Sermons on Ephesians, Sermons · Sermon 9
The nienth Sermon, which is the first vppon the second Chapter.
1. Euen then when you were dead through your offences and sinnes.
2. VVherin yee walked for a tyme, according too the course of the world, after the Prince of the power of the ayre, which is the spirit that worketh now in the chyldren of vnbeleefe.
3. Among whom vvee also had al of vsus sometyme our conuersation, to vvit, in the lustes of our flesh, dooyng the vvyl of the flesh, and of the thoughtes, and vvere by nature chyldren of vvrath, as others vvere.
4. But God vvho is rich in mercy, through his great louelove vvhervvith he loued vsus,
5. Euen vvhen vvee vvere dead in sinne, hath quickened vsus toogither vvith Christ, by vvhose grace you bee saued.
WEe hauehave seene already heretoofore, that too knowe Gods infinite goodnesse throughly, wee must alwayes consyder what wee bee our selues, and what our state is tyll God hauehave pitied vsus too succour our wretchednesse. For vntyll men hauehave so examined them selues, howe wretched and miserable they bee, surely they wyl neuer yeelde God the hundreth part of the honour that he deserueth. Wherefore let vsus beare wel this lesson in remembrance, that too yeeld God the prayze which is due too hym, eueryevery of vsus must consider wh… he were of hym selfe, if God had not reached out his hand vntoo hym. And in good faith, what is our nature in generall? It is too thinke nothing but al maner of euyll: and that is the matter which S. Paule treateth of as now.
In the first chapter the matter which he treated of continually, was that wee cannot sufficiently exalt our God, considering the merciemercy that he vseth towardes vsus. And now too expresse the same yit the better, and to touch vsus the more to the quicke with it: he sheweth vsus as in a picture or in a glasse, what men are til God hauehave preuented them with his grace, and called them backe too himselfe. Therfore he sheweth that wee be plu…dged in so horrible a dungeon, that the very thinking of it ought to abash vsus, and make the heares stand vp vponupon our heades: for it cannot bee but that theruppon wee must needes bee moued and inflamed too blisse Gods name, for that he hath sought vsus so in in the bottome of Hell,Iohn. 5. …. 24. 25 too drawe vsus vp too the kingdome of heauen. And our Lord Iesus Christ, too shew in what cace he findeth vsus, sayeth that he is come to the end that the deade should ryze at his voyce. Yee see th…n that the office which the sonne of God taketh vppon him, is too draw vsus from death too lyfe, by the doctrine of his Gospel. According wherunto he addeth, that such as beleue in him, are passed from death wherin they were hild downe, and are entred into the heauenly lyfe. Not that the faythfull doo inioy it heere alredy, but bycause they possesse it in such wyse by hope, as they be throughly assured of it. Now wheras our Lord Iesus Christ sayeth, that his voyce hath power too rayze the dead: he taketh it by a similitude. For what lyfe soeuer wee su…myze o…r selues too hauehave: yit notwithstanding if we be separated from God, weel bee in a spirituall death, howsoeuer the vnbeleeuers imagin themselues too be more than alyue in their owne wisdome and vertue. And therein doo they harden themselues and make their brags of it too the vttermost. But let vsus see where the welspring of lyfe is. It is in God, and they bee alienated from him. Also let vsus see what is the trew lyfe of man. It is not that he should bee s…ttle and fine witted, and bee able too compasse his matters well in this world by his owne cunning and pollicie, or too purchace himselfe renoune, or too bee wittie and well aduized too giuegive counsell too all other men: it is not that he should excell in all humane sciences and in all arts: nother is it that he should bee esteemed and renouned as a ma… of noble corage, or as one that hath the other vertues that are commendable among men: but it is a hygher thing that wee must begin at, namely to knowe that God is our father, that wee bee defended and preserued by the light of his word, & inlightened by fayth too knowe the way of saluation, and too assure our selues that our whole welfare lyeth in him, so as wee seeke it there with al lowelynesse: and also too knowe the meane whereby too atteyne too it: that is too wit, by hauing our Lord Iesus Christ in whom the whole fulnesse of grace is offered vsus.
Thus you see what the spirituall lyfe of man is, and where it lyeth: that is too wit, in the lyght of Gods woord, and in the woorking of his holie spirit, so as wee be new fashyoned agein according too the image that was lost, and vtterly defaced in vsus by Adams sin. And is that too bee found among worldly men? Yea euen among those that are most honored? No surely. Then is it not without cause that our Lord Iesus vseth this similitude, saying, that wee bee raysed from death by meanes of the Gospell. For florish wee neuer so much, beare wee neuer so fayer a glosse before men, and seeme wee too hauehave neuer so much wherfore too bee had in estimation: yit are wee but wretched carions, there is nothing but rottennesse and filthinesse in vsus, God lotheth vsus, wee bee damned and forlorne before him, the Angells abhorre vsus, all creatures curse and ban vsus, and all things aske vengeance vppon vsus, bycause wee defyle them. For there is such corruption in man, that heauen and earth must bee infected with it, vntill God hauehave chaunged them.Rom. 8. b. 19. The thing then which our Lord Iesus Christs saying importeth, is, that vntill wee bee renewed by the Gospell through the fayth that proceedeth of it: wee bee but as dead men, there is not one drop of lyfe in vsus that deserueth the name of lyfe. And too bee short wee bee as good as buryed in our graues, and must bee fayne to go out of them agein, whereby wee bee doone too vnderstand, that wee bee cut of from Gods kingdome, and consequently that there is nothing but filth in vsus: and yit notwithstanding that God voutsafeth too bee knit and vnited vntoo such as put their trust in him and in his goodnesse. That (say I) is our rysing agein. Too bee short, wee must alwayes consider, that man bringeth death with him euen with his birth: not only bycause he is mortall, but also bycause he is separated from God. We bee mortall wyghtes, and it were but in respect that wee must needes passe through this world, and depart thence whensoeuer it pleaseth God: but wee bee also dead afore hand. And how is that? Bycause our soules are altoogither sinfull.Rom. 8. a. 7. There is nother thought nor affection in vsus, which tendeth not too euil: all is repugnant or rebellious ageinst God, and ageinst the rule of his ryghtuousnesse. When wee imagin eyther one thing or other, wee can neuer deuyse any thing in our myndes, but sin and vnryghtuousnesse, according as it is sayd in Genesis, that God knew that all that euer man had in his thought and imagination,Gen. 6. …. was sin. Now sith it is so, let vsus vnderstand that although wee had knowledge of good and euill,Rom. 8. b. 6. and that wee had farre greater skill and discretion than wee hauehave: yit are wee so marred, that all our desires and lustes rebell ageinst God, as it were too make warre ageinst him. Seyng then that we be so corrupted in our soules, and that there is nother thought nor affection which is not vtterly naught: let vsus not thinke it straunge, that God with his owne mouth auoweth vsus too bee dead, notwithstanding that through our owne fond ouerweening, wee imagin that there is some lyfe in vsus. And that is the very thing which S. Paule treateth of as now, in saying that the Ephesians were parttakers of the aboue mentioned grace, though they were deade through their owne sinnes and iniquities. As if he should saye, Too the intent yee may the better esteeme the valew of Gods grace, and what it bringeth with it: thinke not only vppon your present state, but consider that if God had left you such as you were of your selues, and had not succored you at all, but had let you followe your owne swindge: you had bin vndoone. Consider what your nature is, for yee were dead, and there was no hope that euer you should bee quickened agein, bicause it is not in the power of mans owne free-will, too giuegive himselfe lyfe agein when he is once dead. Knowe yee therfore that God did draw you out of the dungeon of all destruction, yea rather out of the bottom of hell, when he voutsafed too adopt you too bee his children, and too call you too the knowledge of his Gospell. Wee see that this saying of Saint Paules, is conformable too the doctrine and recorde of our Lorde Iesus Christ.
So then, let vsus alwayes runne backe to the welles head, whensoeuer we be tempted too glory in our owne vertewes, and imagin our selues too hauehave I wote not what too aduaunce vsus withall: let vsus resort too our naturall state, let vsus consider that wee had bin vndoone, and that wee were vndoone yit still at this day, if God of his infinite mercy had not drawen vsus out of the confuzion wherin wee were, and deliuered vsus from it by the meanes of our Lord Iesus Christ. And it is purposely sayd in offences and sinnes: too stoppe all mennes mouthes, that no man myght make profer too withdrawe himselfe from the common araye, nor think that any thing is so greeuous as the corruption of our nature, which cannot bee stayed but by death. It S. Paule had set downe but one of the words, eyther offences or sinnes: by and by there woold hauehave bin answearing and replying. For some woold hauehave thought themselues too hauehave bin of the common aray. And other some would hauehave said, Uery wel, though there bee some synne in vsus, though there bee some fault in vsus, it doth not therfore folowe, that wee bee vtterly condemned and cursed of God: for wyl he vse suche rigour and extremitie ageinst vsus? But S. Paule hath ioyned both the woordes toogither, too shew that there is nothing in our nature, but all wickednes and sinne: and at a woord, that there is not one drop of life too bee found in it. Therfore it is al one, as though he ment too aggrauate or make the thing heynous, which men on their part would make light. For if wee hauehave neuer so smal a portion of vertue, yea, or but a shadow of it: wee wyll needes exalt it aboue all the mountaines of the worlde. But if there bee any vices in vsus, though they bee neuer so grosse and apparant, yit wee make but very light faultes of them. Therefore it stood S. Paule on hand too beate downe this fond presumptuousnesse of men, and too shew them that they bee wholly saped in sinne. For although he speake heere too the Ephesians, yit speaketh he generally too all men. And in good sooth, he expresseth it yit better, in saying, that vvee vvalked according too the trade of the vvorld: for the euyll lurketh vnespied, tyll it bewray it selfe by his fruites. And the cause why men cannot humble themselues before God as were requisite, is that they flatter themselues till they bee conuicted, and bee compelled … stoope and too hold downe their heades spyt of their teethe. For wee see what hipocrisie is in vsus, insomuch that wee woold beare our selues in hand that blacke were whyte, and neuer fynd our selues faultie, so long as our misdeedes could not bee layd open too our faces, nor any man stop our mouthes, by witnessing them too our heads. Too hauehave many wicked thoughtes, or too bee tempted too doo this or that euyll, wee thinke it no sinne at al. Too bee short, S. Paule hath iustly set downe, that the Ephesians walked in their sinnes: too the intent too shewe, that he speaketh not of a thing which ought too bee vnknowen too them. For in beholding their owne lyues, and in beholding what they had bin, and what trace they had followed: they should be driuen too confesse that they were vtterly forlorne & cursed afore God. Therfore when soeuer our hypocrisie hindereth vsus from submitting our selues vntounto God, and from beating of our selues down… by acknowledging of our synnes: let vsus learne too looke intoo our life. Truely, although wee perceyued a whole million of faultes which wee hauehave cō mitted: yit is it nothing in comparison of that whiche God knoweth. Yit notwithstanding too waken vsus the better, that wee may not be deceiued by our owne selfe soothing, as wee hauehave bin woont too bee: let vsus alwayes iudge of the roote by the fruites of it. Seeing then that wee bee gilty of offending God so many wayes, let vsus conclude thereupon, that there is nothing but frowardnesse in our nature. And too shewe the better that he speaketh not here of any one sort of men, but of al mankind: S. Paule addeth, that it vvas according too the trade of the vvorld. The woorde that he vseth here, betokeneth the course of tyme. As if he should say, Euen as wee see the Sunne dooth dayly ryse and go downe, and as wee see Winter and Sommer followe one another: so is it an ordinarie custome, yea and euen the nature of man too bee vtterly froward, spytefull, and rebellious ageinst God, and there is nothing in him but all maner of leawdnesse and corruption. It is not for men too say, …ush, euill custome hath gotten the vpper hande: and agein, this serueth for some men, but all doo not so: there are some nations more sinfull than othersome, and there are some mē more stubborne and malicious than others, but yet there will alwayes some vertew bee found in some other men. Nay, sayeth S. Paule: for it is the common course of the worlde. As if he should saye, it is so naturall (too all men,) as there is no disputing whether one man bee bad, a…d another good.… For like as fishe is made too suck vp water: so ar… we suckled, or rather made starke drunken withall maner of iniquities and sinnes. Wee be so filled and stuffed with them, that we burst agein. Thus yee see how S. Paule ment heere, not too rebuke some one sort of men, but too shewe all men without exception what their state is, till God hauehave redressed it. Therefore let vsus open our eyes, and looke intoo the thing that S. Paule sayeth, and wee shall perceyue that all our woorthinesse and noblenesse is decyphred vntoo vsus heere, heere are our armes blazed: that is too wit, that wee bee but dead men, till God quicken vsus by his mere grace. Agein, too the end wee should knowe that this death proceedeth not from elswhere than of our owne sinnes: it is sayd, that wee bee all corrupted, that there is nothing in vsus but faultes, sinnes, and offences, and that all our whole lyfe beareth record thereof, so as the fruite sheweth what the roote is. And on the other syde, that our starting aside is not for once and no more, but that wee tend wholly thither, that is too say, too euill: wee bee inclyned thereuntoo, nay rather wee bee caryed headlong thereuntoo, yea and wee bee driuen with such a rage, that wee neuer ceasse stryuing ageinst God, tyll he hauehave broughte vsus in subiection too him by his holye spirit.
And S. Paule thinkes it not ynough to saye so: but addeth things which ought to make vsus too tremble yet more, saying, that it is according to the prince of the aire, according as he hath all power in the vvorlde, according too the spirit that ruleth all the vnbeleeuers. His talking after that maner, is too shewe, that till God hauehave quickened vsus by meanes of our Lord Iesus Chryst, & vntill he hauehave gathered vsus vntounto him: the diuell hath dominion ouer vsus. See I pray you what the dignitie of men is, vntill Iesus Christ hauehave raunsomed them. They dye not once and away, (but euerlastingly:) and he must bee fayne by his Gospell to make them parttakers of the saluatinn which he hath purchased for them. Then vntyll God hauehave wrought in vsus by his grace, whose are wee? The diuels: he is our prince. Too bee short, he hath all authoritie ouer vsus, and ruleth vsus with such tyranny, as there is nothing but haling of vsus too him by force. But S. Paule vseth this word Spirit purposely, to shew that the diuell ruleth all our thoughts, all our affections, and all our desyres, that he possesseth vsus, and that wee bee all wholly his bondslaues. At a woord, wee cannot stirre one finger, wee cannot once moue, wee cannot thinke one thought, but the diuell is at our elbowe, and haleth vsus in such wyse, as wee vtterly become deadly enemyes too God. When wee heare these things, it is no time for vsus too fall a sleepe and too flatter our selues, nor too bee so lustie and presumptuous, as too go too lawe still with God, as though there were some goodnesse in vsus, & that he were boūd to acknowledge our vertues. Must not men needes bee too farre out of their wittes, when they continue still in their hipocrisie, and will needes stand too their tackeling ageinst God, and win him by their replying, after that the holy Ghost hath thundred so dreadfull and horrible a sentence vppon our heades? Then if a man bee considered in himselfe and in his owne nature, what shall he bee able too say? Behold, a creature cursed of God, and woorthie too bee cast out of the common account of all other creatures, yea euen of woormes, flyes, lyce, and vermine. For there is more valour in any vermin in the world, than there is in man. For man is a creature wherein Gods image is defaced, and the good that he had put in it, corrupted: there is nothing in it but sinne, insomuch that wee bee the diuells limbes, and he not onelyonly ruleth vsus, but also possesseth vsus and is our prince. Bee wee once throughly perswaded of this in our hartes, shall wee not on the one side hauehave cause too runne quaking too our Lord Iesus Christ, and too holde vsus shrowded vnderunder the shadowe of his winges? And on the other syde, must it not needes bee a beastly blockishnesse, if wee bee so thanklesse as not too magnifie Gods goodnesse, in that he hath drawen vsus out of such a dungeon vntoo himselfe, too make vsus fellowes and brethren not onelyonly of the Angells of heauen, but also of our Lord Iesus Christ, who is the Lord of glory, thereby too put away all reproche, and in stead of being hatefull too all creatures, too make vsus beare his marke, and too bee honored, and too bee imbraced of the Angells, as their brethren, and too bee auowed of our Lord Iesus Christ as members of his bodie? So then, now wee see S. Paules meaning.
And further, too the intent that all replying should ceasse: he sheweth what the power of the diuell is. For he could hauehave sayd in one woord, yee hauehave liued after the maner of the world, that is too say, diuelishly, …for so doeth the thing that he speaketh import: but in sted of naming the diuell in one woord, he sayeth first, according too the prince that hath his povver in the aire, and the spirit that vvoorketh euen novv in the rebellious children. In saying, the prynce that hath his power in the aire, he disappoynteth vsus of all starting holes. For it is not for n…ught, that the diuell is named the prince of the world: and yit it is not for that he reygneth ouer the sonne, the moone, the starres, the skyes, and the earth: but for that he holdeth vsus captiue in his bondes: bycause wee bee not woorthie too bee gouerned by God. For had Adam continued in the soundnesse wherin God created him: God woold hauehave hild vsus as his children. But after the fall of our first father, God left vsus, and Satan tooke vsus in possession. True it is that Satan cannot doo any thing at all without Gods leaue: for wheras he is named the prince of the woorld, it is not ment that he fyghteth in such wyse ageinst God, as it cannot bee knowen who is the stronger: that were a cursed blasphemie, and lyke these heretikes, which seeing such phrases in the scripture, hauehave imagined that the diuell dooth now and then resist God, and that he hath such force and power, that God is fayne sometymes too giuegive him place. But such woordes are stark madnesse. Neuerthelesse this souereintie of Satan is Gods iust vengeance, according as it is sayd, that he deliuereth vsus intoo the handes of our enemyes, when wee cannot abyde that he should reigne ouer vsus. And so is that thing fulfilled and verefyed in vsus all. Forasmuch as God hath printed his mark in vsus, wee ought too bee gouerned by his spirit: but our father would needes exalt himselfe, he would needes set vp his bristles ageinst God, and he was not contented with his owne state and boundes. Forasmuch therfore as he rebelled in that wyse, and could not fynd in his hart too abyde the souerein dominion of God: he was giuen vp too the diuell, and made subiect too him: and forasmuch as he could not abyde that God should reigne ouer him, he was fayne too hauehave another mayster, and that subiection must reach vntoo all men in generall. So then let vsus marke that the souerenitie & tyrannie of the diuell, is a iust vengeance of God vppon men for their sinne. Let that serue for one poynt. And therfore let vsus not imagine that the diuell hath the reynes of the brydle layd looce in his necke, or that he hath libertie too doo what he liste, though God withstand him: but that wee bee left vp and giuen ouer vntoo him. And too the intent wee may yit better knowe this subiection, S. Paule sayeth that he is in the aire, as he will speake more at large ageyn in the ende of the Epistle. He could hauehave sayd simply, according too the prince that hath great power, according as our Lord Iesus sayeth,Luk. 3. d. 27. that he is the strong man which possesseth the world in peace. Yee see then that the diuell is called a prince, bycause he hath such power as wee bee not able too withstand.
And besides that: S. Paule giueth him his place in the ayre. Not that the diuels are inclozed in a place certeine, for wee our selues see that they enter intoo mens bodies, yea and into the bodyes of Swyne, after as our Lord giueth them leaue and power.Luke. 8. d. 33. But he speaketh purposely of the ayre, too make vsus vnderstand that they bee aboue our heads. If wee hauehave an enemy, wee will see if we can ouerthrowe him. But if he hauehave his foote vppon our throte alreadye, if he treade vppon our bellyes, if he bee already gotten vppon vsus: what remedie is there then? None at all on our part. That is the cause why S. Paule speaketh here expresly of the ayre: as if he should say, that men may well brag and lifte vp their nebbes, and bee brazenfaste in auauncing themselues: but yit is the diuell aboue them with all that he can make. Too bee short, he sheweth that wee bee vtterly giuen vp too that cursed bondage. And to make the matter the playner, he addeth, according too the spirit. For what is the cause that wee perceyue not the state which he speaketh of, but bycause wee be fleshely▪ If there reygned a tyran ouer vsus that would lay a subsidie vppon vsus too day, and a tax to morrow, and sacke mens houses: & the next day cut this mans and that mans throte, and rauish mens wyues, and commit other enormities and outrages: wee would well ynough perceyue it. And why? Bycause wee be quicke of feeling in the things that touche our fleshe, and so earthly, as wee cannot perceyue any thing, except it concerne this present lyfe. That is the cause why wee perceyue not our owne miseries: for they bee inuisible. Wee thinke not that the diuell is such a Tyran, nor so horrible as he is: bycause wee see him not. But S. Paule telleth vsus, that we must looke higher then this world, and that wee must hauehave other eyes than those that beehold visible things: and that it standeth vsus on hand too looke vppon the diuell, though he bee ghostly: & that although he hauehave nother armes too strike vsus with, nor legges too go with, nor any such other things: yit he fayleth not too be the woorst tyran that can bee deuized in the whole woorld. And why so? For he entreth vnseene. If there were a man that could enter into other mens heads and harts, yea and intoo their thoughts and affections, without swoord or staffe, without venim or poyson, without threatening, or any thing else: or if he had an hundreth deathes in his hand, and could make them enter without feeling how: I pray you were not such an enemy much more too bee feared, than such as come furnished with great force, and make a great noize? Yis surely. Now S. Paule telleth vsus, that the diuell is such a one: for he is a spirite, sayeth he. So then, let vsus not to be so fleshely as we hauehave bin wont too bee, nother let vsus iudge according too our owne rude and fond fancye, when the sayd spirituall enemye is spoken of: But let vsus assure our selues, that he is able too doo vsus much more mischiefe without al comparison, then if wee could see how he came towards vsus, and how he entered intoo vsus. So then forasmuch as he is a spirit, let vsus bee so much the more afrayd of him. And too the intent the faythfull should bee the better dispozed too come too this foresayde poynt, that is too say, too know their owne confuzion, till God hauehave prouided for it: S. Paule addeth yit one confirmation more of his saying. For as soone as wee hauehave receyued the fayth, and bee inlightened by Gods holy spirit: if wee hauehave any desire too doo well, wee shall by and by indeuer too serue our God. And it will seeme that that were inough. But if a faythfull man looke intoo himselfe, he shall finde ynough to mislike and too sighe and groone for: according as I hauehave tolde you before, that euen S. Paule confesseth himselfe too hauehave bin vnhappy,Rom. 7. c. 24. and crieth out, who shall set mee free from this prison of death? The faythfull then shall alwayes fynd ynough in themselues wherfore too morne before God. Yit notwithstāding forasmuch as God hath put some goodnesse, some wel meaning, and some good intent intoo vsus: the same doth halfe couer the leawdnesse of our nature, so as wee knowe not a long time after that it were requisite, howe wretched our state is, so long as wee thinke but vppon our selues, I say, vppon our selues, such as wee bee after that God hath partly reformed vsus by his holy spirit. That is the cause why S. Paule sendeth vsus too behold what the vnbeleeuers are. If wee looke vppon the worlde, wee shall see some giuen too couetousnesse, and some too pilling and poulling, and not onelyonly the little theeues that are whipped and hanged: euen such as are robbers, I say, not in woods and forests, but in houses, in markets, and in places of Iustice. Wee shall see that there is nother fayth nor loyaltie among most men, but that all men are giuen too pilling and pouling, without any respect of equitie or vprightnesse. Wee shall see some rushe out intoo whoredome and dishonestie, some intoo drunkennesse, and some intoo other leawdnesse and looce behauiour. Wee shall see men rap out othes, periuries, and other cursed things.
Agein, wee shall see secret conueyances, impoysonings, spytings, malicings, treasons, and wicked practizes. Too bee short, wee shall see some so diuelish, that they fling them selues headlong altoogither, as though they ment too make warre wilfully ageinst God. These are things that may astonish vsus: And although wee bee dull, yet ought wee too hauehave some remors, when we see things so farre out of order in the world. Neuerthelesse S. Paule sayeth that if we consider what is doone, and how all thinges are turned topsiteruie, and what libertie the world taketh too withstand God: it behoueth vsus too apply the same too our selues, and too conclude thus: the same should betyde mee, yea and euen as much as I see in them that are moste wretched. For when wee looke vppon the diseases that are abrode, how some are eaten with cankers and other filthie diseases, and othersome hauehave as terrible sicknesses as can be: we must prie vponupon them and say, as ill, yea & worse to, should lyght vponupon me, if God pitied me not. For all of vsus doo carye the seede of them about vsus: & that not only in our bodyes, (but also in our soules) for there may be some diuersitie of cōplexions, so as some shalbe stronger and lus…yer than other some: but the soule of man is vtterly corrupted and marred. So then the sinnes that reigne in vsus, are all of them warnings to make vsus cast downe our eyes, and too be ashamed before God and his Angells, yea and too make vsus hate and vtterly abhorre our selues. Thus yee see why S. Paule hath added here, that the diuell woorketh now still. He vseth the woord Now: as if he should say, my frendes, if in looking vppon your present state, you fynd any thing well, and that the same keepeth you from humbling of your selues throughly, and from feeling how miserable yee shoulde hauehave bin, if God had not shewed pitie and merciemercy towards you: see what is doone about you, see how the vnbeleueres behaue themselues, and you shall fynd them to be as wyld beastes, and enemyes of their owne saluation: you shall fynd them stark mad ageinst God, and ageinst all ryght. Too be short, yee shall see so great enormities, as shall abash men, & make them too say, Alas, is it possible that it should bee thus? And so yee see what yee bee. Say not: fy on thee naughtipacke. Yee may well fynd fault with such a one, but ye must therwithal adde by & by for a sauce to season it, how greate hath Gods merciemercy bin towards me? Then let vsus neuer condemne the sin that wee see euerywhere in other men, without cōsidering therwithal, that if God had not brydled vsus, we had falne as deepely as wee see others too hauehave falne: and therfore let it stirre vsus vp immediatly too pray God that he leade vsus not into temptation,Math. 6. b. 13. and let vsus acknowledge Gods infinite goodnesse, in that it pleaseth him too reyne vsus in such wyse, that wee fall not intoo the horrible falles which wee see about vsus. For when wee looke vponupon the wickeddest in the world, yea and euen vponupon such as wee bee driuen too abhorre as monsters: wee must (as I said afore) conclude thus with our selues: Alas, as much should befal vsus, if God remedied it not.
And so yee see how wee ought to put that lesson in vre. And S. Paul speaketh expresly of the rebellious children, too shewe that there wilbee no obedience in vsus, except God put it intoo vsus, and reforme vsus, and both chaunge the naughtinesse whereuntoo wee were giuen afore, and continue and increace the goodnesse that he hath begunne: for else Sa…an hath so taken possession of vsus, as he must needes drawe vsus lyke brute beastes. Trew it is that S. Paule addeth anon after, that this serued not only for the heathen, (howbeit that Gods grace was most apparant in them:) but that euen the excellentest men were comprehended therin, and (which more is) that the Iewes, (who thought themselues too hauehave a singuler priuilege of exemption from the common cursednesse of men,) were also forlorne and damned, till they were redeemed by our Lord Iesus Christ. Wherin wee see yit better the thing that wee touched not long since: that is too wit, that heere is no mention made of any one sort of men alone, but that the holy Ghost thūdereth vpō al men, to the end that al of vsus shold be beaten down frō the least to the the most. But this cannot be discoursed as now. Therfore we must for conclusion take that which S. Paule treateth: which is that God hath quickened vsus. Wherby he dooth vsus too wit, that we bring not lyfe with vsus from our mothers womb, but that by reason of sin we bee in death, when wee come intoo this world, which is worse than if wee were not at all: yea and that there is no geynsaying too it, bycause wee shall not find any thing in our selues but corruption and wickednesse, and bycause that the more a man stirres it, the more it stinketh, and wee shall bee the more loth too see the great and deepe dungeon of all iniquitie which is in vsus. Therfore it standeth vsus on hand too bee quickened, and too hauehave lyfe giuen vsus, not of nature, bu… of the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ, bycause wee bee renewed by him: yea and too knowe that God hath taken vsus out of a wretched and cursed state, and theruppon too forget all vayn glorie. And Let vsus not think that euer wee shall yeeld vntoo God the prayse that hee deserueth, till wee abhorre all our owne wretchednesse, & bee come too the poynt (to know) that the deuill reigneth ouer vsus, till God pluck vsus out of his pawes, and set vsus free from his cursed tyranny. For is there any thing more irksome than too say, that wee bee subiect to the diuell, and that he reygneth, not only ouer our bodyes, as somme worldly tyran myght doo, but also ouer our soules, and ouer all our thoughts? For he is a spirit, and there is not that thing in vsus which is not corrupted by him, & filled with his poyson. Sith we know this: let vsus consider also that God hauing found vsus in that plyght, hath notwithstanding not disdeined vsus, … let…ed for all that too succor vsus, according also as S. Paule vseth the s…me reason,… when he sayeth, that wee were Gods deadly enemyes, at such tyme as Iesus Christ redeemed vsus. And so let vsus conclude, that God respecteth nothing but our miseries, when he calleth vsus too him. Hee looketh not whether wee seeke him or no, for how were that possible? wee drawe cleane arsward. He looketh not whether wee bee able too doo him any seruis or no: for wee bee rank rebells ageinst him. He looketh not whether there be any good towardnesse in vsus: for al our thoughtes & lustes are deadly enemyes fyghting ageinst his ryghtuousnesse. Wherat looketh he then? What moueth him too succour vsus? Euen the infinite number of miseries that he fyndeth in vsus, and the horrible confuzion wherein wee bee: those are the thinges which inclyne God too shewe vsus merciemercy. So then, let all mouthes bee stopped, and let vsus not presume too bring any thing in this behalfe, as th…ugh wee had bound God vntoo vsus, or that he found aught in vsus wherefore he should shewe vsus fauour: for he must take all things of his owne, and doo all of his owne infinite goodnesse, bycause he seeth vsus miserable, damned, and vtterly forlorne, and let that stirre vsus vp too doo good, and too prouide remedie, not onelyonly for our diseases, but also for our death. For if wee were but corrupted with sinne and vyce: the maladie were alreadie vncurable. But besides that, there is a death, yea and a spirituall death, which cannot bee recouered by all the meanes and remedies of the world: God must bee fayne too put too his hand, yea and that so myghtily, as it may bee knowen that he …aueth vsus by myracle.
And nowe let vsus cast our selues downe before the maiestie of our good God, with acknowledgment of our sinnes, praying him to make vsus so too feele them, as we may forsake them, and bee rid of them dayly more and more, and that in the meane season he of his goodnesse will beare with vsus, and not e…amine vsus ouer streytly, but by little and little aba…e and correct the naughtinesse that reigneth too much in vsus, and not suffer vsus too bee s…aues vntoo Satan, but set vsus free by our Lord Iesus Christ, of whom wee holde all our spirituall freedome. And so let vsus all say, Almyghtie God heauenly father. &c.