Whole Works, Biblical prologues · Old Testament · Deuteronomy
A Prologue into the fifte booke of Moſes called Deuteronomy.
THis is a booke worthy to be read in, daye and night, & neuer to be out of handes. For it is the moſt excellent of all the bokes of Moſes. It is This boke is a preachyng of fayth and louelove.eaſy alſo & lyght, and a very pure Goſpell, yt is to wit, a preachyng of fayth & louelove: deducyng the louelove to God out of fayth, and the louelove of a mans neighbour out of yt louelove of God. Herein alſo thou mayſt learne right meditation or Here thou mayeſt learne a right meditation or contemplation.contemplation, which is nothyng els ſaue yt calling to minde, & a repeatyng in the harte of the glorious and wonderfull dedes of God, and of his terrible handling of his enemies, and mercyfull entreatyng of them that come when hee calleth them whiche thyng this booke doth, and almoſt nothyng elles.
In the foure firſt Chapters he rehearſeth the benefites of GOD done vntounto them, to prouoke them to louelove, & The workes of God are ſupernatural.his mightie dedes done aboue all natural capacitie of faith, that they might beleue GOD, and truſt in him, and in his ſtrength. And thirdly he rehearceth the fierce plagues of God vppon his enemyes, and on them which through impatiencie & vnbeliefe fell from hym: partly to tame and abate the appetites of the fleſh which alway fight agaynſt the ſpirite, and partely to bridle the wilde ragyng luſtes of them in whom was no ſpirite: that though they had We muſt abſtaine frō outward euill though not for louelove yet for feare of the vengeance of God.no power to do good of louelove, yet at the leſt way, they ſhould abſtaine from outward euill for feare of wrath, and cruell vengeaunce whiche ſhould fall vpō them and ſhortly finde them out, if they caſt vp gods nurter, and runne at riotte beyond his lawes and ordinaunces.VntoUnto the law of god, we may neither adde nor miniſh.
Moreouer he chargeth them to put nought to, nor take ought away from Gods wordes, but to be diligēt onelyonly to keepe them in reēmbraunce, & in the hart and to teach their childrē, for feare of forgettyng. And to beware either of We are cō maunded to abſtayne from Images.makyng imagery, or of bowyng them ſelues vntounto Images, ſaying: Ye ſaw no image when God ſpake vntounto you, but heard a voyce onelyonly, & that voyce keepe, and thereunto cleaue, for it is your lyfe, and it ſhall ſaue you. And finally if (as the frailtie of all fleſhe is) they ſhal hauehave fallen from God, and he hauehave brought them into trouble, aduerſitie, and combraunce and all neceſſitie: yet if they repent and turne, hee God is mercyful to them that repent.promiſeth, them that God ſhall remē ber his mercy, and receaue them to grace agayne.
In the fifte he repeateth the x. Commaūdementes, and that they might ſee a cauſe to do them of louelove, he biddeth them remember that they were bound in Egypt, and how God deliuered thē with a mighty hande, and a ſtretched out arme, to ſerue him and to kepe his maundementes: as Paule ſayth that Chriſt hath deliuered vsus, & therfore we ought to ſerue him & our neyghbour for his ſake.wee are bought with Chriſtes bloud, and therefore are his ſeruauntes and not our owne, and ought to ſeeke his wil and honour onelyonly, and to louelove and ſerue one an other for his ſake.
In the ſixte he ſetteth out the fountaine of all commaundementes: that is, that they beleue how that there is but one God that doth all, and therfore ought onelyonly to bee loued with all the hart, all the ſoule, and all the might. For louelove onelyonly is the fulfillyng of the LoueLove onelyonly to the fulfillyng of the lawes of God.cōmaundementes, as Paule alſo ſayth vntounto the Romaines, and Galathians likewiſe. He warneth them alſo that they forget not the cōmaundementes, but teache them their children, and to ſhew their children alſo how God deliuered them out of the bondage of the Egiptians, to ſerue him and his commaundements, that the children might ſee a cauſe to worke of louelove likewiſe.
The ſeuenth is all together of faith: We muſt truſt onelyonly in God, & not in our ſelues.hee remoueth all occaſions that might withdrawe them from the faith, and pulleth them alſo from all confidence in them ſelues, and ſturreth them vp to truſt in God boldly and onelyonly.
Of the eight Chapter thou ſeeſt how that the cauſe of temptation is, that a man might ſee his own hart. For whē I am brought into that extremity, that I muſt either ſuffer or forſake GOD, then I ſhall feele how much I beleue and truſt in him, and how much I louelove him. In like maner, if my brother Howe a mā may trye & examine hym ſelfe, how much he loueth God, and his neighbour.do me euill for my good, then if I louelove him when there is no cauſe in him, I ſee that my louelove was of God, and euen ſo if I then hate him, I feele and perceaue that my louelove was but wordly, and finally hee ſturreth thē to the fayth and louelove of God, and driueth them frō all confidence of their owne ſelues.
In the ninth alſo hee moueth them God ſtyrreth vp his people vntounto fayth.vntounto fayth, and to put their truſt in God, and draweth them from confidēce of them ſelues, by rehearſing all ye wickedneſſe whiche they had wrought from the firſt day, he knew them vntounto that ſame day. And in the end he repeteth A right way of prayer.howe he coniured God in Horeb, and ouercame him with prayer, where thou mayeſt learne the right maner to pray.
In the tenth he reckeneth vppe the pith of all lawes, and the keping of the The pith & effect of all ye lawes of God.law in hart: which is to feare GOD, louelove him and ſerue hym with all their hart ſoule and might, and kepe his cō maundementes of louelove. And he ſheweth a reaſon why they ſhould that do: euen becauſe God is Lord of heauen and earth, & hath alſo done all for them of his owne goodneſſe without their deſeruyng. And then out of the louelove vntounto God, he bringeth the louelove vntounto a And if wee firſte louelove God, then out of that louelove, wee muſt nedes louelove our neighbour.mans neighbour ſaying: God is Lord aboue all Lordes and loueth al his ſeruauntes indifferētly, as well the poore and feble, and the ſtraūger, as the rich and mighty, and therfore will that we louelove the poore and the ſtraunger. And he addeth a cauſe, for ye were ſtraungers, and God deliuered you and hath brought you vntounto a land, where ye bee at home. LoueLove the ſtraunger therefore for his ſake.
In the xj. he exhorteth them to louelove and feare God, and rehearceth the terrible dedes of God vpō his enemyes, What it is to louelove and feare God, and what it is to deſpiſe hym.& on them that rebelled agaynſt hym. And he teſtifieth vntounto them both what wil folow, if they louelove and feare God, and what alſo if they deſpiſe hym, and breake his commaundement.
In the xij. hee commaundeth to put The word of god may not be altered.out of the way all that might be an occaſion to hurt the fayth, and forbiddeth to do ought after their owne myndes, or to alter the word of God.
In the xiij. he forbiddeth to herken vntounto ought ſaue vntounto Gods word: no Let no mā draw vsus from gods worde.though he whiche counſeleth contrary ſhould come with miracles, as Paule doth vntounto the Galathians.
In the xiiij. the beaſts are forbidden, partly for vncleanneſſe of them, and partly to cauſe hate betwene the heathen and them, that they hauehave no conuerſation together, in that one abhorreth what the other eateth. Ʋnto this xv. chapter all pertaine vntounto faith and Of maters of the common wealslouelove chiefly. And in this xv. hee begynneth to entreate more ſpecially of thinges pertainyng vntounto the common welth, and equitie, and exhorteth vntounto the louelove of a mans neighbour. And in the xvj. among other he forgetteth not the ſame. And in the xvij. he entreateth of right and equitie chiefly, in ſo much that when hee looketh vntounto faith, and vntounto the puniſhment of Idolaters, hee yet endeth in a law of louelove and equitie: forbiddyng to condemne any man vnderunder leſſe then two witneſſes at the leſt, None may be condemned vnderunder two witneſſed.and commaundeth to bryng the treſpaſſers vntounto the open gate of the citie, where all men go in and out, that all men might heare the cauſe and ſee that he had but right. But the Pope hath founde a better way, euen to oppoſe him with out any accuſer, and that ſecretly, that no man know whether hee hauehave right or no, either heare his Articles or aunſwere: for feare leſt the people ſhould ſearche whether it were ſo or no.
In the xviij. hee forbiddeth all falſe and deuiliſh crafts that hurt true faith. Moreouer becauſe the people could not heare the voyce of the law ſpoken Chriſt our ſauiour declared in the old teſtament.to them in fire, he promiſeth them an other Prophet to bring them better tydynges whiche was ſpoken of Chriſt our Sauiour.
The xix. and ſo forth vntounto the end of the xxvij. is almoſt altogether of louelove vntounto our neighbours, and of lawes, of equitie, and honeſty, with now and thē a reſpect vntounto faith.
The xxviij. is a terrible Chapter and to be trembled at: A Chriſren mās hart The curſe and wrath of God ouer al thoſe that break his lawes.might well bleed for ſorrow at the readyng of it, for feare of the wrath that is like to come vponupon vsus, accordyng vntounto all the curſes which thou there readeſt. For accordyng vntounto theſe curſe hath God delt with with all nations, after they were fallen into the abhominations of blindneſſe.
The xxix. is like terrible with a godly leſſon in the end that we ſhold leaue We may not be to curious in the ſearchyng of Gods ſecretes, but rather ſtudy to vnderſtand & to do our duety towards god and our neighbour.ſearchyng of Gods ſecrets, & geue diligence to walke accordyng to that hee hath opened vntounto vsus. For the keepyng of the commaundementes of God, teacheth wiſedome as thou maieſt ſee in the ſame Chapter, where Moſes ſaith, keepe the commaundementes, that ye may vnderſtand what ye ought to doe. But to ſearch Gods ſecretes, blindeth a mā, as it wel proued by the ſwarmes of our ſophiſters, whoſe wiſe bookes are now when we looke in the Scripture, founde but full of fooliſhneſſe.