Twenty-Seven Lectures Upon Hebrews, Lectures · Lecture 5
¶ The fift Lecture, vponupon the 10. 11. & 12. verses.
10 And thou, Lord, in the beginning haste established the earth, and the heauens are the works of thine hands.
11 They shall perish, but thou doest remaine: and they all shall waxe olde as doeth a garment.
12 And as a vesture shalt thou folde them vp, and they shall be chaunged: but thou art the same, and thy yeeres shall not faile.
THE Apostle goeth forward as before, and heere addeth the fourth comparison, in exalting Christe aboue Angels. And hee maketh this comparison according to the title before giuen him, that by him the worlde was made, and it is this. The sonne of God, our Messias, of whome we speake: he made the worlde, and ruleth it as he will, and wil abolish it in the time appointed, him selfe being vnchangeable in all his wayes: which is a glorie farre aboue al that the scripture attributeth vntounto angels. Touching this scripture here alledged, how it may be applied to Christ: it is certeine, that the Psalme according as the title is, was a prayer of the afflicted Churche, most like when it was in the captiuitie of Babylon, bothe because of the great complaint of the singular miserie which they suffered, & because they in their prayer alledge the appointed time of deliuerance to Iere. 29. …bee come vponupon them, which was only of the captiuitie of Babylon: to which God had appointed by his prophet Ieremie 70. yeres. Now that captiuitie being a figure of our captiuitie vnderunder sathan: ye Prophets fortelling that deliuerie, sawe also in spirite the deliuerie which we should al hauehave vnderunder Christ. And accordingly the spirite so spake in the Prophets, that something was so proper to Christ figured, as it must needes be referred to him, and not applied to any figure. And this is generall in all the expresse figures of our Sauiour Christe, who so euer were the men, or what soeuer were the blessings that GOD brought vppon his people, because in Iesu Christe, all his promises had their trueth and accomplishement: therefore hee is some way so described, that the people must needes be lead to acknowledge still the couenaunt which they had in him. So in this captiuitie of Babylon, the Prophet Ieremie foretelleth their deliuerie thus: that they shal returne to serue God and Dauid their King: Dauid beeing Ier. 30. 9. Iere. 23. 6. Eze. 37. 14.before dead. And againe: He would raise vp to Dauid a righteous braunch, whome they should call, the Lorde our righteousnesse: which must needs be meant of the Messias, whome they looked for to be the sonne of Dauid: and expressely he noteth their returne into the fauour of GOD, with the same wordes, with which God maketh with vsus his new testament, in Iesu Christe, that God wil be our God, and we shal be his people. He will forgiue their sinnes and iniquities, they shalbe all taught of God. Euen so heere in this Psalme the prophet sore telling their returne from Babylon, fore-seeth the redemption that is in Christ, and breaketh out in complaint of his shorte life: because he should not tarrie to see the day: and to comfort him selfe againe, speaketh out in spirite what ioy and gladnesse he sawe in Christ, and how glorious a God he is, and so vttereth the wordes here alledged: And thou in the beginning, O Lorde, didst lay the foundations of the earth, & the workes of thy hands are the heauens &c. And heere these words: He laide the foundations of the earth, and the Heauens are the work of his hands: are spoken according to our infirmitie, which knowe no buildings but by foundations, nor can make any great workes without our hands: otherwise it is certeine, the earth hath no foundations, nor no handes could make y• heauens, but al was made & consisteth by the power of God. Thus we hauehave heard, what argument the Apostle heere vseth & how this text is applied vntounto Christ.
Now, touching the wordes, where the Prophet saith: And thou Lord, the Apostle is a good expositor that this is spoken to the Sonne of God, to whome he attributeth the original and cause of making the worlde. A place most worthie to be diligently marked: for it giueth clearely vntounto Christ the fullnesse of ye godhead, according to the article of our crede, I beleue in God the father almightie maker of heauē & earth. And all Arrians, olde and newe, which so long hauehave blasphemed the Sonne of God, and made him but a seruant in the creation of the world, because many times the Scripture sayth: By him God made the world: if they heare this spoken to that sonne: And thou Lord in the beginning didst lay the foundations of the earthe: they will ceasse to blaspheme, and confesse he is God to be blessed for euer. And where it is saide: that God the Father, by him made the world: that phrase of speache diminisheth not his glorie, but rather testifieth it more clearely. For we hauehave saide before: that Christ is the s…ning brightnesse of the glorie of his father, that is: the person in ye Deitie, by whome onelyonly the eternall wisedome of GOD could make his maiestie shine vpō any creature: neither was it euer possible, that any creature shonlde shewe forth the goodnesse of God, but onelyonly by the person of the sonne. And therefore, when the name of God, or creation of the worlde, is giuen vntounto the Sonne, as here we see: we doe humbly confesse and adore the vnitie of the Godhead that is really in him. When it is attributed to the father, as he that by his Sonne hath made all these things, we acknowledge the properties of y• persons, the father dwelling in light which none cā approch vntounto, a founteine and head-spring of immortall glorie. And the sonne, the shining brightnes of that glorie, by whome it is made knowen of men and Angels: so, when we say: we belieue in God the Father Almightie, who made the worlde: we acknowledge the goodnesse and merciemercy, by which the world was made, originaly to dwel in the person of the Father: when we say the worlde was made by the Sonne, we acknowledge the wisdome of God, by whiche the thing was wrought, and the glorie of it imparted vntounto vsus, to be in the person of the sonne: as likewise, wheresoeuer the holy Ghost is mentioned in Esa. 40. 13. Psal. 33. 6.this worke: we acknowledge the vertue and power giuen to all creatures, both for their continuance, & for the efficacie, to be of the person of the holie Ghost: and where the creation is attributed to all, Father, Sonne and holie Ghost, we confesse the vnitie of the Godhead, in the distinction of persons, which now we see in faith, and wherein we reioyce in hope, which shal neuer be confounded, but shalbe made perfect, when this mortalitie shall put on immortalitie, and we shall see God as he is.
Where it is said further: God laide the foundations of the earth, and the heauens are the workes of his handes. We must consider, the creation of the world is thus attributed to God, not onelyonly because all things were made by him: but because he hath so made them, that they carrie a marke imprinted in them, of the power and Godhead of the Creator. Thus he meaneth, when he sayeth: the Heauens are the workes of thy handes. Euen as the Prophet sayeth: The heauens declare the glorie of God, and the firmament Psal. 19. 1.sheweth his hand…e worke. Day vntounto day vttereth speache, and night vntounto night openeth knowledge. And heere we Wee must acknowledge the glorie of God in his workes.must learne according as the works of God are thus before vsus, so to beholde them and take the pleasure of thē, that we giuegive glorie to God in all that he hath done. When I see the heauens: I must see his greatnesse, who was able to set such a couering ouer the earth. When I behold the earth: I must behold his prouidēce, who hath ordeined such a place of nourishment for all creatures. When I looke vponupon the vnchangeable course in which all things are established: I must loke vponupon his cōstant wisdōe & goodnesse: who in a stedfast purpose hath extended his mercies ouer all his workes. In the least of all the creatures of GOD, when I see wisedome, power, glorie, more then all the worlde can reache their hands vntounto: let mee humble my selfe vnderunder his high maiestie, before whome no King, no Prince, no power of the world hath any account: but all nations before him are as nothing, and they are accounted Esa. 40. 17.vntounto him lesse then nothing, and lighter then vanitie it selfe. Thus God hath shewed him selfe in his creatures, and euen as S. Paule saith: his inuisible things hee hath made manifest in them, both his eternall power and his Godhead, that they might be without excuse, all that will not honour him. Let vsus therefore (dearely beloued) forget now the times of ignoraunce, and at last be wise hearted, to reade the bookes which GOD hath written in great letters, and layde open before vsus, in all his workes: let vsus see his glorie. Thus did the Prophet Esaie before vsus, as in the 40. chapter of his prophesie, we read: Who hath measured the waters with his fist: and compassed heaven with his spanne: who is he hath comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mounteines in a weight, and the hilles in a balance? Nothing in the worlde, no not the verie dust of the earth, could come in the prophets eyes, but he could see in it a great worke of the Lorde. Sainct Paule saith: God left not him self without witnesse amōg men, euen when the times were moste blinde. For Act. 14.as much as hee gaue vntounto them from heauen rayne and fruiteful times: for who is hee that maketh the rayne to fall, & the Sunne to hauehave his course of shining? Who hideth the treasures of the snow, & brin geth foorth the hoare frostes? Who couereth the Heauen with cloudes, and bringeth foorth the windes out of their places? Who maketh the sea to roare with the greate noyse of the waues, and maketh it calme againe, as if it had not beene moued? What Princes, what hostes of men, though al the worlde woulde ioyne their strength together, can doe the least of these things? Nay, if all nations should bende them selues together, they can not hurt sea, land, ayre, cloudes, elementes, day, night, summer, winter, nor any thinge that God hath established for euer: but in eueryevery one of these is the strength which cannot be resisted. The ayre can infect all fleash: the earth swallowe it vp: the Sunne burne it with heate: the frost kill it with colde: the thunder and lightning do make affraide all the tyrants amoung men. Nay, we may learne in the plagues of Aegypt, howe the moste vile things can make ashamed all the children of pride. And why then do we not learne in all that we see, to confesse y• greatnes of the Lord? Why doth not the strength of his workes make vsus confesse his power: and all the delight that we hauehave in them, why doth it not make vsus acknowledge all his goodnesse to the childrē of men? The prophet Dauid saith: When I beholde the Heauens whiche are the workes of thy hands: the Moone and the starres, which thou hast ordeined: what is man, say I, that thou art mindeful of him: or the sonne of man, that thou so regardest him? Our Sauiour Christ saith: when we see how God feedeth the sparowes, and cloatheth the Lilies: we are a faithlesse people, except we see his prouidence ouer vsus, to feede vsus, and to cloath vsus in all our necessities. And sure the trueth is, except I see with such eyes the creatures of God, I am become a creature degenerate from that image, in whiche I was first fourmed. If I see nothing in the heauens, but that they are light, & aboue my reache: the horse & mule see this as well as I. If I see nothing in the earth, but a place to walke in, or to take my rest vponupon it: the beastes and foules see this as well as I. If I see nothing in my gorgeous apparell, but pride of a goodlie colour: the Peacock seeth that in her feathers. And if in all my meate and drinke, I knowe nothing but the pleasure and sweetenesse of the taste: the hogge and swyne hauehave heere as great a portion as wee.
To be short, if hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, feeling, be all the delight we can finde in the workes of God: we hauehave giuen our preeminence to the dumbe creatures, which hauehave these senses more exqisite then wee: and we hauehave turned the heartes of men into the heartes of beastes, who with wisedome, prudence, vnderstanding, knowledge, & reason can do nothing. And the wordes of the prophet are fulfilled in vsus: Man, when he was in honour had no vnderstanding, he was compared to the bruite beastes, and was made like vntounto them. I speake this with the more wordes, and the more earnestly, that you might see and detest the shame of some, who do not onelyonly, not see in the creatures of God, the glorie of God to feare before him, and to giuegive him honour: but quite contrarie in all his creatures, they prophane his name, which eate till they surfeit, and drinke till they be drunken: who put on pride with all their apparell, and make their lands and houses priuiledged places for muche iniquitie, which fill their mouthes with cursed swearing, euen in the sight of the Sunne, and commit their whoredomes, and feare not at the darkenesse of the night. Flee (dearely beloued) farre from suche: hate them (as the prophet saith) with perfect hatred al their assemblies. The earth that mourneth vnderunder the burden of them, one day will spue them out, and the creatures which they hold in this miserable bondage of sinne, one day God will heare their sighes, and they shall giuegive a speedie witnesse against their oppressers.
And thus much of the creatures of God, which here are saide to be made by the sonne of God, and to be the workes of his hands.
An other thing heere we hauehave to consider, that the Apostle teacheth the excellencie of Christ in respect of his continuance, before whome, the heauen and earth are but a moment: for so in this comparison, he speaketh of their age, as a thing of nothing, They shall perish, they shal waxe old as a garment, they shalbe folded vp as a vesture: making al the continuance of the heauen to be vanitie, and of none account: for although it may seme he might hauehave made this comparison with things of a more expresse shewe of vanitie then a garment, as to hauehave compared them with smoke, with the shadowe of smoke, with the dreame of a shadow or such like: yet in comparing the time of the heauens, whiche are so many ages, with a garment which is scace a yeare, it is as cleare a testimonie al is nothing, as if al were not a minute of an houre. Besides this, the cause of this comparison with a garment, was the similitude in whiche God hath sette the Heauens, who hath spred them like a corteine, and made them as a couering to all his creatures: it was not to make the comparison lesse in shewe of their vanitie. Then heere let vsus be wise hearted as the prophet was, as oft as our hope is before our eyes, to see our Sauiour Christ liuing for euer: let vsus not only cōfesse that our owne age is nothing in respect of him, but let vsus boldly continue euen the continuance of the heauens, and account all thing nothing that hathe an ende: for let the dayes be neuer so manie, whiche you can call into account and multiplie yeares into the longest continuaunce which your thoughtes can comprehende, that thousand thousandes be before you, and tenne thousand thousandes are in your minde, with one worde you shall confute them all, & with the breath of your mouth you may blowe them away: and, as the prophet sayth, make them all as a garment that is rent and worne: for reckon vp all thy thousandes that thou canst, and put this worde, (Past,) vntounto them, and where are they nowe become? a thousand thousand thousand yeares past, what are they?
And if time be such a tyrant, to breake the delight of ye long age of the verie heauens, that the wise hart of a man doth say, euen they are vanitie, & wax old as doth a garment: what foolishnesse hath wrapped vp all our vnderstanding? and what blindnesse is in our hearts, that we see not our owne life, what it is? Not one of a hundred that hath three score and tenne yeares, and of those a great parte are slept out, so that we feele them not, and a greate parte consumed with sorrow, either in losse of credit: or feare of punishment: or paine of sicknesse: or griefe of our labour: or pensmenesse of our wants: or anguishe of our desires: or at least, euen with a wearinesse of time it selfe: so that of three score and tenne yeares, let him speake that can glorie most, and he shall finde that in them all, he hath scarce tenne full yeares of pleasure: and this verie pleasure, euen then, when it is greatest, what is it? Surely suche as if hee loke downe into his owne thoughts, he should say in the mids of it, his heart is heauie.
And shall yet this life, so short, so troublesome, so without pleasure, so fast holde vsus bounde with blinde desire, that we neither long for nor looke after Iesu Christ, who liueth euer, and hath cast forth of his presence all sinne, and sorrowe, and deathe it selfe?
Could the Prophet so shewe him in immortalitie & all his elect with him in the glorie of his father, that he bewayled the vanitie of his owne life, yea though it should hauehave lasted as long as the heauens, and while the Sunne and Moone endureth, though he should hauehave abiden king of Israel, was al this vntounto him as a shadowe or an idle dreame in comparison of Christe who is for euer, and whose yeares shall neuer faile? And shall we think wee hauehave the spirite of God or any portion in Iesu Christe, who in his euerlasting continuaunce, cannot finde such pleasure as in our visard of vaine life, that soudenly appeareth and is no more? who in the glorie of his presence, and maiestie of his Father, can see no such delighte, as in carding, diceing, daunsing, and such like works of reproche and shame, and horririble confusion?
Nay, I will tell you (dearelie beloued,) and I will tell you true: your owne eyes and eares shall beare witnesse with mee that I lie not.
These men that thus serue in the vile bondage of these pastimes, they carrie with them, the badge and cognisaunce of another maister then of the liuing God: for tell me, from morning to night are not their mouthes full of adulterie, of wrath, of hatred, and swearing without shame…, in whiche God is dishonoured, and the crosse of his Sonne Christ made despised? Then doubt not what these men do, nor what maister they serue, but pray that God may hauehave merciemercy vppon them, as vppon vsus this day, who louelove not their delights, that they may repent, and withdrawe them selues from the snare of the diuell, in which they bee holden, according to his will, and begin while yet it is good time, to despise this, and regarde the life of Christe, in comparison of which they may say with the Prophet: The Heauens shall perish and consume as a garment, but thy yeeres (O Lord) they hauehave no end.
One other thing foloweth in the Prophet, which the Apostle reciteth not, but for our times it hath a verie good instruction: the Prophet thus concludeth: The children of thy seruants shall continue, and their seed… shal stand fast in thy sight: because Christ had ioyned his Church to himselfe, he the head & they the bodie, by him who endured longer then the Heauens, the Prophet knew his people could neuer perishe: and in his thought, if the Prophet had comfort against the tyrannie of the kingdome of Babylon, what comforte may we hauehave now against the enimies of the church of Christ?
They thinke they be many, & strong, and rich, and wise, and they will preuaile: their Pope shall vp againe, they will hauehave Masse, they will exalte the Church of Rome: they will become slaues to a vile person as they were before: they will do, I cannot tell what. Alas poore soules, how fast they hold a lye in their right hand! The shame that they seeke for they shall neuer finde. For what are they? Or what is their strength? How much are they better then grasse, or then the flower in the field? What is their life more then a vapour, or then a smoke that vanisheth away? yet they boast them selues against the Church of Christ, which is knit vntounto the sonne of God, liueth in his life, standeth in his strength, whose right hand hath made all thinges, and whose yeres endure for euermore: while we trust in this, our hope is sure, and all our enimies shalbe ashamed. And let vsus pray, that it would please God our heauenly father, of his great goodnesse, to hauehave merciemercy vponupon vsus, that by his spirit the eyes of our mindes may be lightened, to see what great Saluation he hath giuen vntounto vsus in Iesu Christ: who is his onelyonly sonne: heire of althings: creator of the world: who ruleth and gouerneth all things: and shall shewe vsus his glorie in immortalitie, when all these creatures shall hauehave their …haunge. And the Lord graunt that in these dayes of our vanitie, while yet we are walking to the day of rest, we may in the meane season, see his grace and glorie in all his creatures, in whiche we hauehave our pleasure, that we may enioye them to his praise, and with wise heartes measuring his times who shall endure for euer, when all these thinges are past, we may mourne in spirite, to see the time approch, when we with him shall bothe see and inherite his immortalitie, through his sonne Iesu Christ, who hath purchased it for vsus, and with his mightie power, will keepe vsus in safetie vntounto it, against that day: to whom with the father and the holie Ghost, our onelyonly comforter, beal honour and glorie, nowe and euer,
Amen.