Sermons on Deuteronomy, Sermons · Sermon 95
On Wednesday the xxx. of October. 1555. The XCv. Sermon, which is the thirde vponupon the fifteenth Chapter.
11 For there shall euer be some needie folke in the Lande. And therefore I commaund thee, saying, that thou open thy hand to thy brother, to thy needie and to thy poore in the Lande.
12 When thy brother an Hebrewe, or [thy sister] an Hebrewesse shall hauehave solde himselfe vntounto thee, and serued thee sixe yeres: in the seuenth yeere thou shalt let him goe free from thee.
13 And when thou lettest him goe free from thee, thou shalt not let him goe emptie.
14 But thou shalt lode him vponupon his necke with somewhat of thy flocke, of thy vyneyarde, and of thy winepresse. Thou shalt giuegive him of the things wherewith the Lorde hath blessed thee.
15 Remember how thou thy selfe wast a bondseruant in the Land of Egypt, & that the Lord thy God deliuered thee: and therfore doe I command thee this thing this day.
IT is sayd in the common prouerb, that Lawes are not made for thinges that are not woont to come to passe, but for thinges that are in vre, and which it behoueth vsus to practise dayly. And that is the cause why our Lord in this text sayth, that his speaking of ye succoring of the poore is not without cause, for that as long as this mortal lyfe indureth, we shall euer finde whereon to execute our duetie, by releeuing the necessities of our neighbours, because there shall alwayes be poore folke among vsus in the world. Thus we see in effect, yt Gods intent was to make the Iewes to take the better heede to his Lawe, forasmuch as it was a very requisite yea and necessarie thing, that they should be put in minde of their duetie in ye behalfe. And thereupon we hauehave to gather, that the more auaileable a doctrine is to the well ordering of our lyfe, ye better ought we to set our mindes vppon it. We see a number of folk which are fond and curious in forecasting for thinges that happen not once in a hundred yeeres: they imagine things yt are vtterly vnpossible: & if this should come to passe (say they) what should wee doe then? They beat their braines about things that hauehave no profit in them, and in the meane while they see not the thinges yt are before their feete. And for proofe hereof, how many are to be seene nowadayes, which grosly ouershoote themselues in things that ought to be throughly knowen, shutting their eyes at them so as they see not one whit? And yet for all that, they toyle themselues exceedingly in searching out I wote not what: and if a man aske them why they doe so, they cannot tel, but that they be driuen thereto by a foolish curiositie. Therefore let vsus beare in minde that our Lordes intent is to keepe vsus occupyed so farre foorth as is for our behoofe. And that is the cause why that in the holy scripture, we see that God hath not voutsafed to feed our humors with thinges which hee knoweth to be of no edificatiō, but restreineth vsus to ye things which are for our behoofe to put in vre. Let vsus consider then that eueryevery of vsus ought to looke diligently to his owne duetie: and that is the warning that is giuen vsus in this text, where God telleth vsus that he maketh not Lawes of things that concerne vsus not, but that hee hath an eye to the thinges which we ought to put in practise dayly.
But now let vsus come to this saying of his, That there shalbe poore folke continually. This was spoken expresly, to doe vsus to vnderstand that God will try our charitie. For he is rich enough to supply all mens wantes, and it commeth not of any nigardship, that he powreth not out his treasures vppon vsus. What is the cause then that God suffereth men to be poore in this world, but onelyonly to giuegive vsus occasion to doe good? Therfore when we see one man poore & another rich, let vsus not attribute it to fortune: but let vsus vnderstand how it is God yt disposeth thinges so, and that it is not without reason. True it is yt our eyes shal not alwayes see why God inricheth one & impouerisheth another, we cannot discerne ye cause therof certeinly. And by that meanes God will hauehave vsus to cast downe our eyes oftentimes, to the end we should yeelde him the honor of gouerning men at his will, and according to his own deuice which is incōprehensible. Yet notwithstanding we hauehave to remember in generall, the thing that I hauehave touched already▪ which is, yt Gods distributing of these worldly goods so vnegally, is to bewray what is in mens harts, by making a tryall of thē yt way. So yt if a man be rich, he may be the better discerned what a one he is. For thereby hee is inabled to doe hurt, and can the better indomage his enemies. But if he absteine frō dooing euil, if he extēd no crueltie towardes his neighbors, if he hold himselfe wtin his owne boūdes wtout coueting more thā God giueth vntounto him: it is a signe of honesty, which had not bin knowē if such occasiōs had not bin ministred vntounto him. Again, if a man of wealth be liberall so as he indeuour to doe good to such as hauehave neede of his helpe, and aduaūce not himselfe through pride & statelynesse; but alwayes behaue himself mildly: yt is a very good proofe. If another mā being poore take patiently whatsoeuer it pleaseth God to send him, & moreouer be not led to any deceit or naughtinesse how much soeuer he suffer, or how hard soeuer his state be: that also is a good & behooueful tryal. Now thē let vsus mark yt whereas there are both rich and poore in this world, God hath so ordeined it, & it cōmeth of his prouidēce: & therfore wee must hold it for a sure groūd, yt there shal neuer want poore folke.
And now by the way let vsus come to that which I spake of, namely that Gods commaunding of wealthie folke to hauehave their handes open to succor the poore and needy that are in the land, is not without cause. For it is as it were a setting downe before our eyes, wherein and after what maner he will be ferued at our handes: namely in doing him homage with the goods which hee hath bestowed abundantly vppon vsus: Yea verily, for he sendeth vsus poore folkes to be as his receiuers. And although ye almesdeed be done to mortall creatures; yet doth God wel accept and well lyke thereof, & putteth it into his accountes, as though ye thinges which we bestow vponupon ye poore were deliuered into his owne handes. Trueth it is yt as in respect of God ye deede yt wee doe is no almesdeede, but an homage of ye goods that hee hath giuen vsus, & for the which we bee beholden to him. Yet neuertheles there is this moreouer, y• besides his accepting of the acknowledgement which we yeeld vntounto him for ye good yt he dooth vsus, it is all one as if ye merciemercy which we shew to our brethren, extended it selfe vntounto him. And yt is the cause why it is sayd, that he which shutteth his eares at the crying of the poore,Prou. 21.13 shall cry himselfe vntounto GOD and not bee heard. On the contrary parte, if wee bee pitifull, and be moued to pitie the poore when we heare of their wants; God also wil vse pitie & compassion towards vsus to succour vsus againe at our neede. And in the same respect Moses sayth expresly in this text, that God cōmaundeth vsus to hauehave our handes open to the poore that dwel in the land among vsus. For God offereth them to vsus, to the intent wee should hauehave no excuse to say, I wist not to whome I should doe good. Seeing then that our Lord ministreth the meanes vntounto vsus, we must not seeke for startingholes: for we shall bee still guiltie, because we hauehave not vsed the occasion that was offered vsus. Our Lorde Iesus Christ goeth yet further and saith, that he himselfe will not be alwayes with vsus,Matt. 26.12. but that ye poore shall euer be with vsus. For in cōmending ye deede that was done to his honour, because ye precious oyntment seemed superfluous, whē his head was annointed therewith, he sayd, let it be so for this once: but from thenceforth he sendeth his disciples to the poore. And why? for it was all one as if he had sayd, that it was no ordinarie seruice that he required, nor for his own person, nor for the person of God his father, that men shoulde present him with the precious thinges of this world: for he had no need of thē: but his will was yt looke whatsoeuer men were willing to bestowe vpō him they shold bestow it vponupon ye poore. And here let vsus mark wel, yt as I hauehave touched afore) y• almesdeedes which we do to ye poore, are accepted of God as sacrifices done vntounto him. Therefore let vsus not deceiue ourselues in our offering vntounto him,Hebr. 13.16. as though he receiued any thing at our hands: for he doth send vsus backe agayne, to doe good to such as stand in neede of our helpe.
Had this lesson bin well borne in minde, the wretched world had not so mispent their labor and mony in foolish pomps, as we see they hauehave done in the Popedome, where they vse a greate sorte of lightes, & a number of other petie trifles. And why is that? O they thinke that GOD taketh pleasure in paintinges, in imagerie, and in such other gewgawes. That is the thing wherein the world is wholy occupyed: and in the meane while the poore are let alone and forgotten. Contrariwise, our Lorde Iesus telleth vsus that yt is the thing whereby God wil try whether we be willing to honor him or no. For (as I hauehave declared already) hee coulde well make all men rich: but he sendeth vsus poore folke, to giuegive vsus occasion to keepe our selues occupyed, if we hauehave any desire to shewe to whom we thinke our selues beholden for our goods, & be minded to apply them to such vse as he may well lyke of. Therefore if we hauehave any such desire, the occasion to shewe it is offered vsus & there neuer wanteth any. That is the thing in effect, which we hauehave to consider vppon this place.
It should seeme at ye first blush, yt this agreeth not with yt which we hauehave seene already, namely yt there should be no poore beggers in ye land. But ye solutiō is very easie, because it may wel fall out yt there should be poore folkes, & yet that all begging be taken away. And soothely it must needes be a great shame for a people yt professe God, that there should be beggers among thē, because it is euen against common order & honestie. Although we had not the cōmaundemēt of our God; yet let vsus consider according to nature what may insew of suffering beggers to be. First it is a token yt the richer sort do deuour all, & that they hauehave no regard of succoring such as be in neede & penury. Againe, when the bridle is layd loose; we see it followeth yt the moe doe giuegive themselues to roging. For men knowe not to whome they giuegive; insomuch that when those kinde of people go crying vp & downe ye streetes from gate to gate; it cannot bee discerned whether they hauehave neede or no: and importunatest creatures doe commonly beare away that wherwith the poore should bee fed and maintained. Moreouer the rewarding of such as goe about begging after that fashion, is a maintenance of false harlots. For there is none so great deceit to be found, as is in these Roges that go begging about. And he that is once nousled in roging, becommeth a theefe in the end. Finally although there were none other inconuenience; yet wee see that those which are once inured so with begging, can neuer fall to any labor afterward, nor learne to doe any good, but are idle bodies and loyterers euer after. Thus ye see how begging is euen by ye order of nature to be alwayes condē ned. For it bringeth nothing wt it but sinne and corruption, and all thinges must at length needs come to confusion, where begging is suffered & borne wt. But wee hauehave Gods commaundement which is a far higher thing, which saith yt we must not hauehave any beggers among vsus, but yt the incō uenience thereof ought to be preuented aforehand, by releeuing such as want, accordingly as men can discern of thē, & be of abilitie to succor thē. Ye see then that these two places are not cō trary one to another. For wheras he saith yt there shal alwayes be poore folks; it is to the end (as I hauehave sayd afore) that ye rich should hauehave occasiō to offer such sacrifice to God as he requireth, by succouring the needy with such things as they hauehave in their handes, and by doing it with discretion, by searching out as much as is possible who they bee that hauehave neede. But that men should giuegive without discretion, or that it should be lawfull for men to goe begging vp and downe the streetes, or to stand begging at the gates or at mens doores: it is a shamefull thing & against all good order, and bringeth nothing but confusion, as a nourishmēt of euil in all those to whom such libertie is giuen, as I hauehave shewed already.
Now remaineth to put this doctrine in practise. First of all we must vnderstand, that according to the greatnesse of mens necessities, God stirreth vsus vp euer to doe them the more good, & it is then chiefe time to streine our selues, whē there is any famine or dearth. For then men ought rather to cut their owne morsels shorte, than to suffer others to want, themselues liuing so in excesse. And whereas many men take occasion to pinche when they see a deere yeere, bearing themselues in hand that it serueth their turne well to make their hand the better: Let vsus vnderstand that our Lord doth then cite vsus, and declare vntounto vsus that if euer we be minded to doe him homage with the goods that hee hath put into our handes, hee will hauehave vsus to vtter it at that time. Let that serue for one point. And whereas we see many poore folke in necessitie; let vsus assure our selues that our Lord warneth vsus that it is as a waking of vsus from sleepe; and that because wee hauehave not bin sufficiently mindefull of our duetie, our Lord commeth to put vsus in remembrance of that which he had commaunded vsus: and that if we be not too lazie, we must needes inforce our selues, to consider eueryevery of vsus the measure that is giuen him & the abilitie of his power, & thereafter imploy himself. This is ye thing that wee hauehave to marke in the first place.
And as touching the second point, Let vsus looke to keepe order and pollicie, so as this shame and dishonestie of begging be not among vsus. For why, it is nothing else but a nourishment of wicked rascals, and they will neuer bee brought to any good, which are so mainteined, but they become roges and idle persons as I hauehave tolde you before. And in the end they take a pleasure in their begging, and lyke so well of their scrippe or wallet, that they would not chaunge it for a yeerely rent: Which thing experience shewes too much. To be shorte, of Roges, they become robbers, & in the end what must become of that? Therefore let all this bee takē away, vnlesse we purpose to prouoke Gods wrath wilfully, & to cause thinges to grow eueryevery day worse than other. But yet howsoeuer ye case stand, let vsus see that ye poore be mainteined. For if a man forbid begging, & therewithall doe no almes at al: it is as much as if he did cut ye throtes of those that are in necessitie. Nay, wee must so prouide for the poore, & redresse their want, that such as are stout beggers and apparantly seeme not to be pitied, may be reformed. For they doe but eate vp ye others bread, & rob ye needy of that which should be giuen vntounto thē. That (say I) in effect, is the thing that we hauehave to marke here. But how may yt be done? First ye Hospitals shoulde prouide wel for such needs. For what a shame is it, that ye goods which are dedicated to God and ye poore, shold neuerthelesse be applied to other vses? That is not simple robbery, but a robbing of God. Therefore let thē be imployed according to his cōmaundement; & let not mē play ye good husbāds in hording vp ye things that ought to be bestowed vponupon God & vponupon those whome he offreth vntounto vsus. Also according as eueryevery man knoweth ye particular needes of his neighbors, so let him indeuour to succour thē, and consider where wante or neede is, and helpe to remedie it. If this be done, then shal beggerie be taken away as it ought to be, and they shall not neede to make a simple forbidding of it: saying; let not men beg any more: & in the meane season ye poore be left destitute, to die for hūger & thirst.
And truly it is not for nought yt our Lord saith here, thy poore & thy needie which are in thy Lād. He could wel inough hauehave said, the poore & needie: but he vseth another maner of phrase saying, thy pore and thy needie. As if he should say, if a man bee poore, eueryevery body disdaynes him and turnes his backe to him: and why is that? Because the rich doe beare themselues in hand, that the poore are not worthie to come ny them, & they could finde in their heartes to hauehave a world alone by themselues. Were it not that they be contented to hauehave the poore folkes seruice, they could find in their harts neuer to see thē. But on ye contrary part, to pull downe such pride & presumption, our Lord sayth, who art thou that despisest so thy brother? He is thy poore, he is thy needy. He speaketh as to our owne flesh. Therefore let vsus wey well the wordes which the holy Ghost hath vsed, that no pride may hinder vsus to hauehave compassion vppon those that are so vnited vntounto vsus. And let vsus marke that they bee our owne poore folkes, yt is to say, yt the persons which are so in neede, are offered vntounto vsus of the Lord, as if hee should say, it is my will to make such an intercourse, as the rich may be mingled wt the poore, & either of them may meete wt other, to the intent they should cōmunicate together, ye poore to receiue & the rich to giuegive, so as I may be honored at the handes of them both, as well for yt ye rich man hath wherwt to do good, as for that ye poore man acknowledgeth himselfe to be susteined & mainteined for my names sake, & so both of thē blesse me. That is ye cause why Moses speaketh of ye poore & needy after such a sorte, yt he sheweth ye rich how it is they themselues whom he speaketh to, & that there ought to be a kinde of intercōmoning between thē & the poore, not to make thē fellowlyke, but to relieue ye neede of those whom God offreth vntounto thē after yt maner.
After this, Moses addeth a law yt serued but for ye common weale of ye Iewes, ye substance whereof continueth neuerthelesse vntounto vsus at this day. If thy brother an Hebrewe (sayth he) or thy sister an Hebrewesse be solde vntounto thee, let him serue thee the space of sixe yeeres: At the end of that terme thou shalt release him. And at thy releasing of him, thou shalt not sende him away emptie, but thou shalt giuegive him some Corne or some Cattell according to thy abilitie, that hee may feele of the blessing which the Lord thy God hath giuen thee, and that the same may be as a hyre vntounto him. Now we must marke, yt in those dayes there were no such seruauntes as are nowadayes which take certein wages by ye yeere: but they were in bōdage after ye maner of those whom wee call bondslaues in Barbarie & in other countries in these dayes. So then they were al slaues at yt time, & among the heathen yt bondage was endlesse: insomuch yt if a man had liued a hundred liues, yet should hee neuer hauehave bin released, vnlesse his maister had pitied him. Moreouer, the man yt had such slaues might mary them, & forasmuch as the wretched soules were not free thēselues, their children also were in bondage lyke ye beastes yt we hauehave. If a man hauehave Horses, Kine, Cattel, or Sheepe, hee reapeth ye fruite of thē: & so did they wt their bōd seruants at yt time. And surely ye state of bondage as it was then through ye whole world, was very hard. For it was Lawfull euen among Christians. It is not cōmaunded to be abolished: Wee see yt whereas S. Paul speaketh of maisters yt had such bondseruants & were faithfull, he biddeth them not to set thē quite at libertie,Eph. 6.9. but to deale gētly by all kinde of meanes. Know ye (saith he) yt you hauehave one cōmon Maister in heauē, & that your seruantes be Gods children as well as you: and therefore deale gently wt them, & hold them not in such thraldome as ye vnbeleeuers doe. S. Paul, yt is to say ye holy Ghost speaking by his mouth, thinketh yt to be enough. Howbeit forasmuch as the Iewes were priuiledged, & God had chosen them for his owne inheritance: it behoued some moderation or mitigation to be among them, so as they should not vse so extreme rigor as was among the Heathen. Neuerthelesse it is a good thing, yt this slauish bondage is abolished in time among ye faithful, howbeit yt there continue still some remnantes of it in some places, but yet is ye same much more tollerable thā so rough a law could hauehave bin. For wheras there are some persons which are still taxable (as they terme it) at this day, whether it be in their goods or in their persons: it is of ye olde slauery, & they be of ye race of such as were very slaues in old time, & of such as might hauehave bin handled as bondslaues by rigor of Law. But as I sayd, this may wel be borne wt: and it was a vertue worthie of cōmendation, that the parties which had such bondslaues, released them vppon a certaine qualification.
But now let vsus come againe to ye Law yt is giuē here to ye Iewes. It is sayd that such as were solde should serue by the space of sixe yeeres: and the seuenth yeere is priuiledged here in honor of ye Saboth day, yt is to say of ye rest, wherby our Lord ment alwayes to reduce the Iewes to gentlenes, by bringing them backe to himselfe. As if hee should say, assure your selues yt your vsing of such merciemercy towardes your neighbors, is an acceptable seruice vntounto me. For ye day of rest was ye very marke of Gods spiritual seruice, as is declared vntounto vsus in many places of ye scripture,Exod. 20 8. Ezec. 20.12. Ier. 17.24. both in Exodus & Ezechiel where our Lorde speaketh precisely of ye day of rest, & also in yt xvii. Chapter of Ieremie. Yea & he speaketh in such wise of it, as though all his seruice cōsisted therein. And why is that? Because yt on the day of rest, hee called ye people to himself, as if he should say, know me, let me be worshipped, let eueryevery man giuegive his minde to consider my goodnesse, my Iustice, my wisedome, & my power. And therewithall rest your selues in me, and let eueryevery of you forbeare his owne will, and his owne lykinges, that yee may be, as it were subiected vnderunder my yoke, and I gouerne you. We see then yt the day of rest was as ye principal seruice of God. Now forasmuch as mē cānot acquaint thēselues wt the dooing of good to their neighbors, nor wil willingly giuegive ouer their right whē they hauehave thē at a vātage, & can hardly be drawen to doe so much as they ought to do. Therefore doth our Lord set this before them here, and say, such as release their bondseruantes doe me acceptable seruice, whereof I giuegive them the day of rest for a signe & sure token. Seeing then that I set betweene you and me, this token & warrant, know ye yt your giuing of release to your bondseruantes is by mine authoritie, so as I am among you & ouerrule you in that act, and your dooing of it is for my sake. Though yee hauehave no regard of men, because yee thinke yee should not owe them so much seruice, at leastwise yet consider how much you be bound to me. Thus ye see now to what end the seuenth yeere was assigned. Sixe yeeres (sayth hee) shall they serue you, & the seuenth yeere you shal let them goe. And he contenteth not himselfe with the onelyonly releasing of the bond seruantes, but he will also hauehave men to giuegive them somewhat wherewt to set vp their trade. And not without cause: For euen the heathen themselues at ye same time in which I tolde you,Cicero in his first booke of Dueties. yt that bondage was most rife, could skil to say that they were not to be vsed as bondseruants but as hirelinges, yt is to say, after ye maner of our seruants yt take wages by ye yeere at this day. Is it not a great shame yt the heathē both Greekes and Latins could speake after this fashion, we hauehave bondslaues, we may vse thē as Oxen & Asses: but that is vilanous, it is out of all order: & therefore albeit that it be lawful for vsus by the ciuill Lawes; yet is it against all humanitie, & we ought to hauehave another regard. As how? Surely we must vse thē as though they were freemen whom we hyred for wages. If ye blind wretches spake so; & perceiued that this kinde of vpright dealing was requisite: what shall become of vsus? Verily God hath punished such as hauehave dealt roughly with them. For it was lawfull for a Maister in olde time to kill his bondseruant, & he needed not to aske leaue of ye Magistrate to put his seruāt to torture, but he might teare him in peeces one mēber from another, yea euen at home in his own priuate house: & when his Maister had so murthered him, no man sought Iustice or reformation of it. True it is yt in the ende men were forbidden to kill thē wtout examination of their case: but yet had ye Maisters alwayes yt authoritie stil. And because they abused it, God payed thē home with the lyke againe, so as they had a common prouerb among thē, That looke how many bondseruantes a man had at home, so many enemies had he. Also they could well skill to cōdemne thēselues, saying: they bee not enemies borne, but we make them our enemies by our crueltie. Seeing then yt the heathē knew thus much; it was requisite yt there shold be some greater mieldnesse & humanitie among gods people yt were chosen of a singular priuiledge. That is ye cause why God sayd expresly yt they should bee helped at their departing from their houses in ye seuenth yeere. For if a poore man be sent away stark naked, now & then he had leuer to continue a slaue stil, thā to goe seeke what shal betide him he wot not where. A poore man that hath not much to take to, can finde in his hart to take paynes; & so he may hauehave meat & drinke, hee is at a poynt. Thereupon he taketh paines in his Maisters house: Now if his Maister driue him out of his doores & say get thee hence: He may cry alas, what shal become of me? I hauehave not a bit of bread to eat, I hauehave no lodging, I wote not where to become. This sending away of their seruants naked, was an indirect means to hold thē in bō dage still. For this cause our Lord sayth, whē ye hauehave bin serued by ye space of six yeeres by those yt are your brethrē, giuegive thē somewhat in recō pēce of their seruice, according to your abilitie.
Again, to ye end yt men should be ye willinger to such liberalitie, Look into your stables (saith he,) & into storehouses, & into your garners. Because men are alwayes repining; here God falleth to making of an Inuentorie. O (sayes one) I hauehave not so much to giuegive: & what wote I whether I my selfe shall want or no? Our Lorde therefore maketh an Inuentorie to discusse ye matter, saying, What? Cannot he which hath Corne in his garner giuegive to him yt hath serued him, whose bloud he hath drawen in making him to labor for him? Ought he not at leastwise to hauehave an eye to the corne yt is in his garner? He hath husbanded his ground, he hath tilled it, he hath toyled himselfe about it: & is it not reason yt he should feele some sweetenesse & fruite of it? Besides this, he goeth to his winepresse & to his stalles: as if he shoulde say, let eueryevery man see what hee hath; for according to your abilitie you be bound to recōpence them yt hauehave trauelled for you, & hauehave bin ye instrumentes of such blessinges. For if we thanke God wt our mouthes, confessing yt it is he which hath blessed vsus, & in ye meane while make none account of such as he hath sent to doe vsus seruice in ye increase of our liuing, by taking paynes and toyle for vsus: all our thanking of him is but liplabor & vtter hypocrisie. Thus ye see in effect what we hauehave to marke vppon this text.
This law is set down lykewise in ye xxi. Chapter of Exodus. Notwithstanding, although God had spoken of it after yt fashiō; yet was ye thing ill obserued which he commaundeth here. And hereby we see how malitious, hardhearted, yea and wilfull stubborne ye Iewes were. For at such times as God punished them, & they were driuē to resorte vntounto him whether they would or no, they pretended a willingnesse to submit thēselues to him, & to take some good way of amendment, [though they meant it not:] which thing among others he casteth in their teeth,Ier. … saying: what? I hauehave commaūded you cōcerning your brethren yt are your seruants; yt ye should let thē goe frank & free in ye seuenth yere: but ye hauehave not done it. Now thē seeing yt my lawe is set in state againe, Let it be kept. In deed when men be pinched & constrained by necessitie; then they can make some faire coūtenance & shew well enough. Go to then, let seruantes be released: but immediatly after they hauehave shiftes to bring thē vnderunder coram again, as if a man should make a theefe to creepe vnderunder his arme, as who would say he shold make restitution of his theft, & whereas he pretended to take it from him with the one hand he shoulde conuey it to him again with the other. After the same maner was God mocked with his own law, yea euen notwithstanding that the Iewes were punished extremely at that time, and sawe wel that God persecuted them & did set himselfe against them because of their disobedience. As touching the bondseruants that would not vse ye freedome that was graunted them, wee shall see more in the next sermon. But as touching the common law; the Iewes were so full of malice, yt they refused to giuegive freedome to their bondseruaunts.
And here the first thing that wee hauehave to gather, is the substance of the lawe, which concerneth euen vsus at this day. There is no more any such bondage among vsus as was then among the Iewes and all the heathen. In deede in some countries the same bondage remaineth still, as in the East countries, in Greece, and in Barbarie, but yet for all that it is the better that the vse of it is abolished, as it is among vsus: and that is a very commendable thing. Yet notwithstanding, it behoueth vsus to consider, how our Lord admonisheth vsus by his lawe, to deale gently with such as do vsus seruice, so as wee beare with them and defraud them not of their hire, ne stand vponupon rigor towards them to take the vttermost of them that we may, but that we deale vprightly with them, & rule our selues, as those that hauehave a stay of thē selues, & looke not to be compelled by lawe, but eueryevery man rightly to rule himselfe. That is the thing in effect which we hauehave to note in this text. As how? A master that hath a seruaunt wringeth al yt euer he can out of him without any regarde to him: therin he shewes himselfe to be cruel. If he say, I find him meat & drink, & I pay him his wages: that is true, but he must also hauehave respect what he is able to do, & what seruice he may receiue at his hand. Aboue all things we must hauehave an eye to this natural vprightnes; that we do not any thing to another body, which we would not hauehave done to our selues. If a man hauehave seruants, he ought to think with himself, how would I desire to be delt with, if I were in their stead? I wold desire to be borne with. Trueth it is that we must not be at that point when a seruant would liue ydly & do nothing, but wold be kept like a cockney, neuer to put his hande to the doing of any thing. For it is not ment of such as liue disorderly, but only of such as we know to be reasonable. As how? I thinke with my self, if I were in this fellowes place, what ought I to do? I speake not here of wishing, but of ye reasonablenes which eueryevery of vsus knoweth. For when the case concerneth our own profit or disprofit, we can very well skill to iudge of it: but when the case concerneth other men, then are we blynd. But such as hauehave seruants ought to consider thus with themselues: If I were in their roome, what would I reasonably desire to be done to mee? Then must I not take more vppon mee than my conscience warranteth mee. For although there were no Iudge to condemne mee, nor lawe to accuse mee▪ yet doeth mine owne conscience suffice in that it findeth fault with mee. Thus wee see, that although this lawe belonged peculiarly to ye state of the Iewish common weale, where this kind of bondage was vsed: yet notwithstanding it containeth a lesson beneficial to vsus at this day: that it to wit, that it behooueth vsus to vse our seruants in such wise, as they bee not oppressed beyonde measure, nor cruelly handled; and secondly that wee be kindhearted towardes eueryevery of them, to do them good, and to shewe in very deede that wee be willing to agree to his good will. For it is not ynough for the mouth to speake vnlesse the hande be aunswerable to the same. That is the thing in effect, which wee hauehave to marke vppon this text.
Therewithall let vsus wey well the words wherin our Lord maketh an inquisition of eueryevery mans goods, & let vsus consider howe it serueth to shewe vsus that in the ende wee must come to account, so as wee may not thinke to slip the colar and to shift our handes by saying, Do what I can, I shall not bee well reported of for my labour: after which sort some folkes continually repine when they bee spoken to concerning almesdeedes, to whome it seemeth to bee as good as haling of them to the galowes, if ye do but speake to them of the opening of their purses. To the end therfore that wee shoulde not imagine that such shiftes can goe for paiment before God: let vsus marke well howe hee telleth vsus here, that he forgetteth not what hee hath giuen vsus, but can very well cast vsus in the teeth with it. And seeing he casteth vsus in the teeth with it alreadie in this worlde; what will he do when all things shalbee brought to light,Dan 7.10. & when the bookes of account shalbe layd open?1. Cor. 4.5. Wil there be any excuse then? No: for then euen the secretest thinges shalbee layde open; and what will become then of the things that are apparantly knowen? Shal a man escape the iudgement of God, when he is found to bee a niggard and a churle euen before men? So then let vsus beware that we behaue our selues well in this behalfe: and for the better doing thereof, let eueryevery of vsus mark the forme of speech which the holy Ghost vseth in this text, forasmuch as it serueth to search vsus to the bottom, to the intent yt wheras eueryevery of vsus hides himself away when he should do an good no man should shrink backe, but eueryevery man put forth himselfe according to his abilitie & state.
Now for a conclusion our Lord addeth here, that the Iewes had beene in bondage in the lande of Egypt ▪ and therefore he commandeth them to be kindharted & pitifull towards those that are in their seruice. And hereby it is shewed vsus, that if our Lord hauehave giuen vsus experience of aduersity, we must be the readier to succour the distressed▪ & not play the proud fooles which cannot abide to heare their former state spoken of, when they hauehave beene in pouertie, but are more scornefull and disdainfull than such as hauehave liued continually at their ease. Nay, if our Lorde hauehave suffered vsus to bee pinched, and to stande in neede of otherfolks seruice; let vsus print it throughly in our mindes, & let it bee as a spurre to quicken vsus vp, that whensoeuer we see any folke in necessitie, it may alwayes runne in our mindes, Alas, when I was in their case▪ what desired I▪ I could hauehave founde in my heart that all men should hauehave opened their heartes and their bowels towardes mee: and shall I nowe shut vp mine? Lo what the declaration that is set down here importeth. And it is not in this place onelyonly that Moses vseth to say so. For there is not any thing more rife in all his bookes: insomuch that euer after the peoples deliuerance out of the lande of Egypt, Remember (sayeth hee) from time to time, that thou thy selfe hast beene in bondage. Therefore let vsus marke, that looke what experience eueryevery of vsus hath had in his life, Gods will is that the same shoulde serue vsus for an instruction, and that wee shoulde beare it continually in minde. As for example, when a man hath beene a traueller of countryes, he ought to consider into what distresses a man might fall: and hee shalbee the more inclyned to succour others whome he seeth in like daunger. Againe, when a man hath beene pinched for a time with pouertie, and afterwarde commeth to wealth, his former pouertie ought to bee a teacher to him for euer after, to bee the forewarder to put foorth himselfe where neede requireth. True it is that although a man had liued all the dayes of his life in ease, and neuer wist what neede or want meant: yet shal hee not therefore be helde excused before God. But yet forasmuch as wee bee so slacke and slowe to doe good: wee had neede to take to vsus the helpes that may serue to quicken vsus vp withall. And so let eueryevery of vsus for his owne parte cheere vp himselfe to do good. As for the riche which neuer hauehave tasted any want of the goods of this worlde, if they looke into them selues, they shall finde that God hath visited them some way or other, so as they hauehave had neede of other folkes helpe. And if they be not starke churles, the same must needes bee as a stroke with a spurre, to thrust them forwarde to weldoing.
To conclude in fewe wordes, the principall purpose of this place, is that besides the vprightnesse which is of nature, our Lord wil hauehave eueryevery man to bee inclined to merciemercy, to do good to such as hauehave neede. But put the case there were none other respect why wee shoulde succour our neighbours but onelyonly this, that wee be men: is not that respect great ynough? Yes, for vnderunder this worde Man, wee comprehend many miseries. When I see a man in distresse, I finde in my selfe that I shoulde bee subiect to the like thinges, if God had not a speciall regard of mee. There is neither sickenesse, pouertie, nor any other like thing in any body, but that wee our selues are subiect to the same miseries. And what is the cause that wee bee cleare from them? The goodnesse of our God. And the cause why hee spareth vsus and beareth with vsus, is to the ende that wee shoulde bee mindfull of such as hauehave need. For it is a very great proofe of Gods goodnesse towardes mee, that hee not onelyonly exempteth mee from the aduersities which I see in my neyghbours, but also giueth mee wherewith to remedie theirs. And therefore it ought to be a sufficient prouocation for mee, that they bee of mine owne flesh, and of mine owne nature, so as there is no difference betwixt vsus but that God hath aduaunced the one of vsus, and put the other backe. For wee be all of one lumpe, and it is not for any man to glorie, as though hee had his riches of him selfe. If a man bee not so miserable as a number of others are, hee ought not to bee proude of it, but rather to consider that he is so much the more bounde vntounto God. Accordingly therefore as God bestoweth his benefites vppon vsus, let vsus beware that wee acknowledge it towardes him, by doing good to our neighbors whome he offereth vntounto vsus, so as wee neither exempt our selues from their want, not seclude them from our aboundance, but gently make them partakers with vsus, as folke that are linked togither in an vnseparable bond.
And nowe let vsus fall down in the presence of our good God with acknowledgement of our sinnes, praying him to make vsus so to feele them, as we may returne to him with true repentance, and misliking our former life, craue forgiuenes and merciemercy at his hande, and bee alwayes ready hereafter to yeeld our selues to his obedience, so as our whole seeking may be to glorifie him in all cases, after such a sort as our whole life may shewe that wee hauehave well profited in his holy worde. And so let vsus all say, Almightie God heauenly father, &c.