Twenty-Seven Lectures Upon Hebrews, Lectures · Lecture 25
¶ The xxv. Lecture, vponupon the 10. verse, and so forth the residue of the Chapter.
10 And is called of God an highe priest after the order of Melchisedech.
11 Of whom we hauehave many thinges to say, which are hard to be vttered, because ye are dull of hearing.
12 For, when as concerning the time, ye ought to be teachers, yet hauehave ye nede again that we teach you what are the first principles of the word of God: & are become such as hauehave neede of milke, and not of strong meate.
13 For euerie one that vseth milke, is inexpert in the word of righteousnesse: for he i… a childe.
14 But strong meate belongeth to them that are of age, which through long custome hauehave their wittes exercised, to discerne both good and euill.
WE hauehave heard before, what comparison the Apostle hath made betweene Christ and Aaron: and how the excellencie of Christ is incomparable aboue him in all workes of the priesthood, & our benefite by him vnspeakablie greater, as of whome alone is all saluation. The conclusion of the same disputation, is added now in the tenth verse: And he is called of God, an highe priest after the order of Melchisedech: which words do conclude in shorte summe, all y• hath been spoken▪ first, that Christ is our priest, & hath therfore ye name of ye high priest giuen him.
Secondly, what kinde of priesthod he hath: not Aarons, for, for it Aaron himselfe was sufficient & appointed of God: but another spiritual priesthod, after the order of Melchisedech. Thirdly, that vntounto this priesthod he was called of God: to this sense and meaning, the wordes are plainly set downe in this tenth verse, as you hauehave heard, of all which we hauehave spoken alreadie. Nowe, because this priesthod of Christ, after the order of Melchisedech, was not well vnderstood, what kinde of priesthod it should be, of what vertue and grace: therefore the Apostle meaneth more at large to speake of this, that they might vnderstand it, as his maner is often to make exhortation to stirre vp their dull spirits, least they should heare in vaine: so here in the eleuenth verse, and after following, he maketh a long digression vntounto the beginning of the vii. chapter, both to persuade them to holde a good vnderstanding of all that hath been spoken, and to prepare them more diligently to other things, that should be taught, that so they might all glorifie God, in good wisedom… and knowledge of the mysterie of his wil. And this exhortation he beginneth thus: Of whome we hauehave many things to say, which are hard to be declared, because you be dull of hearing. Here, first the Apostle, ye more to stirre them vp diligently to learn this mysterie of Melchisedech, how he was a figure of our Sauiour Christ, and the priesthood of Christe was represented in him: he saith, first, that the matter is harde and difficult to be declared, and therefore requireth great heede and d…ligence.
This place (dearely beloued) let vsus learne well, for it hath many good instructions in it: it is harde, saith the Apostle, and therfore you must adde more diligence to it.
Heere firste wee learne a good cause, why it pleased God to leaue places in Scripture harde to vnderstand, like as other places are easie, for as the easinesse is because none should bee discouraged, but all learne: so the hardnesse is, because none should be negligent and carelesse: and heerein, the Lord hath delt also mercifully with vsus: for seeing all carelesnesse in reading his worde, in whiche his wisdome is reuealed, is the taking of his name in vaine: our own… profite doeth now make vsus take more heede of this finne: for we cannot vnderstand or be edified by it, but with our care and diligence, for so the Apostle heere exhorteth his brethren: the thing is hard and difficult whereof we speake, there fore marke it more carefully and giuegive greater heede to vnderstanding: this then is a good cause why the scripture is hard, euen that we should put farre from vsus, all idle sluggish thoughts, and prepare our selues with a good conscience, and greate diligence, as oft as either we heare or read the same: and why should it not be so? is there any knowledge & wisedome learned, but by labour and diligence? to plowe thy fielde, to dresse thy vineyard, to keepe thy cattel, to buy lde thy house, to eueryevery worke hath not God appointed care and trauell? no otherwise hath God dealt with his worde. The Papistes not knowing this, or else dissembling it, they hauehave tolde vsus an other cause why the Scripture is hard, and that is, that either we should not at al presume to read it, or if we doe read it, yet we should not presume of any vnderstanding of it, otherwise then the Church of Rome hath taught vsus. I doe not speake one worde vntruely of them, not one of them: but this day they will confesse it. This they teache. The scripture is harde, therfore eueryevery man must not read it: and if any do read it, yet he must vnderstand it after the interpretation of the Church of Rome. Heere (I beseech you) consider it diligently, and tel me whether in such doctrine there be any reason, trueth, or godlinesse: we hauehave a controuersie with these men, whether the Churche of Rome be the Churche of Christe or of Antichrist: the cause must be tryed by the Scriptures: is it any reason nowe for them to challenge, that we must beleeue the scripture, according to their interpretations? is not this to make them Iudges of their owne cause? when the Apostle bad vsus Try the spirites, whether they be of God or no: 1. Ioh. 4. 1.meant hee (trowe you) we should trie them according to ye testimonie of the church of Rome? when the men of Thessalonica tried the apostles doctrine, whether it were true or no: asked they the iudgement Acte. 17. 11.of the church of Rome? Surely (dearely beloued) all this is but childish follic: whiche of vsus euer heard of any men, who would bee Iudges in their owne cause, except those of whome it is saide: aske my fellowe if I be a theefe: and beside this their vnreasonable talke, hauehave they any truth in their words? was there euer true and iust man that claymed this manner of try all? is it not confessed and agreed vponupon among all men, that trueth seeketh no corners? & why runne they for defence to their owne darke hoame, and feare the open iudgement of all men? Learne of our sauiour Christ, who is trueth it selfe, saith he not? If I should beare witnesse of my selfe, my witnesse Iohn …. 3…. Iohn. 1. 54.were not true: and againe: If I honour my selfe, mine honour is nothing worth: then, if beside the wordes of his owne mouth, who was the sonne of Dauid, he had had no testimonie, he could hauehave beene no true prophet: but therefore he was true, because his heauenly Father bare witnesse to him, bothe in his glorious voice, and in the assured testimonie of the lawe and the prophets, and in al his miracles, which made it manifest that he was the sonne of God. If thus our sauiour Christ confirmed his credite vntounto men, and offered himselfe to be tried by the scriptures: what proude people are these, and what proude wordes are in their mouthes, that woulde hauehave no triall of their dooings, but the censure and iudgement of their owne mouthes? Againe, this vnreasonable & vnture speach, ye the church of Rome onelyonly must expound the scriptures, because they be hard: is there any godlinesse at all in so saying? is it not taught vsus many times, that if we louelove, feare, honour, serue God, we must obey his worde, kepe his ordinances, make all his lawes the rule of our life? how then doe they louelove God, or what godlinesse is in thē, that giuegive not gods worde credit in it selfe, but make ye truth of it, to stand vponupon their owne vnderstanding? This nowe we knowe: the hardnesse of scripture is not, that we shoulde absteine from reading and hearing it, nor because we should trust the interpretation of the Church of Rome, but because we should with great and earnest affection, applie our studie, & pray vntounto God to lighten our minds, that we may be taught of his spirit.
Now further let vsus consider yet these woordes of the Apostle. Because you be euil of hearing: not only (as I hauehave saide) they teache vsus, because of ye hardenesse of the scripture, to take more heede vntounto it: but also verie plainly and manifestly they teach vsus, by what meanes the scripture becommeth harde vntounto vsus: that is, through our dull hearinge. And who so euer he be, to whome the scripture is hard, let him accuse his owne dulnesse: and whosoeuer blameth the Scripture in this behalfe, hee blameth him selfe, bothe of slowe eares, and of a faithlesse heart: for, is there any thing thing more plaine then these woordes? therefore it is harde, because you be dull of hearing. Take away from the man a deafe eare and a carelesse minde, and thou hast taken from the scripture all obscuritie and darknesse: leaue the man in his negligent minde, & thou makest the scriptures, as hard as any darke speeche, or riddle: and I beseech you, the more to confirme your faith in this persuasion, marke how oftē in the scriptures this is taught vsus: that nothing maketh the scripture hard, but our infirmitie: our Apostle heere once taught it before, The worde (saith he) did not profit them, because it was not mingled to them Ca. 4. 2.with faith. Saint Peter, when he had said of Paules Epistles, that many thinges in them were harde to vnderstand, he addeth: which the vnlearned & the vnstable • Pe…. 3. 13.do peruert, euen as they doe all other scripture: heere you see again ye scripture is hard, but you se to whō, and why: to the wicked, because they are wauering minded, and will learne nothing, be it neuer so plaine. Saint Paule also speaking of the vnderstanding 1. Cor. 1. 14.of the mysterie of the Gospell, sayth plainely, it is the carnall man that perceiueth not the thinges of God, and in deede he can neuer vnderstande them, because they be discerned spiritually. Our sauiour Christ himselfe, being asked Mar. 13. 10. Mar. 4. 11.this question, why he spake so darkly and in parables, he answereth thus: To you it is giuen to knowe the mysterie of the kingdome of God, but to those that are without, all thinges are done in parables: coulde he speake more plainely? his worde is not hard vntounto his children, but to straungers, to Infidels, to men without God in the worlde, to those hee speaketh darkly: then (dearly beloued) this case being so clere, let vsus be bolde to say to all that accuse the worde of God of hardnesse, as Sainct Paule hath say de before vsus. If the Gospel be yet hid, then is it hid to those that perish, 2. Cor. 4. 4.in whō the God of this world hath blinded their vnbeleuing mindes, that the light of the glorious Gospell of Christ should not shine vponupon them: for otherwise, ye secret of the Lord is reuealed to those that feare him, and his woorde is a lanthorne vntounto their feete, and a light vntounto their steps: it is not harde, but as Salomon saith, It is easie Prouer. 14. 6to him that wil vnderstand: he is a scorner that seeketh it and can not finde it. Moses sayth: This commaundement Deut. …0. 10.which I command thee this day, it is not hid from thee, nor sarre of, it is very nere vntounto thee euen in thy mouth and in thy hart to do it. The prophet Ose saith of the iudgementes of God vntounto his people, that they were as the morning light. And the Lorde saith by the prophet Esay: I hauehave not s…okē in secret, nor in a place of dark Ose. 6. 5.nesse in the earth: I said not in vaine to the house of Iacob: Esai. 45. 19.Seeke ye me. And if thus the doctrine of saluation were preached, while yet the people were taught by signes & figures: how clere is it now since the sonne of righteousnes hath shined in perfect light? what wrong is it to say still, the scriptures are hard, and to make them to be Sphynx his ridles, or the winding oracles of Apollo, whiche are the cleare wordes of ye liuing God? I appeale to your owne consciences, all that hauehave experience, whether hauehave you found such hardnesse in scripture: or whether do you easily see how we are saued in Iesus Christ, & what obediēce we owe againe vntounto God. I am sure, there is none of you, that with a single heart hauehave come to read ye scripture, that were euer driuen back with any hardnesse of it. How is it then, & why do the papists stil cry out of the hardnesse of the worde? why see they not this easinesse as wel as we? sure, I will tel you, & the Lorde is witnesse, howe I tell you true. Those men, they hauehave come neere vntounto God with their mouth, & honored them with their lips: but their harts hauehave been farre from him▪ & they hauehave worshipped God in vaine, teaching Esa. 19. 10. Mat. 15. 8.doctrines which were precepts of men: and for this cause God hath couered them with a spirit of slumber, & hath shut vp their eyes: & the gospell is vntounto them, as ye words of a booke that is sealed: so that, whether they be learned or vnlearned, they can read nothing. This is the great & hiddē cause: their sinns hauehave found them out, & gods iudgemēts hauehave blinded them. Another cause, & that I tolde you before, is, because they would leade vsus blindfolde after the church of Rome: & this cause I make not of mine owne head, thē selues (as I said) wil confesse it. For this is a solemne decree in their late generall counsel of Trident, the 4. session, the 2. canon: that it belongeth to their holy motherchurch, to iudge of the sence, & interpretation of the scripture: nether must we presume to leaue those interpretations, although they were such as were neuer meete to bee openly taught & published. And their greate doctour Hossius saith thus: if we hauehave the interpretation of the church of Rome, although wee see not howe it can agree with the wordes of the texte, yet we must beleeue it. But are not these (think you) vnreasonable wordes? if they be not, examine mo of their witnesses, & at last you shall finde it & confesse it, that they are not onelyonly vnreasonable, but exceeding shameles men, while they hold this: that the scripture is hard, and to be vnderstood after the church of Rome: for thus they hauehave termed the scripture, dead y…ke, a thing Illirieus in normaroncilii. Sleyd▪ li 23. Kemp in exam. concil, Trident. …ess 4. c…n, …without life, a dumbe iudge, a nose of waxe, a black gospell, ynken diuinitie: these & such other words are witnesses against them to all the world: & their owne bookes are extant: and with what spirite then hauehave these men spoken? surely, not with the spirit of the father Dauid, or of his sonne Salomon, who say: The lawe of the Lord is perfect, and conuerteth soules: it giueth to the simple sharpnesse of witt, and to the children knowledge and Psal. 19. 7. Pro. 1. 4.discretion: nor with the spirite of Paule, that sayeth: All scripture is inspired of God, and is profitable to reproue, 1. Tim. 1. 16.correct, instruct, and to make a godly man perfect to eueryevery good worke: this is not to call the scripture a waxen nose, or ynken diuinitie, but these speeches are much more agreeable to the spirit of the olde heretiques, which said, the prophecies were dremes. But to let their vncomely speeches go, & to come againe to our purpose. They cry out still, that the interpretations of the churche of Rome are the sense of the scripture. And would you not now thinke, that these interpretations of the Romaine church, were merueilous wise, graue, mysticall, seing they would hauehave all the worlde thus to reuerence them? See therfore what they are, and iudge: I wil alledge vntounto you some of them, in the weightiest matters of faith. You are wise, iudge what I say: these are their most learned expositions of all other, in which they boast not a litile. Christ saith: Thou art Peter, and vponupon this rocke will I build my church: ergo, the Pope is head of the church? how groweth this conclusion? forsooth thus: if vponupon this rocke Christ will build his church, then vppon Peter, for Peter signifieth that rocke. If vponupon Peter, then vponupon Peters successour: Cusan ad. Boaemos. Epist. 2. Disti. 40. Non nos, in glosa.for the trueth doth cleaue vntounto the chaire, and Peter maketh his success our inheritour of all his goodnes. If to Peters success our, then to the Pope, for Peter was bishop of Rome. And if the church be built vponupon Peter, then Peter was chiefe of all other, and so ye Pope is head of the church: if these collectiōs be not theirs, let me be reproued as a slaunderer: if they bee theirs, then bee you wise to vnderstand what their religion is: for all these collectiōs are vtterly vntrue,
It is vntrue that Peter is that rocke vponupon which ye church is built: for our Sauiour Christ himselfe Math. 7. 24.saith, he that heareth my wordes and perfourmeth them, he buildeth vponupon the rocke. It is vntrue, that what faith Peter had, the same must be left to Peters successours: for Scribes & Phariseis, buyers and sellers, succeeded Moses & Aaron. It is vntrue, that Peter was Bishop of Rome: for he was the Apostle of circumcision, therefore it was vtterly vnlawfull for him, to bee a Bishop among the Gentiles. Againe, they reason thus. The Apostles say to Christ: Lord behold, here are two swordes: therefore the pope hath both ciuil & ecclesiasticall gouernement: might they not better hauehave reasoned, when Peter would hauehave vsed one sworde, Christe cōmaunded him to put it vp, therefore no such swoord at all belongeth to him. Again, they say: Christ promiseth to his Apostles, the comforter which shall teach thē all trueth, therfore the church of Rome cannot erre: howe bring they all the Apostles to the Pope of Rome? howe doe they drawe it that was spoken in Hierusalem, two thousand mile out of Italie, yt it was ment only of the Citie of Rome? Againe, they say, the sinne against the holie ghost, shall neuer be pardoned, neither in this world, nor in the world to come: Ergo, there is a purgatorie: such are their proofes in their greatest mysteries. And is not this (trow you) a miserable doctrine, which hath no plaine and directe scripture, but by suche wrested and straunge expositions can onelyonly be proued? and this I speak of their best expositions, which to this day they hold and reuerence: but infinite other expositions they hauehave, and in times past of greatest account, for they are written in their masse bookes, their portesses, their pontificalls, their legends, their decrees, their councels, their lawes, that you may be sure they were expositions of generall consent and greatest force, howe so euer now some woud dissemble them: and these are suche expositions, as I assure you, and I beseech you to beleeue it: for before the liuing God, you shall finde it one day true: the mad men in bedlem can not speake more foolishly: they reason thus. Peter drewe his sword and cut off Malchus eare, therfore ye Pope is head of the Church. The world was finished in seuen dayes, therfore none must marrie within seuen degrees of Vide pet. Cr… …o. 1. conc. …o …o.kinred. God made two great lightes, the Sunne and the Moone, therfore as much as the Sunne is brighter then the Moone, so much the Pope is greater Ant on in sum.then the Emperour. The Prophet saith, behold the Par▪ 3. tit. 21. Cap. 5.face of thine anointed: thus, saith the pontifical, is a Bishops prayer ouer the popes legat, when he kneeleth before the Altar. Behold I sende my messinger 33. q. 3.to prepare thy way before thy face, saith God by his prophet Esaie: the pontificall vseth this as a prophesie fulfilled, when the Popes legate meeteth the Emperour, to receiue him into any citie. I hauehave found Dauid my seruant, and annointed him with holie oyle. My louelove is beautifull among the daughters of Hierusalem. This they applie to kings and Queenes when the cleargie receiue thē personally into their churches. The prophet saith: sprinkle mee Lord with ysop & I shalbe cleane: that they applie to the priest sprinkling with holie water. Lifte vp your head, O ye gates: and ye euerlasting dores lifte vp your selues: that is, when the Clarke openeth the churche doore for the Prieste to come in with the crosse on Palme sunday. Tenne thousand such applications and expositions are in their bookes, suche (I say) as I thinke no bedlem man coulde deuise more vaine and foolish. Now, if any of thē be ashamed of these doings, I pray God that shame may be the triall of their countenance, which testifieth against them, and so be in them a good colour of repentance: if they wil not be ashamed then the wrath of ye Lord is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still, …il hee make their madnesse knowen vntounto all the world, & make them a hissing amonge his people, who hauehave so prophaned his word of life. And thus much touching the hardnesse of the scripture, which ye Apostle heere speaketh of. It foloweth in ye Apostle: For wheras considering the time you ought to be teachers, yet hauehave you neede again that we teach you the first principles of the word of God, and are become suche as hauehave needs of milke and not strong meat: this is the cause why the Apostle said, they were slowe of hearing, because they had profited no more in knowledge: a great while the gospel preached & professed among them, yet they stil so ignorant, that they knowe not the principles of their Christiā faith. We hauehave had a great while the Gospell preached, we might hauehave beene by this time doctours, if we would hauehave learned, I say not eueryevery day, or weeke, or monethmonth, but eueryevery yeere a little: and what a shame is it fos vsus, if yet we be ignoraunt in the principles of fayth. howe many sermons hauehave wee heard, or reade in vaine? how many times hauehave wee made the sower to sowe his seede in the high wayes, or among the thornes, and stones? If in xv. yeeres, we bee scarce past our A. b. c. when doe we hope that the secretes of the word shalbe reuealed vntounto vsus? Are so many yeares so small a portion of our life, that wee may giuegive them to vanitie and learne nothing? the Lord graunt that wee may better looke vntounto our selues: and seeing eueryevery day taketh away parte of our life, & maketh this earth lie tabernacle more to corrupt, let eueryevery day bringe increase of knowledge, and adde to our life, that when our course is runne, our faith may be kept, and we may finde the crowne of righteousnesse, whiche God hath laid vp for those that be wise of heart. Or, if this counsel of the Apostle wil not persuade vsus, but by leasure in xv. yeeres to come we will learne hereafter, I assure you, our graues wil meete many of vsus in our wayes, while wee are yet dull in learning: and when then shalbe the time in which we wil enioy our knowledge.
Let vsus looke therefore to our selues, for I am afraid this sharpe rebuke of the Apostle, is as iust against vsus, as it was against them: and it must needes make vsus at last ashamed, except it make vsus in time repent our sluggishnesse. And heere by the way, I beseeche you to marke well this place, to see the difference of the spirit of trueth, and the spirit of errour. The Apostle checketh the people, because they be so dull of hearing, that the woorde of God is harde vntounto them, which ought to be moste familiar and easie. He rebuketh them of ignoraunce, that in so long time they hauehave not learned to be doctours in Christianitie, able to teach others. He threateneth them, that if this greate sinne bee not amended, let them looke for no other, but that vengeaunce and wrath shalbe a recompence vntounto them. Thus the Apostle sayth: but what saith the false apostolicall man, the pope of Rome? forsooth, he pray seth them of greate modestie, that wil not presume to read the scripture as those which are darke and obscure writings: he alloweth well of learning nothing, and after many yeares, to be neuer the wiser: for ignorance (saith he) is the mother of deuotion. He blesseth the men that hauehave no wisedome in them, & though they knowe not how to giuegive accompt of their faith: yet he biddeth them beleue as the church beleeueth, and they shalbe saued. Can any thinge be more contrarie to other, then the apostles doctrine is contrarie to this? why then do we not yet cast him off for shame, and bid, sye vponupon the beaste, that speaketh so presumptuously against the worde of God? let him and his foolishnesse perishe together: but let vsus learne the knowledge of the Lorde.
It followeth. For eueryevery one that vseth milke, is inexpert of the word of righteousnesse, for he is a babe. The Apostle before, prouoked them to diligence: first, because otherwise the scripture would bee hard vntounto them. Againe, because it was ashame, after so longe time to hauehave profited so little. Nowe, he exhorteth them by shewing the great hurte which shalbe vntounto them by their ignorance and rudenesse▪ and sayth, that while they are such, they can neuer knowe the pretious, and hid treasure of righteousnesse, whiche Christ hath giuen onelyonly to those that are wise, and hauehave learned his blessed Gospel. For better vnderstanding of this, you muste knowe this figuratiue speeche of the Apostle, of milke and strong meate: by milke, he meaneth the generall principles of doctrine, as him selfe after declareth, as of repentance, of faith in Christ, of baptisme, of the resurrection, and suche like, set out breifely in generall tearmes, and according to the capacitie of Children, with whiche they are prepared to the kingdome of heauen, and must still growe vp in more vnderstanding, till they doe see with all the saincts, the higth, the deapth, the length, the bredth, of Gods vnsearchable goodnesse in Iesu Christ, which the Apostle calleth here the word of righteousnes. Now, if we wil abyde stil in our first instruction, & when gray hayres shalbe mingled with our black, yet then still we will be children in vnderstanding, the Apostles wordes shalbe iustified in vsus, we are not meete disciples of the excellent knowledge of the Gospel: for he that is still at his milke, hath not yet tasted of the worde of righteousnesse, which is strong meate.
And it foloweth in the Apostle. For strong meate belongeth to thē that are of perfect age, which through long custome hauehave their wits exercised to discerne good & euill. In these words the Apostle maketh it more plaine, what is milke, and what is strong meate, and why they are so called: that is milke, which agreeth to beginners, and such as hauehave little experience: that is strong meat, which is for olde practitioners, & such as hauehave wisdome to iudge betwene truth & falshod. And thus much briefly of the sense of the woordes: out of which, what instructions we hauehave to gather for our owne edifying, I will speake more at large, God willing, the next time. Now let vsus praye, &c.