cursed before God, because it had nothing in it but sinne & corruption. Secondarily againe they were comforted, forasmuch as they sawe that God promised them saluation,Eph. 1.3. by the seede of man, and yt he receiued them into fauour, and iustified thē of purpose to hauehave them separated frō all ye rest of the worlde.Gen. 1….1…. Seeing the Iewes had this prerogatiue, surely if they had not ment to deface Gods power as much as in thē lay, they should hauehave made their circumcision auailable, by cutting off al yt euer was of their owne nature, assuring themselues yt men can not please God,Rom. 1.…. vntill they hauehave giuen ouer the thinges yt were their owne. Hereunto had Moses an eye when he sayd, Circumcise your heartes this day. For their obseruing of ye figure was nothing, except they cōsidered to what end God ment to lead them by it. They beguiled themselues with ye visible signes, and yt was ynough to thē: for Satan hath alwaies this policie with him, to make men busie their wits about the thinges yt they see with their eyes as whereunto he seeth them inclined. For all our seeking is to content God with faire couers; and though we neuer come nie him in verie deede; yet would we fain pay him with a sort of pelting trifles. The Iewes then esteemed their circumcision ynough & too much, but yet in so dooing they abused it, because they regarded not ye thing yt God ment to shew thē therby, but were tied altogether to ye visible signe. Therfore doth Moses rebuke them, saying: thinke not yt the hauing of circumcision in your bodies, is all yt you hauehave to doe: for Gods giuing of yt signe vntounto you, was to help your infirmity, of purpose to leade you further therby, namely to bring you to true repentāce. For when ye once perceiue yt al yt euer is of your own nature bringeth nothing but cursing: you shall see that all of it is to be done quite and cleane away. Therefore bethinke ye to mortifie your selues: as if he should say, Circumcision consisteth not in the outwarde paring away of the fleshe, but the trueth thereof is within: it is your heartes that must bee circumcised. Moses his meaning hereby, is not to condemne the outwarde signe: but to shewe the true vse of it, which folke had corrupted through superstition and hypocrisie. Accordingly whereunto Ioell sayth,Ioel. ….… Rend your heartes, & not your garments. Wherin his meaning is, not that men should no more shew any token of repētance by humbling themselues before God, but to shew that all that euer men do by outwarde signes, (as by rending of the hayre from their heades and beardes, by much weeping, by knocking vponupon their brests, and by al other maner of gestures that may shew them to be abashed, & in maner out of comfort before God) is nothing, except ye hart be broken afore. Euen so, circumcision is vtterly vnprofitable, vnles ye hart be circumcised as wel as ye body.
Now we see the meaning of Moses, but it will become the plainer & easier vntounto vsus, if we come to our baptisme. I hauehave already touched the likenesse that is betweene these two sacraments: and it is all one, as if a man should say vntounto vsus nowe adayes, if you would yt God should take you for his people and heritage, yee must be baptised in your soules. What? baptised in our soules? Yea for south. For the water that is cast vponupon our bodies is nothing, if wee hauehave not the trueth of it, namely that we be so plunged vnderunder the water, as if we werein a graue;Rom. 6.4. Col. 2.12. that is to say, yt it maketh vsus to die in our selues, so as our owne affections, our owne thoughtes, our owne witte, our owne reason, and our owne wisedome beare not any more sway in vsus; but yt we suffer our selues, to be gouerned by God, so as all our fleshly lustes bee subdued and held in captiuitie vnderunder him, and vnderunder his yoke. Therefore if a man would shew vsus the true meaning of our baptisme, he shoulde say, looke that yee be baptised within. And for the same cause also doeth Saint Paule in the seconde to the Romans,Rom. 2.28. sette downe a difference betweene the circumcision of the letter, and the circumcision of the spirite: And he sayeth that the one is inwarde, and the other outward. Whereas he termeth it the Circumcision of the letter, it is by a similitude, for he hath an eye to the worde. To what purpose serueth the reading of Gods Law, and of the Gospel, if it touch vsus not inwardely? Verily if eueryevery of vsus hauehave his Bible in print, and yet let it alone, what doe we else but make it vnholy by our not applying of so great a treasure to our vse, & by our not imploying of the same to our profite according to the intent of our God? Euen so standeth the case with the sacramentes sayeth Saint Paule. For they be but as a dead letter, so long as wee hauehave no more but the visible signes, it is but a gay appearance and shew before men: But the whole matter consisteth in hauing the trueth before God. Wil we hauehave the true Circumcision? then must it be inwardly, that is to say, in the Spirite. That is to say, God must worke there. So we see nowe that the meaning of Moses was, that folke shoulde not boast vainely of the bare name of God, nor of the wearing of his badge, without the trueth of it, so as they could shewe the power thereof: but that they should fare the better by the signe that is giuen them to warrant their adoption, to the entent it might appeare that God hath not without cause separated them from the heathen, which were as good as banished out of his church, & had no acquaintāce at al with him.
Againe we see that this doctrin toucheth and concerneth vsus nowadayes, because we hauehave baptisme which serueth to the same vse yt circumcision did, namely to lead vsus to repentance. Therfore must we apply it to our vse. And forasmuch as God hath vouchsafed to giuegive vsus a seale of the fatherly louelove which hee beareth vsus, and that it pleased him to gather vsus into his Church, and to shew yt he hath taken vsus vntounto himself to be heirs of his kingdome: Let not vsus disappoint our selues of such a benefite through our owne lewdenesse and vnthankefulnesse; but lette vsus endeuour to fare the better by it, by beeing washed in our soules, that is to say, by mortifying our owne imaginations, reasons, and lustes, and by offering vp of our selues in sacrifice vntounto god, to the ende that he may renewe vsus, and that nothing else but his spirite may reigne in vsus, so as hee may beare the whole swaye. This exhortation is made vntounto the Iewes, because it was their dutie to apply their sacramentes vntounto such ende. Neuerthelesse let vsus marke, that it is not in our power to performe the thing yt is required here. For although the Iewes ought to hauehave bin circū cised in their heartes; yet was it verie necessary that God should worke in yt behalfe. Likewise it standeth vsus in hande nowadayes, to mortifie our selues, & we be cōmanded so to do; but yet must wee be faine to resort vntounto God, who reserueth to himselfe ye office of renewing our soules. And that is the cause why it is sayd yt our Lorde Iesus Christ is only he which baptiseth with fire & the holy Ghost.Iohn 1.33. For if a man yt ministreth baptisme, had power to regenerate, then had he in himself the power, maiestie, & glory, which is giuen to ye sonne of God. But our baptising is only with water, yt is to say, we hauehave but the signe of baptisme cōmitted vntounto vsus, yet notwithstanding, our doing is not in vaine: for we must needes be faithfull witnesses of God. And forasmuch as we doe it in his name; we must not thinke yt the thing is voide & vnprofitable. But yet for all that, it behoueth vsus to resort to our Lord Iesus Christ, and to consider yt our ministring of baptisme in his Church, is by his authoritie, & therefore that it belongeth vntounto him to make it auaileable & that it is only his spirit wherby we be regenerate. For if euerie man could wash his own soule: it might be sayde that the minister baptiseth with water, and yt euerie man baptiseth himselfe with truth; but it can not be sayd so: for that were as much as to robbe Gods sonne of the thing that is peculiar vntounto him. He hath reserued that honour to himselfe, & neuer giuen it to any creature, no not vntounto ye Angels of heauen. Therefore let vsus vnderstand, that nowadayes when it is tolde vsus, that we must make the outwarde signe auailable vntounto vsus, by being baptised in our soules: we must therewithall immediately submit our selues vntounto God, praying him to performe the thing by the power of his holy spirit, which he representeth to vsus outwardly by the figure thereof; and to mortifie and renewe vsus in such wise, as we may hauehave the trueth of baptisme sealed vppe and ingrauen in our soules. In like case was it with the people of olde time.
True it is that here Moses exhorteth ye Iewes to Circumcise their heartes: but yet we shall see hereafter,Deut. 3….6. howe he will say, the Lorde our God
themselues so ill; as it was verie requisite for thē to be done to vnderstand, that it was but a fondnesse for them to boast themselues to be Gods people.
Nowe to the intent we may learne to put this doctrine in practise as it ought to be; Let vsus vnderstande, that such as will needes harden them selues in naughtinesse, shalbe destroyed by God who will make them to feele ye force of his power according to this saying of his, If ye fall to stubbornes with me,Leuit. 26.23 24. I will deale stubbornly with you againe. And it is all one with this saying of the xviij. Psalme,Psal. 18.27. With the frowarde I wilbe froward, and I wil deale roughly with such as harden thē selues against me. Then let vsus learne that Gods intent is to lay a yoke vppon our neckes by his worde, of purpose to bring vsus in subiection to his righteousnesse: And all is for our benefite. Insomuch that although it bee so vnpossible for vsus to fulfill the Lawe, that wee can not so much as put foorth one of our litle fingers to the furtheraunce of it, no nor once thinke a good thought: yet is that yoke gentle & amiable of it selfe, and all the harme of it commeth of our selues. For if wee will not bowe downe our neckes, but strout them out as hard as if they were steele or brasse; so as in steede of being as Oxen to labour, or as sheep to heare the voyce of our shepherd, we become sturdy buls and fall to striking with rage & furie to shake off the yoke, so as we not only followe not the worde, but also shake off all subiection, and inharden ourselues against God▪ what excuse will there be for vsus, seeing wee yeelde not ourselues vntounto him willingly to be taught at his hande? Yet for all that, we see how the world goeth. God therefore must be faine to ouermaster vsus, & to tame vsus by maine hande. And in verie deede, looke what afflictions soeuer light vponupon vsus, we ought to take thē as strokes of Gods hād, to make vsus bowe our neckes vnderunder him, and to become tractable and obedient. But when we go awke and cleane contrary after that fashion, thē doth he threaten vsus thus by Moses, I will deale stubbornely as well as you. He vseth that terme of purpose, to the intent yt men should not dally with him. For at the first blush the saying might seeme straunge which I alledged out of the xviij Psalme;Psal. 18.27. namely, that hee will deale frowardely with such as are froward. For howe can that be? Can God be frowarde? No: But it is all one as if he shoulde say: yee shall finde in me a greater hardnesse than yours is: Let vsus incounter together, and see which of vsus is stoutest and best able to holde out. I tell you, it is you that are like to be confounded and go to wrecke. And therfore let vsus leaue our naughtinesse, and repaire vntounto God while he calleth vsus; and when we be come to him, let vsus suffer ourselues to be gouerned by his holy spirite, which is, the spirit of meeknesse, that we may submit our selues obediently vntounto him. And for perfourmaunce thereof, lette vsus marke the lesson that Moses addeth immediatly.
The euerlasting thy God (sayeth he) is the God of Gods, a great, a mightie, & a strong God: yea but let vsus marke also, that he doth not accept (that is to say, regard) mens persons; but iudgeth according to the truth. Beware therefore yt ye trust not any more in your circūcision nor in such like thinges, but beare in mind that God wil hauehave your seruice to be such, as your hearts may be wholly dedicated vntounto him: and that he wold hauehave you to submit your selues vntounto him, so as he may hauehave you in his possession, and you enioy the inheritance which hee promised to your fathers, and which belongeth vntounto you. Gods greatnesse which Moses speaketh of in this place, is the first foundation which wee must lay whereby to take courage to serue him. For if there be no certainetie in our religion, wee shall alwayes make but a colde worke of it, and if it bee macched with any wilfulnesse, it will make vsus to stande in our owne conceites, yea and starke fooles; so as there shall be no trueth nor right in our dooinges. Howe so euer the case stande, I say if men bee not sure who the GOD is whome they worshippe; they shall but runne a straye and at randonne, without anye zeale to serue him. For although the Papistes bee so greatly giuen to their idolatrie, that to their owne seeming they hauehave sure houlde of the thinges that they hauehave imagined: yet it is but a doubtfull opinion and surmise, which deceiueth them. In deede they doe their seruice with many ceremonies; but if a man come to the searching of their heartes, hee shall finde them alwayes doubting, and so snarled in their superstitions, that they knowe not where they be. And truely whensoeuer they be pinched with aduersitie, then doeth the venime breake out, so as they shewe that they wote not whether there is a GOD or no, but by blaspheming of him, by gnashing their teeth against him, by finding fault with him, and by accusing him of crueltie, for punishing them (as they suppose) without their deseruing. Loe in what taking all they be, which followe their owne fancies in cases of religion. True it is that the Idolaters become so beastly in their superstitions, that they followe them with a burning affection, as the prophetes say;Ier. 5.…. who vpbrayde the Iewes that they were like stoned horses neying after mares, that is to witte, they were so diuelishly minded, that their doinges were not counted as an ordinarie kinde of whooredome, but as a villanie euen against nature. Likewise in the Popedome is it not seene that such as are taken to bee the earnestest mainteiners of their religion, are rather carried away with rage, than moued with any true zeale to Godwarde? Yes certainely: and thereby they doe the more bewraye their owne leawdenesse and shame. In deede they be bolde ynough to skorne vsus, as though wee were turned away from the right religion: but lette it suffice vsus, that wee may alwayes vpbrayde them that they knowe not what GOD they worshippe, whereas wee on our side hauehave good warrant of the doctrine yt we follow, and are sure that God accepteth the seruice which we yeelde vntounto him according thereunto, and that in so doing we may boldly offer our selues vntounto him. Yee see then that vnlesse we bee sure of our religion, we shall neuer hauehave any right ordred zele, nor hearts disposed to serue God. And that is the cause why Moses sayeth heere, Go too, ye be not as the heathen that go at al aduenture, weening that they doe well in seruing their Idolles, howbeit that it be but a weening, so as they know not what the Gods be whom they serue, for it is but a fancie of their owne deuising. But your God is the God that made heauen and earth, it is he that hath reueiled himselfe vntounto you. Now then, if yee followe them that hauehave not the like assurance, and fall to disguising of Gods seruice: what excuse will there bee for you? Were it not meete that ye should rather giuegive ouer both your bodyes and soules to him,Rom. 12.1. & 1. Cor. 6.20. so as hee might bee honoured at your handes all your life long? And so we see here the intent of Moses as concerning this text.
Now let vsus learne heereby, that wee can neuer rule our liues to Gods lyking, vnlesse we first knowe him. For what a thing is it if wee thinke we liue vprightly, and in the meane while know not the God whom we ought to serue? For when is our life to bee counted good and holy? When it is spent in the honouring of God: that is the finall ende of it. For if wee knowe not what God it is, nor what his will is, well may we toyle our selues all our life long, and yet shall all of it bee but confusion. It is as if a man should runne gadding ouer the feeldes, he might well breake his shinnes, and tyre his whole body, and yet be neuer the further forewarde, but rather the swiftlyer hee runneth, the further is he off from his iourneyes ende. Wee see then that all thinges are out of order in the Popedome, bycause they bee blinde and ignoraunt, and wote not what God they serue, nor what Saint they should make their vowes vntounto, as sayth their owne prouerbe. Insomuch that when they hauehave tyred themselues with trotting vp and downe, they wote not where they bee, but are newe to seeke in their imaginations, whereas to knowe God as hee hath shewed himselfe to vsus in his woord, that they might yeeld him the reuerence which is dewe vntounto him: they can no skill of it, neither is there any tydings of it among them. But as for vsus, if wee intende to knowe the true seruice of GOD, and to obey him throughly, the first poynt that wee must come vntounto, must be to knowe him. Indeede this lesson cannot be dispatched at this present, and therefore it shall suffice vsus to knowe in one worde for a conclusion, that it is an in estimable treasure to vsus, when it pleaseth GOD to shew himselfe vntounto vsus, so as wee bee sure that our religion is good, and that he alloweth it, and that we goe not by opinion or by weening, as these wretched beastes doe, which suffer themselues to bee lead by the nose, as not hauing any certaine rule whereby to guide and to gouerne themselues. Marke that for one poynt.
And for the second poynt let vsus marke also, that for as much as our God is great and terrible, it behoueth vsus to be humbled vnderunder his mightie hand, and to learne to walke in such wise in his feare, as wee not onelyonly be abashed at his Maiestie, but also besides our honoring of him with feare and reuerence, wee repaire and resort vntounto him without any doubting that he is our father.
Nowe let vsus fall downe in the presence of our good God with acknowledgment of our sinnes, praying him to touche vsus still more and more, so as wee may bee made to knowe that wee hauehave nothing but stubbornnesse and naughtinesse in vsus, and therefore may seeke to him for the spirit of meekenesse, lowelinesse, and feare, that being reformed by his grace, wee may seeke to amend our whole liues according to his righteousnesse, and fight continually against our wicked lustes, vntill we bee discharged of this mortall body, and be gathered vp into his kingdome: Beseeching him further to graunt vsus such grace as wee may neuer ceasse to followe him whither soeuer hee calleth vsus, and in the meane while to beare with our infirmities, till he hauehave rid vsus quite and cleane of them: and that for as much as we hauehave now our Lord Iesus Christ, who is the end of the law, and the substance and truth of the Sacramentes that hee hath giuen vsus, it may please him to graunt vsus the grace to be so washed in our hartes through the power of the holy Ghost, as all our filthinesse may be purged and cleansed, so as in the end we may be wholy transformed into his glory. That it may please him to graunt this grace, not onelyonly to vsus but also to all people and nations of the earth, &c.