Fruitful Lessons Upon the Passion Burial Resurrection Ascension, passion · Commentary 22 – Commentary 23
Doctrine and fruite.
O The ſodaine change! O the great inconſtancie of mans weakneſſe! O the vnſearcheable iudgementes of God! Not long heretofore would Peter hauehave gone with Chriſt his maiſter into priſon & death. But now he is ſo afraid at the words of one Damoſell, that hee denieth the Lord. Of the which fall, Chriſt told Peter and the other Diſciples afore for a warning: but they beleeuing it not, became preſumptuous, and aſcribed too much vntounto themſelues: therfore the Lord ſuffereth them to fall, that they may learne what they hauehave of themſelues, and what they hauehave of God: yea, that we all may ſee what the Apoſtles were afore the receiuing of the holy Ghoſt, and what they became after the power that was giuen them from aboue. Afore they receiued the holy Ghoſt, they were weake, feeble, inconſtaunt and wauering: but when God hath cloathed them with power from aboue, they became feruent, earneſt and ſteadfaſt. Greeuouſly dooth Peter fall in deniyng of his maiſter: which thing yet turneth to the wealth of him & all men, to the intent that thereby we might learne, how hurtfull and daungerous it is for a man to truſt to himſelfe, to his own ſtrength, and not onelyonly vntounto God, without whome we are able to doe nothing that good is. Good godly people do fall many times, and thorow feare and greatnes of the battaile, they ſhould vtterly giuegive ouer, if they were not fortified and preſerued by the power of God.
Therefore the merciemercy of God which continually careth for vsus, hath brought to paſſe and appointed, that ſuch examples ſhould be noted in the ſcripture, to teach vsus, & to declare vntounto vsus his power & goodneſſe in euerie thing. Thus the ſinnes & falles of holy and vertuous men are ſet before vsus: partly to the intent that if we ſtand, we ſhould ſo continue vpright, looking well to our ſelues that we fall not: and partly that if we be fallen, we ſhould learne to riſe vp again, to amend our liues, and to bewaile our ſinnes. And ſo hauehave the holye Euangeliſtes perfectlie and vniformelie deſcribed the fall and deniall of Peter, not that thereby they thought to deface Peter, or to publiſhe and make knowen his treſpaſſe: but that the power of GOD in him might be knowen and praiſed.
As for ſuch ſinnes as holy men commit through weakneſſe and ignorance, God vſeth them to his glorie and our commoditie: that with the woundes of his Saintes, he might heale ours, and that the ſhipwracke of the godly, might bee vntounto vsus, a ſure port & hauen. Peters fall ſerueth firſt to the knowledge and praiſe of the power and goodneſſe of God, in that we ſee how mightily he ſetteth Peter vp again, & ſtrengtheneth him, howe graciouſly hee forgiueth him his ſinnes, that we which are fallen, ſhould not deſpaire, but hope for aſſiſtance and forgiueneſſe of God, who giueth ſtrength and power vntounto thoſe that are his. Item, it ſerueth to our commoditie and profite, in that we ſee a good godly man fall and ſinne, and afterward riſe vp againe and amend, leaſt we ſhould ſaie: Alas, I am loſt, I hauehave done this, and I hauehave done that: but foraſmuch as wee ſee that Peter by repentance, weeping and conuerting agayne, doeth obtaine grace, it is meete and conuenient, that wee acknowledge our offences vntounto GOD, deſire grace, weepe and complayne of our ſinnes before GOD. For both are heere ſet before vsus, the fall and the repentaunce: and this enſample is good and profitable to thoſe that are in the right waie of godlyneſſe, and alſo vntounto ſinners. The godly, iuſt, and righteous, learne by this to bee circumſpect, and not to preſume. Sinners by occaſion of this doo learne, immediatly to riſe vp againe from theyr fall, and not in anie wiſe to deſpayre.
Yea, our owne fall learne we to knowe, by Peters fal, but alaſſe, our fall is much more grieuous & greater than Peters. Peter ſinned through weakneſſe, many a time doe wee ſinne wilfully and aduiſedly: hee once, we daily: he was conſtrained thorow feare, we many a time thorowe light occaſions, fall from the way of truth and righteouſnes: hee riſeth vp againe forth-with, we ſeldome and ſlowlie: he wept bitterly, we ſcarce doe confeſſe and knowledge the ſinne. Yea bitterlie wept he: which thing al the electought to doe, if they hauehave ſinned. There ſhould nothing greeue vsus more, than to hauehave ſinned againſt GOD, than to hauehave diſpleaſed God. This doe not wilfull ſinners, which paſſe little or nothing vponupon ſinne, and when they come into the deepenes thereof, care not for it, neither confeſſe nor acknowledge their ſinne, vntill afterwarde with diſpaire, as it is to ſee in Iudas.
But Peter bewailing the greeuous fall and wickedneſſe of his deniall, without further falling away into horrible deſperation, is preſerued thorow the goodnes of God: in the confidence of gods oft prooued and accuſtomed merciemercy, is hee lift vp vntounto bleſſed repentance, and ſo healed. Chriſts looke (the true Phiſitian) is vntounto him as much as a worde or ſpeech. Wherein wee may learne to knowe the vnſpeakeable louelove of GOD, who (euen in the middeſt of ſinne) forgetteth not his own, forſaketh them not: but graciouſly looketh vppon them with the eyes of his merciemercy, admoniſheth them, ſpeaketh vntounto them through the outward and inward worde, with the which gratious countenance he diſwadeth them frō ſinne, and calleth them againe to himſelfe, prouoking them to ſorrowe, and mourning lamentation & weeping. Hee ſpreadeth out his armes and lappe of his merciemercy, and graciouſly taketh vsus vp againe, & receiueth vsus with the loſt ſonne. Therfore let vsus knowledge, repent, and bitterly bewaile our ſinnes: let vsus waſh them away with teares, and endeuor our ſelues with great diligence, that negligently we fall not into them againe: let vsus runne to the bottomleſſe well of the merciemercy of God, and pray.
O merciful God, giuegive vsus the wel of bleſſed teares, that from the bottome of our harts we may with Peter bewa…le our ſinnes. O with how great and greeuous ſinnes are we laden and entangled? O ſuffer vsus not to lie vnderunder the heauie burden: lette vsus not ſinke downe in heauines and deſperation. Set thou vsus vp againe, and conuert vsus throughly: ſend grace of thy holie repentaunce into our heart, waſh away all our ſinnes and negligence: graunt vsus the light of newe graces and giftes: let not the ſoules periſh, for whom thou diddeſt ſubmit thy ſelfe into ſo many paines & rebukes, and at the laſt diddeſt ſuffer the terrible bitter death of the croſſe, Amen.
THE high Priest asked Ieſus of his Diſciples, and of his doctrine. Ieſus anſwered him: I hauehave openly ſpoken vntounto the world: I hauehave alwaies taught in the Synagogue, and in the temple, there as all the Iewes reſort together, & in corners hauehave I taught nothing: Why askest thou me? Aske them that heard me, what I ſaid vntounto them. Behold, they can tell what I ſaid. When he had thus ſpoken, one of the ministers that ſtood by, ſmote Ieſus vponupon his cheek, & ſaid. Anſwereſt thou the high Priest ſo? Then Ieſus anſwered him & ſaid: If I hauehave ſpoken euil, then bear record of the euil: but if I hauehave well ſpoken, why ſmitest thou me?
Doctrine and fruite.
HEere in the high Prieſt wee ſee an example of thoſe malicious perſons, that take in hand to ouerthrow and condemne the truth afore they heare it. Great is the arrogancie of man, who dare preſume to make him ſelfe a Iudge of Gods trueth, whereas of more right, the truth and woorde of God ſhould iudge our words and workes. The vnderſtanding of man & of the fleſh, perceiueth not the thing that concerneth God, and therefore hee refuſeth it, and iudgeth it vnright, and ſo giueth ſentence, afore he know what the matter is. This (the more pitie) do al they that ſeeke their own profit and eſtimation, and not the honour of God.
Nowe in ſuch a falſe and temerarious ſentence,
gaue him buffets vponupon the chocke, and …, and then asked him: Area… who hath ſmitten thee? And the ſeruants ſtroke him vponupon the face, and did him … … ther villany.