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BULLINGER'S DECADES.
dFor tIDe lluWication of ttjc asaorfes of tfic ^fFattjfre anD ©arlp 212tlritri s of tfjc Mcformrti
THE DECADEsUr''"''^
OF
HENRY BULLINGER,
MINISTER OF THE CHURCH OF ZURICH.
TRANSLATED BY H. I.
THE THIRD DECADE.
EDITED FOR
BV THE
REV. THOMAS HARDING, A.M., or woncrsTER college, oxford, and vicar of bexlev, in rent.
CAMBRIDGE:
PRINTED AX
THE UNIVERSITY PRESS.
CONTENTS.
Errata and Addenda The Third Decade.
Dedication to King Edward the Sixth
The First Sermon
The Second Sermon
The Third Sermon
The Fourth Sermon
The Fifth Sermon
The Sixth Sermon
The Seventh Sermon .
The Eighth Sermon
The Ninth Sermon
The Tenth Sermon
PAOK
vii
3 17 48 G4 111 125 167 217
300
368
ERRATA AND ADDENDA.
IN VOLUME I.
Advertisement, p. viii. line 27, for CEcolampadiiis read Zuingle. Page 2. In the Fac-Simile Title-page the N. B. should have been rather : " This triple table is in the editions of 15/7 and 1584 prefixed, but in that of 1587 (iffiaed, to the Decades." GO, note 1, substitute : "Apostles, edd. 1577 and 1587. The reading Apostle
is in ed. 1584. Apostoli, Lat." 83, note 8. BuUinger's quotation here seems to have been from Erasmus,
Opp. Tom. V. coll. 1078, 9. Lugd. Bat. 1704. 82, note S,!
110 Z ^2' r '^°'" " *"^' " ^^^^ " ^^'^' ^^^ ''"'^ ^^^^•"
421] _ 7J
152, — 1, for "in ed. 1577" read "in edd. 1577, 1584, and 1587."
IN VOLUME II.
add " 1584 and.
Page 30, note 2, after " wanting in '
80, _ 2, — "but in" 142, _ 1, _ "ed." l<j.(|, _ 5, — _
41, — 3, read "page 33."
63, _ 4, _ "page 30."
59, line 18, i'or faint read feint.
69, — 7, dele comma at " what"
73, — 17, at "it"
76, — 22, at "enough"
95, — 18, dele 4 at "Christ," and add it at "present," 1. 20.
ib. note 4, for prcBseritissimum read prieseiitissi7nam.
9H, line 18, dele comma at " Jesus" 110, note 3, read "page 79"
lie, — 1, for xi. read xix. and after "fol. 8,0" add "14, &c. 135, line 33, for " be" read "he"
' 'I at " temple" add a colon.
150, — 32, J ^
153, note 8, add " See above page 45, note 7."
103, line 3, for "holy" read "only."
ib. dele note 6. 164, note 2, read "page 179." 173, _ 5, — "page 141." 179, _ (i, — "page 172."
197, 5, — "page 165, note 9."
234, line 21, dele comma at "done"
248, 19, for "after flesh "read "after the flesli."
ib. — 20, after ' called " add a comma.
ih. note 4, read "page 256, note 5."
Viii ERRATA AND ADDENDA.
Page 257. line 30, read " page 248." 265, note H, — " page 165." 281,— 8, add " See Vol. I. page 286, note 3." 290, line 6, for " death ?" read "death." 294, — 5, for " worshsip " read " worship." 304, — 5, at "afflictions" add a comma.
312, — 8, at " such " add note : "great, ed. 1577-
313, note !), read "page 304, note 5." 341, _ 2, — " page 333, note 7."
FIFTY SERMONS
DIVIDED INTO
FIVE DECADES.
[bULLINGER, II.]
THE THIRDE AND
fourth decade of sermons,
WRITTEN TO THE
MOST RENOVMED KING
of England, Ediuard the sixt, hy Henrie Bullinger.
The second Tome.
lESVS.
This is my beloucd sonno, in whom I am Avell pleased. Hearo him. Matth. 17.
TO THE MOST RENOWNED \"'%*->. Q >■
PRINCE EDWARD THE SIXTH, ^^T?-^.'^-^
KING OF ENGLAND AND FRANCE, LORD OF IRELAND, ^^ ^^ *
PRINCE OF WALES AND CORNWALL, DEFENDER OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH >.
GRACE A2s^D PEACE FROM GOD THE FATHER TPIROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.
Your Majesty would, I know right well, most royal king, admit a stranger to talk with your grace, if any new guest should come and promise, that he would briefly out of the sentences and judgments of the wisest men declare the very truest causes of the felicity and unhappy state of every king and kingdom : and therefore I hope that I shall not be ex- cluded from the speech of your Majesty, because I do as- suredly promise briefly to lay down the very causes of the felicity and lamentable calamities of kings and their kingdoms so clearly and evidently, that the hearer shall not need to trouble himself with over-busy dihgence to seek out my meaning, but only to give attentive ear to that which is spoken. For, by the help of God, I will make this treatise not to be perceived only by the wit and true judgment of learned heads, but also to be seen as it were with the eyes, and handled as it were with the hands, of very idiots ^ and unlearned hearers; and that too, not out of the doubtful decrees and devices of men, but out of the assured word of the most true God. Even the wisest men do very often deceive us with their counsels, and greatly endamage the fol- lowers thereof: but God, which is the Light and eternal Wisdom, cannot any time either err, or conceive any false opinions or repugning counsels ; much less teach others any-
[1 Bishop Hooper urged BuUingcr to dedicate one of his wi-itings to King Edward at this time. Original Letters, Parker Soc. pp. 73, 78. Interesting particulars concerning the conveyance, presen- tation, and reception in England of this Volume occur, in chronological order, in the same Original Letters, as follows : pp. 662, 560, 665, 269, 88. See also Strypc, Eccles. Mem. Book i. chap. 30, Vol. ii. part 1, p. 390, Oxf. 1822.]
[2 Idiots : uneducated persons. See Vol. I. p. 71, n. 3.]
1—2
4 DEDICATION TO KING EDWARD THE SIXTH.
thing but truth, or seduce any man out of the right way. The Wisdom of the Father doth in the holy gospel cry out [johnviii. and say: "I am the light of the world : he that folio weth ^^■^ me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of
life." This eternal wisdom of God, as it doth not disorderly wrap things up together and make them intricate, but layeth down in order and teacheth them plainly ; so it doth not only minister wholesome counsels, but bringeth them to the effect which they wish that obey her. Oftentimes, verily, men do give good counsels, that are not unwholesome ; but yet in their counsels that is altogether omitted, which should have been first and especially mentioned.
All the wise men almost of the world have been of opinion, that kings and kingdoms should be most happy, if the king of the country be a wise man ; if he have many wise, aged, faithful, and skilful counsellors ; if his captains be valiant, warlike, and fortunate in battle ; if he abound with substance ; if his kingdom be on every side surely fortified ; and lastly, if his people be of one mind and obedient. All this I confess is truly, rightly, and very wisely spoken : but yet there is another singular and most excellent thing, which is not here reckoned among these necessaries, without which no true fe- licity can be attained, nor, being once gotten, can safely be kept ; when as contrarily, where that one thing is present, all those other necessaries do of their own^ accord fall unto men, as they themselves can best wish or devise. The Lord our God therefore, who is the only giver of wise and perfect counsels, doth far more briefly and better shut up all shortly,
Matt.vi. and say in the gospel: "But seek ye first rather the king- dom of God, and the righteousness thereof, and all these
Lukex. things shall easily be given ^ unto you." Again, "Blessed are the eyes which see that ye see : for I say unto you, that many kings and prophets have wished to see the things that ye sec, and to hear the things that ye hear, and have
Lukexi. neither heard nor seen them." And again, "Nay rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it."
[Lukex. 42.] And this thing 3 above all other is very necessary : "Mary hath chosen the good part, which shall not be taken from her."
ce issuetli tlie
From whence Haviug my Warrant therefore out of the word of God, I
[1 own wanting in 1587.] [2 adjicientur, Lat.]
[3 this one thing, 1577.]
OF THE FELICITY, &C. OF KINGDOMS. 5
dare boldly avow, that those kin£;s shall flourish and be in Mieity or
V ■' o ('•ilsinitv of
happy case, which wholly give and submit themselves and their '<!'>«« and
i. i. >J ' t/ O Kingdoms.
kingdoms to Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, being King of kings, and Lord of lords ; acknowledging him to be the mightiest prince and monarch of all, and themselves his vassals, subjects, and servants : which, finally, do not follow in all their affairs their own mind and judgment, the laws of men that are contrary to God's commandments, or the good intents of mortal men ; but do both themselves follow the very laws of the mightiest king and monarch ^ and also cause them to be followed throughout all their kingdom, reforming both themselves and all theirs at and by the rule of God's holy word. For in so doing the kingdom shall flourish in peace and tranquillity, and the kings thereof shall be most wealthy, victorious, long-hved, and happy. For thus speaketh the mouth of the Lord, which cannot possibly lie: "When the king sitteth upon the seat of his kingdom, Dent. xvii. he shall take the book of the law of God, that he may read in it all the days of his life, that he may do it, and not decline from it either to the right hand or to the left ; but that he may prolong the days in his kingdom both of his own life and of his children." And again, "Let not the-'os''-'' book of this law depart out of thy mouth," (Josue, or thou, whatsoever thou art that hast a kingdom), " but occupy thy mind therein day and night, that thou mayest observe and do according to all that is written therein : for then shalt thou make thy way prosperous, and then shalt thou be happy." It is assuredly true, therefore, confirmed by the testimony of the most true God, and in express words pronounced, that the prosperity of kings and kingdoms consisteth in true faith, diligent hearing, and faithful obeying the word or law of God : whereas their calamity and utter overthrow doth follow the contrary.
This will I make, as my promise is, in this annexed de- monstration, both evident to the eyes, and as it were palpable to the very hands, by the examples of most mighty kings, not taken out of Herodotus or any profane author, but out of the infaUible history of the most sacred scriptures. Saul, the first s-""'' king of Israel, was both most fortunate and victorious, so long as he did in all things follow the word of God : but when he [' a;tcrni, Lat. eternal monarch, ed. 1577.]
6 DEDICATION TO KING EDWARD THE SIXTH.
once gave place to his own good intents and meaning, being utterly forsaken of the Lord, he heareth Samuel say to his xiv!Tv.Tc. face : " Thou hast refused and cast ojff the word of the Lord ; therefore hath God also cast thee away, that thou shalt not be king of Israel." I will not here stand over largely to declare the miseries and calamities, wherein he was wrapped from that time forward. For as he himself was horribly haunted and vexed with the evil spirit, so did he not cease to vex and torment his people and kingdom, until he had brought them all into extreme danger, where he and some of his were slain and put to the worst by the heathen, their enemies, leaving nothing beliind him but a perpetual shame and endless ignominy. Next after Saul doth David succeed in the seat and kingdom, who without all controversy was the most happiest of all other kings and princes. But what store ho did set by the word of the Lord, it is evident to be seen by many no- table acts of his, and especially in that alphabetical psalm, which in order and number is the hundredth and nineteenth^ : for therein he setteth forth the praise of God's word, the wholesome virtue whereof he doth at large wonderfully ex- pound, in teaching what great desire and zeal we ought to have thereto. For he was schooled and had learned before, by private mishaps and shameful deeds, and lastly, by the un- happy sedition of his graceless son Absolon, what an evil it is Solomon, to decHue from the word of the Lord. Salomon, the son of ^Kingsiv. j)g^yj(j^ ^Yie wisest and most commended king of all the world, did so long enjoy prosperity and praise at the mouth of the Lord, as he did not neglect with reverence to obey his word. But when once he had transgressed the Lord's commandment, straightway the Lord did say unto him : " Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and that thou hast not kept mine ordinances and my statutes, which I commanded thee, I will rend thy kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant." And now mark, that, according to that saying, immediately after Salomon's death the kingdom was rent into two parts, and
[^ This Psalm is divided (probably for tho advantage of memory), according to tho number of letters which compose the Ilebiew Alpha- bet, into twenty- two portions, of eight versos each; and not only every portion, but every verso of that portion, begins with the letter appro- priated to it. Sec Bp Home, Conmicnt. on Psalms, Ai-gum. to Psalm cxix.]
OF THE FELICITY, &C. OF KlXGDOiMS. 7
that ten tribes followed Jeroboam, the servant of Salomon ; R<.i.nain. two tribes clave still to lloboam, Salomon's son. He, for neglecting the word of the Lord, and following after strange gods, is overwhelmed with an infinite number of woful miseries : for the scripture testifieth, that the Egyptians came up against Illerusalem, and did destroy the city, palace, and temple of the Lord.
Abia, the son of Eoboam, overcame the host of Israel, and Abia. bare away a triumphant victory, when he had wounded and ''°'^'''" ' slain five hundred thousand men of the ten tribes of Israel : and of this so great a victory no other cause is mentioned, but because he believed the word of the Lord. Next after Abia did his son Asa, a renowned and most puissant kino;, Asa.
. O' 2 Chron. xiv.
reign m his stead ; of whom the holy scripture testifieth, that he abolished all superstition, and did restore sincere religion according to the word of God : whereby he obtained a most flourishing kingdom in peace and quietness by the space of forty years. Again, of Josaphat, Asa his son, we read : josaphat. " The Lord was with Josaphat, because he walked in the former ways of his father David, and sought not Baalim, but sought the God of his father, and walked in his com- mandment." And therefore for his prince-like wealth and famous victories he was renowned through all the world. But to his son Joram, who forsook the word of God, Helias joram. the prophet said : " Because thou hast not walked in the ways ^^''"'"" ''''' of Josaphat thy father, and in the ways of king Asa, but hast walked the ways of the kings of Israel ; behold, with a great plague will the Lord smite thy folk, thy children, thy wives, and all thy goods ; and thou shalt suffer great pain, even a disease of the bowels, until thy bowels^ fall out." And whatsoever the Lord threatened to bring upon him by the mouth of the prophet, that did the unhappy king feci with unspeakable torments to his great reproaches : being made an example of wretchedness and misery, which doth light on all the pates of them that do forsake the word of God. Neither was the hap of Ochosias^ son to king Joram and Athalia, in ochosias. any point better: for at the commandment of Jehu he was ^ ^'"'^^ ''''" stabbed in, and slain wretchedly ; because he chose rather to follow the laws and rites of the kings of Israel than the very
[2 Substituted for another word used by tbo translator.] P Ahaziah.]
2 Chron, xxiii. xxiv
8 DEDICATION TO KING EDWARD THE SIXTH.
joas. true laws of the Lord his God. Moreover Joas, a child yet
but seven years old, being by the labour, faith, and diligence of the faithful priest Joiada restored to and settled in the place of his father, who was slain before him, reigned, after the wicked Athaha was put to death, most happily and in a prosperous state, so long as Joiada the priest did live^ But when the high priest was once departed out of this world unto the Lord, the king, being immediately seduced by the mahce and wiliness of his wicked counsellors, left oif to follow the word of the Lord : and as he ceased to follow the Lord, so did felicity and glory forsake to follow him. For the Syrians, coming on with a very small power of armed men, do destroy and put to flight an infinite host of Jewish people ; they put to the sword all Joas his counsellors, and make a spoil of all his kingdom. And Joas, for rejecting the Lord, deserved with excessive grief first to behold this misery, then to pine away with a long consuming sickness, and lastly, upon his bed, to have his throat cruelly cut of his own household servants.
Amasias^, the son of Joas, is renowned for a famous vic- tory which he obtained upon the Idumites, for no other cause but for obeying the word of the Lord. But afterward, when he began to rebel against God and his prophets, he is in battle vanquished by Joas, king of Israel ; by whom when he was spoiled, and compelled to see the overthrow of a great part of the walls of Hierusalem, he was himself at the last by conspirators entrapped, and miserably murdered. Next after him suc- ceeded his son Osias^, who also, as well as the father, enjoyed a singular felicity and most happy life, so long as he gainsaid not the mouth of God : but when he would usurp and take upon him that ofiice, which God had properly appointed to the Levites alone, directly opposing liimself against the word of the Lord, he was stricken with a leprosy, and for his un- cleanness was compelled severally^ to dwell aloof in banishment from the company of men, even until his last and dying day.
jotham. Jotham also, the son of Osias, is reported to have been wealthy and victorious in his wars : the cause of this felicity
[' IIujus cnim suggcstione et vigilantia ad normam verbi Domini in omnibus rcspexit rex, Lat. omitted by tbo translator. For by his instructions and watcLful superintendenco the king had regard in all things to the rule of the Lord's word.]
[2 Amaziali.] p Uzziah.] [< severally, apart.]
2 Chron xxvii
OF THE FELICITY, &C. OF KINGDOMS. 9
the scripture doth briefly add, and say : " Jotham became mighty, because he directed his ways before the Lord his God." But contrarily, Achaz, the son of Jotham, as he was of all Achaz. the Jewish kings almost the wickedest, so was he in his life xxvui. the most unfortunate. For insomuch as he forsook the law of the Lord his God, the Lord delivered both him and his people first into the hands of the king of Syrians, and after- ward into the hands of the Israelites, who in one day slew one hundred and twenty thousand Jews, and took captive away with them two hundred thousand women and children. So Achaz himself, and all that were his, by feeling had proof of all kind of calamities, being made an example to terrify all other that do gainsay the word of God.
The good and godly king Ezechias succeeded his ungodly iiezechiah. father in the seat and kingdom. Of him we have this testimony in the scripture : " He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David did. He put away the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and all-to'' brake the brasen serpent which Moses had made : for unto those days the children of Israel burnt sacrifice to it. He trusted in the Lord God of Israel. For he clave to the Lord, and departed not from him, but kept his commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses." And now, let us hear what followed upon this obedience and faith of his. The scripture goeth forward, and saith : " And the Lord was with him, so that he prospered in all things that he took in hand." While he did reign, the most ancient and puissant monarchy of the Assyrians was broken and dimin- ished : for when Senacherib, king of Assyria, besieged the city of Jerusalem, the angel of the Lord in one night slew in the Assyrian camp one hundred fourscore and five thousand soldiers. And the king of Babylon also did very honourably by his ambassadors send prince-like gifts unto P^zechias, desiring earnestly his amity and friendship : for the glory of that most godly king was blown abroad, and known in all the world. Again, when his son Manasses, a very wicked man, did not 2^,^"n';'if^,jj tread the path and express the deeds of his most holy father, but, being made king in the twelfth year of his age, did of purpose cross the word of God, and brought in again all the superstition which his father had abolished, he was taken [^ all-to: entirely.]
10 DEDICATION TO KING EDWARD THE SIXTH.
captive and carried away to Babylon : and although, by the goodness and mercy of God, he was restored to his seat again, yet, when he died, he left a maimed and a troublesome kingdom
Ammcn. uuto his SOU Ammou ; who also, for his rebelling against the '""*'""■ word of God, as a most unfortunate man reigned but two years only, and was at the last wretchedly slain by his own house- hold servants.
josjas. In place of his murdered father was his son Josias settled
' in the kingdom, being, when he was crowned, a child but eight years old. Of all the kings of Juda he was the flower and especial crown. He reigned quietly and in all points most happily by the space of one and thirty years. Now the scripture, which cannot lie, doth paint out to our eyes the faith and obedience which he did devoutly shew to the word of God, for which that felicity did accompany his kingdom. He was nothing moved with the admonitions of his father Ammon's counsellors ; but so soon as he had heard the words of the law read out of the book, which Helkia the high priest found in the temple at Hierusalem, he straightway committed himself wholly to God and his word. Neither stayed he to look for the minds and reformations of other kings and kins:- doms ; but, quickly forecasting the best for his people, he began to reform the corrupted religion, which he did especially in the eighteenth year of his age. And in that reformation he had a regard always to follow the meaning of the holy scrip- ture alone, and not to give ear to the deeds of his predecessors, to the prescribed order of long continuance, nor to the common voices of the greatest multitude. For he assembled his people together, before whom he laid open the book of God's law, and appointed all things to be ordained according to the rule of his written word. And thereupon it comcth which we find written, that he spared not the ancient temples and long ac- customed rites, which Solomon and Jeroboam had erected and ordained against the word of God. To be short, this king Josias pulled down, and overthrew, whatsoever was set up in the church or kingdom of Juda against the word of God. And lest, peradventure, any one should cavil and say, that he was over hardy and too rough in his dealings, the scripture glveth this testimony of him, and saith : "Like unto him was there no king before him, which turned to the Lord with all liis heart, with all his soul, and all his might, according to all the
OF THE FELICITY, &C. OF KINGDOMS. 11
law of Moses: neither after him arose there any such as he." Whereas we read therefore, that this so commended and most fortunate kinof was overcome and slain in a foughtcn battle, that death of his is to be counted a part of his felicity, and not of his misery. For the Lord himself said to Josias : "I will i-oKin^xxii gather thee unto thy fathers, and in peace shalt thou be buried, i^^^'^J that thine eyes may not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place." For there is no greater argument, that the people and very princes of the kingdom under that most holy king were mere hypocrites and idolaters, than for because, next and immediately after his death, both his sons and peers, re- jecting the word of God, did bring in again all superstition and blasphemous wickedness. Whereupon we read that for the whole twenty-two years, wherein the kings of Juda did reign after the death of Josias, there was no peace or quiet- ness in Hierusalem, but perpetual seditions and most bloody murders. Next after Josias reigned his son Joachas : but joachas. within three months after he was taken, bound, and led cap- j^honTas & tive away into the land of Egypt. After the leading away of aKfnVfxui. Joachas, his brother Joachim ware the crown : who in the eleventh year of his reign, being bound in chains, was slain by Nabuchodonoser, and lastly (as Jeremy saith) was buried in the [jer. xxii. sepulchre of an ass ^ In Joachim's stead was his son Jechonias set up ; but, about three months after, he with his princes and substance was taken captive and led away to Babylon. After him the kingdom was given to Zedechias, the son of Josias : but, because he would not obey the word of God preached by the prophet Jeremy, he loseth both his life and kingdom in the eleventh year of his reign : in whose time also the temple is set of fire, Hierusalem ^ is sacked, and the people slain for the most part, or led away captive. Thus much hitherto touching the kings of Juda. For in Zedechias both the king- dom and majesty or dignity thereof did fail and make an end.
To these if we add the ends and destinies of the kings of The kings of
. . Israel.
Israel, we shall again be compelled to confess, that all felicity of kings and kingdoms do consist in hearing and following the word of God ; and that contrarily, calamities and miseries do rise by the contempt and neglecting of the same. For Jero-
[1 sepultura asini, Lat.]
[2 sedcs regni vetustissima, Lat. omitted : the most ancient seat of the kingdom.]
12 DEDICATION TO KING EDWARD THE SIXTH.
boam, the first king of the separated Israelites, letting pass the word of God, did ordain new rites to worship the Lord by, and erected new temples ; but by so doing he overthrew
n Kings xii. himself, his house, and all his kingdom. After him doth Baasa succeed both in the kingdom and idolatrous religion,
[1 Kings XV. which was the cause why he and his were utterly destroyed.
' ' ' 14-]. Then foUoweth Amri, the father of Achab; who, for augment-
[1 Kings
2a.]
[2 Kings xii
ing idolatrous impiety, is horribly slain with all his family, so that not one of his escaped the revenging sword of God's anger and jealousy. And for because Jehu was faithful and vahant in killing those tyrants, in dispatching Baal's priests, and rooting out of idolatrous superstition, the Lord doth promise, and say unto him: "Because thou hast zealously done that which thou hast done, according to all that is right in my sight S therefore shall thy children, unto the fourth generation, sit on the seat of Israel." And we read verily, that his sons and nephews were notable princes, which succeeded in the kingdom, even Joachas, Joas, Jeroboam the second of that name, and Zacharias. The other kings, as Solium, Manahe", Pekaiah, Peka, and Osee, had their kingdom altogether like to the kingdom of the son of Josias, to wit, in a seditious, trou- blesome, and a most miserable taking. For they despised the mouth of the Lord : therefore were they utterly cut off, and for the most part either slain, or carried away captive, by their enemies the Assyrians. From the division of the people into two several kingdoms after the death of Solomon, there were in number nineteen kings of Israel, and eighteen of Juda. The kings of Israel altogether reigned about two hundred and seventy -two years, and they of Juda about three hundred and ninety-three^. Now by the space of so many years, in the most renowned and peculiar people of God, which was as it were a glass set before the eyes of all nations to view and behold themselves in, there might the truest causes of felicity and calamities of all kings and kingdoms in the whole world be so lively represented and perfectly painted, that there
[1 juxta omnia qua) fuerunt in covde moo, Lat.]
[2 Manahem, Lat.]
[3 Strictly speaking, the number of the kings of Jnilah was 19, — not including Atlialiah's usurpation. According to Usher, the kingdom of Judali lasted 388 years; and the kingdom of Israel 254 years. Annal. Vet. Test.]
OF THE FELICITY, &C. OF KINGDOMS. 13
should be no need to fetch from elsewhere a more plain and evident demonstration of the same.
And yet for all that, we are not without other foreign Foreign examples, whereby to prove it. For the Pharaos of Egypt '°^^ were the destruction both to themselves and also to their* kingdom, by^ their stubborn rebellion against God's word. Again, Darius Priscus*^ and the great K^abuchodonosor en- joyed no small fehcity, because they despised not the coun- sels of Daniel. Balthasar, king of Babylon, a despiteful contemner of God and his word, is in one night destroyed with all his power : Babylon, the most ancient and famous city of the world, is taken, set on fire, sacked, and overthrown, and the kingdom translated to the Modes and Persians. [Dan. iv-vi ] Neither were the kings of Persia unfortunate at all, I mean, Cyrus, and Darius, otherwise called Artaxerxes'^; because Kings which they favoured the word of God, and did promote his people ood" word, and true rehgion. But on the other side we read that An- thich plr-
, Q -r, . , . secuted the
tiochus, surnamed^ Epiphanes, was most imfortunate ; who, same. as it were, making war with God himself, did most wickedly burn and make away the books of holy scripture^. Fur- thermore, we have as great store of examples, also, even out of those histories which followed immediately the time of Christ his ascension. For so many Roman emperors, kings, and princes as persecuted the preaching of the Gospel and Church of our Lord Jesus Christ, and advanced idolatry and superstitious blasphemy, so many, I say, did die a foul and shameful death. Of this are Eusebius and Orosius, renowned historiographers, assured witnesses'*'. Again, St Augustine, Lib. V. cle Civit. Dei, affirmeth, that incredible victories, very great glory, and most absolute felicity hath been given by God unto those kings, which have in faith sincerely embraced
[•* vetustissimum, Lat.; omitted by the translator : — most ancient.]
[5 sola, Lat. ; omitted by the translator : by nothing but by their rebellion.]
[6 i. e., Darius the Mede, or Cyaxares the second, uncle of Cyrus. Bulling, in Apocalyps. Serm. lxxi. See also Vol. l. p. 51. n. 3.]
[7 See Vol. I. p. 318, note 1.]
[8 licet cognominatus, Lat ; although siirnamed.]
P iMaccab. i. 20—57. Prideaux's Connection, Vol. ii. pp. 172— 188, ed. Mc Caul. Lend. 1845.J
[10 Euseb. Hist. Eccles. Lib. vni. cap. 16. Oros. adv. Pagan. Hist. Lib. VII. capp. 7, 22, &c."I
14 DEDICATION TO KING EDWARD THE SIXTH.
Christ their Lord, and utterly subverted idolatry and super- stitious blasphemy ^ It is evident therefore, that felicity Cometh by good-will and obedience to the word of God, and that all kings and kingdoms shall be unhappy, which forsake the word of God, and turn themselves to men's inventions. And this I have, I trust, declared hitherto so plainly, that the hearers may seem not only to understand, but also to see before their eyes, and as it were to feel with their hands, the pith and material substance of this whole treatise.
But whereunto doth all this tend ? That your royal Ma- jesty, forsooth, may undoubtingly know, and be assuredly persuaded, that true felicity is gotten and retained by faithful study in the word of God : to wit, if you submit yourself altogether and your whole kingdom to Christ, the chief and highest prince ; if, throughout your whole realm, you dispose and order religion, and all matters of justice, according to the rule of God's holy word ; if you dechne not one hair's breadth from that rule, but study to advance the kingdom of Christ, and go on (as hitherto you have happily begun) to subvert and tread under foot the usurped power of that tyrannical antichrist. Not that your Majesty needeth any whit at all mine admonitions or instructions : for you have undoubtedly that heavenly teacher in your mind (I mean, the Holy Ghost 2), which inspireth you with the very true doctrine of sincere and true religion. Your Majesty hath the sacred Bible, the holiest book of all books, wherein, as in a perfect rule, the whole matter of piety and our true salvation is absolutely contained and plainly set down 3. Your Majesty hath noble men, and many counsellors, belonging to your king- dom, faithful, vahant, and skilful heads both in the law of God and men, who for their wisdom and love that they bear to the sincere truth arc greatly commended among foreign nations. And for that cause all the faithful do think and call your Majesty most happy. But that happy king Ezechias, although
[1 Aug. de Civit. Dei, Lib. v. cap. 24. Quaj sit Christianorum im- pcratorum, ct quam vera felicitas. See also Vol. I. p. 385, n. 3.]
['-' Not in the original Lat.]
[3 Ilabet doctos, sapientes, pics, fidclcs in regno doctorcs et pas- tores multos, Lat. omitted by the translator : (your majesty) hath in your kingdom many learned, wise, pious, and faithful teachers and pastors.]
OF THE FELICITY, &C. OF KINGDOMS. 15
he did especially use the help of those excellent men Esay and Micheas, did not despise faithful admonishers, even among the meanest sort of Levites : neither thought they, that in [2 chr admonishing the king they lost and spent their labour in vainS ""'' ^ I therefore, having good affiance in your Majesty's good and godly disposition, do verily hope, that this short discourse of mine, touching the true causes of the fehcity and calamities of kings and kingdoms, shall have a profiting place^ with you. Even I, which twelve years since did dedicate unto your father of famous memory, Henry the Eighth, a book touching the authority of the holy scripture, and the institution and function of bishops^, against the pontifical chufi's'^ of the Romish superstition and tyranny ; and now by experience know, that that labour of mine brought forth no small fruit within the realm of England ; am now so bold again as to dedicate these my sermons unto your royal Majesty.
In these sermons I handle not the least and lowest points or places of Christian religion, the law, sin, 'grace, the Gospel, and repentance. Neither do I, as I think, handle them irre- ligiously. For I use to confer one scripture with another; than which there is no way better and safer to follow in the handling of matters touching our religion. And for because you are the true defender of the Christian faith, it cannot be but well^ undoubtedly, to have Christian sermons come abroad under the defence of your Majesty's name. My mind was, according to mine ability and the measure of faith which is in me, to further the cause of true religion, which now beginneth to bud in England, to the great rejoicing of all good people. I have therefore written these sermons at large, and handled the matter so, that of one many more may be gotten : wherein the pastor's discretion shall easily
[•* oleum et operam perdere, Lat.]
[s ct locum et fructum habituram, Lat.]
[0 Interesting particulars of the reception of this book in England in 1538 occur in Original Letters, Parker Soc. pp. 611, 618. See also p. 313 for a testimony to the usefulness of Bullinger's writings in England.]
[7 antistites, Lat. ; chuff, a word of no certain etymology, but signify- ing a rough uneducated clown of portly appeai-ance. Toone's Glossary, in voc. Lond. 1834. See Shakspeare's Henr. IV. Part i. Sc. 2, Act 2, —"yo fat chuffs."]
[8 minime erit ingi-atum, Lat.]
16 DEDICATION TO KING EDWARD THE SIXTH.
discern what is most available and profitable for every several church. And the pastor's duty verily is rightly to mow^ the word of truth, and aptly to give the fodder of life unto the Lord's flock. They will not think much^, I hope, because in these sermons I do use the same matter, the same argu- ments, and the very same words, that otlier before me, both ancient and late writers, (whom I have judged to follow the scriptures), have used yer^ now, or which I myself have elsewhere alleged in other books of mine own heretofore published. For as this doctrine, at all times, and in all points agreeable to itself, is safest to be followed, so hath it always been worthily praised of all good and godly people. If the Lord grant me life, leisure, and strength, I will shortly add the other eight sermons of the fourth decade, which are behind*. And all that I say here, I speak it still without all prejudice to the judgment of the right and true Church. Our Lord Jesus, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, lead you with the Spirit ^ and defend you to the glory of his name, and safety of all your realm. At Tigure, in the month of March, the year of our Lord, 1550. Your Majesty's dutifully bounden and daily Orator^,
Henry Bullinger, Minister of the Church at Tigure in Swicerland.
[^ secare, Lat. 2 Tim. ii. 15, Erasmus' version : — recta sectio (verbi veritatis) est, explicandi ratio ad ajdificationem formata. Calv. Com- ment, in loc]
[2 His non ingratum fuerit, Lat.]
[3 yer : ere, before. See Tyndale's Doctrinal Treat. Park. Soc. p. 51, note 1, and 455, note 1.]
[4 Bullinger fulfilled this promise in the following August. See Dedication prefixed to the Third Sermon of the fourth Decade.]
[5 Spiritu suo, Lat. ; his Spirit.]
[•5 Orator : boad-man, or prayer-man. Sec note 3, Tyndale's Doc- trinal Treatises. Tarker Soc. ed. p. 331.]
RlU. FEB 1881
THE
THIRD DECADE OF SERMON
WRITTEN BY
HENRY BULLINGER.
OF THE FOURTH PRECEPT OF THE SECOND TABLE, WHICH IS IN ORDER THE EIGHTH OF THE TEN COM- MANDMENTS, THOU SHALT NOT STEAL. OF THE OWNING AND POSSESSING OF PROPER GOODS, AND OF THE RIGHT AND LAW- FUL GETTING OF THE SAME; AGAINST SUNDRY KINDS OF THEFT.
THE FIRST SERMON.
For the sustaining and nourishing of our hves and fami- lies, we men have need of earthly riches. Next therefore after the commandments touching the preservation of man's life, and the holy iieeping of wedlock's knot, in this fourth commandment a law is given for the true getting, possessing, using and bestowing of wealth and worldly substance ; to the end that we should not get them by theft or evil means, that we should not possess them unjustly, nor use or spend them unlawfully. Justice requireth to use riches well, and to give to every man that which is his : now, since the laws of God be the laws of justice, they do very necessarily by way of command- ment say, "Thou shalt not steal." These words, again, in xhe eighth number are few ; but in sense, of ample signification. For in men™''"'^" this precept theft itself is utterly forbidden ; all shifting subtilties are flatly prohibited ; deceit and guile is banished ; all cozening fetches are clean cut off; covetousncss, idleness, prodigality, or lavish spending, and all unjust dealing, is herein debarred : moreover, charge is here given for main- taining of justice, and that especially in contracts and bargains. Wonderful turmoils, verily, are raised up and begun among men of this world about the getting, possessing, and spending of temporal riches : it was expedient therefore, that God in
[BULLINGER, II. J
substance.
18 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
his law, which he ordaineth for the health, commodity, and peace of us men, should appoint a state, and prescribe an order, for earthly goods : as in this law he hath most ex- cellently done. And that ye may the better understand it, I will at this present, by the help of God's Holy Spirit, discourse upon the proper owning and upright getting of worldly riches : in which treatise the whole consideration of theft in all his kinds shall be plainly declared, ownin ''of^^' ^^^ ^^^ proper owning and possessing of goods is not by this precept prohibited; but we are forbidden to get them unjustly, to possess them unlawfully, and to spend them wickedly : yea, by this commandment the proper owning of peculiar substance is lawfully ordained and firmly established. The Lord forbiddeth theft ; therefore he ordaineth and con- firmeth the proper owning of worldly riches. For what canst thou steal, if all things be common to all men ? For thou hast stolen thine own, and not another man's, if thou takest from another that which he hath. But God forbiddeth theft ; and therefore, by the making of this law, he confirmeth the proper possession of peculiar goods. But because there is no small number of that furious sect of Anabaptists, which deny this propriety of several^ possessions^, I will by some evident testimonies of scripture declare that it is both allowed and ratified of old. Of Abraham, who in the scripture is called the father of faith, Eliazer, his servant, saith : " God hath blessed my master marvellously, that he is become great ; and hath given him sheep and oxen, silver and gold, men- servants and maidservants, camels and asses^ ; and to his son hath he given all that he hath." Lo then, Abraham was wealthy, and did possess by the right of propriety all those things which God had given him ; and he left them all, by the title of inheritance, as peculiar and proper goods unto his son Isaac. Isaac therefore and Jacob possessed their own and proper goods. Moreover God, by the hand of Moses, brought the Israehtes, his people, into the land of promise, the grounds whereof he did by lot divide unto the tribes of
[^ several: separate, particular.]
[^ See Articles of Religion, Art. xxxviii. and Bullinger adversus Anabaptistas. Lib. i. cap. 9, p. 22, and Lib. iv. cap. 9, p. 143, Tigur. 1560.]
[3 camels and asses, not in original Lat. of Bullinger.]
[Gen. xxh 33, 36.]
-CVlt. XXV.
mb.
I.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 19
Josue* his servant, appointing to every one a particular portion to possess ; and did by laws provide that those in- ri.e heritances should not be mingled and confounded together, xxv'ii."] In Salomon and the prophets there are very many precepts and sentences tending to this purpose.
But I know very well that these troublesome wranglers do make this objection, and say : That christian men are not bound to these proofs, that are fetched out of the old Testa- ment^ And although I could confute that objection, and prove that those places out of the old Testament do in this case bind us to mark and follow them ; yet will I rather, for shortness' sake, allege some proofs out of the scriptures of the new Testament, to stop their mouths withal. Our Lord Jesus Christ doth greatly commend in his disciples the works of mercy, which do consist in feeding the hungry, in giving drink to the thirsty, in clothing the naked, in visiting prisoners and those that be sick, and in harbouring strangers and banished men. He therefore granteth to his disciples a propriety and possession of peculiar goods, wherewith they may frankly do good unto other, and help the needy and the man in misery. But, the proper owning of several goods being once taken away, good deeds and alms must of necessity be utterly lacking : for if all things be common, then dost thou give nothing of that which is thine, but all that thou spendest is of the common riches. Yet Paul the apostle, in his epistle [i cor. xvi. to the Corinthians, biddeth every one to lay up alms by him- self, which he might receive when he came to Corinth. He hath also commanded every one to bestow so much as he can [acor. viii find in his heart wilUngly to give, and according to the g,T.] ' quantity that every one possesseth, not according to that which he possesseth not ; and yet not to bestow it so, that they to whom it is given should have more than enough, and they which give should be pinched with penury and lack of things necessary. The same apostle saith : " We beseech you, brethren, that you study to be quiet, and to do your
[* per Josue, Lat ; by Joshua.]
[5 . . . inter abominandos Anabaptistas eos statuimus, qui vetus testa- mentum rejiciunt, qui testimonia qua) ex illo adducuntur ad declaranda et confinnanda dogmata Cliristiantc fidei, aut ad errores ct falsa dog- mata refutanda, non recipiunt, &c. — Bullingcr adv. Anabap. Lib. ir. cap. 15, p. 74.]
20 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
own business, and to work with your own hands, as we com- manded you : that you may walk honestly to them that be with-
n Thess. iv. out, and that ye may have lack of nothing." I could, out of other his ^ epistles, allege many more proofs of this same sort : but these are enough to declare sufficiently, that propriety of goods is in both the Testaments permitted to christian men.
How in the In the Acts of the Apostles we read^, that amono; them of
apostles' age ... , i- i i n i •
all things the primitive and apostolic church all things were common :
were com- ^ ^ ^ o '
">°°- but that which folio weth in the same book doth declare what
kind of communion that was which they had : for Luke [Acts iv. 32.] saith, " None of them said that any thing was his of that which he possessed." Lo here, the first Christians possessed houses, grounds, and other riches, by the right of propriety ; and yet they possessed them not as their own goods, but as the goods of other men, and as it were in common, so notwithstanding that the right of propriety did still remain in possessors' own hands : and if so be at any time necessity so required, they sold their lands and houses, and helped the need of them that lacked. If they sold, then that which they sold was undoubt- edly their own : for no good man doth sell another man's substance, but that which is his own, or that which he hath taken in hand to husband as his own. Moreover, St Peter, [Acts V. 3, 4.] compounding all this controversy, saith to Ananias, " Whiles the land remained, was it not thine own ? and when it was sold, was it not in thy power ? How is it then, that thou liest to the Holy Ghost, and keepest back part of the price of the land, and makest, notwithstanding, as though thou hadst brought the whole price unto us?" It was in Ananias his power not to have sold the land ; and, when it was sold, to have kept to himself the whole sum of money : and yet for that deed he should not have been excluded from the church of the faithful. It was free therefore at that time, even as at this day also it is, either to sell, or not to sell, their ^ lands and possessions, and to bestow it commonly for the relieving of the poor. Therefore that place in the Acts of the Apostles doth not take away the right of propriety, nor command such a communion of every man's goods as our mad-hcadcd Ana- baptists go about to ordain.
[1 his, not in original Lat.]
[^ sane, Lat. omitted : indeed.]
[3 their, not in original Lat.]
1.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 21
And for because I perceive that some do very stiffly stick to the letter, and urge that communion of substance, it shall not be tedious to recite unto you, dearly beloved, other men's judgments touching this point ; I moan, the opinions of them ■which by conference of scriptures have made this matter most plain and manifest\
Whereas we read in the second chapter of the Acts, that all which behoved were joined in one^ it must not so be imderstood as though they, like monks, forsaking every one his proper house, did dwell together in common, all in one house ; but that they, as it is immediately after added, con- tinued daily in the temple with one accord : not that they left off every man to eat in his own house and to provide things necessarily required of nature, or that every one sold the house that he had; since there is afterward added, "breaking bread from house to house." If they brake bread from house to house, let these Anabaptists answer, in what houses the Christians at Jerusalem did break their bread. In the houses of unbelievers ? I think, nay. Therefore they brake bread and ate meat in the houses of the faithful. How therefore did they all sell or forsake their lands and houses ? How did they Hve together like cloisterers? Whereas Luke saith therefore, that " so many as believed were joined in one," that is to be understood, that they did oftentimes assemble in the temple : so then that communicating of goods among the Christians was nothing else but a sale, which the wealthier sort made of their lands and houses, to the end that by be- stowing that money the poor might be relieved, lest they, being compelled by penury and famine, should turn from Christianity to Judaism again. Moreover, we read in many places of the Acts, that Christians kept to themselves the use of their houses and ordering of their substance ; as in the ninth of the Acts we find of Tabitha, who was full of good works, making coats and clothing for widows and poor people. In the twelfth of the Acts we read that Peter the apostle, being brought out of prison, " came to the house of Mary, the
[* Most of the ensuing arguments from scripture occur in Melanc- thon's Epist. adv. Anabap. Coi-p. Ref. Tom. i. col. 970—3, and Calvin's Instruct, adv. Libertinos, cap. 21, p. 393, Tom. vni. Amstel. 1667. See also Bullinger, adv. Anabapt. Lib. iv. cap. 9.]
[5 Acts ii. 44, erant conjuncti, Erasmus' rendering.]
22 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
mother of John, whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together to pray :" he saith not, to dwell, but to pray ; whereby thou may est understand that the congregation was assembled in that house to pray. Again, in the ninth chapter, Peter stayeth many days in the house of Simon the tanner, which was a christian man, and dwelt in his own house. And in the eleventh chapter, " the disciples, accord- ing to every one's ability, sent help to the brethren which dwelt in Jury." Lo here, " as every one," saith he, " was of ability." But what ability could any of them have had, unless they had somewhat of their own in possession? In the six- teenth chapter, Lydia, the woman that sold purple, when she was baptized, did say, " If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there." Why said she not, sell my house ; but, " come into my house :" but for because she did so possess her house after she believed, as that she made it common to the apostles ? In the twentieth chapter, Paul doth glory that he hath not desired any man's gold, silver, or precious clothes. But what sense or reason could be in these words, unless it were lawful for christian men to keep the possession of that which is theirs ? And in the twenty-first chapter, Philip had at Caesarea a house and four daughters : why sold he not his house ? Philemon ^phiiem. 16, also, Paul's host, had both a house and a servant too. It is therefore most plain and evident, that the Holy Ghost's meaning is not to have such an order of life ob- served, as these people do devise ; but that every man should govern well his own house and family, and relieve the bre- thren's necessity, according as his ability will suffer and bear. To this end also do other places belong ; 1 Timothy v., Titus ii., 1 Thess. iv., 2 Thess. iii. And when in all his Epistles almost he prescribeth to parents and children, to husbands and wives, to masters and servants, their office and duties ; what doth he else, but teach how to order our houses and families? Thus luuch thus far.
What may be said of that, moreover, that many wealthy men in the gospel are reported to have been worshippers of God ? Joseph of Arimathea, which buried the Lord after he was crucified, is said to have been a wealthy man, and a disciple of Christ also. The women were wealthy, which followed the Lord from Galilee, and ministered to him and
I.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 23
his disciples of their goods and substance. The eunuch^ treasurer of Queen Candace was a wealthy man. Tabitha of Joppa, whom Peter raised from death to life, was rich, and spent her substance freely upon poor and needy people. Lydia, the seller of purple, was wealthy too ; and innumer- able more, who were both godly and faithful people. Whereas the Lord therefore did say to the young man, " If thou rMatt. xix. wilt be perfect, go, and sell that which thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven ; and come and follow me ;" that is no general law, or simple doctrine belonging to all men ; but is a demonstration only, to shew that the young man to whom he spake had not yet so perfectly fulfilled the law, as he thought verily that he had done : for he thought he had done all, and that nothing was wanting. For the young man set more by his goods than he did by God and the voice of God's commandment: for he departed sadly, and did not as the Lord had bidden him ; and thereby declared that he had not yet fulfilled the law. Moreover, we may out of other places gather that the Lord did not cast down his disciples to misery and beggary. Nei- ther was Paul the apostle ashamed to make laws for rich men, and to prescribe an order how they ought to behave themselves. "To them that be rich," saith he, " in this n Tim. vi, world, give charge that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, which giveth us abundantly all things to enjoy ; that they do good, that they be rich in good works, that they be ready to give, glad to distribute, laying up in store for themselves a good foun- dation against the time to come, that they may lay hold upon eternal life." Hereunto belong the admonitions of our Sa- ^.j^j^^^ ^,. ^^ viour, who saith : " Ye cannot serve God and mammon at ^j^ 'jj'i.^li.f once." Again, "Riches are thorns that choke the seed of the word of God." And again, " Verily, I say unto you, a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." And as the minds of wealthy men are not utterly to be dis- couraged and driven to desperation, as though it were impos- sible for them to be saved ; so are they to be admonished of the imminent perils, lest peradventure they sleep securely [1 Substituted for another word used by the translator.] •
24 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
over their riches, being seduced by Satan to abuse their
wealth, when as indeed they ought rather to use it after the
rule of the Apostle, which I did even now recite. The
s^nSus' Gangresian synod ^ a very ancient council, verily condemned
False doc them which taught, "that faithful rich men could have no
cerning liopc to bo savcd by the Lord, unless they did renounce and
riches and rich men condemned.
rich men forsake all the good that they did possess^." St Augustine
enrolleth and reckoneth the Apostolics in his catalogue, or bead-row, of heretics : " They, taking arrogantly this name to themselves, did not admit into their company any of them which used the fellowship of their own wives, or had in pos- session any proper substance." After that he addeth : "They therefore are heretics, because, separating themselves from the church, they think that they have no hope to be saved which use and enjoy the things that they themselves lack. They are like unto the Encratites, and are called also by the name of Apotactites^." Touching riches, they of themselves verily are not evil, but the good gifts of God ; it is the abuse that makes them evil. But for the use of them, I will speak here- after. Of the lawful Here followeth now the treatise of the getting of wealth
gettnig of . . O O
riches. and riches, which be necessary for the maintenance of our
lives and families. Touching the getting whereof there is a large discourse among our lawyers : for they say, that goods are gotten by the law of nations, and by the pecuhar law of every particular country : by the law of nations; as by pre- vention in possession, by captivity, by finding, by birth, by casting up of water, by changing the kind, by increase in bondage, by mixture, by building, planting, sowing, tilling in
[1 The Synod of Gangva in Paphlagonia was held after that of Nice, but before that of Antioch, i.e. between a.d. 325 and 341 ; but the exact year is not known.]
[2 Tcop ;(p77/iara e^ovTcov, Koi firj dvaxoopovvTcav avru>v, KarfylvaxTKov
{ol TTfpi rbv TLvcTTadiov) — Kara tovtcov ovv Upo\ ddpoKrdevTfs irarepes Ka- vovas e^edevTo. Zonaras in Can. Apost. &c. Lutet. Paris. 1618. p. 310.]
[3 Apostolici, qui se isto nomine arrogantissime vocaverunt, eo quod in suam communionem non reciperent utentes conjugibus et res proprias possidontes . . . Ideo isti hecretici sunt, quoniam se ab ecclesia separantes nullam spem putant eos habere, qui utuntur his rebus quibus ipsi carent. Enoratitis isti similes sunt; nam et Apotactitaj
appellantur — August. 0pp. Par. 1531, Tom. vi. p. 4, col. 3 'EyKpa-
Ttrat, continents; d7rora«riKot, separatists. See Vol. i. p. 432, n. 3.]
I.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 25
a ground free from possession, and by delivery : by the peculiar law of every particular country ; as by continuance of possession, by prescription, by giving, by will, by legacy, by fiefment, by succession, by challenge, by purchase*. Of all which particularly to speak, it would be a labour too tedious, and for you to hear, dearly beloved, little profitable.
That therefore which we are to say we will frame to the manners and customs of our age ; and we will utter that which shall tend to our avail. Principally, and before all things, we must close and shut up an evil eye, lest we be carried away with too much concupiscence and desire. " The [m light of the body," saith our Saviour Christ in the Gospel, " is the eye : if therefore thine eye be single, thine whole body shall be hghtened : but if thine eye be evil, thy body shall be all dark." The mind of man, being endued with faith and not infected with concupiscences and naughty lusts, doth give light to all things that he shall take in hand, go about, and do ; but if his mind be corrupt and unclean, then shall his deeds savour also of corruption and uncleanness. Wherefore faith and upright conscience must subdue and beat down too much concupiscence and covetousness, which take their original and roots from distrust, making unholy and unclean all the counsels of man, all his thoughts, all his words and deeds. And that we may be able and of force sufficient to captivate and bring them into subjection, neces- sary it is, that the grace of Christ assist us; which every godly-minded man and woman doth ask of God with godly and faithful prayers.
Behovcful it is that we always set before our eyes, and have deeply graven in our hearts, the doctrine of our Sa- viour Christ touching these, and the instruction also of his holy apostles ; which is not so much but it may be well borne away. We will, therefore, rehearse unto you, dearly beloved, three several places, two of them out of the Gospel,
[4 Jure gentium, ct jure civili. . .. Occupatione, captivitate, inven- tione, nativitate, alluvione, specificatione, accessione, confusione, sedifi- catione, plantatione, satione, cultura, traditione. . . Usucapionc, prse- scriptione, donatione, testamento, legato, fidei commisso, successione, arrogatione, adjectione. — Corp. Jur. Civil. Digest. Lib. xlt. Tit. i. col. 1447, &c. Tom. i. Par. 1628. — All these terms of the civil law are very fairly explained in the translation.]
26 THE THIRD DECADE. [sEKM.
and the third out of Saint Paul : in which places, as it were in a perfect abridgement, you may have comprised what things soever can be required of such as worship God in truth. In the Gospel according to St Matthew thus saith our Lord and Saviour : " Hoard not up for yourselves trea- sures in earth, where the rust and moth doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal : but lay up treasure for you in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your hearts also be. No man can serve two masters : for either he shall hate the one, and love the other ; or else he shall lean to the one, and despise the other : ye cannot serve God and mammon. There- fore I say unto you, be not careful for your life, what ye shall eat or drink ; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on : is not the life more worthy than meat, and the body more worth than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor carry into barns ; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them : are not ye much better than they ? Which of you, by taking careful thought, can add one cubit to his stature? And why care ye for raiment ? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow : they labour not, neither do they spin ; and yet I say unto you, that even Salomon in all his royalty was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which, though it stand to day, is to-morrow cast into the furnace ; shall he not much more do the same for you, O ye of little faith ? Therefore take no thought, say- ing, What shall we eat, or. What shall we drink, or. Where- with shall we be clothed ? For after all these tilings do the Gentiles seek : for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek yo first the kingdom of God^ and all these things shall be added unto you. Care not then for to-morrow ; for the morrow shall care for itself. Suflftcicnt unto the day is the evil thereof." Thus saith the Lord in the sixth of Matthew's Gospel.
Again, in the twelfth chapter of St Luke's gospel he^ saith : " Take heed, and beware of covetousness : for no man's
[1 ct justitiam ejus, Lat. ; omitted by the translator: and his right- eousness.]
[2 idem Dominus nostcr, Lat. ; the same our Lojd.]
I.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 27
life standetli in the abundance of things which he possesseth :" that is, the hfc hath no need of superfluity, or, no man's Hfe hath need of more than enough. " And he put forth a simiUtude, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth fruits plentifully ; and he thought vrithin himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits ? And he said. This will I do ; I will pull down my barns, and build greater, and therein will I gather all my fruits and my goods; and I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up in store for many years ; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him. Thou fool, this night do they require thy soul again from thee'': then whose shall these things be which thou hast provided ? So is he that gathereth riches to himself, and is not rich to God-wards." Paul, the vessel of election, following in all things his teacher and master, crieth out, and saith : "Godliness is a great lucre, if a man be content [i_Tim v.. with that he hath: for we brought nothing into the world, and it is certain that we may carry nought away ; but, having food and raiment, we must therewith be content. For they that will be rich fall into temptations and snares, and into many foolish and noisome lusts, which drown men in perdition and destruction. For covetousness, and the love of money, is the root of all evil ; which while some have lusted after, they erred from the faith, and wrapped themselves in many sorrows. But thou, 0 man of God, flee these things ; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness, &c."
Whosoever, therefore, meaneth by bodily labour or any kind of traffic to get a living and things necessary for himself and his family, let him take these godly precepts instead of treacle* and other wholesome medicines, to strengthen his mind against the envenomed force of poisoned greediness, and the infecting plague of covetousness. And when he hath with Labour is
,. T- •, • 11,. 11 • p commended
this medicine against poison, compounded oi the doctrine oi and idleness
^. ■, condemned.
the evangelists and apostles, fortified his mind against the
[3 animam tuam repetunt abs te, Lat. So the Vulgate and Erasmus. The original is, ttjv \I/-vxi]v <tov cmaiToiviv otto <tov. See the marginal reading of our authorised version.]
[* tlieriuca, Lat. ; a compound medicine against the bites of poi- sonous animals; treacle. Facciolati Tot. Lat. Lex. in voc]
28
THE THIRD DECADE.
[SERM.
[2 Thess. iii. 6, 10—12.]
Needless oi ciipations.
plague, then let him immediately bend himself to some labour and kind of occupation. But let every one pick out and choose an honest and profitable occupation, not a needless art, or a science hurtful to any other man. And finally, let all men fly idleness, as a plague or contagious disease. And now again let us in this case hear the heavenly words of that holy apostle Paul, who saith: "We charge you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that liveth inordinately, and not after the institution 1 which he received of us. For when we were with you, this we warned you of, that if any would not work, the same should not eat. For we hear say, that there are some which walk among you inordinately, working not at all, but be busy-bodies. Them that are such we command and exhort, by our Lord Jesus Christ, that they, working in quietness, eat their own bread."
In all ages, and among all honest men, both idleness and needless occupations have been always condemned. Hesiodus said:
Botli gods and men abhor
The lazy hand-inbosom'd lout 2,
That works not in a common weal. But lurks, and lives without
Pains-taking; like the idle drone, That lives upon the spoil
Of that, for which the busy bees Do tire themselves with toil.
And Sophocles said :
Where idleness doth sit a-brood, There's never good egg hatch'd^.
For God doth not assist slothful persons and idle slow- backs. Now I call those needless occupations, which idle and ill-disposed people do use, thereby to be troublesome to their neighbours, and to deceive other men ; exercising,
[1 institutionem, Lat. ; Erasmus' rendering. See Fulke's Defence of Translations of the Bible, Parker Soc. ed. pp. 151, 166.]
[2 to bosom, to conceal in privacy. Johnson's Diet. ; lout, to bow, bend, or do obeisance; and hence a clown or rustic was so called. Toone's Glossary. Lond. 1834.]
[3 Hcsiodi "Epy. koI 'Ufi. 301. Sophocl. Iphig. apud Stoba^i Floril. Tit. XXX. cd. Gaisford, Vol. ii. p. 30.]
I.J THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 29
I confess, an occupation, but such an one as is utterly unlaw- ful and unprofitable to all men, themselves only excepted, to whom it brings in excessive gains : of which sort are usurers, engrossers, hucksters*, and other moo, that have many arts to frank themselves with an idle shew of business, like a swine shut up to be fatted in a sty ^. As for them whose wealth by wealth is come to them, not by their own labour, or their own '"''""^"**- industry^, but by inheritance of their ancestors' leaving, let them consider with themselves by what means the riches were gotten, which now by inheritance are fallen to their lot : and, if they perceive that they be heirs of unjust-gotten goods, let them be hberal, and make amends for them'^, not doubhng the evil in possessing unjustly, and more wickedly digesting the thing that before was naughtily come by. Let them put no trust or confidence in their ill-gotten riches, neither let them give themselves to idleness, but still be busy in some honest thing. But yet most commonly it cometh to pass, that ill-gotten goods are spent very lewdly^. The best ■way therefore is, either to be heir to a good, just, and liberal man ; or else to seek means, by their own toil and travail^, to have of thine own wherewithal to sustain both tlime own life and the lives of thy family.
But many men make a doubt here, and call it into ques- whether tion: first, whether bargaining, and buying and selling, be ='^f|"J)||j>s^^ lawful or no; and then, what one occupation it is, among all lawfuiomo. other, that doth best beseem a godly man. Them which stick upon these doubts I wish to consider these reasons that follow. First, it is manifest, that contracts are for the most part voluntary, and that bargains are made with the mutual consent of the buyer and seller ; so that each one may take deliberation, and make choice of that which he would have, to see whether it be best for his purpose or no. Of this sort are the exchange of things, suretyship, letting, hiring, mort- gaging, borrowing, lending, covenanting, buying, selling, and
[•* monopolse et propolse, Lat.] [5 negotioso otio se saginantcs, Lat.] [6 negotiatione asqua, Lat. ; by fair trading.] [■^ and make amends for them ; not in the original Latin.] [8 male partum male dilabatur, Lat. See Erasnii Adag. Chiliad. p. 727, Ilanov. 1617.]
[9 negotiatione justa, Lat.]
30 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
other moe like unto these. These things, as experience doth prove, even the hohest men cannot be without, so long as they live in this frail world. Neither doth the Lord of the law in any place forbid these kind of contracts, but planteth them rather in his commonweal of Israel, that the people might know and acknowledge them to be the ordinances of God : the abuse, deceit, guile, and confidence in them is flatly- forbidden by the word of the Lord. U, therefore, any man do use them moderately, not staying himself upon them, nor reposing his trust in them, in so using them he sinneth not. And here again let us hear the words of the apostle, who saith : 2y-3i']"' ' "^^^ ^^^^"^ which have wives be as though they had none ; and them which weep, as though they wept not ; and them which rejoice, as though they rejoiced not ; and them which buy, as though they possessed not ; and them which use this world, as though they used it not^: for the fashion of this world doth pass away." In like manner, we do in no place read that just and lawful gains have been at any time forbidden; yea, the Lord doth bless the labour and tra- vail of his servants, which love him, that even as in virtue, so also they may increase in riches and substance. This do the examples of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob evidently tes- t' T™-^'»-y3. tify. And the very apostles bid us not^ to look after no '1] ' gain, but charge us only to keep ourselves from gaping after
filthy gain. of ocSiu'."''' There are among men many and divers occupations ; and tions. the state and conditions, wherein men are, do stand in need of
many and sundry things. There is an occupation or grosser kind of labour, which is put in practice by force of hand and strength of body rather than by art, although it wanteth not altogether wit and discretion. There is also a more fine and subtile labour of the wit, which, although it be not done without the body and strength of man, is yet, notwithstanding, accom- phshed by the wit rather than by the bodily force of him which laboureth. Of the first sort are all those occupations or sciences which are commonly called handicrafts ; and in that number we reckon also merchandising, husbandry, and
[1 So Tyndale, 1534, and Cranmer, 1539; and the Vulgato and Erasmus agree with Bullinger's text, taiiquam non utantur.]
[2 non jubent nos nullum sperare lucrum, Lat. So 1677; not, is
wanting in 1587.]
I.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 31
grazing of cattle. Of the latter sort are the study of tongues, of physic, of law, of divinity especially, and of philosophy, and lastly, the governing of a commonweal. The patriarchs, verily, who were most innocent and excellent men, did, for the most part, either exercise husbandry, or else breed and feed up cattle to increase. There are many examples, of Abel, Noe, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Job, and other more. The Levites and prophets lived by their study and ecclesiastical ministry. The feat^ of merchandising is nowhere condemned throughout the holy scriptures ; but those merchants are condemned, which neither fear nor seek after God, but use odd shifts and subtile sleights to deceive and cozen their brethren and neighbours. For James, the apostle of Christ our Lord, saith : "Go tO[jamesiv. now, ye that say. To-day, and to-morrow, let us go into such ~ "' a city, and continue there a year, and buy, and sell, and win; and yet cannot tell what shall happen on the morrow ; for ■what is your life ? it is even a vapour, that continueth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, and if we live*, let us do this or that." Neither is Lydia, the seller of purple, found fault withal, in the Acts of the Apostles, for that she did sell purple : for Prov. xxxi. Salomon, where he setteth forth the praise of a good house- wife, doth commend her greatly for exercising merchandise. All notable kings have lived by governing of their common- wealths ; even as Joseph, the preserver of Egypt, and Daniel, the chief next to the king in Babylon and Media, did in like sort. For as in man's body there are many members, and i cor. xh. sundry uses whereunto they are applied, when as notwith- standing they do all agree in one, and tend together to the preservation and safeguard of the body ; even so God hath ordained divers arts and occupations for men to labour in, so yet nevertheless, that he would have them all to serve to the commonweal's commodity.
But now it is not for me definitively to pronounce which whatoccu- of all these occupations a godly man ought chiefly first toRodiyman
•r . ° '' . _° "^ ., oufiht chiefly
choose, and then to put m practice. Let every man weigh to use. with himself the things that hitherto I have alleged ; then let him search and make trial of himself, to what kind of life and
[3 feat: employment.]
[* So Tyndale, 1534, and Cranmer, 1530; and the Vulgate and Erasmus, as Bullinger, et si vixerimus.]
prodigality.
32 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
occupation his mind is most willing, and whereunto he himself is most fit and profitable : let him also have a diligent regard to consider, what arts they are that be most simple and agree- able to nature ; and what occupations have least need of craft and deceit ; and lastly, what sciences do least of all draw us from God and justdeaHng. And when this is scanned, then let every man choose to himself that which he taketh to be best convenient, and most wholesome both for his soul and also his body. We cannot all of us manure the ground, neither are all heads apt to take learning ; a few among many do govern the common- weal ; and all are not fit to be handicrafts-men. Every one hath his sundry disposition ; every one is inspired by God ; every one hath the aid and counsel of his friends and well-willers ; every one hath sundry occasions; and every one hath the rule of God's word: let him be content with and stay himself upon them, so yet that God's commandments may still have the pre-eminence. Beware of But for him that laboureth and taketh pains in his occu-
pation, these rules of admonition which follow are as neces- sary as those which are already rehearsed. For first of all, every one must take heed of prodigality or riot, in meat, drink, apparel, nice pranking of the body, and gorgeous buildings ; needless expenses must always be spared. For the Lord's will is, that every man should keep, and not lash out, the wealth that he hath, where no need requireth it : for the Lord doth hate and detest riot and needless cost to maintain pride withal. Moreover the man, that is pro- digal of that which is his own, is for the most part desirous of other men's goods ; from whence arise innumerable mis- chiefs, threats, conspiracies, downright deceit, shameless shifts, murders, and seditions. Secondarily, let him which labour- eth in his vocation be prompt and active ; let him be watch- ful and able to abide labour ; he must be no lither-back \ unapt, or slothful fellow. Whatsoever he doth, that let him do with faith- and dihgence. Sloth and sluggishness do displease God utterly. The Lord mishkes the yawning mouth and folded arms, the signs of sleep, which commonly follow the careless man, who doth neglect the state and condition of
[1 lither, lazy, idle, slothful. (North-country word.) Grose's Pro- vincial Glossary. Lond. 1787.] [2 fideliter, Lat.]
I.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMM.VNDMENTS. 33
his house and family ^ But on the other side, tlie scripture commendeth highly faithful labourers, and good and painful people in work. Let us hear, I beseech you, the golden ■words of Solomon, the wisest among all men ; who, where he blameth sluggards, saith : "Go to the emmet, thou sluggard; [Prov. consider her ways, and learn to be wise. She hath no guide, ~ nor overseer, nor ruler ; and yet in the summer she provid- eth her meat, and gathereth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, thou sluggard ? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep ? Yea, sleep on still a little, slumber a httle, fold thine hands together yet a little, and take thine case : and in the meanwhile shall poverty come upon thee like a traveller, and necessity like a weaponed man." Again, David in the psalms crieth, saying^ : " The labours of thine hands shalt thou eat : O well is thee, and happy shalt thou be." What may be thought of that moreover, that the Lord God would not have Adam to live idly in paradise, that happy place for his state and condition ? for he enjoined him the tending and dressing of that goodly garden. Idle people, therefore, are the most un- happy of all mortal men ; and slothful drowsy-heads are nothing else but an unprofitable lump of unoccupied earth ^. Lastly, let the artificer have a regard, that he hurt no man by his art or occupation. And let this be the rule for him to keep his eye upon in all business and afi'airs of his science : " Whatsoever thou wouldest have done to thyself, the same do thou to another ; and whatsoever thou wouldest not have done to thyself, that do not thou to another"." Moreover, thou doest hurt to another man two sundry ways ; that is, by keeping back, and taking away : as for example, if thou withholdest that which thou owest and is not thine own ; or if thou takest away that which is another man's, and that which he doth not owe unto thee. But of the hurt done in withholding and taking away, I will at this present speak somewhat
[3 This whole sentence is a paraphrase of the Latin ; disphcet (Deo) supina rei familiaris negligentia.]
[■* Beati omncs qui timent Dominum, qui ambulant in viis ejus, Lat. omitted by the translator; Blessed are all they that fear the Lord, and walk in his ways. Psal. cxxviii. Prayer Book Version.]
[5 telluris inutile pondus, Lat. See Erasmi Adag. Chih'ad. p. 138, Hanov. 1617.]
[6 See Vol. I. p. 197.]
r n 3
l_BULLINGEPt, II. J
34 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
largely, that thereby ye may the better understand the Lord's commandment, " Thou shalt not steal," and more perfectly perceive what kinds and sorts of theft there be. Theft. Theft, they say, is a deceitful fingering of another man's
goods, mxoveable and bodily, which is done against the owner's will, to the intent to make gain either of the thing itself, or of the use of the thing, or of the possession of the same. Therefore they say, that a mad man doth not commit theft ; because in him there can no endeavour of craft or deceit be possibly found. Neither can, say they, that man be argued of ^ theft, which by mistaking, and not of set malice, did take away another man's good instead of his own. But he alone is not called a deceitful fingerer, which layeth hand upon the thing; but he who by any manner of means conveyeth it from the possession of the true owner. Now they say, that it is done against the owner's will, not only if it be perforce and violently taken from him : but also if he know not of the taking it away ; or if he do know, yet if he cannot forbid them ; or, if he can forbid them, yet if for some certain causes he will not. Neither is it added without a cause, that theft is committed for gain and profit's sake. For if one in jest, or for some other honest cause, take any thing away, he doth not thereby deserve to be called a thief. But of theft they make two sorts : the manifest theft, as that wherewith the thief is taken ; and the theft not manifest, as when, after the deed, one is convinced of theft. Of these there is a large discourse, Digestorum Lib. xlvii. tit. 2 2. Let us return to the further opening of our present proposition. Sundry sorts Thy withholding doth hurt another man, when thou in
done'^bT^^ buyinc and selling dost use false measure or false weights. ing. ^^ ^^^.^ ^^^^ .^ referred unjust and false exchange ^ ; I mean, exchange of money in bank*. Touching these points we will recite the commandments and sentences only of the rLev.xix.35, Lord our God, who in Leviticus settcth this for a law: "Ye ^'^ shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight,
[1 be argued of: bo convicted of, found fault witli for.]
[-2 The foregoing definitions of the Civil Law arc collected in Jul. Pacii Isagog. in Instit. &c. p. 395, Traject. ad Rhcn. 16S0.]
[3 Collyljus, Lat.]
[4 CoUybus autem, ait Pollux, est pormutatio pecuni;ic, Lat. omitted by the translator. Cf. Schleusneri Lex. N. T. sub voc. koWv^kttus.']
1.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, 35
or in measure : true balances, true weights, a true ephah," (that is, a bushel, or a peck^ in measure, of dry things,) " and a true hin," (that is, in measure of Uquid things a pint and an half, or the twelfth part of a pint and an half,^) " shall ye have. I am the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt." In Deuteronomy we read: " Thou [Oeut. xxv. shalt not have in thy bag two manner of weights, a great and small. Neither shalt thou have in thy house divers measures, a great and a small," (to the end, that in receiving or buying thou mayest use the greater, and in laying out or selling thou mayest use the lesser,) " but thou shalt have a just and aright •weight, and a just and right measure shalt thou have ; that thy days may be prolonged upon the land, which the Lord thy God giveth 'thee. For all that do such things, and all that do unrightly, are abominable unto the Lord thy God." Hereunto appertaineth that sentence of Salomon's in the Proverbs, where he saith : "Two manner of weights, and two [Prov. xx. manner of measures, both these are abominable unto the Lord."" But what can be heard, or thought of, more grievous and horrible, than a man to be abominable in the sight of his God ? In the sixth chapter of Micheas also the Lord doth threaten divers and grievous punishments, which he mindeth to lay upon the necks of them that use not justice in weights and measures. Why therefore do we not rather fly from doing wrong and unrighteousness, choosing sooner to be happy than unhappy ; and hearken unto the Lord, who saith, "Good measure, and pressed down, and shaken to- [Lukevi. 380 gether, and running over, shall they give into your bosom ; for with the same measure that ye mete to other, shall other mete to you again?" Let us be throughly persuaded there- fore, that riches gotten by craft and theft can neither flourish long, nor yet be for our health to enjoy.
Again, other men are endamaged by the withholding of them which possess inheritances due unto other : which break promise, and deceive men in contracts, bargains, and cove- nants : which make a face, as though they gave the thing,
[s modium vel quartale, Lat. The ephah is generally reckoned to have been nearly equal to 6^ gallons of our dry mcasm'O. Home's Introd. Vol. in. p. 534, Lond. 1828.]
[<5 sextarium vel cyathus, Lat. The hin was 1 gallon, 2 pints, Eng- lish. Ibid.]
THE THIRD DECADE.
[SEUM.
which they do either change, or retain to themselves by some coloured shift, or else do give it, when they themselves have marred, or utterly destroyed it. Both the one and the other, verily, is fraud and guile and flat deceit. But now, by the way, mark this manifest and usual point of God's just judg- ment ; that wrongful possessors of other men's heritages are both short-lived, and the unfortunatest men of all other people. [Prov.x 2, & Touching these wronsrful withholders Salomon pronounceth,
xxviii 81 . .
that they shall find no gain. For gain unjustly gotten, how great soever it be, deserveth rather to be called a loss more truly than a gain. Things To this precept do things that are found belong, which
thou deniest to the demander, as though thou either hast not found them, or else dost challenge them to be thine own Pledges and by law. Hercuuto appertaineth the pledge, or pawn, which pawns. ^-^^^ withholdest. A man that taketh a journey into a far country hath put thee in trust with certain silver plate, and a pound weight of gold, to keep for him against his return, because he had hope that thou wouldest keep them safely; but at his coming back, when he demandeth them, thou de- niest the thing : in so doing thou hast stolen it from him, and cracked the credit that thy friend had in thee, and, last of all, thou hast doubled the sin. A poor man hath guaged ^ to thee some precious thing, that he setteth much by ; which when he claimeth again, with ready money in hand to pay the sum which he borrowed upon it, thou deniest him the pledge, thou quarrellest with him, and usest subtilty to defraud him of his pawn : in so doing thou stealest it from him. Moreover, the Lord gave to his people other laws to this end and eifect, touching the taking of pledges or guages. For in Deuteronomy he saith, " No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to pledge : for he hath laid his life to pledge to thee." For it is all one, as if he had said : Thou shalt not take that at thy neighbour's hand instead of a pledge, wherewith he getteth his living and doth main- tain his family : for thereby thou shouldest take from him both life and living. And immediately after he saith: " When thou lendcst thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch a pledge from thence ; but thou shalt stand without, that he which borrowed it of thee may bring it out [• gaged : inipawncil, Johnson.]
[Dcut. xxiv, 0, 10—13]
I.] THE EIGHTH PHECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 37
of doors to tliee." The Lord forbiddeth cruelty, and would not have rich men to be too sharp in ransacking poor men's houses, nor over curious in taking of pledges at poor men's hands. For he addeth afterward : " And if it be a poor body, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge ; but deliver him the pledge when as the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee ; and that shall be imputed for righteousness unto thee before the Lord thy God.
Lastly, they do most of all endamage their neighbours, The with- which do withhold the labourer's wages. The labourer's hire labourers
hire.
is withheld two sundry ways : for thou dost either never pay it ; or else thou payest it with grudging and grunting, thou dost delay the payment too long, or otherwise dimi- nishest some part of his hire. But mark now, that the name of hirelings is of ample signification, and is extended to all kinds of artificers. The common sort of wealthy men have a cast now-a-days to use the help of handicrafts-men, and bid them keep a reckoning of their hire and wages in books of accounts : in the mean while, though they perceive that these poor men lack money, yet will they not pay so much as one penny ; yea, when they require the debt that is due, they take them up with bitter words, and send them empty away, till they themselves be disposed to pay. And so these foolish and wicked wealthy men do not cease to lash out in riot prodigally the things that are not clearly their own, but which they withhold from other poor men. Let us hear therefore the laws and judgments of the Lord our God touching this horrible abuse and detestable fault. In Deu- teronomy we read: " Thou shalt not deny, nor withhold, the f^^,']"'''^ wages of an hired servant, that is needy and poor, whether he be of thy brethren, or of the strangers that are in thy land and within thy gates ; but shalt give him his hire the same day, and let not the sun go down thereon, for he is needy, and by the hire he holdeth his life 2," (that is, he layeth the hope of his life therein, as he that looks to live thereby,) " lest he cry unto the Lord, and it be turned unto sin to thee." "With this law of the Lord do the words of James the apostle most fitly agree, where he saith : " Behold, the hire of labourers, which have reaped down your fields, which hire is of you Icept back by fraud, crieth ; and the cries of them ['- et ad morcedem tollit animura suum, Lat.]
o8 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabboth^"" What can be more terrible to the hearer^'s ears ? The labourer's hire, which is withheld, doth cry, and crieth even up into heaven ; and, that which is most of all, doth enter into the ears of the most just, severe, and mighty God. What now may these defrauders look for at God's hand, but heavy punishment to light upon their cursed heads? Tobie therefore most rightly and briefly concludeth this matter, and giveth excellent counsel to all sorts of peo-
[Tobitiv.14.] pie, saying: "Whosoever worketh any thing for thee, give him his hire immediately, and let not thy hired servant's wages remain with thee at all. For in so doing, and fearing God, thou shalt have thanks."
Damage that Now followoth tlio secoud member or part of detriment,
IS done "V , . , , ...
taking away, which dotli consist iu taking away another man's goods. And this taking away also is of sundry sorts. Now, the first place of these sorts is attributed to theft itself (of which we have spoken somewhat before) ; which theft is committed, not in taking away of money only, but in wares also, and wrongful dealing in other men's grounds, in removing land- marks or mere-stones^ ; and whatsoever is translated, denied, or clean taken away, against all right ; or is maliciously, against all conscience and consent of the other party, that is, of the true owner, delayed, or foaded oif^, till a longer time than it ought to be. For in the nineteenth of Leviticus the Lord setteth this down for a law, and saitli : "Ye shall not steal, ye shall not lie ; no man shall deal with his neighbour
[Eph. iv. 25, deceitfully ." And Paul to the Ephesians saith : "Laying lies aside, speak ye every one the truth to his brother ; for we are members one of another. Let him which stole steal no more; but rather labour with his hands in working the thing that is good, that he may give to him that hath need." This may wc extend almost to all the offices and duties of men. For whosoever denieth the debt and duty which of right he oweth, the same doth sin against this commandment:
[1 James v. 4, Sabaoth, Lat. In Cranmer's Bible, 1639, it is Sab- baotli; and in the Geneva New Testament, 1557, "the Lord of Armies."]
[2 mere : a boundary, Johnson.]
[3 To fodo out, or fodo forth, with words : to keep in attention and expectation, to feed witli words. Naros' Glossary in voc.]
I.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 30
as for example, if the householder deny the duty that he oweth to his family ; again, if the family consume the house- holder's substance, and do deceive the good man, whose care is bent to maintain his charge, and are set to undo him by prodigal spending his money and goods, which they filch from him privily. Again, if the lord, or master, (although this point may well be referred to the title of damage tliat is done by withholding) be too rough to his hinds, or hus- bandmen'* : or if the ploughfolks do idly waste their master's substance, or slackly look to their tillage and business, or spend in riot his wealth and riches. So then, the servant offendeth against this commandment, if he doth not seek all the means that he may to have a diligent care for his master's affairs, and faithfully augment his wealth and possessions. And in like manner do maidservants, in the duties which they owe, offend against their mistresses. And therefore Paul, having an eye to this precept, giveth Titus in charge, and saith : "Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own mas- [xuusii.f), ters, and to please them in all things ; not answering again, nor pickers, but shewing all good faithfulness, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things." And like unto this is that which the same apostle repeateth in the sixth chapter to the Ephesians, the third to the Colossians, and the first to Timothy, the sixth chapter : for in this com- mandment his doctrine of the duties of masters and servants hath a fit place (so far as conccrncth the householder's riches), and whatsoever else is like unto this.
To this precept also robbery and deceit do fully belong, f°^^^'y a"'^ both which extend far, and contain many kinds. Fraud is infinite : for the iniquity of men is bottomless, their crafts are diverse, and of so many sorts that no one man can number them all. And robbery is not always armed with force and weapons, but is sometimes furnished with sleights and coloured words : neither do robbers lurk and lay wait in woods and wide open fields alone, but are conversant also in the thickest throngs of every good city. Thou takest away thy neighbour's goods under the false title and pretence of law ; thou robbest him, I say, Avhile by thy suit, thy gifts, or other fetches, thou dost extort from the judges corrupted
[■* hinds or husbandmen, colonis suis, Lat. ; hind, a servant, Johnson ; a peasant or rustic. Toonc's Glossary.]
carding.
40 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
sentence, to maintain thy wrongful claim. Some there are which, under the title of a deed of gift, stick not to wrest whole heritages from legitimate heirs. These and other shifts, or cozenings like unto these, are contained partly under robbery, partly under deceit, but altogether and flatly under plain thievery. Dicing and Although at dico players do give their mutual consent
to fall to gaming: yet, for because each one's desire is greedily set to get the other's money, and that they make blind for- tune (I mean, the dice or cards) to be the divider of their goods betwixt them ; therefore are the dice and cards wor- thily condemned of all good divines. And Justinian the em- peror, as it is extant. Cod. Lib. in. tit. ultimo, having a regard to his subjects' commodity, decreed, that it should be lawful for no man, either in public or in private houses, to play at dice. For although dice-play hath been used of great anti- quity, yet hath it ended and burst out into tears. For many, having lost all the substance that they have, do at the last in play break forth to the cursing and blaspheming of God^ Otherwise there is none so ignorant but knoweth well enough, that such exercises of the wit or body as are free from the poisoned desire of the filthy gain, whereon neither the hurt of our neighbour nor ourself doth depend, are lawful enough to be used of Christians.
Usury 2 is, when thou grantest to another the use of thy goods, as of land, houses, money, or any thing else, whereof thou receivest some yearly commodity. For thou hast a manor, a farm, lands, meadows, pastures, vineyards, houses, and money, which thou dost let out to hire unto another man upon a certain covenant of gain to return to
[1 Imp. Justinianus A. Joanni P. P. xv. Alearum usus antiqua res est, et extra opera pugnatoria concessa : veriim pro tempore procliit in lacrymas, oxtranearum multa nationum suscipions. Quldam enim lu- dentes, nee ludum scicntes, sed numeratione tantuni, proprias sub- stantias perdiderunt, die noctuquo ludendo argento, apparatu, lapidibus, et auro : consequenter autem ex hac inordiuationc blaspliemarc Deum conantur, et instrumcnta conficiunt. Commodis igitur subjcctorum prospicientes, hac general! lege decernimus, ut nuUi liceat in publicis vel privatis domibus ludcre, neque inspicerc, &c. — Codex Justin. Lugd. 1551, Tom. I. p. 515, Lib. ill. tit. 43.]
[2 See Jul. Pacii Isagog. in Digest. Lib. xxn. tit. 1. pp. 189—200, Traject. ad Rlien. 1G80.]
Usury.
I.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COM.MANDMENTS, 41
thee for the use thereof. This bargain, this covenant, is not of itself unlawful, nor yet condemned in the holy scriptures. And the very name of usury is not unhonest of itself: the abuse thereof hath made it unhonest, so that not without a cause it is at this day detested of all men. For usury is in the scripture condemned, so far as it is joined with iniquity and the destruction of our brother or neighbour. For who ■will forbid to let out the use of our lands, houses, or money to hire, that thereby we may receive some just and lawful commodity ? For buying, setting to hire, and such like contracts are lawfully allowed us. And as the part of him that giveth is to do good ; so is it the duty of him that taketh not to use a good turn without all manner of recom- pence, to the hurt and hinderance of him that giveth it. In bestowing of mere benefits there is another consideration, whereof we read in the sixth of Luke : " If ye lend to them, of whom ye hope to receive again," &c. And the lawyers did discuss this matter thus : that it is no usury, when the debtor giveth a pension, and some yearly fee, in recompence of the money which he hath borrowed, saving the principal sum which he hath borrowed whole, by a covenant that was made before of selling it back again ; because the thing doth cease to be lent, which is so granted to another man's use, that, unless the debtor will, the creditor cannot claim the thing so long as the debtor payeth his pension ; for the as- sured payment whereof he hath put himself in bond : for such a crediting is a flat contract of buying. They say therefore, that usury is committed in lending alone (which ought to be without hire), and not in other contracts or bargains. Let them therefore, which deal in these kind of trades, have this always before their eyes, as a rule to be led by : " Whatsoever thou wouldest have done to thyself, that do thou to another : and whatsoever thou wouldest not have done to thyself, that do not thou to another^." And let them think of those words of the apostle : " Let no man n xhess. beguile his brother in bargaining." I know very well, that touching money they are wont to allege, that it endureth not as lands and vineyards, but is consumed and made less with use and tossing from man to man ; and that therefore
[3 See page 34.]
42 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
no commodity ought to be taken for the use thereof ^ But if a man put money into another man's hand, wherewith he buyeth himself a farm, a manor, lands, or vineyards, or otherwise occupieth it to his gain and profit, I see no cause why a good Christian and an honest man may not reap some lawful commodity of the hire of his money, as well as of the letting or leasing of his land. It is in the power of him which so letteth out his money, with that money to buy a farm, and so to take the whole gain to himself; but now we see that, in letting the other have it, he granteth him the use of his money, whereby he is a very great gainer. This fellow, to whom this sum is lent, or otherwise given upon covenants of contract, doth with the money get some stay of living, with the revenue whereof he nourisheth all his family, paying to his creditor the portion agreed on ; of which when he hath once made a full restitution, he maketh the living his own for ever, and acquitteth himself from the yearly pension. In this kind of covenanting no man, I think, will say, that the poor is oppressed, when the thing itself doth rather cry, that by such usury the poor is greatly helped. Usury therefore is forbidden in the word of God, so far forth as it biteth (for here I use the very term of the scriptures-) his neighbour, while it hindereth him, or other- wise undoeth him. For thus saith the Lord in Leviticus : 35-3a']'''' *' ^^ *^y brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay 2, whether he be a stranger or indweller, relieve him, that he may live with thee. Thou shalt take no usury of him, or more than right; but fear the Lord, that thy brother may live with thee. Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase*. I am the Lord your
[' Nee vero arguta ilia ratio Aristotelis consistit, foenus esse prretci* naturam, quia pecunia sterilis est, ncc pecuniam parit, &c. — Calvin. Comment, in quat. libr. Mosis. ed. Amstel. 1671, Tom. i. p. 528.]
[^ "^W^ interest (from '^^2 momordit) from its involving an in- jurious, biting, system. Lee's Lexicon in voc. and Calvin. Comment. Tom. I. p. 527, col. 2.]
[3 nutaveritquo manus ejus tecum, Lat. (and his hand faileth with thee. Auth. Vers. Marg. reading;) id est, si facultas ejus apud te deficere inceperit, Lat., omitted by the translator: that is, if his means with thee begin to fail.]
[4 ad nimium, sivo exccssum, sivc suporabundantiam, Lat. ; for too large, or for excess and superabundance of, increase.]
I.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 43
God." Therefore the Lord mishkcth all arts of covetous and deceitful men, wherewith they do not only exceed mea- sure in exacting usury, but do of purpose let out their money and substance to hire, that by that occasion they may wipe their debtors of all that they have.
No man, I think, can in few words express all the wicked fetches of subtile usurers ; they invent such new ones every day. I will therefore recite here the judgment of the Lord against a few wicked arts and detestable deeds of usurers, in lending, letting, and selling ; to the end that, these being once considered, all men may judge and take heed of the like. The prophet Amos in the eighth chapter saith : " Hear this, O ye that swallow up the poor, and make the needy of the land to fail, saying : After a month ^ we will sell corn, and at the week's end we will set forth wheat, we will make the ephah small, and the sicle^ great, and That is, the
measure
falsify the weights by deceit; that we may buy ihe poor ^man ajM for silver, and the needy for shoes, and sell the refuse of e^^^*- the wheat. The Lord hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works. Shall not the land tremble for this? shall not every one mourn that dwelleth therein? and it shall rise up wholly as a flood," &c. Wherefore, that the wrath of God may be turned away from falling upon commonweals and kingdoms for unjust usure"i^ extortion in usury and detestable usurers, it is the part of a holy magistrate to bridle usurers with upright laws ; and, according to the quality of times, places, states, and persons, to appoint a lawful, just, and honest lucre, that usurers may not, in lending, letting, buying, and selhng, oppress the poor people, but that equity and justice may be kept in all things. Of this duty of his the magistrate hath a notable example in Nehemias, suppressing the covetousness, cruelty, and ex- treme injury of usurers, and other oppressors of his Jewish commonalty. It is at large set down in the fifth chapter of the history of Nehemias. In this therefore, which I have hitherto alleged, I mean not to father or defend unjust occu- piers, usurers, or their insatiable covetousness ; but I affirm
[5 The authorised Version has "the new moon;" but in the margin "month."]
[<5 So Coverdale's Bible, 1535, has "sycle," from the Latin, siclian, shekel. See Becon's Works, Parker Soc. ed. Vol. il. p. 109.]
44 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
flatly, that they live of the blood and bowels of their bre- thren and countrymen, and that they shall be undoubtedly damned, unless they repent them of their sin and extortion. The very law of nature doth make greatly against them, which I object here, and say unto them : " Whatsoever thou wouldest not have done to thyself, that do not thou to ano-
[Lukeiii. 12, ther." "The publicans also came to John, that they might be baptized of him, and said, Master, what shall we do ? To whom he said : Exact no more than is appointed for you." These publicans were such as lived upon the public toll and customs, which they had farmed at the Komans' hands for a certain sum of ready money. Now, he bade not these publi- cans to leave off their toll-gathering, but willed them to be content with their appointed duty. In like manner I urge the same sentence, and say to all usurers and occupiers : " Exact no more than is appointed for you." But if ye want a certain constitution and ordinance, set down by the magis- trate, for the gain of your money in every several trade ; then let equity, humanity, and charity prevail in your minds, and let the common law sink into your hearts, which saith : " Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, the same do ye to them." "If thine eye," saith the Lord, "be single, all thy body is lightsome ; but if the light that is in thee be darkness, how great then is that darkness !"
Sacrilege. Sacrilego is the spoiling of holy things which are con-
secrated to God and the use of the church. For the church of God hath hallowed goods and riches, wherewith it doth partly maintain sincere doctrine and the holy ministry of the church ; and partly relieve the needy saints and impotent brethren. The church also hath goods and possessions, to keep the places of prayer, spiritual houses \ and hospitals^ in due reparations ; and lastly, for the public help of all people in common calamities and grievous afflictions. They therefore are church-robbers, which do convert the church- goods from the lawful and holy purpose, for which they were ordained, into a profane and godless use ; spending them prodigally in hunting, gay clothing, superstition, whore- hunting, dicing, drinking, and excessive banqueting : in which things bishops and magistrates of these days do greatly
[1 fcdium saeertlotalium, Lat.]
[2 xcnodochiorum aut hospitalium, Lat.]
I.] THE EIGHTH PllECErT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 45
offcncP. And it cannot otlierwiso be, but that some great misfortune, and more calamities than one, must needs follow that foul abuse of ecclesiastical riches and spiritual goods. For as Christ our Lord, the very Son of God, is spoiled and defrauded in the poor and needy ; so doctrine and godliness come to an end, honest studies do utterly decay, the sheep of Christ are altogether destitute of good and faithful shep- herds, and are left for a prey to ravening wolves and merciless robbers. But yet we must have a regard not to account in the number of church-robbers such heads and overseers of holy religion, as some kings of Juda were, but Ezechias especially, and many other bishops and pastors of the pri- mitive church, who, in many troublesome broils, when either ■wars did waste their countries and commonweals, or else when hunger or some other public calamity did oppress and pinch their silly ^ countrymen, did not stick to bestow the church-goods liberally, and to empty the treasure of the hal- lowed money, that thereby they might do the poor oppressed some good : but they had undoubtedly been wrongful church- robbers, if they, to spare money and other vessels which are without life, would not have redeemed living creatures, their countrymen, from death and penury. There is an excellent place of this matter in St Ambrose, Ojficiorum, Lib. n. cap. 28^ There are also notable examples hereof in the eccle- siastical history''.
Moreover, in the number of church-robbers divines ac- count Simoniacs, that is, merchants'^, I mean, buyers and si
[3 See Seckendorf. Coram, de Luth. Lib. iii. Sect. 21. § Lxxvni. Add. 1.]
[4 silly, see Vol. i. pp. 189, 351.]
[5 The title of this chapter, in the treatise de Officiis Ministrorum, is : Misericordiam etiam cum invidia propria largius exercendam : ad quod refertur memorabilis vasorum sacrorum in captivorum redem- tionem ab Ambrosio fractorum historia, et pulcherrima de auri et ar- geuti qua) ecclesia possidct Icgitimo usu prsecipiuntur, &c. — Ambrosii 0pp. Tom'. II. col. 102, Par. 1690.]
[6 In his treatise, De Episcoporum Instit. et Funct. BuUingcr in- stances such an example of Achatius, Tripart. Hist. Lib. ii. cap. IG, and of Cyi-il, ibid. Lib. v. cap. 37. He alleges also the examples and words of Ambrose, Laurcntius, Exuperius, Jerome, and Augustine: cap. 9. fol. 117, Tigur. 1538. J
[7 Chanancci, Lat. Sec Hos. xii. 7.]
46 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
sellers of spiritual and ecclesiastical dignities. For such an [Acts viii. 18, one is Simon Magus, their grand patriarch, reported to have Ambition, been in the Acts of the Apostles. In the civil law, whoso- ever went about with privy gifts to buy the voice of any man to speak on his side, when public offices were for to be bestowed, he was guilty of ambition ; and, beside the shame and open infamy, was compelled to pay an hundred crowns for his offence ^ But, because this belongs not to sacrilege, we let it pass, and return to our matter.
They are church-robbers, whosoever either do not pay at all, or else do pay unwillingly, the goods that are due to the church; I mean, their tithes and yearly revenues. It is to be seen in the scriptures, how terribly the prophets [Hag. i.] do threaten church-robbers. Haggeus testified, that the ground brought forth so ill and little fruit for nothing else, but for because the people did not truly pay that which of [iviai iii. 10 duty they ought to the temple. In Malachy, God pro- miseth the people to make their ground fruitful, if they will pay liberally the stipends and tributes due to the temple. Now the ministers of the churches may use those revenues, or stipends, by as good law and right as they that use the profit of the ground, which they themselves have husbanded. For so doth the Lord expressly teach them in the eighteenth of the Book of Numbers ; wherewithal Paul's saying agreeth in the ninth chapter of his First Epistle to the Corinthians. And the Lord Jesus himself also gave alms to the poor of the stipend which he had, as it is to be seen in the thir- teenth chapter of St John''s Gospel.
Moreover, beggars commit sacrilege, who abuse the name of Christ, and make their poverty a cloak to keep them idle still. The apostle commandeth Timothy not to cherish such idle hypocrites and wandering vagabonds with the alms and expenses of the church goods.
But now the greatest sacrilege of all is, if a man trans- late the glory of God, the Creator, unto a creature.
There is a kind of theft called Peculatus, which is com- mitted in filching the common treasure, or purloining away the prince's substance^. This kind of robbery brcedcth every
[1 See Jul. Pacii Isagog. in Digest. Lib. xlviii. tit. 14. p. 422, and Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, sub voc. Ambitus.] [2 See Jul. Pacii Isagog. in Digest. Lib. xlviii. tit. 13. p. 421.]
tc]
I.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 47
hour new exactions, and givoth wicked magistrates good cause and fit opportunity to polF the poor commonalty. Of this sort of robbers did Cato happily* speak, when he said : " Private thieves do lead their lives in chains and fetters, but pubhc thieves in gold and purple ^" Under this title of robbery are all those contained, that either do not pay at all, or else pay with ill-will, the tributes and taxes that are due to their magistrates. Lastly, all they are counted faulty in this kind of thievery, whosoever do abuse the pubhc wealth or treasure of the commonweal.
Other some there are, that take up children, whom they Plagium know very well, and sell them to other, thereby to get ad- vantage ; or else do steal away other men's servants. This kind of theft the lawyers call Plagium^. And of this offence are those people guilty, which, by evil whispering, persuasion, and seditious doctrine, do draw servants and handmaids from obedience to their masters, and children from doing reverence and duty to their parents. And when captains, that are hired of strange princes to serve for money in foreign wars, do, against the parents' will and knowledge, carry away whole This is used bands of silly young men, whom they entice with many fair somuch^'asin
1 -1 1 • 1 IT 1 Bullinger's
promises, and entrap with sundry sleights, leading them to <>*" country, wars wherein they perish and never return to their friends fj;:;^''^^j ;^^o again ; such captains, I say, are to be reckoned in the number doVwcute' of men-stealers". This offence of old was punished by death, '"^^''y-
P poll : plunder.] [4 happily, or ^ap?j/ ; Lat. forte,]
[5 Sed enim M. Cato in oratione, quam do prseda militibus divi- denda scripsit, vehementibus ct illustribus verbis de impunitatc pecu- latus atque licentia conqueritur. Ea verba, quoniam nobis impense placuerunt, adscripsimus : Fares, inquit, privatorum furtorum in nervo atque in compcdibus setatem agunt; fures publici in auro atque in purpura. — A. Gell. Noct. Attic. Lib. xi. cap, 18, See also Becon's Works, Parker Soc. ed. Vol. ii. p. 600 ; and Calvin. Comment. Tom. i. p, 531. col. ii. Amstel, 1671.]
[c See Jul. Pacii Isagog. in Digest, Lib. XLViii. tit. 15. p. 422, and Smith's Diet, sub voc. plagium.]
[■^ " By a law no less pohtic than humane, established among tho cantons (of Switzerland), their troops were not hired out by public authority to both the contending parties in any war. This law tho love of gain had sometimes eluded, and private persons had been allowed to enlist in, what service they pleased, though not under the public banners, but under those of their ofificers." — Robertson's Hist, of Charles V. book ii. Vol. ii, p. 189, Lond. 17S2.]
48 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
as it is evident in the twenty -first of Exodus, and in the law of Constantine, which is to be seen Cod. Lib. ix. tit. 20 ^
Abigei2. Another sort of thieves there is, which we call felons ;
and those be they which steal and drive away other men's cattle. In this order of thieves are those people placed, which do misuse the cattle that is lent them ; and they also, which, when they may, will not help another man's cattle that is in jeopardy : for the Lord in the law commanded
[Dciit. xxii. to bring back that which goeth astray, and to restore it to the right owner.
Thus much hitherto have I spoken, my brethren, touching the sundry kinds of theft, of the just and lawful getting of goods, and also of the proper owning of peculiar riches.
1, ^c]
OF THE LAWFUL USE OF EARTHLY GOODS; THAT IS,
HOW WE MAY RIGHTLY POSSESS, AND LAWFULLY
SPEND, THE WEALTH THAT IS RIGHTLY AND
JUSTLY GOTTEN: OF RESTITUTION,
AND ALMS-DEEDS.
THE SECOND SERMOX.
I DID in my last Sermon, dearly beloved, declare unto you, by what means goods are rightly gotten, and how many kinds of theft there be, and sundry sorts of getting wealth unlawfully. There is yet behind another treatise for me to add, and therein to teach you what is the true use of goods rightly gotten, and how we may lawfully possess them, and justly spend and dispose them in this transitory life.
[1 Imp. Constantinus A. ad Cclercm vicarium Africce xvi. Pla- giarii, qui viventium filiorum miserandas infligunt parentibus orbitates, metalli poena cum ceteris ante cognitis suppliciis teneantur. Si quis tamen ejusmodi reus fuerit oblatus, postcaquam super crimine cla- ruerit; scrvus quidem, vel libertate donatus, bestiis subjiciatur ; ingenuus autem gladio consumatur. D. Kal. Augu. Constantino A. iiii. et Licinio. Coss. — Codex Justin. Lugd. 1551, Tom. ii. p. 701, Lib. }x, tit. 20.]
[2 Abigoi dicuntur, qui gregem ovium aut pccorum — vel equum do grcge, vel bovcm de aimento abducunt. — Jul. Pacii Isagog. in Instit. Lib. XLVII. tit. 14. p. 406, Trajcct. ad Rben. 1G80.]
another man's be posi
II.] THE EIGHTH PRECErX OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 49
For justice doth not only not defraud any man, but doth, so much as it may, endeavour itself to do good to all men ; neither is it enough for a godly man not to hurt any body, unless also he do good to all that he can. And in this point do many men sin, while they are persuaded that they have done all the duty that they owe, if they hurt no man, and if they possess that which they have without trouble to any man ; although in the meanwhile they have no regard, whether they help or do good to any man, or no. And he sinneth as greatly in the sight of the Lord, which doth not use rightly goods justly gotten, as he that hath heaped up wealth in wickedness and naughty means. I will tell you therefore, so far as God shall give me grace, how, and in what sort, godly men may holily possess and dispose these earthly goods.
First of all, that the use of worldly wealth may be Nothing of
,.,. l another
healthful to the owner, holy men have a diligent care, that mans must nothing of another man's remain in their possession : that is, they do carefully separate wealth rightly come by from unjust-gotten goods, and do faithfully restore whatsoever they find, in that which they have, to belong of right unto other men. For they are throughly persuaded, and do verily believe, that by this means the wealth that is left them, although by restitution it be somewhat diminished, will yet notwithstanding prosper the better, endure the longer, and be far more fruitful unto them.
Now this restitution is flatly commanded, and also very Restitution i
' n T 1 • il 1 necessary.
necessary to be put in practice : tor tlie Lord in tlie law doth by sundry means, and that very carefully, give charge of it too, as is to be seen in the twenty-second of Exodus. Kxod. xxii. Moreover, so often as the just and holy commandment of God was, through the covetousness and wickedness of man- kind, cast off and neglected, the Lord raised up grievous and almost unspeakable evils against the contemners thereof, and scattered abroad the unjust-gotten goods by wars, mishaps, and divers calamities. For the prophet Esay crieth, saying : "The Lord shall enter into judgment with the elders andisauiu. princes of his people, and shall say unto them. It is ye that have burnt up my vineyard, the spoil of the poor is in your houses." And Amos in the third chapter of his prophecy crieth : " They store up ti-easures in their palaces by violence
4
[bulling EU, II. J
50
THE THIRD DECADE.
[SERM.
Wlien resti tulion is to be :nade..
To whom restitution is to be made.
and robbery. Therefore thus saith the Lord God : Miseries shall invade thee on every side of the land, and thy enemies shall bring down thy strength, or riches, from thee, and thy palaces shall be spoiled." We read therefore in the gospel, that Zacheus, of his own accord, promised restitution four-fold double, that is, a full and absolute recompence of whatsoever he had taken wrongfully away ; and it is assuredly certain, that he performed that promise : for he understood by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, that a restitution of his ill-gotten goods was especially necessary, and that he should never be happy until he had made a full amends for all his wrongful dealings. Very rightly therefore said St Augustine in his fifty-fourth epistle to Macedonius, where he writeth : "If, when thou mayest, thou dost not restore that which thou hast of another man's goods, then is not repentance truly performed, but falsely feigned : but if repentance be truly taken, then is not sin forgiven, unless restitution be made of that which was taken away ; but, as I said, when it may be restored^"
But touching the time, when restitution ought to be made, the example of Zacheus teacheth us ; who, so soon as he was received unto the favour of Christ, and did understand the works of truth and equity, did immediately promise restitu- tion, and out of hand perform the same. Wherefore we must not foad off from day to day to make restitution. No man hath need to double his offence. For thou needest not by thy morrow and over-morrow delays to augment his dis- commodity and hinderance any longer, from whom thou hast, by thy subtil means and wicked violence, wrested the goods that he hath ; considering, that he to his loss hath lacked them long enough, and been without them too long, God wot 2.
If thou demandest, to whom thou oughtest to make resti- tution ? I answer, to him from whom thou tookest it, if thou knowest from whom thou hast had it, and who it is whom thou hast defrauded. But by that means, sayest thou, I shall bring myself into obloquy and infamy. I bid thee not
[1 Si enim res aliena, propter quam peccatum est, quum reddi possit, non redditur, non agitur poenitentia, scd fingitur : si autcm veraciter agitur, non remittctur peccatum, nisi restituatur aLlatum ; sed, ut dixi, cum rcstitui potest. — Aug. 0pp. Par. 1531, Tom. 11. fol. 48, col. 4.]
[2 This expression is the translator's.]
II,] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 51
do SO : but, if tbou didst invent a means to take it, then find out some handsome way to restore it again, whereby thou mayest escape and not incur the note of infamy. And pray to the Lord, that he will vouchsafe to shew thee a ready way and apt for to accomplish the thing that thou mindcst. If thou meanest in good sadness^ to make true restitution, thou shalt undoubtedly find a way to do it without reproach and obloquy. But if thou dost but dally and jest with the Lord, thou wilt not be without a thousand excuses, the best and the soundest whereof will never set thy conscience at quiet liberty. Neither is God mocked. I cannot tell, sayest thou, from whom I have taken it, and therefore I know not to whom I should restore it. If in very deed thou knowcst not from whom thou hast taken it ; then hast thou the poor and needy, on whom to bestow it : to those thou oughtest to deal thy unjust- gotten goods, and not to superstition, or the ministers thereof.
Now, let every one make restitution of so much as he How much hath taken away ; or at the least, of so much as he is ableo"siitto
•^ restore.
to restore. For many have spent, and so prodigally wasted
other men's goods, that they are not able to make restitution
of any thing again. Let such fellows acknowledge their
fault, and repent their folly, from the bottom of their hearts.
And if it happen at any time afterward that they come by
goods, then let them be so much more liberal of their own,
as before they were prodigal in spending other men's. But
if all the riches which thou possessest be other men's goods,
and gotten of thee by theft and robbery, so that, if thou
madest a full restitution, there should no penny be left for
thee, but that thou must needs go beg ; then art thou verily
hard bestead, and in too woeful a taking ; yea, thou art mad
and far beside thyself, if thou wilt not stick, but still go on
to paint thy pride, and maintain a port with other men"'s pence,
and satisfy thy lust in the bowels, blood, and sweat of poor
men's brows. Why dost thou not rather abase thy self to
poverty, and use thy unjust-gotten goods, as needy people use cooii counsel
their alms ? For thou livest of that that should be the poor's.
Therefore lay down thy pride, and forsake thy ruffling*
[3 sadness: seriousness, earnestness.]
[4 ruffling: to ruffle, to put out of form or discompose; but used by old writers to signify the acting in a rough, turbulent, or disorderly manner. — Toone's Glossary.]
4—2
52 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
riot. Consider with thyself, who thou art, and whereupon thou Uvest : and still do thy endeavour to make restitu- tion, so far as thou canst; and let it grieve thee to see thyself not able to restore the whole again. If it be not a grief to thee for a time to suffer poverty, to labour and faithfully to exercise some honest occupation, and to train up thy children, leading them as it were by the hand, to work ; then thou shalt not want whereon to live, although thou restorest all, whatsoever thou hast, of other men's goods. But there is very small and almost no faith at all in many men ; whereby it cometh to pass, that very few, or none, can be persuaded to make true restitution. To this I add (before I go any further) that they ought especially to think of a restitution, which have with evil words corrupted the minds of simple souls ; with privy backbiting raised slanders on other men ; or with perverse counsel stirred up the mightier
Ample or msu agaiust the weaker sort : for these things do pass and
courses have are far above all earthly riches.
been made ^
restuutSn. Thus much havo I said hitherto touching restitution, of
which other men have left very ample discourses. I for my part do see, that to a godly mind this work of restitution is short and plain enough ; and therefore have I spoken of it so shortly as I have. For a godly and well disposed man doth with all his heart desire and seek to obey the law of God ; and therefore, by calling to God for aid, he shall easily find a way to work justice and equity. As for those whose desire is rather to seem just men than to be just indeed, and do love this world more than it becometh them to do ; they, with their over many questions and innumerable per- chances and putcases^, do make the treatise of restitution so tedious and intricate, that no man shall ever be able to make it so plain that they will understand it. I will not therefore answer them any more, but only warn them to examine their own conscience, and see what that doth bid them do. Now I would have that conscience of theirs to be settled in, and be mindful of, the general law, which saith : " Whatsoever thou wouldest have done to thyself, that do thou to another; and whatsoever thou wouldest not have done to thyself, that do not thou to another."
[1 put case, an elliptical expression for suppose that it may he so. Joliusoii.]
II.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEX COMMANDMENTS. 53
After this now I will somewhat freely discourse upon we must not
, . . ^• • f t^ set our minds
the just possessing, using, or disposing of well-gotten earthly """i-hes. substance. First of all, no man must put any confidence in riches, which are indeed things transitory and do quickly decay : we must not settle our minds upon nor be in love with them ; but by all means take heed that they drive us not to idolatry, nor hinder the course that we have to pass. Heaven is the goal whereat we run^. Here again we must all give ear to the divine and heavenly words uttered by the prophet David, who said : " Put your trust in God Psai. ixii. always, pour out your hearts before him ; for God is our refuge. As for the children of men, they be but vain : the children of men are deceitful upon the weights, they are altogether lighter than vanity itself. Trust not in wrong and robbery, give not yourselves to vanity : if riches increase, set not your hearts upon them^" The apostle Paul, being endued with the same spirit, biddeth us to use the world and worldly things, as though we used them not*. Again, he calleth covetousness the worshipping of idols ; and chargeth [coioss. in. rich men not to put their trust in uncertain riches, but in ri Tim. vi. the living God, who ministereth to all creatures living suffi- ciently enough. And therefore the Lord in the gospel forbiddeth to heap up treasures upon earth.
^STow, on the other side, we are not bidden by the apostles ^^bw^en? to spend our goods prodigally, in riot and wantonness. For we may not abuse the wealth, that the I^ord hath lent us, in pride and luxury, as many do, who lash out all in dicing, sumptuous building, strange clothing, excessive drinking, and over- dainty banqueting. The end and destruction of such kind of people the Lord doth very finely ^, though not without terror to them that hear it, set down in the parable of the rich glutton, who, after his delicate fare and costly apparel, was after this life tormented in hell with unspeakable thirst, and toasted there with unquenchable fire. Therefore these temporal goods must be rightly, holily, and moderately used, without excess.
Everyman must acknowledge these terrestrial goods to be Riches, ire the mere and free gifts of our bountiful and heavenly Father, ood for
[2 Ad ccelos tendimus, Lat.]
[3 Seo Prayer-book Version.]
[4 1 Cor. vii. 31. See page 31.] [5 venusto, Lat.]
54 THE THIRD DECADE, [sERM.
whicvhe and not to be given for our deserts, or gotten by our might.
thanked. YoT wc liavc of God's liberality all things necessary to main- tain our lives. It is the Lord which blesseth and doth prosper our labour. Finally, they are not evil, but the good gifts of God, which he giveth to the maintenance of our lives, and not to our destruction: the fault is in ourselves, that riches are a snare to bring many men to evil ends. Moreover, the Lord himself requireth, and in his word commandeth us, to be thankful unto him for his good benefits bestowed on us ; to use them with thanksgiving ; to praise his name for all things ; and to rejoice in his fatherly goodness shewed unto us. For thus doth Moses, the servant of God, in Deutero-
LDeut. viii.] nomy, charge the Israelites^: "When thou hast eaten there- fore, and filled thyself, then thank the Lord thy God in that good land which he hath given thee. Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, that thou wouldest not keep his commandments, his laws and ordinances, which I command thee this day : yea, and when thou hast eaten, and filled thy- self, and hast built goodly houses, and dwellest therein ; and when thy beasts and thy sheep are waxen many, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is increased ; then beware, lest thine heart rise, and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, and from the house of bondage. Say not then in thine heart. My power and the might of mine own hand hath prepared me this abundance. Remember the Lord thy God : for it is he that giveth thee power to get substance, &c."
[1 Tim. iv.4.] Moreover Paul the apostle saith, that all the creatures of God are good, created to the good and preservation of us men ; and biddeth us use them with the fear of God and
[1 Cor. X. 31.] giving of thanks. And again: " Whether ye cat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." And in
[Heb.xiii. 5, auothor place: "Let your manners be far from covctousness ; and be content with the things that ye have : for he hath said, I do not forsake, nor leave thee. So that we may boldly say. The Lord is my helper, I will not fear what man can do unto me."
[1 Dominus Dcus tuus dabit tibi terram prrcstantissimam, in qua nulla ro indigcbis, Lat. omitted by tlio translator ; The Lord thy God shall give thcc a most excellent land, wherein thou shalt not lack any tiling.]
II.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDJIENTS. OO
Let earthly goods also serve our necessity. Now necessity Goods serve requireth a commodious dwelling-place, so much victuals as neccbsuy. are sufficient, comely apparel, and honest company-keeping with our neighbours and equals. Let every man measure and esteem these circumstances, first by his own person, then by his family or household. For an householder must warily provide and foresee, that no necessary thing be wanting in his family. Of this care of the householder there are sundry testimonies of scripture extant ; but specially that of St Paul, in the fifth chapter of his first epistle to Timothy. And here note, that by necessity all things are meant, which the body or life of man doth necessarily require and stand in need of; and finally, whatsoever the honesty and beseeming of every man doth crave or demand. And thus far verily, and to this end or purpose, it is lawful for any man to lay somewhat up in store against years to come. The man, whose charge is much in keeping a great house, hath need of the more to maintain it withal : and he, whose family is not so big, needeth so much the less as his house is the smaller. And one state of life, and a greater port, becomcth a magistrate ; when another countenance, and a lower sail, beseemeth a private person. But in these cases let every man consider what necessity requireth, not what lust and rioting will egg him unto. Let him think with himself, what is seemly and unseemly for one of his degree.
And yet we do not in this treatise make so strict a ^^^^'j^ff/^'y, definition of necessity, as that thereby we do utterly condemn j;,"^;^^'"'^'''^ all pleasure and moderate liberty for sensuality and luxury. For I know that God hath granted and given to man, not only the use of necessity, — I mean, the use of those things which we as men cannot be without, — but also doth allow him all moderate pleasures wherewithal to delight him. Let no man therefore make scruple of conscience in the sweet and pleasant use of earthly goods, as though with that sweet pleasure which he enjoyeth he sinned against God ; but let him which maketh conscience, make it rather in the just and lawful use of those terrestrial riches. For the Lord hath in no place forbidden mirth, joy, and the sweet use of wealth, so far forth that nothing be done undccently, unthankfully, or unrighteously. For the prophet Jeremy, alluding to the promises of God's law contained in the twenty-sixth of Levi-
56 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
ticus and the twenty-eighth of Deuteronomy, salth : " They shall come and rejoice in Sion, and shall have plenteousness of goods which the Lord shall give them, namely, in wheat, wine, oil, young sheep and calves ; and their soul shall be as a well watered garden ; for they shall no more be sorrowful. Then shall the maid rejoice in the dance, yea, both young and old folks : for I will turn their sorrow into gladness, and will comfort them, and make them merry. I will make drunken the hearts of the priests with fat, and my people shall be filled with my goodness, saith the Lord." Jeremy thirty-first. Moreover^ in the fourth chapter of the third book of Kings we read : "And under Solomon they increased, and were many in number, as the sand of the sea, eating and drinking, and making merry"." Again, in the eighth chapter of the same book we find : " And Solomon made a solemn feast, and all Israel with him, a very great congregation, which came together out from among all the people, even from the entering in of Hcmath unto the river of Egypt, before the Lord seven days and seven days, that is, fourteen days in all. Afterward he sent away the people, and they thanked the king, and went unto their tents very joyfully, and with glad hearts, because of all the goodness that the Lord had done for David his servant, and for Israel his people^." Like unto this is that which we read in the eighth chapter of Nehemias, in these words : " And Esdras, with the Levites, said to all the people which was sad and sorrowful. This day is holy unto the Lord your God : be not ye sorry, and weep ye not ; but go your way to eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send part unto them that have not, &C.'" And the Lord, verily, doth not require us men to be without all sense and feeling of those pleasures which he of his grace hath given us to enjoy ; neither would he have us to be altogether benumbed, like blocks and stocks and senseless stones : for he himself hath graffed in us all the sense and feeling of good and evil, of sweet and sour. And the same our God and Maker hath, of his eternal goodness and wisdom, ordained a certain natural excellency in his creatures, and
[1 in saci-a historia, Lat. omitted ; in tlio sacred history.] [2 1 Kings (commonly called. The Third Book of the Kings, Auth. Vcr.) iv. 20. — In Juda et Israela, Lat. omitted by tlie translator.] [^ univorso populo, Lat.]
II.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 57
hath adorned them, and made them so delectable, that we may delight in and desire them ; yea, and that more is, our God hath planted in them a nourishing force and virtue to cherish us 4nen, and to keep our bodies in fair and good likinoj. For David saith : "And (he maketh grow out of the [Psai.civ. is. earth) wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make him have a cheerful countenance, and bread to strengthen man's heart. The trees of the Lord are full of sap, wherein the birds make their nests, and sing, &c." Moreover, it is reported that Jacob, the patriarch, did drink to drunkenness ; and of Joseph and his brethren the scripture saith : "And in drinking with him they were made drunken with wine^." Now no man will take this drunkenness of theirs for that excessive bibbing, which the holy scripture doth every where IJj^,^"^"?^^,"" condemn ; but for a certain sweet and pleasant measure in [^^""^.pre''' drinking, wherewith being once satisfied they wore made the ™»'ie merry. merrier. For that mad kind of drunkenness bereaves the senses, and is so far from causing men to be jocund and merry, that, clean contrariwise, it maketh them wayward, uncivil, out of order, beastly, swinehke, and filthy. A like phrase of speech useth Haggeus the prophet, where he saith : [Hag. i.e.] " Consider your own ways in your hearts ; ye sow much, but ye bring httle in ; ye eat, but ye have not enough ; ye drink, but not unto drunkenness:" that is, not unto sweet and pleasant sufficiency, that, being filled and jocund therewith, ye need desire no more, but for that plenty give thanks to the Lord, your good benefactor, for bestowing it on you. This do I somewhat more largely declare, because of the Anabaptists^, and certain senseless Stoics, and other new sprung up hypocrites, the Carthusian monks ^, who, as they go about to make men mere blocks, so do they, with most tragical outcries, condemn utterly all allowable pleasure and
[* There seems to be some oversight in the mention of Jacob. Concerning Gen. xliii. 34, Ainsworth, in loc. remarks : " largely drank, or drunk themselves merry : were drunken, which word is used for large drinking unto mirth, but with sobriety. Hag. i. 6 ; John ii. 10".] [5 BuUinger, adv. Anabap. Lib. I. cap. 10, Tigur. 1560.] [•5 The Carthusian order of Monks, so called from their first settle- ment at Chartreuse, near Grenoble in France, arose in the year 1084 or 108G. They were a branch of the Benedictines, and were the most austere of all the religious sects. — Mosheim, Cent. xi. Part 2. Book 3. chap. 2. ^^27.]
58 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
lawful delights. They, to colour and commend their odd opinion to the ears of men, abuse many places of the sacred
[Luke vi. 25.] scriptures: "Woe (say they) to you which now are full, and do laugh now ; for the time will come, when ye «hall hunger and weep :" -when as indeed this and such hke sayings were uttered of God against the wicked, and such as do unthank- fully abuse the benefits and creatures of their good God. And therefore, for a conclusion of that which I have hitherto said, I add this ; that godly men must still take careful heed, that they let not loose the reins to lust, and so exceed the golden mean^ For mean and measure in these allowed plea- sures also is liked and looked for, as well as in other things.
Riches must Furthermore, let goods and earthly substance serve to do
serve to do , i i •
honour, and Jionour, Eud show curtoise" humanity m one man to another.
sliew cour- t/
.iour be-''" -^^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^^J ^^^ honour and humanity to our kinsfolks andmanf" ^°^ alliance, our friends and acquaintance, our countrymen and strangers. For we must not only do good to them that are familiar with us, but to them also whom we did never see before, in keeping hospitality for wayfaring strangers, so far as our substance will stretch to maintain it. For if otherwise thy wealth be slender, as that it will do no more but maintain thine own house and family, no parcel of God's law^ doth bind or bid thee to distribute to other men the wealth which thou thyself dost need as much or more than they. It is sufficient for thee to provide that they of thine own household be not a burden to other men's backs. So then the man, whose wealth is small, is not compelled to spend that little which he hath^ in doing honour or shewing courtesy to other men : it is enough for him to bear with a valiant heart his own hard hap, and to take heed that his poverty procure him not to offend against right and honesty. Let those who are indiffe- rently stored ^ and richer men who have wealth at will, be courteous and liberal to entertain strangers with frank hospi- tality. Let their minds be set to use hberality to their own praise and honesty, and not given to filthy greediness and unhonest sparing of every odd halfpenny. For some thou shalt find, who, though they be indifferent well stored with
[1 no quid niinis, Lat.] [2 i. e. courteous.]
[3 nulla Dei vol rcqua lex, Lat. ; no laAv of God or equity.] [4 quod lion habet, Lat. ; that which he hath not.] [5 mediocre?, Lat.]
II.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMM.VNDMENTS. 50
wealth and possessions, are yet notwithstanding so wholly given over to the gathering of more, that neither for their own honesty's sake, nor for any shew of courtesy, they will once bestow a dodkin*' upon any man whatsoever, be he their own countryman, or a stranger unknown. These kind of fel- lows are always chambered, and keep themselves close in secret counting-houses ; their bags are their pillows whereon they sleep and dream of their ruddocks' ; they are not seen to stir abroad, lest peradventure occasion should be offered them to give entertainment, or to shew some civility to aliens and strangers. The scripture doth give a far better report of the most holy and famous patriarchs, our grand predecessors.
Lot sat in the gates of Sodom to wait for strangers and The patn-
" archs' hos-
wayfarino; men, to the end he might take them home to his P'taiity.
•/ O ' O [Gen. XIX. J
house, and give them entertainment so well as he could. And if it fell out that he met with a stranger, he did not desire him home to his house for fashion's sake only, that is, with faint or feigned words ; but he used in earnest all the means he could to compel him perforce to take up his inn, and lodge with him that night. Of our father Abraham ye read in Genesis, that in the very heat of the day, as he sat [Ren. xviii.i in the door of his tent, he espied three men that were tra- vellers, whom at the first sight, although he knew them not, he entertained very lovingly, and bade them welcome heartily. For he stayeth not to look when they should come and request to refresh themselves with him; but start- etli up, and meeteth them before they come to the door of his tent, where he himself preventeth them in speaking first unto them ; and, when he had courteously after his country-manner with obeisance saluted them, he biddeth them very lovingly home to his house, and saith : " I beseech thee, my Lord, if I may find favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant." Lo, here he calleth a traveller, and a we say in
, •, ^ T 1 / /-I tnglish. Sir.
stranger too, by the name of Lord (even as we (aermans, in the entertaining of strangers, are wont to say : Sind mir
[<5 teruncium, Lat. Dodkin, a small coin, the eighth pai-t of a stiver, a little doit : used as a contemptuous term for things of the smallest value. — Toono's Glossary.]
\j This is a free translation of the original Latin, — saccis in- dormiunt. Ruddock, the bird called the robin rcd-brcast : it is also metaphorically used to signify gold coin. — Toone's Glossary.]
60 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
Gott luol kommen, liehen herren und guten freiinde.) And although he were in the land, where he dwelt, a man of high authority and very great name, yet notwithstanding he did, as it were, forget himself and say : " Pass not, I pray thee, away from thy servant." He calleth himself a servant of strangers. He goeth on moreover, and saith : " Let a little water be fetS and wash your feet, and refresh yourselves under the tree. And I will fet a morsel of bread to comfort your hearts ; and then shall ye go on your way." In these few words he containeth, in a manner, all the points of civil courtesy. Neither did Abraham use these words to make a shew only of bounteous liberality : but when he had by en- treaty requested them to stay, and by their grant obtained his desire, he bestirreth his stumps to accomplish in deeds the thing that he had promised ; he maketh haste to Sara, which was in the tent, and saith : " Make ready at once Or pecks, three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes." The scripture yet addeth further this clause : " And Abraham, running unto his beasts, caught a calf tender and good, and gave it to a young man, which hasted, and made it ready at once. And he took butter and milk, and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them, and stood himself with them ;" that is, did himself serve them, as they ate under the tree. This is wonderful verily, and to be thought on deeply. Those goods were well and worthily bestowed upon so bountiful, liberal, and courteous a man as Abraham was, which knew how to use his wealth so honestly and with so commendable courtesy. Neither was he alone in all his house so frank and liberal ; as his wife and family were readily given and very willing to put that holy exercise in ure and practice. All things therefore were ready with a trice. In making preparation, also, no diligence was wanting ; choice was made of all things; for riffraffe and refuse-gear was not served to these strangers, but the best and hkehest of all that was found. The good man himself taketh pains like a servant. He himself bringeth in his country fare, which far doth excel all costly catcs and princelike dishes ; and set- teth his guests to meat with butter and milk, and serveth the last course with veal, well fed, and housewife-like dressed. Neither was he content with this courtesy and entertainment, [1 fct: fetched.]
II.] THE EIGHTH I'UECEl'T OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. Gl
but humbled himself further yet, and waited at the table, ■while his guests were at meat. The table, lo, was served by him, which had those great and ample promises made him by God ; which is the father of all the faithful, which is the root and grandsire of Christ our Lord, which was the friend of God and confederate to puissant kings, being himself the most honourable prince in all the land, as he that had in war overcome and vanquished four of the mightiest kings of all the East, and brought them back again to slavery and bond- age, delivering his people whom they had taken captive.
This excellent and worthy man, I say, may well bo a pat- tern for all wealthy men to follow, in bestowing honour, cour- tesy, and hospitality upon strangers and men unknown. For, lastly, beside his rare and seldom seen hospitality, he shewed moreover this point of courtesy, that, when they rose from meat, he bare them company some part of the way. Let our wealthy pinchpence, therefore, at the last be ashamed of, and leave their niggish lives and insatiable covetousness. What pleasure, I pray you, have they of their riches ? to whom do they good ? whom do they honour with their close- kept coin ? Or what honour or honesty doth their money procure or get them, while they live among men ? Why do not the wiser sort of wealthy men rather leave this crew of miserable wretches, and hearken to the apostle's words, who saith, " llemember to keep hospitahty ; for by that means [neb, xui. 2.1 many have lodged angels unwittingly and unawares ?" And verily, he speaketh there of Lot and Abraham. Neither is it to be doubted, but that we entertain the very angels of God, and Christ himself, as often as we shew courtesy and hospitality to good and godly mortal men.
Lastly, let the goods of wealthy men serve, not to the Goods must
«' o " , serve to
entertainment of men of credit only, but to the relief also of "-'^'^e^c the
poor and needy creatures. For that wholesome saying of
Paul must be beaten into their heads: "Charge them that ^IJTi■n.^i. 17
are rich that they do good, that they be rich in good works,
that they be ready to give, glad to distribute, laying up in
store for themselves a good foundation against the time to
come, that they may lay hold upon eternal life." With
this doctrine of the apostle^ doth the prophet Esay very well
[2 congruit prophetica per omnia. Isaias cnim &c.,Lat. ; the doc- trine of the prophets agrees in all points. For Isaiah &c.]
62 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
risai. xxiu. agree, -where he saith touching Tyre : " Their occupying also and their wares shall be holy unto the Lord : their gains shall not be laid up nor kept in store ; but it shall be theirs that dwell before the Lord, that they may eat enough, and have clothing sufficient." Lo, here Esaias teacheth us the means to lay up treasure that ever shall endure. Moreover, in the sixth chapter of Matthew the very same is repeated that was spoken of before. Let every one also call to his memory the other wholesome sentences of the Lord his God, to stir him up to the giving of alms. In
[Deut. XV.] Deuteronomy Moses saith : " Beware that thou harden not thine heart, nor shut to thine hand from thy needy brother : but open thine hand liberally unto him. Thou shalt give him, and let it not grieve thine heart to give unto him : because that for this thing the Lord thy God shall enrich and bless thee in all thy works, and in all thou puttest thine hand unto. The Lord ^ shall never be without poor; and there- fore I command thee, saying, Open thine hand liberally unto thy brother that is poor and needy in the land." In the
[Psai. cxii. 5, Psalms we find : " A good man is merciful, and lendeth ; and guideth his words with discretion. He disperseth abroad, and giveth to the poor : his righteousness remaineth for ever ; his horn shall be exalted with honour." Solomon also saith :
[Prov.iii.] " Let mercy, or well-doing, or faithfulness never part from thee : bind them about thy neck, and write them in the tables of thine heart ; so shalt thou find favour and good estimation in the sight of God and men." Again, " Honour the Lord with thy substance, and of the firstlings of all thine increase give to the poor : so shall thy barns be filled with plenteous- ness, and thy presses shall flow over with sweet wine." And
[Prov. xxi. again, " Whosoever stoppeth his ear at the cry of the poor, he shall cry himself, and not be heard." With these in all points do the sayings of the apostles and evangelists plainly
[Matt. V. 42.] agree. " Give to every one that asketh of thee." Again :
[Matt. XXV. " Verily, I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have shewed mercy to the least of these my brethren, ye have shewed it to me." Which sentence surely is worthy to be noted, and deeply printed in the hearts of all Christians. For if the Lord Jesus rcputeth that to be bestowed on himself, which thou bestowcst on the poor ; then undoubtedly he thinkcth himself [1 A misprint in all tlio editions for " the land."]
II.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. G3
neglected and despised of thee, so often as thou neglectest or despisest the needj. This is undoubtedly true and most surely certain : for the Lord and Judge of all people as- sureth us by promise, that at the end of the world, in that last judgment, he will give sentence in this manner and order: " Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom, &c. For I was hungry, and ye gave me meat ; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink :" and so forward, as is to be seen in the twenty-fifth chapter of St Matthew's Gospel. Hereunto also belongeth the words of St John the apostle, where he saith : "Whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have ^i John iii. need, and shutteth up his compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" And from hence, undoubtedly, did first arise the common voice of them of old, which were wont to say : " If thou seest a needy body die with hunger, and dost not help him, while thou mayest, thou hast killed him, and given consent unto his death-." Let him there- fore, which hath store of earthly goods, know for a surety, and in his heart be throughly persuaded, that he is bound especially to do good to the needy.
Moreover let him that is wealthy do good to all men, so lowhom we near as he can. • For the Lord saith: "Give to every one that good, asketh of thee." And Tobias giveth his son this lesson, saying : "Turn not thy face from any poor man^." But if thou canst not, through lack of ability, do good to all men, then succour them chiefly whom thou perceivest to be godly-disposed, and yet pinched with penury : for St Paul saith, "Let us do good [Qai. vi. lo.] to all men, but to them especially that are of the household of faith." Let us therefore aid, succour, and relieve father- less children and poor widows, old men and impotent people, those that are afflicted and persecuted for the profession of the truth, and such as are oppressed with any misery and calamity. Let us further and help forward good and holy learning, and all the worshippers and true ministers of God that live in want and scarcity. Finally, let us relieve strangers, and whomsoever else we may.
[2 See Bingham, Antiq. of Christ. Church, Book xvi, chap. 10. sect. 15.]
[3 Tobit iv. 7. This lesson is given by Tobit to his son, Tobias, according to the authorised Version ; but in the Vulgate the names of the father and sou are alike Tobias ; as also in the earlier Englisli translation of the Eiblc.]
64 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
How we Now our duty is to aid, and stand them in stead, with
good."°'^° counsel, comfort, help, money, meat, drink, lodging, raiment,
commendations, and with all things else wherein Ave perceive
that they lack our helping hand : touching which I spake
somewhat in the tenth sermon of the first Decade ^ AYe must
also succour them readily, with a willing heart and a cheerful
[2Cor. ix 7.] mind : "for God requireth a cheerful giver." And in help-
Howfarwe ino; them let us do liberally : for Tobias saith, " Be merciful
must do ®
good. after thy power ^; If thou have much, give plenteously ; if thou
have little, do thy diligence gladly to give of that little. For in so doing the Lord shall bless both thee and thine."
Thus much, my brethren, have I hitherto said touching the lawful use of earthly goods. God grant that every one of you may print these sayings in his heart, and put in prac- tice this holy work. Let us pray to the Lord that he will vouchsafe so to direct us in his ways, that for the getting of those transitory goods we lose not the everlasting treasure of his heavenly kingdom.
OF THE PATIENT BEARING AND ABIDING OF SUNDRY
CALAMITIES AND MISERIES: AND ALSO OF THE
HOPE AND MANIFOLD CONSOLATION OF
THE FAITHFUL.
THE TIimD SERMON.
I SHALL not do amiss, I think, my reverend^ brethren, if to the treatise which I have already made of earthly riches, and of the use and abuse of the same, I do here also add a discourse of the divers calamities, wherewith man, so long as he liveth in this frail flesh, is continually vexed and daily afilicted. For since that many men do either lose their temporal goods, or else can by no means get them, which are the causes why they be oppressed with penury and nccdiness ; it cannot be but profitable and very necessary too for every good man to know out of the word of God the very reason
[1 Vol. I. p. 188.]
[2 quomodo potucris, ita esto miscricors, Lat. and Vulgato. This sentence, however, is omitted in tlie authorised Version, though re- tained in the service of the Offertory in the Book of Common Prayer, and given in Covcrdalo's Bible, 1535.]
[3 fratres houoraudi, Lat,]
II.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 05
and ground of his consolation in his miseries ; lest, being swal- lowed up of too great sorrow, and entangled in utter despera- tion, he give himself over to be Satan's bond-slave. Now this treatise serveth for the whole life of man. For I mean not to speak of any one calamity alone, as of poverty, or penury, but generally of all the miseries that happen to man. Verily, since man is born to grief and misery, as birds to flying^ and fishes to swimming ; his life can never possibly be either sweet or quiet, unless he know the manner and reason of his calamity. And if so be he know the reason thereof, religiously taken and derived out of the word of God ; then his life cannot choose but be sweet' and quiet, howsoever otherwise it seem to be most bitter and intolerable. The mind of man, verily, is sorely afflicted and grievously tormented with lamentable miseries ; but the same, on the other side, is sweetly eased and mightily upholden by the true knowledge of those mise- ries, and holy consolations, derived and taken out of the word of God.
First of all, it is requisite to lay before our eyes and The kinds of reckon up the several kinds and especial sorts of mortal men's calamities. The evils verily are innumerable, which daily fall upon our necks ; but those which do most usually happen are the plague or pestilence, sundry and infinite dis- eases, death itself, and the fear of death, whose terror to some is far more grievous than death can be. To these be added the death and destruction of most notable men, or such of whom we make most account; robberies, oppressions, endless ill chances, poverty, beggary, lack of friends, infamy, banish- ment, persecution, imprisonment, enforced torments, and exquisite punishments of sundry sorts and terrible to think on, unseasonable and tempestuous weather, barrenness, dearth, frost, hail, deluges, earthquakes, the sinking of cities, the spoihng of fields, the burning of houses, the ruin of buildings, hatred, factions, privy grudges, treasons, rebellions, wars, slaughters, captivity, cruelty of enemies, and tyranny ; also the lack of children ; or troubles, cares, and hellish lives ^ by the matching of unmeet mates in wedlock, by children naugh-
[1 Job V. 7: hotiio nascitur ad laborcm, ct avis ad volatum. — Vulgate. " Man is borne unto mysery, lil^e as the byrde for to lie." — Coverdale's Bible, 1535.]
[5 misciia", Lat. without any epithet.]
[bulling EK, II. J
66 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
tilj disposed, maliciously bent, disobedient and unthankful to father and mother ; and lastly, care and continual grief in sundry sorts for sundry things, which never cease to vex our minds. For no man can in never so long a bead-row^ reckon up all the evils whereunto miserable mankind is woefully en- dangered, and every moment tormented. New miseries rise up every day, of which our elders did never hear ; and they are appointed to be felt and suffered of us, who with our new and never heard of sins do daily deserve new and never seen punishments, when as otherwise the miseries, which our fore- fathers felt, had been enough and sufficient to have plagued us all. The good But now with these evils, as well the good and godly
and evil are ' O & J
calamities.
are troubled and put in ure: yea, the saints are through all^ their life time afflicted and vexed, when as contrarily the wicked abound with all kinds of joy and delightful pleasures: whereupon it cometh, that great temptations and complaints arise in the minds of the godly. The wicked do gather by their happy state and pleasant life, that God doth like their religion, and accept their manner of dealing, whereby they are confirmed and grounded in their errors. And on the other side the godly, by reason of the miseries which they have long suffered, do revolt from godliness, and turn to the ungodly, because they think that the state of the wicked is far better than theirs. Now it is good to know, and severally to learn, all this out of the scriptures. That the godly are and have been afflicted, as well as the wicked, since the be- ginning of the world, it is manifest to be seen in the example of Abel and Cain : for, as the one was pitifully slain of the other for his sincere worshipping of God, so was the other for the murder made a vagabond, not daring for fear to abide in any place to take his rest in. Jacob, surnamed Israel, is read to have been vexed with many calamities. The same is reported also of the Egyptians, while they persecuted the Israelites. Saul was vexed, and David afflicted. The Lord our Saviour, with his disciples, bare the cross of grief and trouble : again, on the other side, the Jews, who cruelly persecuted Christ and his disciples, were horribly destroyed,
[1 catalogo, Lat.]
[^ omnem jivopo, Lat. ; almost all.]
III.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. G7
and that worthily too, for their villainous injury. Unspeakable are the evils which the church of Christ did suffer in those ten most bloody persecutions^ before the reign of Constantine the great : but Orosius, the notable, diligent, and faithful historio- grapher, maketli mention, that due and deserved punishments were out of hand laid upon the necks of those persecuting tyrants; of whom I will speak somewhat in place convenient*. And by the testimonies both of God and man, and also by manifold experience, we see it proved, that as well the godly as ungodly are touched with miseries. Yea truly, the best me podiy and holiest men for the most part are troubled and afflicted, when tife'^ when the wicked and worser sort are free from calamities, iq pleasures, leading their lives in ease and pleasures. And while the good do suffer persecution and injuries, the wicked rejoice thereat. For the Lord in the gospel saith to his disciples : " Verily , fJohn xvi. verily, I say unto you, ye shall weep and lament, the world shall be glad ; but ye shall be sorrowful."
But now, what kind of temptations those be, which arise in the hearts of the godly through their tribulations; and what those men, which are not altogether godless nor the enemies of God, do gather of the felicity wherein the wicked are, the scripture in many places teacheth us, and especially in that wonderful discourse of Job and his friends. The prophet Abacuch complaineth, and saith: "O Lord, how long shall Inabak.i. cry, and thou not hear? how long shall I cry out to thee for the violence that I suffer, and thou not help? why am I com- pelled to see iniquity, spoiling, and unrighteousness against me? why dost thou regard them that despise thee, and boldest
[3 The persecutions of the Christians by the Romans have, for many ages, been accounted ten in number. But the ancient liistory of the Church does not support precisely this number. — Some Christians of the fifth century were led into a belief by certain passages of scripture, especially by one in the Apocalypse, that the Christian body was fated to undergo ten calamities of the heavier kind ; to which opinion they then accommodated history, though against her will, not, however, all in the same way. — Mosheim Eccles. Hist, cent i. Book 1. part i. chap. 5. §4. ed. Soames, and note in loc]
[* See p. 109, &c. Orosius frequently notices these punishments in the 7th book of his Ilistor. adv. paganos ; and the title of the 27th chapter of the same book is, " CoUatio populi Israelitici ct Christiani, .iEgyptiaci item ct Romani, quomodo illi pro Deo in adflictionibus, hi a Deo in plagis, similia fere passi sunt."]
6—2
68 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
thj tongue while the wicked treadeth down the man that is more righteous than himself? The wicked doth circumvent the righteous; and therefore wrong judgment proceedeth." In Malachi the hypocrites do cry: "It is but vain to serve God : and what profit is it that we have kept his commandments, and that we have walked humbly before the face of the Lord' ? Now therefore we call the proud and arrogant blessed and happy : for the workers of wickedness live happily and are set up ; and they tempt God, go on in their wickedness, and are delivered 2." The holy prophet Asaph containeth all this most fully and significantly in the Psalm, where he saith: "My feet were almost gone, ray treadings had well nigh slipped ; for 1 was grieved at the wicked, when I did see the ungodly in such prosperity. For they are in no peril of death ^; they are, I say, troubled with no diseases, whereby they are drawn, as it were, to death, but are lusty and strong. They come into no misfortune like other men; but are free from the evils where- with other folk are plagued : and this is the cause that they are so holden with pride, and wrapped in violence as in a garment. Their eyes swell with fatness, and they do even what they lust^ They stretch forth their mouth unto heaven, and their tongue goeth through the world : yea, and they dare to say, Tush, how should God perceive it^? Lo, these are the ungodly, these prosper in the world, and these have riches in possession. Then, said I, have I cleansed my heart in vain, and washed mine hands in innocency: and I bear punishment every day. And while I thought thus to myself, I had almost departed from the generation of God's children."
Now since this is so, it followeth consequently to beat out^ the causes of these calamities : for in so doing we shall
[} coram Deo exei'cituum, Lat. ; God of hosts.]
[2 qui Deura tentant, Lat.; "for they tempte God, and yet escape." Coverdale's Bible, 1535.]
[3 neque eniin sunt illis nexus ad mortem, Lat. ; (eo quod non tra-
hantur ad mortem quasi captivi Calvin, Comment, in loc.); for there
are no bands in their death. — Auth. Vers.]
[•* dum eis videlicet pro voto omnia succedunt, Lat. ; omitted, — • while, that is, all things go according to their desire.]
[5 quomodo cognoscerct omnia Deus ? estne cognitio apud Altissi- mum ? Lat. ; How should God know all things ? is there knowledge iu the most High ?J
[c ut diligcntissime excutiamus, Lat.]
III.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. C9
be the better able to judge rightly of the miseries both of the godly and wicked sort of people. The causes of calamities are many, and of many sorts : but the general and especial cause is known to be sin. For by disobedience sin entered into the world, and death by sin ; and so, consequently, dis- eases, and all evils in the world. They are very light-headed and vain fellows, that refer these causes to I cannot tell what, blind constellations, and movings of planets. For^ we by our evil lusts and corrupt affections do heap up day by day one evil on another's neck. And at our elbows standeth the devil, who roundeth^ us in the ears, and eo-creth us forwards : and, as helps to spur us on, there are a crew of naughty packs ^, that never cease to train us in. And daily there do rise up divers instruments of tribulation, wherewith the most wise and just God doth suffer us men to be exercised and tormented.
But the same causes of affliction are not always found to The cause be in the holy worshippers of God, as are in the wicked saints are despisers of his name. The saints are often afflicted, that by their trouble the glory of God may be known to the world. For when the disciples of Christ did see the blind man in the gospel, which was blind from his mother's womb, they said to the Lord : " JNIaster, who sinned, this man, [Joim ix. 2, or his parents, that he was born blind ? Jesus answered, j^either did this man sin, nor his parents ; but that the works of God might be made manifest in him." Likewise, when the Lord heard say that Lazarus was sick, "This disease (saithjohnxt he) is not to death, but to the glory of God, that by it the Son of God may be glorified." And yet, if we touch this matter to the quick, there can none in the world be found without sin ; so that, if the Lord will mark our iniquities, he shall always find somewhat to be punished in us : as it is at large declared in the book of Job.
Furthermore, the Lord doth suffer his spouse, the church, wearede- which he loveth full dearly, to be troubled and afilicted to the^oodLss this end and purpose; that he may openly declare, that the not by our' elect are defended, preserved, and delivered by the power and or ability, aid of God, and not by the policy or help of- man. For Paul
[' ceterum, Lat. ; but.]
[8 to round, Johnson ; to roun, Toone : to whisper or speak in secrecy.]
p pack, a loose or lewd person. — Johnson's Diet.]
70 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
saith : " We have this treasure In earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be God's, and not of us : while ■we are troubled on every side, but not made sorrowful ; we are in poverty, but not in extreme poverty ; we suffer perse- cution, but are not forsaken therein ; we are cast down, but we perish not ; we always bear about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus might also be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh ^" Also the same apostle saith : "Virtue is made perfect in infirmity 2." Afflictions Again, as the afflictions of the holy martyrs and faithful
moniesof saiuts of Christ are testimonies of the doctrine of faith, as our
tne doctrine '
[Mat"x. 17, Saviour in the gospel saith, " They shall deliver you up to ^^•3 councils, and in their synagogues they shall scourge you ;
yea, ye shall be brought before kings and rulers for my sake, that this might be for a witness to them and the people:" even so, in like manner, are the saints, overladen with miseries, made examples for us to learn by how to overcome and despise^ the world, and to aspire to heavenly things. We are tried Finally, the Lord doth try those that be his bv laviner
by afflictions. ,, '' ,, , , "^ , , , ,., ,, .°
the cross upon then' necks, and purgeth them like gold m the fire : he cutteth from us many occasions of evil, that he may bring us to the bearing of greater and more plentiful fruit. The wisdom of the Lord doth therein follow the manner of goldsmiths, who put their gold into the fire to purge, and not to mar it : and he imitateth also good hus- bandmen, who, when their corn is somewhat too rank, do mow it down ; and prune their trees, not to destroy, but to make them bear more abundant fruit. And this flesh of ours, verily, in peace and quietness is luskish*, lazy, drowsy, and slow to good and honest exercises ; it is content, and seeketh no further than earthly things; it is wholly given to pleasures ; it doth utterly forget God and godly things : now therefore it is not expedient only, but also very necessary, to have this dull and sluggish lump stirred up and exercised with troubles, afflictions, and sharp persecutions. The saints herein are like
[1 2 Cor. iv. 7 — 11. Bullingerhas adopted the translation of Erasmus.] [2 2 Cor. xii. 9. This is tho Vulgate, and not Erasmus', version.] [3 calcare, Lat. ; to tread under foot.] [■* luskish, somewhat inclinable to laziness or indolence. — Johnson.]
III.] THE EIGHTH niECErr of the ten commandments. 71
to Iron, which by use is somewhat worn and diminished, hut by lying still unoccupied is eaten more with rust and canker. Most truly therefore said St Peter: "Dearly beloved, think i pet. iv. it not strange, that ye are tried with fire, which thing is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you : but rejoice rather, in that ye are partakers of the afflictions of Christ ; that, when his glory is revealed, ye may be merry and glad^" For Paul to Timothy saith : " Remember thatsxim. ». Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel ; for which I am afflicted, as an evil doer, even unto bonds : and yet I suffer all things for the elect's sakes, that they might also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. It is a faithful saying : For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him : if we be patient^, we shall reign with him : if we deny him, he shall also deny us''." For in his epistle to the Romans he saith : " Those which he knew before he did Rom. vui also predestinate, that they should be like-fashioned unto the shape of^ his Son, that he might be the first-begotten among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predes- tinate, them also he called ; and whom he called, them also he justified ; and whom he justified, them also shall he glorify^." Again, in the same epistle he saith: " We rejoice Eom. v. also in tribulations; knowing that tribulation worketh patience ; patience proof; proof hope : and hope maketh not ashamed'**, &c." This do the private examples of the saints, and public examples of the whole church, very plainly declare. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, had never known that God's helping hand had been so faithful and always present with them ; they had never been grounded in so sure hope, nor shewed such especial fruit of their excellent patience ; if they had not been exer- cised with many perils, and, as it were, oppressed with infinite calamities. Whereupon it comcth, that David cried : " It is good for me, Lord, that thou hast troubled me." The church psai. cxi; of Israel was oppressed in Egypt; but to the end that it
[5 1 Pet. iv. 12, 13; Erasmus' translation.]
[6 So Tyndale's and Cranmer's translations.]
[■^ Erasmus' ti'anslation chiefly.]
[8 So Tyndale's and Cranmer's translations.]
p glorificabit, Lat. ; the "Versions have glorificavit.]
[10 Erasmus' translation.]
72 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
might with the more glory be dehvered, and pass into the land of promise. The Jewish church was afflicted by them of Babylon and the Assyrians, so that their temple was over- thrown, and the saints carried captive with the worst of the people. But the godly sort in their very captivity do feel the wonderful help of God, and by that means are made the better ^ by their afflictions ; so that the name of the Lord was known^ among the Assyrians, the Chaldees, the JNIedes and Persians, to his great glory and renown, as it is at large declared in the histories of Daniel, Hester, and Esdras^ Certain pun- Here also is to be noted, that certain punishments are appointed as appomtcd of the Lord as plag-ues for certain sms : so that
plagues to -^ '^ r o '
certain sins, most commonly a man is plagued by the very same things wherein he sinned against the Lord. David offended God with murder and adultery ; and therefore is he punished with the shame of his own house, with whoredom, incest, and detestable murder of his own children ; and lastly, driven out and banished his kingdom. It was pride and arrogance, wherein Nabuchodonosor sinned ; and therefore, being distract of his wits and turned into a beastly madness, he led his life for a certain time^ with beasts of the field. But as Nabuchodo- nosor was, when God thought good, restored to his kingdom ; so David did in time convenient feel the mercy of the Lord in settling him in his seat again. For this saying of the Lord is firmly ratified for ever, not only to David, but to every one that believeth, which is in these words set down in the scrip-
jp^ai- tures : "If his children forsake my law, and keep not my
3*J commandments, I will visit their sins with rods, and their
iniquities with scourges : yet will I not utterly take my good- ness from him ; I will not break my covenant, neither will I change the thing that is once gone out of my mouth." There- fore it is to our profit that the Lord afflictcth us ; as he himself testifieth in the revelation of Christ ^ uttered'' by John the
Rev. iii. apostle and evangelist, saying : " Them which I love I rebuke
[1 puriores fiunt, Lat.]
[2 quam latissime, Lat. ; to the widest extent.] [3 Ezra and Nchemiah. See Sixth Art. of Religion; "First Book of Esdras, Second Book of Esdras." So also Vulgate.] [4 dostinato tempore, Lat.]
[5 in thcologia sua, Lat. See Vol. r. p. 170. n. C] [6 edita, Lat. ; put forth, published.]
III.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 73
and chasten." And Salomon, long before that, did say : "My rmv. ni. son, refuse not the chastening of the Lord, neither faint when thou art corrected of him. For whom the Lord loveth, him he chasteneth ; and yet dehghteth in him, as a father in his son"."
Now, touchins: the persecutions and terrible plafrucs laid sin is the
o I in cause of
upon the neck of the whole church of God, or several martyrs 'ers^e"tTon» of the same ; as they were, for the most part, breathed out of worldly tyrants against the saints for their open confession and testimonies of their faith, and truth of the gospel, so most commonly the causes of those broils were the sins and offences of the saints, which the justice of God did visit in his holy ones, no doubt to the good and salvation of the faithful. For of that bloody persecution under the emperors Diocletian and jNIaximinian, which caused many thousands, yea, many millions, of martyrs to come to their endings, we read this following in the history of Eusebius of Cesaria, who learned it, not by hear-say, but was himself an eye-witness of the same : " When as by too much liberty and wantonness the manners of the church were utterly marred, and the discipline thereof corrupted ; while among ourselves we envy one another, and diminish one another's estimation ; while among ourselves we snatch at and accuse ourselves, moving deadly war among ourselves ; while dissimulation sitteth in the face, deceit lurketh in the heart, and falsehood is uttered in words, so that one evil is heaped still on another's neck ; the Lord beginneth by little and little, and with the bridle to check the mouth of his tripping church, and, reserving the congregations untouched, he beginneth first to suffer them to feel persecu- tion which served as soldiers in the camps of the Gentiles. But when as by that means the people could not be made to remember themselves, insomuch that they ceased not to persist in their wickedness, and that the very guides of the people and chief of the church, unmindful of God's command- ment, were set on fire among themselves with strife, envy, hatred, and pride, so that they might think they rather exer- cised tyranny than the office of ministers, because they had forgotten christian sincerity and pureness of living ; then at length the houses of prayer and churches of the living God
[7 Prov. iii. 11, 12 ; et tanquam pater in filio delectatur, Lat. ; "and yet delytcth in him even as a father in his owne sonne." — Coverdale's translation, 1535.]
74 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
were thrown to the ground, and the holy scriptures set on fire in the broad and open streets ^" Thus much, word for word, out of the eighth book of his ecclesiastical history. What kind And yet here I make difference betwixt sin and sin. For
saints- sins the saiuts siu, but yet they abstain commonly from heinous crimes ; although now and then too they fall into them, as it is evident by the example of David : but yet, for the most part, they fly from theft, murder, whoredom, and other grievous 2 sins like unto these. And while the saints are afflicted by tyrants, it is not for the neglecting of justice and true religion ; but for the contemning of superstition, and stedfast sticking to Christ and his gospel. The Lord there- fore doth forgive, and in the blood of Christ wash away, the sins of the holy martyrs, reputing them to suffer death not for the sins which they have committed, but for the zeal and love of true religion. He also punisheth the tyrants for the death of his martyrs ; because, in putting them to death, they follow their own tyrannous affection, and not the just judg- ment of the living God. The Lord's mind, verily, was by tyrants to chasten his people Israel : but the tyrants (as Esay in his tenth chapter witnesseth) did not take it to be so ; but rather, following their own affections, they passed all measure in afflicting them, and never sought after justice and equity : they therefore are punished of the Lord for killing his
■ [1 Bullingor has followed tlie Latin translation of Eusebiiis : Ubi ex multa libertate multaque indulgentia vitiati sunt mores, et disciplina corrupta est, dum alter alteri invidemus, et alter alteri derogamus; dumque nos invicem mordemus etincusamus, et adversum nosmetipsos intestina proelia commovernus ; dum simulatio in vultu, dolus in corde, fallacia profertur in verbis, et malorum per singula cumulus intumescit ; aggreditur (Dominus) primo sensira refrcenare lapsantes, congregationibusquo manentibus, indulget interim eos, qui erant iu militia tantum gentilium, persccutionc pulsari. Sed cum nullus ex hoc dementia) ejus intellectus populis rcdderetur, et pcrsisterent in malis suis, atque ipsi qui duces populi videbantur et principcs, divini mandati immemores effecti, adversum se invicem contentionibus, zelo, livore, supcrbia, inimicitiis atquo odiis inflammarcntur, ita ut tyranni- dcm potius quam saccrdotium tcnero so crederent, christians humili- tatis et sinceritatis obliti; tunc dcmum. . .domus orationis et ecclcsiso Dei vivi ad solum deductsc sunt ; divinoc vero scriptural in medio platearum igni crematoe sunt. — Euseb. Ecclcs. Hist. RufQno Aquil. in- terprete, lib. viir. cap. 1. p. 183. Basil. 1539.] [2 morto expianda, Lat.]
III.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 75
innocent and guiltless servants. For the thing which the Lord did persecute in his people, (their sins, I mean, and offences,) that do the tyrants neither punish nor persecute : but the thing that pleased God, (the love, I mean, of true religion, and the utter detesting of idolatry,) that they are mad upon, and persecute it with sword and fire and unspeak- able torments. To this therefore doth that saying of StHPetiv. Peter belong : " See that none of you be punished as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evil-doer, or as a busy-body in other men's matters : but if any man suffer as a christian man, let him not be ashamed, but rather glorify God on this behalf."
Yet, for all this, I would not that heinous offenders should any whit despair. They have the example of the thief that was crucified with Christ ; that let them follow : let them, I say, confess their faults, believe in Christ, commit them- selves wholly to his grace and mercy, and lastly, suffer patiently the pain of their punishment ; and, in so doing, there is no doubt but they shall be received of Christ into Paradise, and live there for ever, as the thief doth with Christ.
And although the godly be slain among transgressors, yet J^||7p^°'|sh is he no more defiled by suffering with them than Christ our ^^^^^1^'^ Lord was, being hanged among thieves. For though the godly ^'^''• and ungodly be wrapped and coupled together in one kind of punishment, yet are they severed by their unlike ending ; while the wicked, after this bodily death, is carried to hell, there to burn without intermission; and the godly taken im- mediately into heaven, to live with Christ his Lord, to whom ho committed and commended^ himself. Touching this matter, and the causes of the afflictions of the holy men of God, I will not be aggrieved to recite unto you, dearly beloved, a notable place of St Augustine out of his first book De civitate Dei. " AVheresoever (saith he) good men do suffer the same and like punishment that the evil sort do, it is to be marked, that there is not therefore no difterence betwixt them, because there is no diversity in the thing that they suffer. For as in one and the same fire gold doth shine, and chaff' doth smoke ; and under one flail the husk is broken, and the corn purged; and as the scummy froth is not mixed with the oil, although one weight of the same press doth crush both out at once: even [3 obtulit, Lat. ; offered.]
76 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
SO one and the self-same misery, falling upon the good and the bad, doth try, fine, and melt the good ; and on the other side condemn, waste, and consume the evil sort. Whereupon it Cometh to pass, that in one and the same affliction the evil do detest and blaspheme the Lord, when contrarily the good do pray unto and praise his name for that he layeth upon them. So much matter maketh it in afflictions to mark not what, but with what mind, every man doth suffer. For stir up dirt and sweet ointments alike, and you shall have the one stink filthily, and the other cast forth a sweet-smelling savour. Therefore in that hurly-burly, and irruption made by the barbarous people, what did the Christians suffer which was not rather to their profit, while they did faithfully consider those troubles? especially because they, humbly considering the sins for which God, being wroth, did fill the world with so many and great calamities, although they be far from committing heinous, grievous, and outrageous offences, do yet nevertheless not repute themselves so clear of all faults, as that they judge not themselves worthy to suffer temporal calamity for the crimes they commit every hour and moment. For over and besides that every man which liveth peradventure laudably enough, doth in some points yield a little to carnal concupis- cence, although not to the outrageousness of horrible sins, to the gulf of heinous offences and abominable iniquities, yet notwithstanding he yieldeth to some sins, which either he haunteth very seldomly, or else committeth so much the oftener as they are the lesser ; over and besides this therefore I say, what man is there which, when he seeth and knoweth very well the men for whose pride, lascivious lives, covetous- ness, and damnable iniquity, God (as he hath threatened) doth plague the earth, doth so esteem them as they are to be thought of, and live so with them as he ought to live with such kind of people ? For oftentimes many things are wickedly dissembled, while wicked doers are not taught, corrected, chidden, and admonished of their evil behaviours, either be- cause wo think the pain too much to tell them their faults ; or while we are afraid to have the heavy looks of them with whom we live; or else avoid their displeasure, lest peradventure they should hinder or hurt us in temporal matters, when as either our greediness desireth to have somewhat more, or our infirmity fcarcth to lose the things whicli it hath already
III.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COM.MAND.MENTS. 77
in hold and possession : so that, although the life of the wicked displease the good, for which cause they fall not into the same damnation, which is after this life prepared for the evil ; yet, since they do therefore bear with, and forbear, their damnable sins, because they fear them in lighter and smaller trifles, they are justly scourged with them in this temporal life, albeit they be not punished with them eternally. While they be punished by God with the wicked, they do justly feel the bitterness of this life, for the love of whose sweetness they would not be bitter in telling the wicked of their offences. This therefore seemeth to me to be no small cause why the good arc whipped with the evil, when it pleaseth God to punish the naughty manners of men with the affliction of temporal pains. For they are scourged together, not for because they lead an evil life together, but because they love this temporal life together. I do not say alike, but together ; when the better sort ought to despise it, that the evil, being rebuked and cor- rected, might obtain the eternal life; to the getting whereof if they would not be our fellows and partners, they should bo carried and lovingly drawn, even while they be our enemies; because, so long as they live, it is always uncertain whether their minds shall be changed to be better or no. Wherefore they have not the like but a far greater cause to admonish men of their faults, to whom the Lord saith by the mouth of the prophet: ' He verily shall die in his sin, but his blood will I require at the hand of the watchman.' For to this end are the watchmen, that is, the guides of the people, ordained in the churches, that they should not forbear to rebuke sin and wickedness. And yet, for all this, that man is not altogether excusable of this fault, which, although he be no guide or overseer of the people, doth, notwithstanding, know many things worthy controlment, and yet wink at them in those with whom he liveth and is conversant, because he will give them none offence, for fear lest he lose those things, which in this world he useth as he ought not, or is delighted in so as he should not'." And so forth. For all this have I hitherto re- hearsed out of St Augustine.
[1 Iltec cum ita sint, quicunque boni mali(iue paviter afllicti sunt, non ideo ipsi distinct! non sunt, quia distiuctum non est quod utriquo pcrpessi sunt. — Nam sicut sub uno igno aurum rutilat, palea fumat, ct Bub eadom tribula stipula; comminuuntur, frumenta purgantur; nee
78 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
The last and hindermost cause of the calamities which oppress the holy saints of God is, because the Lord, in afflict-
ideo cum oleo amurca confunditur, quia eodem preli pondere exprimi- tur: ita una eademque vis irruens bonos probat, purificat, eliquat; malos damnat, vastat, exterminat. Unde in eadem afflictionc mall Deum detestantur atque blasphemant, boni autem precantur et lau- dant. Tantum interest, non qualia, sed qualis quisque patiatur. Nam pari motu exagitatum et exhalat horribiliter coenum, et suaviter fragrat unguentum. . . .Quid igitur in ilia rerum vastitate Cliristiani passi sunt, quod eis non magis fideliter ista considerantibus ad profectum valeret ? Primo, quod ipsa peccata, quibus Deus indignatus iraplevit tantis calamitatibus mundum, humiliter cogitantes, quamvis longe absint a facinorosis, flagitiosis, atque impiis, tamen non usque adeo se a delictis deputant alienos, ut nee temporalia pro eis mala perpeti se judicent indignos. (Bullinger's text has dignos.) Excepto enim quod unusquis- que, quamlibet laudabiliter vivens, cedit in quibusdam carnali con- cupiscentiaj, etsi non ad facinorum immanitatem et gurgitem flagitiorum atque impietatis abominationem, ad aliqua tamen peccata vel rara vel tanto crebriora quanto minora : — hoc ergo excepto, quis tandem facile reperitur, qui eosdem ipsos, propter quorum horrendam superbiam, luxuriam, et avaritiam, atque execrabiles iniquitates et impietatcs Deus, sicut minando prsedixit, conterit terras, sic habeat ut liabendi sunt; sic cum eis vivat, ut cum talibus vivendum est ? Plerumque enim ab eis docendis, admonendis, aliquando etiam objurgandis et corripiendis male dissimulatur ; vel cum laboris piget, vel cum os eorum (coram) verecundamur ofFendere; vel cum eorum inimicitias devitamus, ne impediant et noceant in istis temporalibus rebus, sive quas adipisci adhuc appetit nostra cupiditas, sive quas amittere formidat infirmitas : ita ut quamvis bonis vita malorum displiceat, et ideo cum eis non inci- dant in illam damnationem, quse post banc vitam talibus prteparatur ; tamen quia propterea peccatis eorum damnabilibus parcunt, dum eos in suis licet levibus et venialibus metuunt, jure cum eis temporaliter fla- gellantur, quamvis in asternum minime puniantur. Jure istam vitam, quando divinitus affliguntur cum eis, amaram sentiunt, cujus amando dulcedinem peccantibus eis amari esse noluerunt. . . . Non mihi itaque videtur hsec parva esse causa, quaro cum malis flagellentur et boni, quando Deo placet perditos mores etiam temporalium pcenarum afflic- tione punire. Flagellantur enim simul, non quia simul agunt malam vitam, scd quia simul amant temporalem vitam : non quidem tcqualiter, sed tamen simul ; quam boni conteraneredeberent, utilli correpti atque correcti conscquerentur a?ternam : ad quam consequendam, si nollent esse socii, ferrentur et diligerentur inimici ; quia donee vivunt, semper incertum est, utrum voluntatem sint in melius mutaturi. Qua in re non utique parem, sed longe graviorcm habent causam, quibus per Prophetam dicitur, 'Ille quidem in sue peccato morietur, sanguincm autem ejus de manu spcculatoris rcquiram.* Ad hoc enim spcculatorcs,
III.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 79
ing his friends, doth thereby give a most evident testimony The affliction of his just iudf^ment, which shall fall upon his enemies for^anarpu-
•' •' O ' 1 ment of God's
their contemning of his name and majesty. For St Peter J.^Jfj^^'je-jn^, saith; "The time is that judgment^ must begin at the house [l"pet.''i>.'',7, of God: if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of those ^"■■' which believe not the gospel of God ? And if the righte- ous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and sinner appear?" And like to this is that notable sentence of the Lord's, which he spake, when he went to the place of exe- cution, saying: "If they do this in a moist tree, what shall i^"ke xxm. be done in the dry?" If the saints, by whom are meant the fruitful- trees bringing forth most precious fruits of good works, are, by the sufferance of God, in this world so miserably tormented and wrongfully vexed; what shall we say, I pray you, of the wicked, which are so far from virtue and good works? They shall, undoubtedly, be plagued with unspeakable pains and punishments.
For touchino; the causes of those calamities wherewith The causes of
I'll afflictions in
the Wicked are tormented ; they can be none other than the "^e wicked heinous crimes which they commit from day to day ; and are therefore punished by God's just judgment, to the end that all men may perceive, that God hateth wicked men and wickedness alike. So we read that Pharao was afflicted. Saul fell upon his own sword, and was slain in the mount Gilboe, with many thousand Israelites, because he had sinned against the Lord, which purposed to destroy him for an ex- ample of his judgment, and a terror to them that should follow after. Antiochus Epiphanes, Herod the Great, Ilerod Agrippa, and Galerius Maximianus, the emperor, were taken horribly with grievous diseases, and died of the same^. The
hoc est, populoium prceposlti, coiistituti sunt in ccclesiis, ut non par- cant objurgando peccata. Nee ideo tamen ab hujuscemodi culpa penitus alienus est, qui, licet prsepositus non sit, in cis tamen, quibus vitoe hujus necessitate conjungitur, multa moncnda vel arguenda novit, et negligit, devitans eorum ofFensiones propter ilia quibus in liac vita non indebitis utitur, sed plusquam debuit delectatur. — August. 0pp. dc Civit. Dei. Lib. I. capp. 8, 9. Tom. v. p. 4, col. 4. p. 5, col. 1, 2, 3. Par. 1531.]
[1 Aftlictio inquam ct tribulatio, Lat. ; omitted by the translator ; I mean, affliction and tribulation.]
[2 Si sanctaj arbores frugiferre, Lat. ; if the holy fruitful trees.] [3 Sec Vol. I. p. 318. For the miserable end of Maximian seo
godly.
80 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
reason was, because they sinned against God and his servants; on whom he determined to take a vengeance, and to make them proofs of his just judgment ; so to be examples for tyrants to perceive what plagues remain for those which seek the blood of the godly and faithful. And although our good God doth ordain all things for the best to his creatures, and sendeth in a manner all calamities and miseries to draw us from wickedness ; yet because hypocrites and wicked people despise the counsels and admonitions of God, and neither will acknowledge God when he striketh, nor turn to him when he calleth them, all things do turn to their destruction (even as to them which love the Lord all things work to the best), and therefore do they perish in their calamities: for in this world they feeP the wrath of the almighty God in most horrible punishments ; and in the world to come, when once they are parted out of this life, do for ever 2 bear far greater^ and bitterer pains than any tongue can tell. Theinfeiieity But if it happen that the wicked and ungodly sort do not in this life feel any plague or grievous affliction, then shall they be punished so much the sorer in the world to come. There is no man that knoweth not the evangelical parable of the rich unmerciful glutton, who, when as in this life he lived as he lusted, in passing delights, was notwith- standing in hell tormented with unquenchable thirst, and parched with fire* which never ceased burning. The felicity therefore of the wicked in this life is nothing else but extreme misery. For St James the Apostle saith : " Ye have lived in pleasure upon earth, and been wanton ; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter^;" which, I say, will turn to you, as to well-fed beasts, that are fatted up to be slain to make meat of**. For Jeremy goeth a little
Euseb. Hist. Eccles. Lib. viii. cap. 16, and Lactantius de Mor. Pcr- secut. cap. 33, and Gibbon, chap. xiv. p. 213. Vol. ii. ed. Lond. 1820.] [1 porsentiscere incipiunt, Lat. ; they begin to feel.] [2 So 1577, but in 1587, therefore hear, ceternum perferuut, Lat.] [3 eadem, imo longe majora, Lat. ; the same, nay far greater.] [4 ignibus infeniahbus, Lat. ; fire of hell.] [5 James v. 5. Bullinger has adopted Erasmus' renderings.] [6 In his Commentary Bullinger prefers the other explanation of this comparison: in deliciis lascive pascitis cuticulam vestram, quoti- diana agitantes convivia, non minus splendida quam alii solent fcsto die mactata victinia.]
III.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 81
more plainly to work, and saith : " O Lord, thou art more righteous than that I should dispute -with thee : yet not- withstanding I will talk with thee. How happeneth it that the way of the ungodly doth prosper so well, and that it goeth so well with them which without shame offend in wickedness? Thou hast planted them, they take root, they grow, and bring forth fruit." And immediately after: "But draw thou them out, O Lord, like a sheep '^ to be slain, and ordain or appoint them^ against the day of slaughter." With this also doth that agree, which the prophet Asaph, psai. ixxiii. after he had roundly and largely reckoned up the fell- "^^^"^"-^ city of the wicked, addeth, saying ; " Thou, verily, hast set them in slippery places ; thou shalt cast them down headlong, and utterly destroy them^. 0 with how sudden calamities are they oppressed ; they are perished and swallowed up of terrors ! Even as a dream that vanisheth so soon as one awaketh ; thou. Lord, shalt make their image contemptible in the city." For David also before him did cry, saying : " Yet a little, and the ungodly shall be nowhere ; and when Psai. xxxvu. thou lookest in his place, he shall not'^ appear. I have seen the ungodly in great power, and flourishing ^^ like a green bay-tree : and I went by, and, lo, he was gone ; I sought him, but he could not be found." In like manner also doth Malachi the prophet witness, that there is great difi'crence, in the day of judgment, betwixt the worshipper and despiser of God, and betwixt the just and unjust dealer : "For the day [Mai. ni. is, of the Lord shall come, in which the proud, and those that '"^ work wickedness, shall be burnt as stubble with fire from heaven, so that there shall remain unto them neither root nor branch." They that are wise, therefore, will never hereafter be offended at the felicity of the wicked : they will never desire and long to be made partakers of their unhappy prosperity : they will not grudge at all to bear the misery of the cross, which they do daily hear to be laid by God'^
['^ sicut pecudem e grege, Lat.]
[8 consecra sive destina, Lat. ; sanctify or set apart ; □Ji'lpn, Heb. sanctifica, Vulg.]
[9 ut prorsus dissiliant, Lat. ; that they may burst aUogethcr.]
[10 nuspiam, Lat. ; nowliere.]
[11 et virentem ac sese diffundentem, Lat.]
[12 a clementissimo Deo, Lat 1
[bullinger, II.J
82 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
upon his saints, to the end they may be tried and fined from the dross of the flesh and this unclean world. Thus far have I sufficiently reasoned of the causes of calamities. How the Let us now see, my reverend brethren ^ how, and in
godly behave ' t/ ' '
inXfr"^^^ what order, the godly and sincere worshipper of God doth calamities, boliave himsolf in all calamities and worldly afflictions. His courage quaileth not, but kicketh rather all desperation aside^, because he understandeth, that he must manfully in faith bear all sorts of evils. Therefore doth he arm himself with hope, patience, and prayer. There are, verily, among men some which, so soon as they feel any affliction, do presently cry, as the common voice is. That it had been best if they never had been born, or else destroyed as soon as they were born. A very wicked saying is this, and not worthy to be heard in a christian man's mouth. But far more wicked are they which stick not to destroy themselves^ rather than by living they would be compelled to suffer any longer some small calamity, or abide the taunts of the open world. And The stoics yet on the other side again men must reject the unsavoury
were of opi- .. n i n- i- -i'-tt . 11 /»
rion, thata opmiou 01 tho fetoics, touchmg their tndolentia, or lack oi
valiant man •■■ . . . , ° _
be^Heved'° g^ief: touchiug which I will recite unto you, dearly be- SLeryorca- lovcd, a most cxcelleut discourse of a notable doctor in the lamity. cliurcli of Christ, set down in these words following : Against the "We are too unthankful towards our God, unless we do
lentia. "willingly and cheerfully suffer calamities at his hand. And yet such cheerfulness is not required of us, as should take away all sense and feehng of grief and bitterness : otherwise there should be no patience in the saints' suffering of the cross of Christ, unless they were both pinched by the heart with grief, and vexed in body with outward troubles. If in poverty there were no sharpness, if in diseases no pain, if in infamy no sting, and in death no horror, what fortitude or tem- perancy were it to make small account of and set little by them ? But since every one of them doth naturally nip the minds of us all with a certain bitterness cngraffed in them, the valiant stomach of a faithful man doth therein shew itself, if he, being pricked with the feeling of this bitterness, howso- ever he is grievously pained therewith, doth notwithstanding
[1 honorandi fratres, Lat.]
[2 calcat, Lat.]
[3 sibi ipsis violeutam et armatam manum inforiuit, Lat.]
III.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 83
by valiant resisting and continual struggling worthily van- quish and quite overcome it. Therein doth patience make proof of itself, if, when a man is sharply pricked, it doth notwithstanding so bridle itself with the fear of God, that it never breaketh forth to immoderate unruliness. Therein doth cheerfulness clearly appear, if a man, once wounded with sorrow and sadness, doth quietly stay himself upon the spiritual consolation of his God and creator. This conflict, which the faithful sustain against the natural feeling of sorrow and grief, while they study to exercise patience and tem- perance, the apostle Paul hath finely described in words as followeth : ' We are troubled on every side, but not made [2 cor. iv. sorrowful : we are in poverty, but not in extreme poverty : ' we suffer persecution, but are not forsaken therein : we are cast down, but we perish not.' Thou seest here, that to bear the cross patiently is not to be altogether senseless and utterly bereft of all kind of feeling : as the Stoics of old did foohshly describe the valiant man to be such an one, as, laying aside the nature of man, should be affected alike in adversity and prosperity, in sorrowful matters and joyful things ; yea, and such an one as should be moved with nothing whatsoever ^ And what did they, I pray you, with this exceeding great patience^? Forsooth, they painted the image of patience, which neither ever was, nor possibly can be, found among men. Yea, while they went about to have patience over exquisite and too precise, they took away the force thereof out of the life of man. At this day also there are among us Christians certain new upstart Stoics, which think it a fault not only to sigh and weep, but also to be sad and sorrowful for any matter. And these paradoxes, verily, do for the most part proceed from idle fellows, which, exercising themselves rather in contemplation *5 than in working, can do nothing else but daily breed such novelties and paradoxes. But we Christians have nothing to do with tliis iron-hke pen-ea phuo- philosophy, since our Lord and master hath not in words only, but with his own example also, utterly condemned it. For he groaned at and wept over both his own and other men's calamities, and taught his disciples to do the like.
[4 instar lapidis, Lat. ; like a stone.]
[5 Calvin's word is sapientia; but BuUinger reads patientia.]
[c speculando, Lat.]
6—2
84 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
[johnxvi. * The world (saith he) shall rejoice, but ye shall be sorrowful, ye shall weep.' And lest any man should make that weep- ing to be their fault, he pronounceth openly, that they are
[Matt. V. 4.] happy which do mourn. And no marvel : for if all tears be misliked of, what should we judge of the Lord himself, out of whose body bloody tears did trilP ? If all fear be noted to proceed of unbelief, what shall we think of that horror, wherewith we read that the Lord himself was stricken^ ? If we mislike all sorrow and sadness, how shall we like of that where the Lord confesseth that his soul is heavy unto the death?
" Thus much did I mind to say, to the intent that I might revoke godly minds from desperation ; lest peradventure they do therefore out of hand forsake to seek after patience, because they cannot utterly shake off the natural motions of grief and heaviness : which can not choose but happen to them which of patience do make a kind of senselessness, and of a valiant and constant man a senseless block, or a stone without pas- sions^. For the scripture doth praise the saints for their patience, while they are so afflicted with the sharpness of calamities as that thereby their stomachs are not broken, nor their courage is utterly quailed ; while they are so stung with the prick of bitterness as that they are filled with spiritual joy ; while they are so oppressed with heaviness of mind as that yet they be cheerful^ in God's consolation. And yet is that repugnancy still in their hearts, because the natural sense doth fly from and abhor the thing that it feeleth contrary to itself; when as, on the other side, the motions of godliness doth even through these difficulties, by striving, seek a way to the obedience of God. This repugnancy did the Lord ex-
john xxi. press when he said to Peter ; ' When thou wast younger, thou girdedst thyself, and wentest whither thou wouldest : but when thou shalt be old, another shall gird thee, and lead thee whither thou wouldest not.' It is not unhke verily ^ that Peter, when it was need to glorify God by his death, was
[1 trill : trickle, fall in drops. Johnson.] [2 non levitcr consternatum, Lat.] [3 or a stono, &c. not in Lat.] [■* exhilarati respirent, Lat.]
[s This translation is wrong. The Latin is, Non est sane verisimile ; It is not indeed likely.']
m.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 85
with much ado against his "will drawn unto it : for if it had been so, his martyrdom had deserved httle praise or none. But howsoever he did with great cheerfulness of heart obey the ordinance of God ; yet because he had not laid aside the affec- tions of his flesh ^, his mind was drawn two sundry ways. For while he saw before his eyes the bloody death which he had to suffer, he was undoubtedly struck through with the fear thereof, and would with all his heart have escaped it : and on the other side, when he remembered that he was by God's commandment called thereunto, overcoming and treading down all fear, he did willingly and cheerfully yield himself unto it. If therefore we mean to be Christ his disciples, our chief and especial study must be, to have our minds endued with so great obedience and love'^ of God as is able to tame and bring under all the ilP motions of our minds to the ordinance of his holy will. And so it will come to pass, that, with what kind of cross so- ever we be vexed, we may, even in the greatest troubles of our minds, constantly retain quiet sufferance and patience. For adversity will have a sharpness to nip us withal ; likewise, being afflicted with sickness and diseases, we shall groan and be dis- quieted and wish for health : being oppressed with poverty, we shall be pricked with the sting of care and heaviness : in like manner, we shall be stricken with the grief of infamy, con- tempt, and injury done unto us ; also at the death of our friends nature will move us to shed tears for their sakes. But this must still be the end of our thoughts, Why, the Lord would have it so^; let us therefore follow his will." Thus much hath he'*'.
Wherefore the faithful, being once over-taken and entangled or thesainu' with calamities, do chiefly remedy their miseries with patience : which (as Lactantius saith) " is the quiet bearing, with an indif- ferent mind, of those evils which are either laid or do fall on our pates '^" For the faithful man by patience, having his eyes throughly fastened upon the word of God, doth in faith
[6 humanitatem non cxuerat, Lat.]
[■? observantia, Lat.] [^ contrarias, Lat.]
P Atqui Dominus ita voluit; Well, but so is the will of the Lord!]
[10 Calvini Instit. Lib. iii. cap. 8. § 8, 9, 10. ed. Amstel. Tom. ix.
p. 185.]
[11 Patientia est malorum, quse aut iiiferuntur, aut accidunt, cum
sequanimitate perlatio. — Lactant. Divin. Instit. Lib. v. cap. 22, p. 530.
Lugd. Bat. 1660.]
86 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
and hope stick fast to God and cleave to his word ; he suffer- eth all adversities whatsoever bechance him, moderating always the grief of his mind and pains of his body with wonderful^ wisdom, so that at no time, being overcome with the greatness of grief or sorrow, he doth revolt from God and his word, to do the things that the Lord hath forbidden. By patience therefore he vanquisheth himself and his affections, he over- cometh all calamities, and standeth still stedfast with a quiet mind and well-disposed heart to God-ward. And although the faithful do with patience suffer all things, yet doth he find fault with the things that are wicked, and hardly bear with aught that is against the truth. For our Saviour, Christ Jesus, the only perfect example of patience, did most patiently yield his hands and his whole body to be bound of the wicked ; and yet nevertheless he reproveth their iniquity, saying: "Ye are come forth as to a thief with swords and staves, although I was daily with you in the temple: but this is your hour and power of darkness 2." The image of To tliis uow belongeth that excellent description, or lively image ^, of patience laid down by Tertullian in words as folio w- eth: " Go to now, let us see the image and habit of patience. Her countenance is calm and quiet; her forehead smooth, without furrowed wrinkles, which are the signs of sorrow or anger ; her brows are never knit, but slack in cheerful wise, with her eyes cast comely down to the ground, not for the sorrow of any calamities, but only for humility's sake. Upon her mouth she beareth the mark of honour, which silence bringeth to them that use it. Her colour is like to theirs that are nigh no danger, and are guiltless of evil. Her head is often shaken at of the devil*, and therewithal she hath a threatening laughter. Moreover, the clothes about her breasts are white, and close to her body, as that which waggeth not with every wind, nor tosseth up with every blast. For she sitteth in the throne of that most meek and quiet spirit, which is not troubled with any tempest, nor overcast with any clouds ;
[1 coelesti, Lat.]
[2 Luke xxii. 52, 53. BuUingcr has adopted Erasmus' translation. The Vulgate reads the former sentence interrogatively, as our English authorised version.]
[3 pi-osopopceia, Lat.]
[■* Her head is often shaked at the devil, ed. 1577.]
III.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 87
but is plain, open, and of a goodly clearness, as Ilcllas saw
it the third time. For where God is, there also is Patience, [i Kings xix.
his darhng, which he nourisheth^."
Moreover, the blessed martvr Cyprian, in his sermon De The force
" '' I- _ and efl'ccU of
hono j)citientice, reckoneth up the force or works of patience, patience. and saith: " Patience is that which commendeth us to God, and preserveth us. Patience is that which mitigatcth anger, which bridleth the tongue, governeth the mind, keepeth peace, ruleth disciphne, breaketh the assaults of lust, keepeth under the force of pride, quencheth the fire of hatred, restraineth the power of the rich, relic veth the need of the poor, main- taineth in maidens unspotted virginity, in widows chastity, in married people unseparable charity ; which maketh humble in prosperity, constant in adversity, meek in taking injury ; which teacheth thee to forgive quickly those that offend thee, and never cease to crave pardon when thou offcndest others ; which vanquisheth temptations, which suffereth persecutions, and finisheth with martyrdom^. This is that which groundeth surely the foundations of our faith: this is that which doth augment the increase of our hope: this is that which guideth us, so that we may keep the way to Christ, while we do go by the suffering thereof: this is that which maketh us conti- nue the sons of God, while we do imitate the patience of our Father"." Thus much Cyprian.
[5 Age jam, si et efiSgiem habitumque ejus (patientise) compre- hendamus: vultus illi tranquillus et placidus, frons pura, nulla moeroris aut irce rugositate contracta: remissa asquc in Isctum modum super- cilia, oculis humilitate, non infelicitate, dejectis. Os tacitumitatis honore signatuni. Color, qualis sccuris et innoxiis. Motus frequens capitis in diabolum, et minax risus. Ceterum amictus cireum pectora can- didus et corpori impressus ; ut qui nee inflatur nee inquinatur (Bul- linger's text is tlie various reading^ inquietatur). Sedet enim in throno spiritus ejus mitissimi et mansuetissimi, qui non turbine glomeratui*, non nubilo livet, sed est tenerre serenitatis, apertus, et simplex, qucm tertio vidit Hclias. Nam ubi Deus, ibidem et alumna ejus, patientia scilicet. — TertuU. de Patientia. ed. Semler. Tom. iv. p. 87. Hal. Mag. 1824.]
[c BuUinger lias, persccutiones et martyria.]
\^ Patientia est, quae nos Deo commendat, et servat. Ipsa est quae iram temperat ; qua; linguam franat ; qua; nientcm gubcrnat, pacem custodit, disciplinam regit, libidinis impctum frangit, tumoris violen- tiam comprimit, incendium simultatis extinguit ; coercet potontiam divitum, inopiam pauperum refovet ; tuetur in virginibus beatam inte-
88 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM,
To this, if it please you, you may add, for a conclusion, that short but very evident sentence of the Lord in the gos- pel, "Through your patience possess your souls;" and these words of the apostle, "Cast not away your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God ye might receive the promises. For yet a very little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. And the just shall live by faith: and if he withdraw himself, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. We are not of them which withdraw ourselves unto perdition: but we pertain to faith unto the winning of the souP."
But since patience is not born in and together with us, but is bestowed of God from above, we must beseech our heavenly Father that he will vouchsafe to bestow it upon us, according to the doctrine of James the apostle, who saith"'^: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, which giveth to all men indifferently, and casteth no man in the teeth : and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering."
Now the sound hope of the faithful upholdeth christian patience. Hope, as it is now-a-days used, is an opinion of things to come, referred commonly as well to good as evil things : but in very deed hope is an assured expectation or looking for of those things which are truly and expressly pro- mised of God, and believed of us by faith. So then there is a certain relation of hope to faith, and a mutual knot betwixt them both. Faith believeth that God said nothing but truth,
gritatem, in viduis laboi'iosam castitatem, in conjunctis et maritatis individuam caritatem: facit humiles in prosperis, in adversis fortes, contra injurias et contumelias mites; docet delinquentibus cito ignos- cere; si ipse delinquas, diu et multuni rogare; tentationes expugnat, persecutionos tolerat, passiones et martyria consummat. Ipsa est qua3 fidei nostra3 fundamenta firmitcr munit (Bullinger's text has, ponit). Ipsa est qnte incremcnta spei sublimiter provehit. Ipsa actum dirigit, ut tenere possimus viam Cliristi, dum per ejus tolerantiam gradimur. Ipsa efiicit ut perseveremus filii Dei, dum patientiam Patris imitamur. — Cypr. 0pp. p. 219. Oxon. 1G82.]
[1 II(;b. X. 3.) — 39. Erasmus' version. So also Tyndale's and Cranmer's translations.]
[2 Patientia perficit, Lat. ; omitted by the translator : Patience makes perfect ; opus porfoctum habet. Vulg.]
III.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 89
and liftcth up our eyes to God ; and hope looketh for those things whicli faith hath hcUcved. But how shouldcst thou look for aught, unless thou knowcst that the thing that thou lookest for is promised of God, and that thou shalt have it in time convenient ? Faith believeth that our sins are forgiven us, and that eternal life is through Christ our Redeemer prepared for us: now hope looketh, and patiently waiteth, to receive in due time the things that God hath promised us, howsoever in the mean time it be tossed with adversities. For hope doth not languish nor vanish away, although it seeth not that which it hopeth: yea, it quaileth not, although that things fall out clean cross and contrary, as if the things, ^op^^'^of which it doth hope, were nothing so. And therefore Paul absent. said: "We are saved by hope: but hope, that is seen, is no ^^2™^'"- hope. For how can a man hope for that which he seeth? But and if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience abide for it." Abraham hoped that he should receive the promised land, when as yet he possessed not one foot of ground in it, but saw it inhabited of most puissant nations. Moses hoped that he should deliver the people of Israel out of Egypt, and place them in the land of promise, when as yet he saw not the manner and means how he should do it. David hoped that he should reign over Israel, and yet he felt the peril of Saul and his servants hanging over his head^ so that oftener than once he was in danger of his life. The apostles and holy martyrs of Christ did hope that they should have eternal life, and that God would never forsake them; and yet nevertheless they felt the hatred of all sorts of people, they were banished their countries, and lastly were slain by sundry torments. So (I say) hope is the hope and looking for of Hope is thino;s not present, and things not seen ; yea, it is a sure and absent and
O A o ' «/ ' not seen.
most assured looking for of things to come*: and that, not of things whatsoever, but of those which we believe in faith ^ mllgslhL and^ of those which are promised to us by the very true, "enL'in!' living, and eternal God. For St Peter saith: "Hope perfectly in the grace which is brought unto you'." Now they hope
[3 Saulinos potentissiraos, Lat. ; the partisans of Saul, who were most powerful.]
[* Et expectatio quidem, sed expectatio certa, inio longe certissima, Lat.]
[5 vera fido, Lat.] [^ adeoquc, Lat. ; and so.]
[7 1 Pet. i. 13, our Translation, hope "to the end:" in the margin,
90 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
perfectly, which do without doubting commit themselves wholly to the grace of God, and do assuredly look for to inherit life everlasting.
Furthermore, the apostle Paul calleth hope, as it were,
[Heb. vi. 19.] the safe and sure anchor of the soul. And by how much the promise of God is the surer, by so much is hope the more firm and secure. For hope is not the looking for of anything whatsoever, but of faith ; that is, of the thing that faith hath behoved, and which we know to be promised to us in the word of God. And therefore doth Paul expound
LHeb. xi. 1.] faith by hope, where he saith : " Faith is the ground of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Faith therefore is, as it were, the foundation whereupon hope doth rest ; and so God himself, and his infallible word, is the object to our
[I Tim. i. 1.] hope. And for that cause Paul calleth God our hope, and so do the prophets also. To this belongeth the ninety-first Psalm, where the faithful crieth : " Thou art my hope, 0 Lord; thou hast set thine house very high^" Like to this thou shalt find an innumerable sort of places in the book of the Psalms. But hope cannot be sure, where there is no sound faith and express promise of God. Now, since God's promises are as well of things temporal as eternal, hope also is as well of things transitory as everlasting.
Hope, the And as faith is the gift of God's grace, and not the
gift of God. nc L r X 1 • • /•
power or eiiect of our own nature ; so hope is given us from above, and confirmed in us by the Spirit of God. For in our looking after things, there are both groanings and long- ings for them. Temptations assail and urge us sorely, as though the thing were utterly denied, which is for a season deferred ; or as though God knew not our state and condition, because he seemeth somewhiles, and as it were for ever, to neglect and not set by our earnest expectation : wherefore our hope hath need of much consolation and confirmation of the Spirit of God ; which, if it be sound, sustaineth and upholdeth the mind of man^ overladen howsoever with very weak infirmities. And when the Lord deferrcth his promises,
perfectli/ : the original is rtXeicos-. Tyndale's, Cranmer's, and the Geneva Versions all render it, " trust perfectly on the grace that is brought unto you." Bullinger has adopted Erasmus' translation.]
[1 Psal. xci. 9, Prayer-book Version.]
[2 animum cupidum quidcm boni, sed interim tamen, Lat. ; the mind of man, eagerly longing after good, howsoever in the mean time, &c.]
III.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, 91
and seemeth somewhat too long either to neglect our cala- Though the mities, or else to lay more troubles on the backs of us that tfTeVrfom- are otherwise sufficiently afflicted ; then cometh hope, which, promises
■^ ■■■ unto us for a
doing her duty, biddeth us pluck up our hearts, and stay '^^^^^ ll\ the Lord's leisure, who, as he cannot possibly hate them because he that -worship him, so he never faileth nor in the least point and ju^t"' deceiveth them ; for he himself is the eternal truth and ever- lasting goodness.
Here now the places of scripture, touching the certainty of hope, are very profitable to teach that the people that hoped in God were never confounded, although he did delay very long to aid them with his helping hand. The Lord pro- miseth the land of Canaan to the seed of Abraham ; but four hundred and thirty years do first come about, before he set- tleth them in possession of it ; yea, before he brought them to it, he led them whole forty years about in the wilderness ^ He delivereth the Israelites from the captivity of Babylon; but not till seventy years were spent*. What may be thought of this also, that God, haA^ing immediately after the beginning promised his only Son, did notwithstanding not send him till and toward the latter end of the world ? The saints must therefore still endure, and always wait the Lord's good lei- sure^, because truth cannot possibly fail them, and all that hope in it are surely saved. David crieth: "Our fathers Psai.xxii. hoped in thee ; they hoped in thee, and thou didst deliver them. They called upon thee, and were saved : they hoped
in thee, and were not confounded." And again : " The Lord [Psai. xxxsv.
o . a]
is good; happy is the man that hopeth in him." And agam:
"They that hope in the Lord shall be like mount Sion ; they Psai.cxxv.
shall not be moved, but shall stand fast for ever." And
Paul, in his temptations, crieth out in his Epistle to the
Philippians, saying : " I know that my affliction shall turn [phu. 1. 19,
to my salvation, according to my earnest expectation and my
hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed."
Thus much have I said hitherto, to teach you how the General
faithful do behave themselves in sundry calamities : for they
[3 per dcscrtum vastissimiim, Lat.]
[■* Exempla hujus rci in scripturis innumcra sunt, Lat. ; omitted by the translator. There are in the scriptures examples to this effect without number.]
[5 hoc potissimum nomine, Lat. ; on this consideration above all.]
92 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
despair not, but confirm their hearts with assured hope, and suffer all evils with a patient mind, quietly waiting for the Lord in their troubles, who is the only hope of all the faithful. Now to the end of this I mean to add a few general conso- lations, which may the more confirm the hope of the faithful, induce them to patience in suffering calamities, and cheer up their heavy spirits to all manner afflictions. Fromwhenee First of all, let the afflictcd weigh with himself from
amiction ' o
Cometh. whence affliction cometh. Evil men, the devil, sickness, and the world, are they that afflict us ; but not without God, who suffereth them to do it. Satan could not trouble Job, neither in goods or body, but by God's sufferance. And the prophet David crieth : " Thou art he that took me out of my mother's womb ; thou wast my hope, when I hanged yet upon my mother's breasts. I was left to thee as soon as I was born : thou art my God; my time is in thy hand*." And the
[Matt. X. 29, Lord in the gospel saith : " Are not two sparrows sold for one farthing ? and one of them lighteth not upon the ground without your Father : yea, even all the hairs of your head are numbered." Now God, by whose government all things are ruled, is not a God and a Lord only, but also a Father to mortal men. And his will is good and wholesome to us- ward, besides that, whatsoever he doth, he doth it all in order and justly. But if the will of God be good toward us, the thing cannot choose but be good to us, which happeneth by the sufferance and will of him that lovetli us so dearly. And herein do the children of the world differ much from the sons of God. For these (I mean the sons of God) 2, in com- forting one another in their calamities, do say : Suffer, and grudge not at the thing that thou canst not alter : it is God's will that it shall be so, and no man can resist it : suffer therefore the power of the Lord, unless thou wouldest rather double the evil that thou canst not escape. But the world- lings, on the other side^ being demanded. Do they suffer the hand of the Lord ; and, Whether they submit themselves to
P Psal. xxii. 0, 10 (Prayer-book version), and xxxi. 15.]
[2 The translator has made here a great mistake; for BuUingernow
proceeds to describe the conduct and language of the children of this
world, not of the sons of God, under afflictions.]
[3 For all this read. These (children of this world). On the other
side, is not in Lat.]
III.I THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 93
God or no ? do make this answer : " I must -whether I will or no*, since I cannot withstand it." If therefore they could withstand it, by this we may gather that they assuredly would \ But the children of God do patiently bear the hand of God, not because they cannot withstand it, nor be- cause they must by compulsion suffer it; but for because they believe that God is a just and merciful Father^. For therefore they acknowledge and confess, that God of his just judgment doth persecute the sins of them, that have deserved far more grievous and sharp punishment than he layeth upon them: they do acknowledge also that God doth, as a merciful father, chasten them to the amendment of their lives and safeguard of their souls ; and therefore do they, for his chas- tening of them, yield him hearty thanks ; and, forsaking utterly themselves and their opinions, do wholly commit them- selves, whether they live or die, into the Lord's hands. The Apostle, going about to settle this in the hearts of the faithful, saith : " God speaketh to you as to his sons ; My son, despise LHeb. xii. 5 not thou the chastening of the Lord, neither faint when thou art rebuked of him : for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son that he receiveth. If you endure chastening, God tendereth you as his sons ; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not ? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Since therefore, when we had fatliers of our flesh, they corrected us, and we reverenced them ; shall we not much more rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits, and live?"
Secondarily, let the faithful believer, which is oppressed The causes with calamities, consider and weigh the causes for which he is afflictions, afflicted. For either he is troubled and persecuted of world- lings for the desire that he hath to righteousness and true religion : or else he suffereth due punishment for his sins and offences. Let them which suffer persecution for righteous- ness' sake rejoice and give God thanks, as the apostles did, [acuv. 41.] for that he thinketh them worthy to suffer for the name of
[•* BuUinger here also gives the German phrase, — Ich musz wohl.]
[5 The Latin is more lively : Si ergo possis, audio quid facturus sis.
Had you then but the power, your words tell me what you would do.]
[6 justum et patrem benignissimum, Lat. ; is just, and a most mer- ciful Father.]
94 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
Christ. For the Lord in the gospel said : " Blessed are they that suffer persecution for righteousness' sake ; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile and persecute you, and shall say all manner evil saying against you ^ for my sake : rejoice ye, and be glad ; for great is your reward in heaven : for so persecuted they the prophets that were before you." But if any man for his sins doth feel the scourge of God, let him acknowledge that God''s just judgment is fallen upon him ; let him humble himself under the mighty hand of the Lord ; let him confess his sins to God ; let him meekly require pardon for them, and patiently suffer the plague which he with his sins hath worthily deserved. Let him follow the examples of Daniel and David. Daniel confesseth his sins unto the Lord, and saith : " We have sinned, we have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly ; we have not obeyed thy servants the prophets, which spake to us m thy name. O Lord, unto thee doth righteousness belong, and unto us open shame. Thou hast visited and afflicted us, as thou didst foretell by Moses thy servant." And David, when through Absalom's treason he was compelled to forsake Hierusalem and go in exile, said to the priests which bare the ark after him: "Carry back the ark of God into the city again. If I shall find favour in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me back again, and will shew me both himself and his tabernacle. But if he thus say, I am not delighted in thee 2; then, here am I ; let him do with me what seemeth good in his eyes." And verily, it is much more better and expedient to be punished in this world, and after this life to live for ever, than to live here without afflictions, and in another world to suffer everlasting pains. Paul, verily, doth plainly say : " When we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be damned with the world." And the very end of all chastenings and calamities, wherewith the saints are exercised, tendeth to nothing else, but that, by despising and treading down the world, they may amend their lives, return to the Lord, and so be saved. But touching the end of afflictions, we have spoken of it before.
Furthermore the men, that bear the yoke of afflictions,
[1 mentientes, Lat. ; speaking falsely.]
P ncque mihi gratus es, Lat. omitted ; neither art thou pleasing to me.]
III.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 95
do lay before themselves the plain and ample promises of God, The promises
,., ,„ . f n 1 • 1 made to the
from which, and from the examples of the saints, they never amicted. turn their eyes. There arc innumerable examples of them which have felt God's helping hand ready in all needs to aid and deliver them. Now our good God doth promise to help and deliver, not them only which are afflicted for righteousness' sake, but them also whom he doth visit for their faults and offences. For David saith : " The Lord doth heal the contrite [Psai. cxwii. of heart-* : The Lord doth loose them that arc bound in chains : f, a. and cui. The Lord giveth sight unto the blind : The Lord setteth up again them that do fall. He is not angry for ever ; neither doth he always chide. He dealeth not with us after our sins, nor rewardeth us after our iniquities. And how wide the east is from the west, so far hath he set our sins from us." To this belongeth the whole thirtieth chapter of Jeremy''s prophecy. And Paul doth bear witness to this, and saith : "As the afflictions of Christ are many in us, so is our comfort [2 cor. i. 5.] great through Christ^."
Neither are we without examples enough to prove this same by, and to lay before our eyes the present delivery of the saints, and the repentance of sinners in extreme calamities. Our ancestors, the patriarchs, Noe and Lot, with their families, were by the mighty hand of God delivered from the deluge, that drowned all creatures under the heavens, and the hor- rible fire that fell upon Sodom. Jacob and Joseph, being wrapped in sundry tribulations, were by their merciful God wound out^ and rid from all : even as also the children of Israel were brought forth and delivered from the servile bondage of Pharao in Egypt''. The people of Israel did in the wilderness under their guides and judges'^ sin often and grievously against the Lord, for which they were punished roundly, and sharply scourged ; but they were quickly de- livered again by the Lord, so oft as they did acknowledge their sins, and turn themselves to him again. There are also notable peculiar^ examples of God's dehverance of his people in David, Josaphat, Ezechias, Manasses, and many
[^ et obligat contritiones eorum, Lat. omitted; andbindeth up their wounds.]
[^ prccsentissimum, Lat. ; most ready.] [5 explicantur, Lat.]
[6 piano ferrca, Lat. omitted ; which was truly u'on.]
[} sub Judicibus ct Regibus, Lat.]
[8 peculiaria sed egregia, Lat.]
96 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
God"S'e!'°^ other. There are to be seen in the gospel innumerable places,
liverance. "where Christ delivered his professors ^ from sin, from diseases, from perils, and from the devil. In the Acts of the apostles there are found most excellent patterns of present delivery by the mighty hand of God. The apostles are imprisoned, and fast bound in fetters ; but they are loosed and brought forth by the angel of God, and placed in the temple to preach the
[Acu V. 18— gospel openly. Peter likewise is delivered out of prison, when Agrippa had determined the next day following to make
[Acts xii. 6- an end of and dispatch him. The apostle Paul, being op- pressed with an infinite sort of calamities, did always feel the present hand of God at all times ready to rid him out of misery : and setting this tribulation and dehvery of his for
[2Tim. iii. an example to all the faithful, he saith to Timothy: "Thou knowest my persecution and afflictions^, which came to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; which persecutions I suffered patiently : but from them all the Lord delivered me. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer perse- cution." Many more examples doth the same apostle reckon up together in the eleventh chapter to the Hebrews. All this, I say, do the saints consider, and in time of temptation and affliction do comfort and strengthen themselves therewith.
[Rom. XV. 4.] For so doth Paul teach us, where he saith; "Whatsoever is written, for our learning is it written, that through patience and comfort of the scriptures we might have hope.
The Lords Bcsido this also, the faithful sort call to their minds the
cominana-
bllring^^he commaudmcnts of Christ our Lord, wherewith he, commend- cross. jjjg patience unto us, hath laid the cross upon us all. For
fMatt. xvi. in the gospel he saith : "If any man will go after me, let him forsake himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it ; and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake shall save it. For what doth it advantage a man, to win the whole world, and lose his own soul ? Or what shall a man give for a ransom of his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels : and then shall he reward every man according to his work." And again, in another place he saith : " If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters,
[I his professors, not in the Latin.]
[2 patientiam afllictionesque, Lat. ; my patience and afflictions.]
Ill,] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 97
yea, and his own life also, lie cannot be my disciple. And [ uiue xi. 20, whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after mo, ho cannot be my disciple." After which words the Lord bringeth in certain parables, by which he tcacheth us to make trial of our ability before we receive the profession of the gospel. To the precepts^ of their master Christ the faithful apostles, Peter and Paul, had an especial eye, ex- horting us to the patient bearing of the cross of Christ. " For Christ," saith Peter, "was afflicted for us, leaving to us iPet.ii. 21.] an example, that we should follow* his steps." And Paul said: "Through many tribulations we must enter into the [Acuxiv.22.] kingdom of God."
Another comfort that the faithful have in their afflictions The time of is this, that the time of affliction is short ; that the joy and sho'rt.'but'the reward in the world to come is unspeakably far more large ample and and excellent than the tribulation of this life is troublesome, so that there can be no comparison betwixt the joy of the one and grief of the other : and lastly, that our good God doth not lay such burdens on us as we are not able possibly to bear. Touching all which points, I think it convenient here to rehearse proofs out of the scriptures, to prove them true. St Peter calleth the time of affliction short, or momen- tary^. And the prophet Esay, or the Lord rather in Esay's prophecy, long before Peter's time, did say : " Go, my people, [isai. xxvi. enter into thy chambers, and shut the doors after thee ; hide ^**-^ thyself a little while'', until mine indignation be overpast." Paul also saith: "The fathers of your flesh did for a few [^ueb. xu. days chasten you after their own pleasure ; but the Father of Spirits doth (for a short time) correct you to your profit, that ye might be partakers of his holiness. But no chas- tising for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous : nevertheless afterward it bringeth the quiet fruit of righteous- ness to them that are exercised thereby." Again he saith : " We suffer with Christ, that with him we may be glorified. For I am certainly persuaded that the afflictions of this time are not comparable to the glory that shall be shewed upon us. For the momentany lightness of our affliction doth won- derfully, above all measure, bring forth to us an everlasting
[■"• Ad prscccpta ccrta, Lat.] [■* insoqueremini, Lat.]
[-> 1 Pet. i. G. ad brevo tempus, Erasmus' translation, which Bul- linger adopts.] [c paululum vel ad momentum, Lat.]
7 [bullinger, II.]
98 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
weight of glory ; while we look not for the things that are seen, but the things that are not seen : for the things that are seen are temporal ; but the things that are not seen are eternaP." Again, in his first Epistle to the Corinthians the
[icor.x. 13.] same Apostle saith : "God is faithful, which shall not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able ; but shall with the temptation make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." But if it so happen, that the Lord doth seem to us to extend our tribulation longer than justice would seem to require, then must we by and by remember, that we may not prescribe to God any end of his will, but must permit him freely to afdict us^ without all controlment, so much, so long, and by such means, as shall seem to be best to his godly wisdom. He who is himself the eternal wisdom, and loveth us men entirely well, doth know well enough his time and season, when to make an end of our miseries, and rid us from afflictions. There are in the scriptures sundry ex- amples to comfort the men whose afflictions endure for any
[M«kv.25, iQjjg time. The woman in the gospel was troubled with an issue of blood by the space of twelve years, which had almost driven her to utter desperation of her health's recovery. Another lay beddred^ whole eighteen years. By the pool
[johnv. Bethesda* lay the silly^ creature, who had been diseased eight and thirty years. This space, surely, was very troublesome. B.ut yet at last they*" were restored to health again by God, who knoweth best at what time and season his help is most expedient and profitable for mankind. Let us therefore wholly submit ourselves to his good, just, and most wise will, to be delivered when and how he shall think best.
No afflictions But the chiefost comfort and greatest hope in tribulation
do separate . „ . ., , ,
thegodi^ IS, that not any lorce or misery can possibly separate the Go.f''"'* faithful and elect servants of God from God himself. For [John X the Lord in the gospel crieth out, and saith : " My sheep hear
27 -3U.]'
[1 Rom. viii. 17, 18. 2 Cor. iv. 17, 18. Erasmus' translation.]
[2 Su0e manui subditos, Lat. omitted; who are subject to his hand.]
[3 Luke xiii. 11. Dccubuit contracta, Lat.]
[4 Ad probaticam piscinam, Lat. ; so the Vulgate, est autcm Jcro- Bolymis probatica piscina : and the Douay Version ; Now there is at Jerusalem a pond, called Probatica. Bethcsda is not in BuUingcr's original.]
[5 silly, weak, poor, Lat. miser.]
[" onmibus, Lat.; all these were.]
III.] THE EIGHTH I'UECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 9U
my voice, and I know them, and they follow me ; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. ^My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all ; and no man is able to take them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father am" one." Here- unto belongeth that outcry*^ of St Paul, which he useth to the encouragement of us Christians, where he saith : " Who shall ^"'"- ^"^^ separate us from the love of Christ^ ? Shall tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or hunger, or nakedness, or peril, or sword ? As it is written. For thy sake are we killed all day long, and are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Nevertheless, we overcome in all these things through him that loved us. For I am sure, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rule, nor power, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesu our Lord."
The saints, I confess, iu their calamities do feel grief and oiscom-
T • • 1 • T modities
many discommodities; but so yet that even m their discom- that the
J ^ ' «/ _ _ saints suffer
modities they have far many more commodities : they are pensXwth
therefore diminished one way, but augmented another way, modities."'
so that the cross of theirs is not their destruction, but an
exercise for them and a wholesome medicine. And therefore
I think that that same worthy and golden sentence of St Paul
can never be too often beaten into our minds, where he saith :
" AVe are troubled on every side, yet are we not without t^ cor. iv.
shift ; we are in poverty, but not in extreme poverty ; wg
suffer persecution, but are not forsaken therein ; we are cast
down, but we perish not." The faithful therefore do in
this world lose these their earthly riches ; but do they thereby
lose their faith ? Lose they their upright and holy life ?
Or lose they their riches'" of the inner man, which are the
true riches in the sight of God ? The apostle crieth : " God- [i_pm. vi. 6
liness is a great lucre with a mind content with that that it
hath. For we brought nothing into the world, and it is
certain that we may carry nought away : but having food
and raiment we must therewith be content." And the Lord,
[" sumus, Lat. ; arc]
[8 tripudium ac cclcusma, Lat.; triumph and encouragement.] [9 a dilectione Dei, Lat. and Erasmus, from the love of God: but the Vulgate has, a charitatc Christi.j [10 bona, Lat. ; good things.]
7—2
100 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
verily, who of his goodness hath created heaven and earth and all that is therein for the use of men, which even feedeth the ravens' young ones, will not cause the just man to die with hunger and penury. ]\Ioreover, that man doth not lose his treasure in this world, which gathereth treasure as the Lord hath commanded him; with whom the faithful know that a most wealthy treasure is laid up in heaven for them, which are in this world spoiled of their terrestrial goods for their Lord and master's sake. That worthy and notable servant [Job i. 21.] of God, Job, doth cry: "Naked I came out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I turn to the earth again ^- the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away ; as the Lord pleased, so is it happened 2. Blessed be the name of the Lord." To deny the Last of all, it is manifest, that to deny the truth, thereby
the way "to to oscapc porsecutiou, is not the way to keep our wealth and goods. quiet state, but rather the means to lose them ; yea, by
so doing we are made infamous to all good men of every age and nation. For we see that they which would not for Christ and the cause of his truth hazard their riches, but chose rather by dissimulation and renouncing of the truth to keep their worldly wealth^, did retain for ever infamous reproach, and daily augment most terrible torments, which vexed horribly their guilty conscience, losing nevertheless in the devil's name the wealth which they would not once hazard in the cause of their Saviour^. But they, on the other side, which jeoparded themselves and all their substance in the quarrel of Christ, despising manfully all dangers that could happen, did always find a sweet and pleasant comfort, which strengthened the minds of their afflicted bodies. For they cry with the apostle: "We have learned, in whatsoever state we are, therewith to be content. We know how to be low, we know also how to exceed : every where and in all things we are instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to have plenty and to suffer need. We can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth us." They know that the same
[1 Heb, nS'ki^, thither, Auth. Vcr. Cyprian quotes it,— naked also shall I go under the earth. Adv. Jud. Lib. in. cap. 6.]
[2 So the Vulgate and Coverdale, The Lord hath done his pleasure : and Cyprian.]
[3 vel retincio vel augcre, Lat. ; cither to keep, or to increase.]
[* non jam in nomine Christi, sed in nomine diaboli, Lat.]
[Phil. iv. 11-13]
III.] THE EIGHTH I'llECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 101
apostle hatli said : "Ye have suftered with joy the spoihng of [lub. x. 34.] vour goods, knowing that yo have in heaven a far more • excellent substance, which will endure." For the Lord in the gospel also said : " Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath forsaken house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, but he shall receive an hundred fold now at this present, with persecutions ; and in the world to come eternal hfe." Mark x. So then the saints and faithful ser- vants of God are oppressed with servitude in this present world : but therewithal they know and consider that the Lord himself became a servant for us men^ ; whereby*' they, that are servants in this world, are made free through Christ, and by terrestrial servitude a way is made to celestial liberty.
The faithful are exiled, or banished their country : but Affliction in the heathen poet saith, " A valiant-hearted man takes every country for his own'^." Verily, in what place of the world soever we are, we are in exile as banished men. Our Father is in heaven, and therefore heaven is our country. Where- fore, when we die, we are delivered from exile, and placed in the heavenly country and true felicity. In like manner, whom the tyrant killeth with hunger and famine, those doth Afflidionin he^ rid of innumerable evils. And again, whomsoever famine doth not utterly kill but only torment, them doth it teach to live more sparingly, and afterward to fast the longer and devoutly. Now in this case the faithful, which sufter famine, do call to remembrance the examples of the ancient saints, of whom when Paul speaketh, he saith : " They wandered about [?eb.xi. in sheep skins and goat skins ; being destitute, afflicted, and tormented ; of whom the world was not worthy : they wandered in wilderness, and in mountains, and in dens, and caves of the earth." Christians also consider, that the state of famished Lazarus, who died among the tongues of the dogs that licked his blains, was far better than the surfeiting of the strut-bellied glutton, who being once dead was buried
[5 prius, Lat. ; before us.]
[6 adeoque, Lat. ; and that so.]
[■? Omnc solum forti patiia est. Ovid. Fast. Lib. I. 493.]
[8 ecu morbus aliquis, Lat. omitted; like some disease]
102 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
in help. Moreover, it is to be abhorred, detested, and (yet) lamented of all men, to see a crew of barbarous villains and unruly soldiers abuse perforce, not honest matrons only, but tender virgins also, that are not fit yet nor ripe for a man. But the greatest comfort that we have in so great a mischief and intolerable ignominy is, that chastity is a virtue of the mind. For if it be a treasure of the mind, then is it not lost though the body be abused : even as in like sort the faith of a man is not thought to be overcome, although the whole body be consumed with fire. And chastity is not lost, verily, where the body is defloured ; because the will of the abused body persevereth still to use that chastity, and doth what it may to keep it undefiled. For the body is not holy there- fore, because the members thereof are undefiled, or because the secret parts thereof are not undecently touched : considering that the body, being wounded by many casualties, may suifer filthy violence ; and since physicians for health's sake may do to the members the thing that otherwise is unseemly to the eyes. Wherefore so long as the purpose of the mind (by which the body must be sanctified) remaineth, the violent deed of another's filthy lust taketh not from the body that chastity, which the persevering continency of the defloured body doth seek to preserve. And in the meanwhile there is no doubt but the most just Lord will sharply punish those shameless beasts and monsters of nature, which dare undertake to commit such wickedness.
The saints are confirmed in their tribulation by the innu- merable examples of their fore-fathers ; whereby they gather, that it is no new thing that happeneth unto them, since God from the beginning hath with many afiiictions and tribulations exercised his servants and the church, his spouse, whom he loveth so dearly. And here I think it to be very expedient, and available to the comforting of afflicted minds, to reckon up the best and choicest examples that are in scriptures : of which there are many both private and public. The chances and pilgrimages of the latter patriarchs (because I mean not to speak of them before the deluge^) are those, which I call
[1 scpulti ct demorsi in inferos, Lat. ; who was buried, and plunged into lioll.]
[2 vetcrum, Lat.]
III.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 103
private examples. For our ftithcr Abraham is by the mouth Examples of God called from out of Ur of the Chaldeans to go into in the
"-^ patnarcns.
Palestine, from whence he is driven by a dearth into Egypt, ■where again he is put to his shifts, and feeleth many pinches. After that, when he came again into Palestine, even till the last hour of his Ufe, he was never without some one mishap or other, to trouble and vex his mind. His son Isaac felt famine also, and had one misfortune^ upon another's neck to plague him withal. lie sinneth not that calleth Jacob-* the wretchedest man that Uved in that age, considering the infinite miseries wherewith he was vexed. "While he was yet in his mother's womb and saw no light, he began to strive with his brother Esau: afterwards, in his stripling"'s age, he had much ado to escape his murdering hands by exiling himself from his father's house into the land of Syria; where again he was kept in ure and exercised sharply in the school of afflictions^. At his back-return into his country he was wrapped in and beset with perils enough, and endless evils. The detestable wicked- ness of his untoward children had been enough to have killed him in his age". In his latter days, for lack of food, he goetli down as a stranger into the land of Egypt, where in true faith and patience he gave up the ghost '^. Of Moses, the great and faithful servant of God, the scripture testifieth, that in his youth he was brought up in the Egyptian court; but, when he came to age, he refused to be called the son of Pharao's daughter, choosing rather to be afflicted with the people of God, than to enjoy the temporal commodities of this sinful world^ because he counted the rebuke of Christ greater riches ^^^gj- than all the treasures of the Egyptians. The same Moses was grievously afflicted, first by Pharao and his princes, and after that again by them of his own household, and his own country people whom he had brought out of the land of Egypt. David also, the anointed of the Lord, was troubled a great while with his master Saul, that was mad upon him to have
['* domestica infortunia, Lat. ; in his family.]
[* a Domino Israelem cognominatum, Lat. omitted; whom God surnamed Israel.]
[^ in exquisitissima affllctionum pala;stra seu oflicina, Lat.] [c optimum senem tantum non enecant, Lat.] [7 sanctum Deo tradit spiritum, Lat.] [3 peccati, Lat. ; of sin.]
104 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
brought him to his end: but having at the last (for all that Saul could do) obtained the kingdom, afflictions ceased not to follow him still; for, after many troublesome broils, he was by Absalom thrust beside his kingdom, and very straitly dealt withal: and yet in the end God of his goodness did set him up again, chmtand j^ i\yQ new Testament, Christ himself, our Lord and Sa-
untHsf' viour, and that elect vessel, his apostle Paul, are excellent examples for us to take comfort by. The Lord in his infancy was compelled to fly the treason and murdering hands of cruel tyrants; in all his hfetime he was not free from calamities; and at his death he was hanged among thieves. And Paul, [2Cor.xi. speaking of himself, doth say: "If any other be the ministers of Christ, I am more ; in labours more abundantly, in stripes above measure, in imprisonments more plenteously, in death ^ often. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one; thrice was I beaten with rods, once stoned; thrice I suf- fered shipwreck ; a day and a night have I been in the depth ; in journeying often ; in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of mine own nation, in perils among the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in labour and travail, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that outwardly come unto me, the trouble, which daily lieth upon me, is the care of all the churches." These, I say, are private examples. Examples of We havo a public example in the church of Israel afflicted in Egypt, many times troubled under their kmgs and judges, and lastly led captive by the Assyrians and men of Babylon. Afterward, being brought home again by the goodness of God, they pass many brunts, and are sharply afflicted under the monarchies of the Persians, Greeks, and Ilomans. What shall The ten hor- I say of the apostolic church of Christ, which, even when it secution'sof first began, like an infant, to creep by the ground-, did pro- of cLilL sently feel the cross, and yet flourished still in those afflictions, which even to this day it doth patiently sufter ? Histories make mention of ten persecutions, wherewith the church of Christ (from the eighth year of Nero, till the reign of Con- stantino the great, by the space of three hundred and eighteen
[1 in mortibus, Lat.]
[2 ab ijisis incunabulis, is BuUingcr's j^hrasc]
afflictions of the old church.
III.] THE EIGHTH rilECEPT 01" THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 105
years^) was terribly shaken and sharply afflicted, without inter- mission or respite of time for it to breathe in, and rest itself from troublesome broils and merciless slaughters'.
The first persecution of those ten^ did Xero, that beast and lecherous monster, raise against the Christians, wherein, it is said, that Peter and Paul, the Apostles of Christ, were brought to their endings. The second was moved by Fla- vius Domitianus, which banished the Apostle John into the Isle of Patmos. The third persecutor after Nero was Trajan the emperor, who published most terrible edicts against the Christians : under him was the notable martyr and preacher Ignatius, with many other excellent servants of Christ, cast to wild beasts, and cruelly torn in pieces. The fourth persecution did the Emperor Yerus most bloodily stir up through all France and Asia ; wherein the blessed Poly- carpus was burnt in fire alive, and Irena)us, the bishop of Lyons, was headed with the swords In the fifth persecution of the church of Christ, Septimius Severus through many provinces did bloodily crown many a saint with the garland of martyrdom : among whom is reckoned Leonidas the father of Origenes. Julius Maximinus was the sixth after Nero that played the tyrant against the church. In that persecution the preachers and ministers of the churches were especially murdered : among whom, beside an innumerable sort of other excellent men, Pamphilus and Maximus, two notable lights,
[3 Tho persecution in Nero's reign began a.d. 64, (ho becamo emperor a.d. 54), and Constantino succeeded Maxcntius, a.u. 312; so that the interval is 248 years. See Burton's Hist, of Christ. Church, Chap. V. p. 128, and Chap. xvii. p. 392. Lond. 1S45.]
[4 Bullinger's words arc: Concessis tamen nonnunquam intervallis quibusdam, satis quidcm accisis, quibus respiraret ecclesia : although indeed occasionally some intervals were granted, short enough in good sooth, wherein the church might take breath.]
[5 Primam (persecutionem) quippe computant (nonnulli) a Nerono qua) facta est, secundam a Domitiano, a Trajano tertiam, quartam ab Antonino, a Severo quintam, scxtam a Maxiniino, a Dccio scptimam, octavam a Valeriano, ab Aureliano nonam, deciniam a Dioclctiano et Maximiano. — Aug. de Civ. Dei, Lib. xviii. cap. 52. Par. 1531. Tom. v. fol. 251. See Euscb. Eccl. Hist. in. IS, 3G; iv. 15; vi. 1, 41; vn. 11, 30, &c.]
[6 We have no account of the death of Irenasus upon which wc can absolutely depend ; and there is a doubt whether he was martyred or not.]
106 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
were especially slaughtered. The seventh blood-sucker after beastly Nero was Decius the Emperor, who proclaimed most horrible edicts against the faithful. In his time was St Laurence, a deacon of the church, broiled upon a grate-iron; and the renowned Virgin Apollonia, for her profession, did leap into the fire alive. Licinius Valerianus was as cruel as the rest in executing the eighth persecution against the faithful professors of Christ and his gospel. In that broil were slain many millions of Christians, and especially St Cornelius and Cyprian, the most excellent doctors in all the world. Valerius Aurelianus did rather purpose, than put in execution, the ninth persecution : for a thunder rushed before him to the great terror of them that were about him; and, shortly after, he was slain as he journeyed, and so his tyranny by his death was ended. But Caius Aurelius Va- lerius Diocletianus, Maximinianus Maxentius, and Marcus Julius Licinius, being nothing terrified with this horrible example, did raise the tenth persecution against the church of Christ, which, enduring by the space of ten whole years, brought to destruction an infinite number of Christians in every province and quarter of the world. This broil doth Eusebius Ccesariensis passingly^ paint to the eyes of the reader : for he himself was an eye-witness and looker-on of many a bloody pageant and triumphant victory of the mar- tyrs, which he rehearseth in the eighth book of his ecclesi- astical history. In that slaughter were killed the first apostles of our Tigurine church, both martyrs of Christ and professors of his gospel, S. Foelix and his sister Regula^.
After those ten persecutions there followed many more and more terrible butcheries, stirred up by many kings and barbarous men, in sundry quarters of the earth ; upon the neck whereof did follow the merciless blood-sheddings com- mitted by the Saracens, Turks, and Tartars^: moreover, the
[1 graphice, Lat.]
[2 These martyrs (ex Thebcea legione) are thus mentioned in the Ephemeris, Bed. 0pp. Tom. i. p. 206. Col. Agrip. 1612. Septemb. 3 Id.] Has simul et Felix felici morte dicavit, Martyrio Regular jmicto, pariterqiio beavit. They suffered September 11, a. d. 281. See Ilospinian. defcstis Chris- tian, p. 143. Genev. 1674.]
[3 Tartarorum, Turcaruiu deniquc, Lat. ; and lastly of the Turks.]
III.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 107
butcherly bishops^ of Rome did annoy oxtreniely the cliurch of God, by shedding in civil and foreign wars more christian blood than any tongue can possibly tell. No new thing therefore doth at this day happen to us that in the church of Christ do suffer divers persecutions and afflictions ; for we have examples of great efficacy, both new and old, to confirm our hearts, that they faint not in calamities.
And therefore did the prophets and apostles, and their Their afnic-
,^ ^ '■ ^ _ _ lions were
Lord and master, Jesus Christ, foretel these perils, calamities, f^retoiJ- and all persecutions ; because they would have us to fortify our minds against these miseries at all times and seasons, lest, by being shaken with them at unawares, we should revolt from our faith, and forsake our profession. •* Because ffo^"''^• .
' -l If)— 21 ; XVI.
I have chosen you out of the world," saith the Lord to his '> ^J disciples, " therefore the world doth hate you. Remember the words which I spake unto you, saying, The servant is not greater than his master. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you ; if they have kept my words, they will also keep yours. But all these things shall they do to you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me. This have I said to you, that ye should not be offended. They shall drive you from their synagogues : and the time shall come, that whosoever killeth you shall think he doth God good service."
The rest that is like to this I mean not at this time to recite out of the prophets and apostles, because it cannot bo briefly rehearsed^: let every one pick out, and apply to his own comfort, the plainest and most evident testimonies, that by reading he shall light upon.
And although the saints do not rejoice at the destruction persecutors of their persecuting enemies, whom they could wish rather "mltd to be converted, and so saved, than in this present world to cuung be punished, and in the world to come to be damned for ever ; yet they are glad, when they see the Lord punish their afflicters", because thereby they perceive that God hath
[* pscudo-pontifices, Lat. ; the false bishops: butcherlj/ is not in the original.]
p Tho following texts are put in the margin of the Latin original of Bullingcr; Psal. xxii. Ixix. Isai. xlix. li. Dan. vii. viii. xi. Zech. xiii.]
[•J hoc potissimum nomine, Lat. ; for this reason specially.]
are recom- pensed for their perse- cuting tyranny.
108 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
a care OA-er those that be his servants. They do gather also by the present vengeance of God upon the wicked, that as afflictions are for the health and amendment of the faithful, so they are to the hurt and destruction of the unbelievers : for, while they persecute other, they themselves are de- stroyed; and while they trouble the church of the Uving God, they kindle a fire of the wrath of God against them- selves, that will never be quenched. For in the prophecy of Zacharias thus we read that the Lord speakcth touching
[Zech. xii. his church : " Behold, I make Jerusalem a cup^ of poison unto all the people that are round about her : yea, Juda himself shall be in the siege against Jerusalem-. And in that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all people ; so that all such as lift it up shall be torn and rent, and all the people of the earth shall be gathered together against it." A like saying to this hath the Lord in Jeremy, where he speaketh
[.ler. XXV. 15. agaiust the persecutors of his church, and saith : " Take this wine-cup of indignation from my hand, and make all the people, to whom I send thee, to drink of it ; that when they have drunken thereof, they may be mad, and out of their wits, for fear of the sword which I will send among them. For I begin to plague the city that is called after my name ; and think ye then that ye shall escape unpunished? Ye shall not go unpunished." And this is that whereto St Peter
D Pet. iv. 17.] alluding saith: "The time is that the judgment of God be- ginneth at the house of God : if it first begin with us, what shall the end of them be, that believe not the gospel ?"
Vengeance I havo a little abovo rehearsed in order the ten persecu-
b'lood. tions, which the Roman emperors stirred up against the church
of Christ: now histories make mention, that there was not one of them but was requited with some notable calamity. And, beside the peculiar revengements that followed every several persecution, it is to be noted, that the most just Lord, after the space of three hundred and forty-two years (for so many years are reckoned from the last of Nero unto the second
[1 calix soporis, Lat. ; a cup of trembling, Auth. Vcr. ; slumber, marg. reading.]
[2 So also Covcrdale, 1535. Calvin in loe. remarks: Miror cur omittant quiilam interpretos particulani ^^, ct ita vertant, Krit etiam Jehudah in obsidione contra Jerusalem.!
III.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 109
year of the emperors Ilonorius and Thcodosius^), did begin more abundantly to requite the death of his saints upon the necks of the blood-thirsty Home. For within the space of one hun- dred and nine and thirty years Home was six times taken and brought into subjection to the barbarous nations*. For in the four hundredth^ year of grace, which was the second of Ilonorius and Thcodosius his reign, the Wisigothes, under their captain Alaricus, both took and sacked the city, using notwithstanding great mercy in their victory. After that again, the Vandals, under their guide Genserichus, brake into the city cruelly, and spoiled it very greedily*'. After them came the Ilerules, and the remnant of Atthilas his army, with their captain Odacer, who took the city, and got the kingdom to themselves, extinguishing utterly the rule of the Romans in the west part of the world". Then again, when about fourteen years were come and gone, in cometh Theodoricua Veronensis with his Ostrogothes, who slew the Herules, and obtained the city^. But, it, being recovered by the faith and industry of the vahant captain Belisarius, and restored to Jus- tinian the emperor of the east, was immediately again taken by Totylas^, a prince of the Goths; who with fire and sword did sack it, pull down houses, and overthrew a great part of the walls thereof, whereby Home was so defaced, that for the space of certain days there was no man that dwelt within it. That spoil of the city happened about the five hundred and forty-eighth year after Christ his incarnation^*'. And thus did Christ, in revenging his church, lay deserved plagues upon the neck of bloody Rome; beside other miseries (I pass that over)
[3 Nero destroyed himself a.d. 68, and the second year of Hononus and Theodosius was a.d. 410. Usher's Annals, Vol. ii. p. 694. Lond. 1654. Gibbon's Dec. and Fall, eh. 32, Vol. v. p. 411. Lond. 1820.]
[* Bullinger details more fully these invasions of Rome in his treatise on the Revelation. Sermons lvii. & lxxvi.]
[5 412, Lat. and ed. 1577. The date in Gibbon is Aug. 24, 410. Vol. V. p. 310, ch. 31.]
[c AD. 455, June 15—29. Gibbon, ch. 36, Vol. vi. p. 151.]
["! A.D. 476, or 479. Gibbon, Vol. vi. p. 226, &c.]
[8 A.D. 493. Gibbon, ch. 39, Vol. vir. p. 15.]
P A.D. 536. Gibbon, ch. 41, Vol. vii. p. 224.]
[10 A.D. 546. Gibbon, chap. 43, Vol. vii. p. 366 ; and again, after a repulse, finally taken a.d. 549. ibid. p. 375.]
110 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
Avliich it did suffer by the Huns and Lombards ^ For this is enough to shew how miserably Rome was plagued for afflicting the church of Christ ; which nevertheless, maugre the tyrants' heads, remained safe, and overcame those brunts, and shall reign with Christ for evermore. In like manner were the Saracens extinguished and utterly destroyed, when first they had suffered many a great overthrow, and had been plagued throughout the world with sundry mishaps and over- thwart calamities. The Turks also do daily feel their woes and miseries, and are likely hereafter to feel sharper punish- ments. Moreover, the popes^ with poison are one slain by another, and are strangely vexed with wonderful terrors. They are in no place sure of their lives, but even in the midst of all their friends are beset with miseries ; they live in fear continually, all the whole pack of them. Furthermore, even they among them, that live most happily, do rot away with the disease that folio weth filthy pleasures; than which there is no kind of death either sharper to the patient, or more detested among all men. And their adherents, which by their setting on do persecute the church of Christ, do either They were drop away with the like disease that waiteth upon filthy lust, worm°aUve, or do by little and little consume away, as Herod and Anti- biy.that ochus^ did; which death is long before it dispatch them, but doth torment them beyond all measure: yea, and besides these bitter plagues, they destroy one another with endless civil wars. The Lord therefore is righteous, and his judgments are just and equal, who never forgetteth to revenge his friends by finding out his own and his servants' enemies, to punish them for their deserts.
Since then, my brethren, that the case so standeth, let us, I beseech you, patiently suffer the hand of the Lord our God, as often as we are touched with any calamity, or tempted of the Lord our God; knowing this, that the Lord doth strike us that he may heal us, and trouble us that he may comfort us and receive us to himself into joys everlasting. And that we may so do, since we are otherwise too weak of ourselves, let us pray to our Father which is in heaven, through Jesus Christ our Lord, that he will vouchsafe to be present with us in our
[1 A.D. 668—570. Gibbon, chai^. 45, Vol. viii. p. 126, &c.] [2 pscudo-pontificos, Lat.] p Sco above, p. 80.]
and stank
Iir.] THE EIGHTH PRECEPT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. Ill
temptations, and guide us in the way of constancy, peace, and righteousness. And for an example, let every one set before his eyes the order that Christ our Saviour and master did use; who, a httle before the cross of his passion, betook himself to prayer. For going up into the mount of Olives, ho beseecheth his Father humbly, and prayeth to him ardently, lie is instant in prayer'*, and lieth upon him earnestly^; and yet so, that he submittcth all to his will and pleasure. Let us also do the like, that we may have trial of our Father's present aid with the effectual comfort of our minds, and that we for his goodness may give him praise for evermore. Amen.
OF THE FIFTH AND SIXTH PRECEPTS OF THE SECOND
TABLE, WHICH ARE IN ORDER THE NINTH AND TENTH
OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, THAT IS, THOU SHALT
NOT SPEAK FALSE WITNESS AGAINST THY
NEIGHBOUR : AND, THOU SHALT NOT
COVET THY NEIGHBOUR'S
HOUSE, &c.
THE FOURTH SERMON.
We are now come to the exposition of the two last pre- cepts of the ten commandments. The ninth commandment The nim is: "Do not speak false witness against thy neighbour." By mem. this precept is confirmed faith in covenants and contracts: it ruleth the tongue, and commendeth unto us verity, the fairest virtue of all other, and teacheth us to use modesty and since- rity both in word and deed. Hitherto yet have we heard nothing in all God's commandments touching the tongue, but a little only in the third commandment. But of the tongue The ton- do arise the greatest commodities and discommodities of our life. "For the tongue" (saith James) "is a little member, and [James i boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth. And the tongue is fire, even a world of wicked- ness. So is the tongue set among our members, that it defil- eth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire of hell. All the nature of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and things of the sea, is meeked and [4 prcccs suas iterat, Lat.] [•'' patrcm urgct, Lat.J
112
THE THIRD DECADE.
[SERM.
[.Tames ii lU— 12.]
tamed of the nature of men^ ; but the tongue can no man tame, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith we bless our God and Father ; and therewith curse we men that are made after the similitude of God. Out of one mouth proceed both blessing and cursing." Therefore very well and necessarily is the way set down in this ninth precept, how men should frame and order their tongues.
Now summarily this precept doth command us to use our tongues well, that neither privately or publicly we do our neighbour harm, either in his life, good name, or riches, by word or writing, or otherwise by painting, neither by simu- lation nor dissimulation, nor yet so much as by a beck or a nod. All things are forbidden that are against truth and sincerity. There is required at all our hands simplicity, plain speaking, and telling of the truth. Briefly, we are com- manded every man to do his endeavour mutually to maintain plain dealing and verity. For in the twenty-third of Exodus we read that the Lord did charge us, saying : " Thou shalt not have to do with a false report." And in the nineteenth of Leviticus, "Ye shall not steal, saith the Lord, nor lie, nor deal falsely one with another." And the apostle James, after he had touched the evils of the tongue (especially because out of one mouth proceeded good and bad) doth add : "These things, my brethren, ought not to be so. Doth a fountain at one hole send forth sweet water and bitter also ? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear oHve berries ? either a vine, figs ? So can no fountain give both salt water and fresh also." Verily, since God hath given to man a tongue, that by the means of it one man may know another's meaning, that it may bless or praise God, and do good to all men-; it is altogether requisite that it should be applied to the use that it was made for'*, that thereby a man out of a good heart might utter good talk, clear from deceit and hurt, from blasphemy and railings, and from filthy speaking.
But it is best for us by parts more nearly to sift the special points of this precept or argument. First of all, in this commandment it is forbidden every man in the court before a judge to bear false witness. Therefore all witness-
[1 domatur ct domita est, Lat]
[2 ctiam sibi ipsi. Lat. omitted : and to one's self also.]
[3 ut imago respondeat archctypo, is Bullingor's Latin.]
IV,] THE NINTH AND TENTH PUECEl'TS, &C. 113
bearing simply is not forbidden us, but false witnessing only. " Do not speak (saith he) false witness." It is lawful, there- fore, to bear true witness, especially if a magistrate demand it of thee. And therefore the Hebrew phrase is very significant, and saith, "Answer not false witness against thy neighbour'*." Now he answereth, that is asked a question. And in bear- ing of witness, he that speaketh must have a regard of God alone and simple truth ; he must lay aside all evil affections, hatred, fear, or all part-taking ; he must hide nothing, nor dissemble in his speech : he must not devise any thing of his own making, nor corrupt the meaning of his words that spake ; as those false witnesses did in the Gospel, when before the judges they said, " I will destroy this temple, and in three [Matt. xxvi. days build it again ;" for they corrupted the meaning of Christ. And the Lord in the law doth say, " Thou shalt not rExod. xxui.
. .1.2.]
take up a false report, neither shalt thou put thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil, neither shalt thou speak in a matter of justice according to the greater number, for to per- vert judgment." He therefore, that beareth false witness, committeth sin against God and his neighbour. For first of all, he staineth himself with sacrilege and perjury, and so by telling a lie in the name of God he doth despite to God him- self. Moreover, he doth to his neighbour so much hurt, as he taketh damage by the judge's sentence either in body, goods, or loss of life. For it is manifest that the judge, being moved with thy false Avitness, did punish the accused party in body, goods, or life itself: which he would not have done, had he not been drawn thereunto by thy false witness- ing. And therefore a very good and just law is that, which Moses hath uttered in these words: "If a false witness be incnt.xix. found among you, then shall ye do unto him as he had thought wickedly to have done to his brother : and thou shalt put evil away from the midst of thee : that the rest may hear and fear, and dare after that do no more such wickedness among you. Thou shalt have no compassion on him ; but life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot." To this belonoreth the sayino: of Salomon in the Pro- [Prov.vi in, verbs, where he crieth, " God hatcth a false witness." And '•>■]
[■* n3yr\"N'?. Ainsworth translates, Thou shalt not answer.] r '" ' 1 8
[BULLINGER, II. J
114 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
[Hist. sus. again, " A false witness shall not scape unpunished." We ~ ■ have an example in the two false witnesses that rose against
the chaste^ and honest Susanna.
False and In tliis law are condemned also all false and wrongful
cusations. accusations, and unjust judgments bought for money at the mouth of unrighteous judges. And as those deeds are wor- thily forbidden, so likewise are they misliked that set their tongue to sale ; I mean, such merchants as for a morsel of bread will easily be hired either to bless or curse the inno- cent. Of which sort of cursing, spiteful, and soothing tongues thou mayest find a great number in every degree and state, both of rich and poor, of spiritual and of lay people.
Furthermore, we have here commended unto us the inviolable keeping of bargains, covenants, and contracts ; and, on the other side, are we especially charged not to use either guile, or deceit, or craft, or any kind of cozening. Of which I have spoken where I treated of theft.
A lie. and the But uow the esDccial thing that is forbidden the faithful
kinds of lies. . .. iiti • t ' ^
herem is to tell a he, that is, to speak an untruth, either upon purpose therewith to hurt his neighbour, or upon any vain and hght occasion, or otherwise upon some evil affection. For among men many kinds and sundry sorts of lies are reck- oned up. St Augustine, in his fourteenth chapter ad Con- sentium de Mendacio, maketh mention of eight kinds of lies^. I among many will name a few only. There is a jesting lie; as when I say that I lie, or other men know that I do lie, by which lie of mine they take some profit, or (as I should rather say) some pastime or pleasure. To lie in that sort, although it be no great and heinous sin, is yet a sign of very great lightness ; which the apostle misliketh in the faithful, as it Ephes. V. may appear in the fifth chapter of his epistle to the Ephcsians. And yet I think not that devised fables, parables, and feigned narrations are hereby forbidden : which, as they are in the scripture everywhere used in matters of most importance, so have tliey also a very good grace, being of themselves very necessary, and profitable for the readers. Notwithstanding St Augustine will not have jesting mirth ^ in the number of lies.
[^ pudicissimam foeminarum, Lat.] [2 August, 0pp. Par. 1531. Tom. iv. fol. 5. col. 1.] [3 Exccptis jocis, qua) nunquam sunt putata mendacla. — August. Tom. IV. fol. 2.]
IV.] THE NINTH AND TENTH PRECEPTS, &C. 115
There is, moreover, an officious lie ; that is, when I fitten* or tell an untruth, for duty's sake, to the end that by my lie I may keep my neighbour harmless from the evil or mischief that hangeth over his head. Of this sort there are many examples in the holy scriptures. The midwives of Egypt did save the Hebrews' children alive, whom Pharao [exoj. i. commanded to be slain at their birth ; and, being accused before the king for breaking the law, they did by an officious and a very witty he excuse themselves, and pretend a certain speediness of travail in the Hebrews' wives, more than the Egyptian women had. Rahab doth with a very strange tale [Josh. ii. deceive the citizens^ of Jericho, and by her he preserve the spies of the people of God. And Michel, David's wife, with [i sam. xix. a lie did save her husband's life, and sent away her father Saul's servants without their purpose, for which the king had sent them. And Jonathan feigneth many a thing at his father's n sam- x*. table, for the good-will that he bare to David, whom by honest shifts and godly deceits he did rid from the bloody hand of his cruel father Saul. The holy widow Judith also [Juduh x. by lying and dissembling doth enter the tent of captain Holo- phernes ; and by cutting off his head doth set her afflicted country-folks at liberty again.
Now it hath been a question among the divines of the primitive church, whether they, whose examples I have here alleged, did sin in lying or no. Origen, and they that fol- lowed him, did permit a wise and godly man to lie, if so be it were for the welfare of them for whom the lie was made". Neither was St Hierome without suspicion of Origen's opinion: for upon the epistle of Paul to the Galatians he writ, that Peter and Paul, to serve the time, did use a kind of simu- lation 7. But St Augustine, admonishing Hierome of that [< fingo, Lat. — to fitton, to form lies or fictions. — Nares.] [^ civibus suis, Lat. her citizens.]
[G Ex quo perspicuum est, quod nisi ita mentiti fuerimus, ut mag- num nobis ex hoc aliquod quairatur bonum, judicandi simus quasi inimici ejus, qui ait: Ego sum Veritas. — Ilrec Origenes scripsit, negare non possumus. .. .docetquo magistris mentiendum. Ilioron. Apol. adv. Rufin. Lib. i. Tom iv. coL 3G9. Par. 1706.]
[7 Restitit (Paulus) secundum facicm publicam Tetro ct ceteris; ut hypocrisis obsei-vandre Icgis . . . corrcptionis hj'pocrisi cmendaretur. — Utilcm vero simulationem, et assumendam in tempore, Jehu regis Israel nos doceat exemplum, &c. — Ilioron. Comment, in. Ep. ad GaL cap. II. 0pp. Tom. iv. col. 243.]
116 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
matter, denieth flatly that we ouglit once to suspect that a lie is allowed in the sacred scriptures. On the other side again, St Hierome telleth Augustine, that the best interpreters of the ancient church are full and wholly of his mind. There are, to and fro, very learned and large epistles written on both sides, which are extant now, and to be seen amongst us ; and therefore I need not stick hereupon any longer ^ The same Augustine, in the fifteenth chapter of his book that he wrote ad Consentium contra Mendacium, saith : " He which saith that some lies are righteous, is to be thought to say nothing else but that some sins are righteous, and so, con- sequently, that some unrighteousness is righteous : than which what can be spoken more absurd ? For whereupon is sin, but because it is contrary to righteousness ? But those things that are done against the law of God cannot be righte- ous. Now it is said to God, Thy law is truth ; and there- fore that which is against the truth cannot be righteous. But who doubteth but that every lie is against the truth ? Therefore no lie can possibly be righteous 2." And so forth as foUoweth, Now on the other side, very notable learned men have thought, that Augustine was somewhat too stub- bornly set against lying. And therefore some there are, which, going as it were betwixt both, do say, that they (whose examples I alleged even now) were not altogether without all sin ; and yet they suppose, that their f^iult in those lies was a very small sin. I would wish those, which will allow themselves to lie officiously, to take heed to themselves, lest, by following their own affections more than enough, they do at last take that for an officious lie which is indeed a pernicious lie.
[} Jerome's Epistle on this subject is Ep. 74. 0pp. Tom. iv. col. 618-62G. Augustine's letters are given in the same place, and in August. 0pp. Ep. VIII. IX. XI. Tom. 11. fol. 8, 9. Par. 1531.]
[2 Nihil autem judicandus est dicere, qui dicit aliqua justa esse mendacia, nisi aliqua justa esse peccata, ac per hoc aliqua justa esse quce injusta sunt. Quo quid absurdius dici potest? Undo enim est peccatum nisi quia justitia) contrarium est ? . . . Ea vero qufc contra legem Dei fiunt, justa esse non possunt. Dictum est autem Deo, Lex tua Veritas : ac per hoc, quod est contra vcritatem justum esse non potest. Quis autem dubitet contra vcritatem esse mendacium omne ? Nullum ergo justum esse potest mendacium. — August. Oj^p. ad Consent. Tom. IV. fol. II. col. 2. Par. 1531.]
IV.] THE NINTH AND TENTH PRECEPTS, &rC, 117
For the last and "worst kind of Ho is a pernicious lie : and that proceedeth of a corrupt mind, and tcndeth to the damage of thy neighbour, which hath deserved no hurt at thy hand. This kind of lie is everywhere cried out upon throughout the scriptures : and the fault thereof increaseth according to the quantity of the mischief that it doth. For divines and ecclesiastical preachers do lie of all other most perniciously, while with lies and corrupt doctrine they kill the souls of men, and make the bodies and goods of silly seduced people both subject to the curse of God and in danger of a thousand perils more. And hereunto belongeth hypocrisy also, which the Lord Jesus doth in the gospel won- derfully taunt and bait exceedingly. Now hypocrisy doth shew itself, not only and so much in crafty and deceitful words, as also, and far more, in the whole conversation of our lives ; as when we make semblance, or else dissemble such things as are not, by that means lying to God and beguiling our neighbour.
Furthermore, in this law are forbidden tale-bearings, privy slanders, backbitings, close whisperings, and all suspicions which rise by such occasions. Despiteful quips therefore, carrjingof and heads that are readv to speak evil of all men, are plainly tongue dis-
V 1. ^ 'It/ postd to
condemned. For some there are which are without honesty, '^^^^^^^^^l'! not sticking to slander all estates and conditions, both high °"*'^'* and low, private and public, and people of all ages : and for that purpose do they cast abroad infamous libels, they stick up written pasquils, and set out pictures to defame men withal. And to themselves they seem very eloquent, while with bitter words they check, and find fault with, all sorts of Pasquii is, as men: yea, they account the malapert prattling of their un- image in^" bridled tongues to be a commendation of uncontrolled liberty upmuiie
. " . , "^ people are
and free licence of speakino-. But they sin very grievously, worn to stick
1 o ti I/O ti ' up writings
which take delight in cursed speaking; that is, which carry {.°^'^^^/',^- „f about a tongue full of bitterness, curses, and deceit : even as {he^hat'lT they also are not without sin, that love a-life ^ to hear en- Buulnge^r venom ed speech and hurtful talking. writing! by
•ni 1' rf 11 n f ^ ^'"^ name of
But we make a dmerence, and do except ironi wrongful that image, quarrels such accusations as are justly made and openly shewed, either by writing or word of mouth; and such kind Just accu-
•^ ° ' sations.
[3 a-lifo, as my life, exceedingly. Narcs' Glossary in voc]
pernicious.
118 THK THIRD DECADE, [sERM.
of cliidings and chastenings also as preachers use in sacred sermons : for they, which do in that sort chastise and pursue wicked vices and errors, do purpose nothing else but the glory of God and safeguard of men's souls, which they desire to advance by all the means they can, not seeking to utter their spite or wreak the malice of their naughty affections.
But we may gather by many arguments, that it is a heinous crime falsely to slander and wickedly to backbite our
Backbiting is brethren and neighbours. For there is scarcely any thing that doth so much disgrace us as backbiting doth. We are made to the simihtude and likeness of God, that we may be the sons of God ; but false accusations do make us, of the sons of God, to be the sons of the devil. Now we all abhor and utterly detest the name of the devil : but if thou art a wrongful slan- derer, then art thou the very same that thou dost so detest : for the devil taketli his name of wrongful accusing, and is called a slanderer ^ Moreover, in the book of Proverbs, God is said to hate backbiters and wrongful slanderers. And in the twenty-fourth chapter we read : " The thought of a fool is sin, and a slanderer is hated of men." For a good name (as the same Salomon witnesseth) is a precious treasure. When
fProv. xxii. as therefore the fame and good name of a man is put in hazard by the false reports and slanders of a wicked tongue, the chiefest jewel that a man hath is put in jeopardy ; so that in very deed a slanderer doth seem to sin more deeply than a thief, unless a man make more account of his transitory riches than of his name and good report : and therefore it is strange at this day, that a thief for stealing is never par- doned, and backbiters for slanders are never once touched-. I would to God that magistrates would once rightly weigh the sundry circumstances of sundry matters, and punish every fault with penalties agreeable to the offence, and revenge the greater crimes with great and sharper punishments. For God truly doth require of and charge every one of us, to do our best in maintaining truth, for the defence of our neigh- bour's good name, and preservation of his earthly substance.
[1 Aia/3oXoy, — spcciatim ita dicitur qui est ad calumniandum pro- clivis, calumniator. 1 Tim. iii. 11 ; Tit. ii. 3 ; 2 Tim. iii. 3. Schleusncri Lex. in voc]
[2 aut minimum. Lat. omitted: or as gently as possibly may be]
J-]
IV.] THE NINTH AND TENTH PRECEl'TS, &CC. 119
In this law also it seemeth that flattery is forbidden, Flattery. which, as the proverb doth truly say, maketh a fool mad, and causeth him that is mad to be incurably mad. And therefore Salomon saith, that a flatterer is worthy to be cursed of all men. "They (saith he) which say to the wicked, thou art just, rprov. xxiv. shall be cursed of the people, and hated of the tribes." And ^^'^ in another place: "The words of a tale-bearer be as though [Prov.xxvi. they were simple ^ and yet they pierce to the inward parts of"' the heart. AVhen he speaketh softly, believe him not: for there are seven mischiefs in his heart." And therefore in Ec- clesiastes it is very well said: "It is better to hear the rebuke [Eccies. vu. of a wise man than the song of a fool," that is, of a flatterer. And yet, although flattery be so great an evil, it is notwith- standing favoured of all men ; so that as an infecting plague it is crept into* the church^, into princes' palaces, into judges'* courts, and every private house. For, like an alluring mer- maid, it hath a song that doth dehght our flesh. For we, like fools, are blinded with self-love, and do not mark that flatteries and allurements do breed our destruction. Ezechiel blameth greatly all flattering preachers, and saith: "Woe unto them [Ezek. xiii. that say unto the people. Peace, peace, when there is no peace; which daub with untempered morter, which sew entic- ing pillows under every elbow, and put alluring kerchiefs upon every head", to hunt after and catch souls." Of such kind of teachers, that delight more in lies and flattery than in sincere verity, the apostle Paul saith: "The time shall come [-'Tim. iv. that they shall not abide to hear sound doctrine; but they, whose ears do itch, shall get them teachers according to their lusts, and shall turn their ears from the truth, and shall be turned into fables"." And David, praying against this plague, as the thing that is most pernicious to all kings and princes in authority, doth say : "The righteous shall smite me friendly**: but the precious balms of the wicked shall not anoint my head^." And again, "Lord, deliver me from lying lips and [ps. cxx. 2.]
[3 BuUinger follows the Vulgate.]
[4 adde et occupant, Lat. nay, has gained possession of, omitted.]
[5 Sacram in tempio cathedrani, Lat.]
[<5 qui consuunt blandos pulvillos sub omni axilla aut cubito, et ccrvicalia blanda sub omni capite, Lat.]
["^ unto, 1577, ad fabulas, Lat.]
[8 et increpabit mc, Lat. omitted : and shall reprove mc.]
[3 oleum autem pcccatoris non impinguabit caput mcum, Lat. after the Vulgate, Psal. cxli. 5.]
120 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
The tenth ^ decGitful tonguG." Thus much have I hitherto said for the ment"o"God. expositioH of the ninth commandment.
17'.] ''' ■ Now followeth the tenth and last commandment, which,
word for word, is expressed thus: "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, Deut. V. nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's." Which words the Lord in the fifth of Deuteronomy doth lay down in this manner and order: "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, nor his field, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's." Neither is there any difference or contrariety in the thing itself, although in Exodus, "Thy neighbour's house," and in Deuteronomy, "Thy neighbour's wife," be set first in order. Now this maketh* somewhat against them that divide this last precept into two commandments, which is indeed but one, as it may be partly gathered by this order thus inverted in the setting of it down in two sundry places. Coveting. jj^ ^j^jg precept coveting is especially forbidden ; I mean,
evil longing and corrupt desiring. For coveting is a word indifferently used, as well in the better as the worse significa- tion. For David afiirmeth that he did long after God and Ps. cxix. his law: "I have wished for (saith he), O Lord, thy salvation." And, " I have longed after thy commandments." Psal. cxix. We must here, therefore, be able with discretion to judge betwixt that good aft'ection, which God did first create in man; and that other motion, the root of evil, that groweth in our nature by the descent of corruption from our first father Adam. There was in Adam before his fall a certain good appetite with pleasure and delight. lie was not so hungry, that hun- ger did pain his empty bowels (which is indeed a plague for sin), but he did eat with a certain sweet and delectable appetite. He was delighted with the pleasures of Paradise. lie did with a certain holy desire both love and long after the woman, which God had brought and placed before him. And this good appe- tite or desire proceeded from God himself, who made both Adam and all his affections good at the first. Yea, and at this day also there are in men certain natural affections and desires, as, to eat, to drink, to sleep, and such like, belonging to the preserva-
[1 Facit autcm. Lat. But this makcth. Sec Vol. r. p. 213.]
IV.] THE NINTH AND TENTH TRECErTS, &C. 121
tion^ of man's life, which of themselves are not to be accounted among the number of sins, unless by corruption of original vice they pass the bounds for which they are ordained. But in this treatise upon the tenth commandment desire is used in the worser part, and is taken for the concupiscence or covet- ing of evil things. This concupiscence, being translated from Adam into us all, is the fruit of our corrupt nature, or oif- spring of original sin, whose seat is in the heart of man; and is the fountain and head-spring of all sin and wickedness that is to be found in mortal men. For the Lord in the gos- pel doth expressly say : "Whatsoever entcrcth in by the mouth fj-^^^'Jy- goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught: but the things that come out of the mouth proceed from the heart ; and those defile the man. For out of the heart do come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, whoredoms, theft, false witness- bearings, despiteful speaking: these be they that do defile the man." And the apostle James, speaking altogether as plainly in [James 1. 13 another place, doth say: " Let no man, when he is tempted, say that he is tempted of God: for every one is tempted while he is drawn away, and enticed with the bait of his own concu- piscence. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."
Concupiscence, therefore, is a motion or affection of the coneupis- mind, which of our corrupt nature doth lust against God" '^^' and his law, and stirreth us up to wickedness, although the consent, or deed itself, doth not presently follow upon our conceit. For if the deed do follow the lust, then doth the sin increase by steps and degrees. For^ first we must con- sider the very blotting out, or corrupting, of the image of God in us, original sin, and that disease that lieth hid in our members, which is by us called evil aflfections. Secondarily, we must consider that it increaseth by our delight and plea- sure therein. Thirdly, it is augmented, if we consenf* and seek after counsel to commit the crime. And, lastly, if the consent break forth to the deed-doing, then is it greater and greater, according to the qualities of accidents or circum- stances. Now all these are reckoned in the number of sins,
[2 ad conservationem ac propagationcm, Lat., to the preservation and propagation.]
[•■* In pcccato enim, Lat. omitted : for in the case of sin.]
[* Indescquiturfereconsensus,Lat. Thence follows usually consent.]
122 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
though by degrees the one of them is greater than the other: touching which I will, by God's sufferance, speak somewhat more largely, when I come to the treatise of sin. Wherefore that evil and unlawful affection, which is of our natural cor- ruption, and lieth hid in our nature, but bewrayeth itself in our hearts against the pureness of God's law and majesty, is that very sin, which is in this law condemned. For, although there be some which think that such motions, diseases, ble- mishes, and affections of the mind are no sins, yet God, by forbidding them in this law, doth flatly condemn them. But if any man doubt of this exposition, let him hear the words
[Rom. vii. of the apostle, who saith : " I knew not sin, but by the law : for I had not known lust, except the law had said. Thou shalt not lust. Without the law sin was dead : I once lived with- out law ; but when the commandment came, sin revived, and
[Rom. viii. I was dead." And again, " The affection of the flesh is death, but the affection of the Spirit is life and peace : be- cause the affection of the flesh is enmity against God ; for it is not obedient to the law of God, neither can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." The affec- tion of concupiscence therefore doth condemn us ; or, as I should rather say, we are worthily condemned by the just judgment of God for our concupiscence ^ which doth every hour and moment bewray itself in the thoughts of our hearts. There are (I confess) sundry fantasies and many thoughts in the minds of men, which, while they tend not to the offence of God or our neighbour, nor do contain any uncleanness or self-love, are not to be counted in the number of sins : as I did immediately after the beginning declare unto you.
.^•^"j^^^n. So hitherto, verily, God hath forbidden the grosser sins which man doth daily commit against him ; and now at last he Cometh to the concupiscence and corrupt nature of man, the well-spring of all evil, which in this precept he goeth about to stop up and cause to sleep : or, as I should rather say, to detect to the eyes of all men the infirmity and Aveak- ness of mankind. For what is he that hath not some whiles felt concupiscence ? yea, what is he, that is not every hour * and moment pricked with the sting of fleshly concupiscence ? What man is there, I pray you, that is not diseased with the
[1 in nobis latcntem atquc, Lat., omitted : which hirkcth in us, and.]
IV,] THE NINTH AND TENTH PRECEPTS, &C. 123
natural sickness common to us all, and spotted Tvltli the blemish of original guiltiness ? Being therefore convinced of sin before the Lord, we are not able to excuse our fault, nor escape the sentence of the judge that doth condemn all flesh. For the just Lord doth expressly condemn our natural corrup- tion and wicked inclination, which is a continual turning from God, and rebellion against the sincerity which he requircth at our hands. For they are called happy that are clean in heart, because they shall see God. They therefore, whose hearts are wrapped in lusts, diseased with concupiscence, and spotted with the poison of original guilt, shall not see God. But such are all we that are the sons of Adam. And there- fore this law doth convince us all of sin, infirmity, natural corruption, and of damnation which foUoweth upon the neck of our corruption.
IMoreover, God in his law doth not only require the out- what pure- ward cleanness of the body, but the inward pureness also of rcquimh the mind, the soul, and all our aifections; and giveth charge that all, whatsoever we think, determine, go about, or do, should tend to the health and profit of our neighbour. This commandment therefore may be referred to all the other that went before. For the Lord himself expounding this com- Matth. v. mandment, " Thou shalt not commit murder," addeth : "Who- soever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of judgment," &c. Matt, v ; and again, in expounding this pre- cept, " Thou shalt not commit adultery," he addeth ; " Who- soever looketh on another man's wife to lust after her, he hath committed adultery already with her in his heart."
And here ho doth exactly rehearse the things which we what it is do covet, and, in longing after which, we are wont to sin. not covet. Now our covetousness consisteth in the desire either of things or persons. The things thai we covet are either immoveable or moveable : as we Germans do usually say, Die guteren sind etliche ligende, etliche farende^. The immoveable things are houses, farms, lands, vineyards, woods, meadows, pastures, fishpools, and such like. Things moveable are money, cattle, honour-', oflftce, and dignities. The persons are wife, children, man-servants and maid-servants. These and such like, which our neighbour hath in possession, none of us ought to covet
[2 Helvetice, Lat., in our Swiss phrase.] [3 honores, Lat. honours.]
124 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
to his hurt or hinderance : or if any man happen to covet them, yet let him not consent to the concupiscence, nor take dehght therein ; let him not seek to obtain the thing that he so desireth, nor suffer his ill-conceived purpose to break out to the deed-doing, in taking from his neighbour his things or persons : for God requireth at the hands of those that worship him such kind of righteousness as is altogether sound and absolutely perfect, not in the outward deed alone, but also in the inward mind and settled purpose of the heart. [Matt. V. 20.] Whereupon the Lord in the gospel saith: "Unless your right- eousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Phari- sees, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of God." But touching the manner how God's commandments are fulfilled, and that faith is the absolute righteousness, I will hereafter in another sermon tell you, as I have already said somewhat in the sermon that I made upon true faith.
Hitherto in twelve sermons I have run through and declared the ten precepts of the moral law, in which I told you that the form of virtue is laid before our eyes, thereby to frame our manners according to the will of God. God himself hath divided all the branches of his moral law into two tables. The first doth shew the duty of us men to our Creator, and teacheth how to worship aright our God and governor. The second table, in six whole precepts, doth declare what, and how much, every man is bound to owe to his neighbour, and how we may all live both quietly, well, and civilly one with ano- ther. It commandeth us to honour our parents, and all those which God hath ordained instead of our parents. It forbid- deth murder, or doing injury to any man in his life and body. It forbiddeth whoredom, adultery, and wicked lusts, commend- ing wedlock, cleanness, and a continent hfe^ It forbiddeth lies, false witness-bearings, and eviP desires; and biddeth us to love our neighbours with all our hearts, being ready at all times with all our power to do them good.
To God, our Lord and most prudent lawgiver, be all praise and thanks for ever and ever. Amen.
[1 Proliibct furta, dolos, imposturas, Lat. omitted : it forbiddeth thefts, cheatings, and impositions.]
['■2 et noxias, Lat. omitted : and hurtful.]
v.] THE CEUEMOMAL LAWS OF CiOD. 125
OF THE CEREMONIAL LAW OF GOD, BUT ESPECIALLY OF THE PRIESTHOOD, TIME, AND PLACE, AP- POINTED FOR THE CEREMONIES.
THE FIFTH SERMON.
In the pai'tition of God's laws, next after the moral law ■we placed the ceremonial law^: and therefore, since the moral law is already expounded, I have now next, by the help of God, to treat of the law of ceremonies. And, that I may not hide any thing from you, note this by the way: that some write Ceremoniiv, and some Cerimonice; which two words are used for ceremonies; considering that sundry men have sundry opinions touching the word, from whence it should come. For some (after the opinion of Servius Sulpitius) do think that they are called Ceremonice a carendo*. But Festus affirmeth, that"' ceremonies did first take their name of the town Carres, or Caerete^. For Livy in his fifth book saith, that the relics^ of the Romans were kept by the towns-men of C^eres in the French wars, at what time the Frenchmen in- vaded Rome*. By which occasion it is likely that, for remem- brance of the benefit, all the worship due to God, and all the holy rites or customs, were, according to the name of the town, usually called ceremonies. But from whencesoever the word is derived, we in this treatise use it for the holy deed of worshipping God, and the ecclesiastical rites of sacred religion.
Now ceremonies are holy rites belongino; to the ministers ceremonies
</ O O ^ generally,
of religion, and also to the place, time, and holy worship ex- "^'^''t "''y hibited to God ; all which, how they ought to be kept and
[3 Vol. I. p. 209.]
[4 Servius Sulpicius religionem esse dictam tradidit, quce propter sanctitatem aliquara romota ac seposita a nobis sit, quasi a relinquendo dicta, ut a carendo cerenionia. Macrob. Saturn. Lib. in. cap. 3. See also Aul. Gcll. Noct. Attic. Lib. iv. cap. 9. Augustine adopted this derivation. Retract, cap. 37.]
[5 alii existimant, Lat. omitted: some persons think that.]
P Ceerimoniarum causam alii ab oppido Crere dictam existimant ; alii a caritate dictam judicant. Festus, Lutet, 1576.]
[■7 Sacra Romanorum, Lat.]
[^ — Sacra in plaustrum imposuit (L. Albinius), ct Cairo, quo iter sacerdotibus orat, pcrvexit. Liv. Lib. v. cap. 40.]
126 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
observed according as they should be, the laws called -cere- monial do exactly teach and precisely describe. Ceremonies therefore are the actions and rites, which the laws or -rules, called ceremonial, do frame or appoint.
Now ceremonies are ordained either by God or men. As touching those which God hath instituted, they are of two sorts : the one sort whereof he did ordain in the old Testa- ment to the ancient Israelites ; and the other, at the coming of Christ, to us that are the people of the new Testament or covenant. Of the ceremonies of the new Testament I mean to speak, when I come to treat of the church and the sacra- ments thereof. At this time I will discourse of the ceremonies of the old Testament, which were holy rites and actions or- dained and delivered by God himself to the people of Israel until the time of amendment, partly to represent, and in a shadow to shew ^ the mysteries of God; and partly to worship God by them, and also with them to keep the people of God in a lawful religion, and in the society of one ecclesiastical body.
But men also have brought in very many and sundry sorts of ceremonies : as among the heathen the arch-flamines did, who were the priests and ministers of idols ; which offices and rooms both their kings and princes did some times supply. Among the Hebrews, Jeroboam, king of Israel, to the destruc- tion of him and his, did change the ceremonies which God had ordained into his own, that is, into men's inventions and de- testable blasphemies.
In this latter age of the world, wherein we live, there is no ho^ of ceremonies that are instituted daily by brain-sick^ people : the misery whereof many learned men both have and do yet at this day lament and bewail, Augustine complaineth that in his time ceremonies did increase too fast in the church of God: what would he say (think you), if he were alive to see them now-a-days^? But of this I will speak at another time.
[1 velandaque, Lat. and to veil.]
[2 ho, i.e. stop, bound, limit. Johnson. Sec Tyndale's Doctr. Treat. Park. Soc. ed. p. 25.]
[3 This epithet is not in the Lat.]
[4 . . . ipsam religionem, quam paucissimis et manifestissimis cele- brationum sacramentis misericordia Dei esse liberani voluit, servihbus
v.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 127
Now, for because the word ceremonies is attributed as a name to any heathenish rites whatsoever, I in this treatise would have you to know, that I speak not of every ceremony, but of those only which were delivered of God by Moses to the people of Israel; not at the will of Moses, but at the will of God, by the means or ministery of Moses, according as it was said unto him: "See, that thou doest all thino-s accordinff [Exod.xxv.
® . O 40. Arts vii.
to the pattern that was shewed thee in the mountain." The 4*- ueb. v.ii.
original therefore or beginning of these ceremonies, which we
treat of, are referred to God himself, the most true and assured
author thereof; and they did therefore please God, because
they were godly, and might be exhibited in faith. Contrarily,
the ceremonies in religion that are devised and ordained of
men are utterly condemned, as is to be seen in the twelfth
of Deuteronomy^. In the seventeenth chapter of the fourth
of Kings also we find: "Israel walked in the ordinances, or [^ Kings
O _ ^ ' XVII. B. J
ceremonies, which they themselves had made to themselves." It is known to all men, what happened to Jeroboam and his household, and all the kings of Israel, that walked in the ways of Jeroboam <'. So then these ceremonies of ours, I mean, the ceremonies whereof I speak, are actions and rites not in profane but holy matters, which God himself did first ordain, and which God's people doth use and exercise.
These ceremonies were not delivered to all people or na- n'vinecere-
*■ ^ monies.
tions, but to the people of Israel only, and that too, as the
apostle saith, "until the time of amendment," as that which [Heb. ix. lo.]
should lie upon the shoulders of the Jews till the coming of
Messiah ; at what time they should be taken away, and after
that appear no more. And in this sense, verily, the apostle
Paul calleth the law the schoolmistress '^ until Christ.
"We have, moreover, to note the end whereunto ceremonies The en.i were ordained. Ceremonies do especially belong to the doc- mon'ies'were
ordained.
trine of piety and faith. For they were added to the first table, as a shore, or prop, to uphold or stay it. For they
oneribus premunt (ceremonise), ut tolerabilior sit conditio Judrcorum. — August. Januario Ep. cxix. Par. 1531. Tom. ii. fol. 112. col. 1. — A very similar passage, with the same quotation from Augustine, occurs in WiclifFe's Apology for the Lollards, Camden Soc. ed. p. 75. Lond. 1842.]
[5 locus illustris est Deutoronomii xii. Lat.]
[0 See Vol. i. pp. 335, G.] [7 Gal. iii. 24; predagogia, Lat.]
128 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
teach the outward worship of the true God, which godlj men do give unto him ; and by them were the Israehtes drawn not only from strange gods, but from strange worships also, wherewith they were too much and too long inured and trained up in the land of Egypt ; to the end they should not have any occasion to receive or admit any strange kinds of worships, when they were furnished, and as it were wrapped in so exquisite sorts of curious ceremonies. This doth Moses in the twelfth of Deuteronomy make to be the cause why God appointed such busy ceremonies. Therefore ceremonies, and the use of ceremonies, are in the scripture expressly called
The worship the worship of God. For with them it pleaseth God to be worshipped; and with them he did retain his people in the true worshipping of him, and in the true religion and com- munion of one ecclesiastical body. For the church is severed and divided by the admitting or bringing in of new or strange ceremonies ; as it is evident in the states and dealings of Sa- lomon and Jeroboam. Moreover the apostle Paul said ;
1 Cor. X. " Are not they which eat of the sacrifice partakers of the altar," and so consequently of the whole religion ? Further- more, the chief or especial mysteries of Christ and his church were shadowed in ceremonies^ and were the sacraments of the Jewish people, wherewith the Lord would bind them unto him, put them in mind of his benefits, and lastly, keep the piety, obedience, and faith of his people in ure and exercise. And because the Lord did especially require faith and faithful obedience at the hands of his servants in the observing of ceremonies, therefore those ceremonies did not please but utterly displease his majesty, so oft as the people were ig- norant of the meaning of the secret mysteries contained in those figurative shews; so oft, I say, as they were without faith, and observed only the outward actions or ceremonies, without inward zeal and touch of conscience. For the Lord
When God iu Jcrcmy crieth out and saith : "Heap up your burnt-
when'hemis- ofteriners with your sacrifices, and eat the flesh : for when I
liketh, cere- ° ''
[je?'vii 21 brought your fathers out of Egypt, I spoke no word unto ~^^-J them of burnt-off'erings or sacrifices ; but this I commanded
them, sajing, Hearken unto and obey my voice, and I will CExod.^xx^x. be your God, and ye shall be my people." And yet, in ano- 4'^- Numb, tijcr place, we read that the oftering of sacrifices, and that [1 velata abscondcbantur, Lat. ; being veiletl, were hidden.]
v.] THE CEHEMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 129
external action of the people in worshipping God, was ac- ceptable and of a swect-smelHng savour in the nose of the Lord. Now, whereupon riseth this diversity, I pray you, but upon the difference of the minds of them that worship the Lord ? For sacrifices pleased him, and the honour that was done unto him in simple obedience and faith alone did please him too : but that religion he did utterly mislike of, wherein he was worshipped with outward shews, and not with the faith and sincere obedience of the inward heart : in which sort we read that Cain did sin ; for God commanded not to sacrifice in that manner that Cain did.
Again, he commanded to sacrifice and to worship him •with external ceremonies'- in faith that Christ should come to be the Saviour of the world^: not that they should hope to be justified by the external action, but by him that was prefigured in all their ceremonies, Christ Jesus, the sacrifice once to bo offered to save them alH; who was the life and meaning where- unto all those ceremonies did lead, that are expressed in the law.
But it is not amiss here particularly to examine and look The know-
II 1 1 1 1 • r> • 1 ledge of the
mto not ail and every one, but the chieiest ceremonies, and ceremonies
'' , , ^ is not unpro-
those which are more significant than the rest. Let this la- f^^^^e. hour of mine not seem to any man to be more curious than needcth, or less profitable than it sheweth for. For it is undoubtedly very available to the sound understanding of the abrogation of the law^. All things, whatsoever God hath laid down in the holy scriptures, are altogether profitable to our edification, and do carry with them a divine authoi-ity, whereby we may confirm our minds : they therefore are very fools and godless people, or, to use a more gentle term, they are shuttle- witted'', and ignorant of all good things, whose sto- machs do rise at the ceremonies that God hath taught, and whose ears are offended to hear a sober and godly treatise upon the exposition of those divine ceremonies. Some there are, and that no small number, who think it very profitable
[2 legitime et, Lat. omitted : lawfully, ami.] [3 in fide Christi venturi Messia?, Lat.] [■* the sacrifice — all; not in the original.]
[}> rather, of the law that has been abrogated : Icgis abrogatfc, Lat.] [c temcrarii, Lat. Shittle or shuttle; light, volatile, giddy. Richard- son's Diet, in voc]
[BULLINGER, II. J
130
THE THIRD DECADE.
[SERM.
The sum of the cere- monies.
and an excellent thing to construe Homer and Virgil allego- rically; in divine ceremonies only foolish heads are persuaded that no profit or wisdom lieth secretly hidden : when indeed, in all the world again, there is nothing more profitable, more pleasant, more fine, more excellent, or more full of wisdom in allegorical types, than the ceremonies are that God hath ordained. For in them are the mysteries of Christ and his catholic church very finely, plainly, and notably described.
Now, in reckoning up and touching these several cere- monies, I will chiefly follow the very natural order. Cere- monies do appertain to the ecclesiastical worship of God. Therefore it is necessary that there should be persons appointed in the church to be the masters, or rather public ministers, of those ceremonies, to exercise and put them in practice, as the Lord ordained them. It is necessary also, that there be a certain place and time appointed, wherein and when God should be especially worshipped rather than at another place or season. Moreover, the holy rites, that is, the very cere- monies, must be appointed and certainly numbered, that the worshippers of God may know what and how great the honour is that they are bound to give unto him. And first of all, I mean to say somewhat of the persons, that is, the priests or Levites; referring still the hearers to the reading of the holy Bible, wherein the whole is fully contained and largely de- scribed.
The beginning of priesthood among the old people is derived or brought from the creation almost*: for they say, that in every family the first-begotten were always the priests. It is certain, that, when the firstborn of Egypt were slain, the Lord did by a law consecrate to himself the first-begotten of the Israelites. And the preeminence, or dignity, of the first-begotten hath always been very great by the civil law-. The first-begotten did always rule and bear the sway in his father's house, and was, as it were, a king among his bre- thren : to the first-begotten the inheritance was due, to the other brethren were portions given : the first-begotten did I think his excel the rest in the dignity of the priesthood. Therefore tS^hav"e*yaf when Cain and Abel did strive about their birthright, they
[^ In his treatise do Episcop. instit. et funct. cap. i. Bullingcr shews that ho here follows the vetus Jtidceorum traditio.]
[2 vel in legibus civilibus, Lat. : oven in civil laws.]
The begin- ning of priesthood,
[Exod. xiii 2, 15.]
v.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 131
contended not about a trifle, but about a matter of very great Esau and
. 1 •xT-'i ... • 1 • V 1 Jacnb.instead
weight, u hereupon, when the mother-virgin is said in Luke "ft'a'n and to have borne the first-begotten son, let no man think that christ the
° first-begot-
she was the mother of the second-begotten, or many sons "?"• more. For in that Luke calleth Christ her first-begotten [Luke a. 7.] son, therein is noted his dignity and excellency. For to Christ our Lord doth belong the kingdom, priesthood, and inheritance : by whose bountiful liberality we are adopted to be his partners both in the kingdom, priesthood, and in- heritance of life everlasting and all heavenly things.
But to return to our purpose again. The dignity of priest- hood, among the people of Israel, did of right belong to Reuben, because he was the first-begotten ; but he, by commit- £^|"- ''''"• ting detestable incest, did lose his right. Next to him, there- ichron.v. 1.] fore, was Levi^, who also lost that dignity for the sin which [Oen. xxxiv. he committed in killing the men of Sychem traitorously, ^j'^'^^^^ wte and profaning the sacrament of circumcision. But because p"^*'*- the tribe of Levi did behave itself manfully, not only in the bringing of the children of Israel out of Egypt, but also in punishing idolaters, I mean, the men that worshipped the golden calf; therefore did they receive the office or dignity of priesthood in reward of their virtue, and at that time were the Levites chosen to the place of the first-begotten of all the seed of Israel. For thus we read: *'And Moses said goi. xxxu. unto the Levites, Consecrate your hands unto the Lord this day, every man upon his son, and upon his brother ; that there may a blessing be given you this day." And again : " And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Behold, I have fiar'n."'* taken the Levites from among the children of Israel for all that first openeth the matrice among the children of Israel ; and the Levites shall be mine ; because all the firstborn are mine : for the same day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I hallowed to myself all the firstborn in Is- rael." And so forth. By this it appeareth that the tribe of Levi was appointed to the priesthood in the church of Israel. Moreover this dignity, or ministry, was singularly confirmed to this tribe immediately upon the insurrection of Korab, Dathan, and Abiron, by the wonderful miracle that the Lord
[3 This correction of tho translator is perhaps not necessary. Bul- linger probably took Calvin's view. — Conf. Calv. Comment, in loc] [* successit ergo Levi, Lat.]
9 — 2
132 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
wrought upon Aaron's rod, which budded alone among the other eleven twigs, for a witness that God had appointed the tribe of Levi alone to the office and function of holy priesthood. And for that cause was the same rod put into the ark, and kept in the tabernacle, to the end that none other tribe should affect the priesthood at any time thereafter. All which is largely declared in the sixteenth and seventeenth chapters of the Book of Numbers. Certain de- Now there was amono; the Levites a certain order; there
grees among , . . i /¥•
the priests, ^ere dogroes, and, as it were, appomtments unto sundry offices. For the Levites were divided into three families, that is, into Cahatites^ Gcrsonites, and Merarites : and they again were parted into four orders. For first of all, out of the family of Cahat were chosen princes, to bear the sway and rule the rest : to them the remnant of the Cahatites, and the other two orders, the Gersonites and Merarites, were subject, and did obey the first sort of Cahatites that were their governors. For Aaron, the chief priest, with Ithamar and Eleazar his sons, had the preeminence among the rest. For thus we read in the third of Numbers : " And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons ; for they are given unto him of the children of Israel. And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons to wait on their priests' office ; and the stranger that Cometh nigh shall be slain." Therein did Aaron, the chief priest, bear the type or figure of Christ, the true, the best, and greatest king and bishop, to whom all Christians are subject, as to their chief bishop and head, whose dwelling is in heaven-.
Among the And here observe, that all the Levites did not serve in the
Levites such iiTi
were chosen tabcmacle, uor that they all did everywhere throus-h the land
to the mmis- ' </ «/ o
mosTfiTfor ^^ Israel instruct and teach. There were certain ordinances "• touchino; the choice and refusal of those amonfr the Levites
that were to be called to the ministry or priesthood. Time will not serve me to reckon all the laws appointed for that purpose ; the chief whereof are to be seen in the twenty-first and twen- ty-second chapters of Leviticus. In the eighth chapter of the book of Numbers the age is appointed of them that should be thought fit for the ministry; that is, from the twenty-fifth to the fiftieth year of their age. The priests, that were called [1 Cahatites: Kohathites.] [2 quorum ipse summus pontifox et caput in coelis est, Lat.]
v.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 133
and chosen to the ministry, were also consecrated. The manner of consecrating them is far more large and busy than that I can in few words declare it. By their consecra- tion was meant, that they ought to be adorned with sundry gifts, and endued with holy conversation, that serve the church in the office of priesthood. For to this doth especially belong the anointing of the priests, which is a type of the Holy Ghost, wherewithal unless an ecclesiastical minister be endued, i john n. he exerciseth the office to his own destruction. This ceremo- nial anointing of priests is set down by Moses in the twenty- ninth of Exodus, the eighth of Leviticus, and the eighth chapter of the book of Numbers. To this we must add also the habit or apparel that the priests did use. The priests ware, when they did not minister in their charge or office, such kind of garments as laymen did, as we may gather out of EzechieP; but when they did serve in the ministry, then did they wear ceremonial raiment according to God's com- mandment. A very large description whereof Moses doth very well set down in the twenty-eighth and thirty-ninth chapters of Exodus.
There are in number nine sorts of ceremonial garments'*; Thepnesu
. ^ raiment.
yet some do reckon up but eight ; Josephus maketh ten^ First of all, the priests, before they went about their offices, did wash themselves in water*', and then put on their holy garments. Among those garments, some there were indiffer- ently used both of the inferior and chief priests. And first, their privities are hidden with linen breeches coming down Breeches, to their knees and hams ; the upper part whereof was tied above their hips with a gathering band, like the upper part of our common slops'^, to the end that, if they should chance to
[3 Ezek. xlii. 14. — alicnis, id est, vulgaribus vcstimentis amicti (saccrdotes) multitudini admiscebantur. CEcolampadius, Commont. in loc. cit. fol. 264. Argent, 1534.]
[•* In tlio following account of the garments of the Jewish priests BuUinger has largely borrowed from Jerome's Epist. ad Fabiolam, do veste sacerdotali. Ilieron. 0pp. Par. 1G93 — 170G. Tom. ii. col. 574, &c.]
[5 Joseph. Antiq. Lib. in. cap. 7.]
[« aqua munda, Lat. pure water.]
["^ caligaruni nostrarum, Lat. Slops : trowsers, Johnson. Homily (Oxf. cd. 1832, p. 285) Against excess of Apparel. But the corre- sponding word in the auth. ver. of Isai. iii. 20, there quoted, is "tho ornaments of the legs."]
134
THE THIRD DECADE.
[SERM.
The girdle
fall, while they were busy in killing their sacrifices, or in bearing of burdens to and fro, the parts should not appear which shame doth bid to cover.
Upon their linen breeches they had a close coat, made of double linen, which (as Josephus saith) was made of silk^ That was plain, or close to the body, without plait or gather- ing2, and came down just to the calf of the leg. Such^ were soldiers wont to wear, and called them cassocks^ ; so fit for their limbs and close to their bodies, that they were light, and without let either to run or fight. And therefore the priests, making themselves ready to the ministery of God, put on such a cassock, that, being comely clad, they might, notwithstand- ing, with much expedition discharge their ofl&ce, and exercise their ministery.
The third kind of raiment, that was a belt or girdle, did gird that cassock about the priest. This girdle was woven of purple, scarlet, and blue silk^ like to an adder's skin, hanging down beneath the knee, but in the holy min- istery tucked up again upon the left shoulder*'.
The fourth kind of ornament was a mitre, or a round little cap, which covered his head almost to the ears, in fashion like as if a man should cut a bowl even in the midst, and set the upper part upon his head^.
Then was the ephod, (whereof mention is made, not in Exodus, where the ceremonial garments are reckoned up as it were of purpose, but in other places of holy scripture,) which garment was indifferently common to all the priests. 1 Sam. ii. 18.] This ephod is thought to have been a linen cloak ; such an ^2 Sam. vi. Que as David ware when he danced before the ark. Of the priests which Saul slew by the hands of Doeg the Edomite, :i Sam. xxii. thus WO read : '* And he killed that same day eighty-five men that ware Hnen ephods." His meaning is, not that they were slain while the ephods were on their backs ; but that they were killed, when they were of that age and order, that
[1 — StTrX^f aivbovos ^vaaivTjs. Joseph, ibid. ^S 2. Exod. xxviii. 40.] [2 Adhceret corpori plana, Lat.j [3 lineas, Lat.]
[4 camisia, Lat. a linen coat, which soldiers wore close to their body. Ainsworth.]
[5 bysso hyacinthoque. Lat. and Joseph, ibid, fifra vaKivQov Koi
[« Joseph, ibid, j^ 2.]
[T Joseph, ibid. § 3. Exod. xxviii. 40.]
The Ephod.
[Judg. X 5 ; xviii.
v.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 135
they might wear an ephod ; that is, that they might minister in the priesthood of the Lord. Therefore in Osee we read, [hos. m. 4.] "Thou shalt be without ephod, and teraphim;" that is, with- out priesthood and rehgion. For the ephod began to be used for the very priesthood ; the garment, or the sign, for the thing signified. But if any man will take these words of Osee to be spoken of the more notable ephod (of which I shall have cause to speak anon), I will not greatly gainsay him. Now this linen ephod seemeth not to diifer much from that which the Papists do^ call a surplice^. These five garments the chief priest and under priests did use alike. The other four do properly belong to the high priest alone.
The first of the four w^as called mcgil, and was a coat The megiu down to the ancles^" ; a garment of all blue silk, from the neck down to the sole of the foot, being close on every side, unless it were the places to put his head and arms out at : at the hems beneath did hang seventy-two bells, and as many pome- granates, so placed that still between two bells there hung one pomegranate, and betwixt two pomegranates one bell : the cause thereof is made to be this, that, when the high priest went into the holy of holies, the sound might be heard ; because he should by and by die the death unless he did so".
Now foUoweth the ephod of the high priest, which diifer- The breast- eth much from that whereof I spake before. For it was not pnests '^ of linen, but woven with weaver's work of divers colours of gold, purple, and silk ; being unlike to the other in shape and making. For it belonged to the high priests alone, and was a breast-lap, coming over the bulk from the neck to the hips : for, like a curet'^ it covered the breast; it came over the hinder part of the shoulders, and about both the sides under the arm-holes: bearing the same fashion that at this day women's stomachers do, which we Switzers call lihli^^. This ephod be ware upon the top of his megil, that came down to
[8 hodie, Lat. omitted : at this day.]
[9 pallium, camisiam, vel vcstem chori, Lat.]
[10 vestis inquam sinuosa, Lat. omitted: a plaited garment.]
[11 Exod. xxviii. 31-35. Joseph, ibid. ^^ 4.]
[12 curet, or curict, a breastplate or corslet, from cta'r, leather ; breastplates being at first made of that material. Toono's Glossary in voc.]
[13 The word which Luther's version has is leihrock.']
136 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
the ancles'. Upon each shoulder he bare an onyx-stone,
[Exod.xxviii. called schoham^; wherein were craven the names of the a—ii.} . .
children of Israel : against the breast there was nothing
woven in it, but a place was left void for the breast-lap of The breast- judgment. For the breast-lap of judgment, which is called ment. hoseu, was the eighth ornament of their attire ; and it was a
woven cloth made of gold, purple, and silk, about an hand- breadth square, and double, and hemmed about on every side, because it should not ravel out. In that there was woven precious stones of a wonderful greatness (for the kind) and of a marvellous price ; which were placed so in four sundry rows, that every rank contained three stones ; in which, as in the onyx-stones, were graven the names of the children of Israel^. They glistered with a wonderful brightness ; for no stones were set in the breast-lap but such as shone exceedingly. [Exod.xxviii. Whereby it seemeth that Urim and Thummim was nothing
Urim and
Thuramim. ^^^® ^^^ thosc rows of prcclous stones : for Urim and Thum- mim signify light and perfectness ; for, as these stones did give great light, so were they pure without all manner of spots. And they thought that the high priest did never say right in a matter of weight, nor, when he was asked, did utter truly the answers and oracles of God, but when the breast-lap of judgment did hang on his breast. Now this breast-lap of judgment was tied to the ephod, or the other breast-lap, by golden rings beneath ; and above, it hung down the shoulders by golden chains, that were fastened under the onyx-stones. This was the most precious and excellent part of the high priest's apparel. For it was the coffer of wisdom, and treasure of all law and knowledge, of equity and justice, from whence the Israelites did fetch, as it were, the determi- nate answers to such doubts as at any time they stuck upon : which is the cause (as it seemeth) that some have translated Urim and Thummim into the Greek ^t'jXcoai^ kuI dXrjOeia'^ -,
[1 Joseph, ibid. § 5. and dc Bell. Jiid. Lib. v. cap. 5. § 7.]
[2 goimna) pretiosas, Lat. omitted : precious stones.]
[3 Exod. xxviii. 15-29. Josephus, ib. § 5.]
[■* Levit. viii. 8. LXX. ineOrjKfv tnl to \oye~iov rrjv di'/Xcocriv Km rijv iiKrjBfiav. Hoc vcro quid significabatur aliud, quam quod in ]iectore sacordotis debet esse verum judicium do rebus divinis, quod doinde non sibi retineat, sed coram ecclesia profcrat cum veritate ? — BuUinger. do Epic, instlt. et funct. Lib. li. fol. 70.]
v.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 137
that is (say they) doctrine and truth is in the priest's breast.
The last of all is the golden plate. For upon the high The gouen priest's head there was a blue silk lace, whereupon this plate '' ^ ^' was put, which was broad beneath and sharp above; in fashion somewhat like to the label of a bishop's mitre ; wherein was written, " Holy to the Lord," or, "The hohness of the Lord." For Christ, our Lord, alone is holiest of all, and he that sanctifieth us all. lie is an antichrist that doth usurp that name or title. Some think, that in that plate was written that name of God that was not lawful for any man to utter^. That name This plate was tied to the cap<^, full upon the forehead, with a which w°i«e'- blue silk lace, and was as it were a crown upon his head^ Israelites did
. , -^ nnd It writ-
Thus, I say, were the high priest and under priests arrayed |fo"t'can^eho at the first. ^ iSlt^b;'
These sundry ceremonies have sundry and godly signifi- Adonal!^ cations. The use and end of these ordinances the Lord de- fieth Lord":'' Glared by Moses to be for glory and comeliness' sake : for they dufthey^
• 1 /. 1 • . o T 1 . reverence
were mvented, partly for the Avmnmg of credit and authority themajcsiicai to the ministers of religion, and partly for the commendation or advancement of religion itself; because the things are most regarded, that are set forth with so great solemnity. More- over, it was profitable and especially necessary with these busy ceremonies to set awork the people, which, if they had been without such ceremonies of their own, was very profane, and ready to have embraced the idolatrous rites of heathen nations.
Furthermore, those ceremonial clothes, used by the priests. The meaning xVaron's successors, do off'cr to us the beholding ^ of Christ, the apparef! true and highest priest. lie was apparelled with the garment of righteousness, temperance, and virtue ; which garment is common unto us also. For all Christians must put on and be clad with Christ. And yet Christ hath the pre-eminence, as the high and chiefest priest among us all; not only because he
[^ In qua (i. e. lamina aurea) scriptum est nomcn Dei Ilebraicis qiiattuor litterisj^^'of/, he, vav, he, quod apud illos ineiVabile nuncupatur. llieron. Ep. ad Fabiol. Tom. ii. col. 581. Tar. 1G93 — 170G.J
[c commune omniimi sacerdotum. Lat. omitted : which was com- mon to all the priests.]
[7 E.Kod. xxviii. 3G-38. Joseph, ibid. § G.]
[^ cxhibcnt spectandum, Lat.]
138 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
doth sanctify us, and endue us with virtue; but also because he hath certain properties pecuhar to himself, as he that is both very God and the Saviour of the world. He beareth us upon his breast and shoulders, as Aaron did the precious stones': for we are not vile, but very dear, in the sight of God. Out of the breast of our high priest, Christ, doth ghster and shine the light of eternal wisdom : for in him, as it were in the treasury of God's eternal wisdom, are all the riches of know- ledge and wisdom laid up and locked. He is the light of the world ; he is both truth and perfectness ; so that all the world should of right require and seek at Christ alone for laws, or- dinances, answers, and whatsoever else is needful to perfectness and true happiness. He is the Holy of hohes, the very majesty and hohness of God: upon his head is the crown of glory very rightly placed, as he that sanctifieth only, reigneth in glory, and liveth for evermore.
Besides all this, the priests were by these ceremonies taught to understand, by their very apparel, what was re- quired at their hands, and what kind of men they ought to be. Let the priests be always ready to the executing of their office ; let them walk honestly before God and men ; let them be temperate and far from lust and sensuality; let their loins be girded with the belt of justice and verity; let their breast, their sides, and back be furnished with the word of God; let their head be covered with the helmet of salvation; upon that let Christ Jesus, the Saviour, be placed; and let him be the chief of the ministers and of the ministry: but chiefly let the priest be heard in the church : for if he be dumb, he shall die the death; but if he ring out the name of the Lord, and preach his law, then doth he stir up in the church a savour, far passing the smell of sweet pomegranates, in the nose of God. Therefore under these clothes is hidden the signification of the priests' manners, of their virtues and vices. Next after a man's talk, there is nothing that doth commend him sooner than his apparel. For as the man is, such is his talk, such is his clothing: therefore the raiment doth note of what conversation the priest ought to be. Where- upon it Cometh that in the scriptures we are bidden to put on other clothing; when the meaning of the Holy Ghost is,
[1 Gestat nos in humeris suis et in pectore suo, vehiti gemmas pre- tiosas, Lat.]
v.] THE CEREMONIAL L.VWS OF GOD. 139
that we should change our wicked conversation: so that the very garments do partly instruct the priests what they have to do, and what is seemly for them.
But now the time and course of this treatise inviteth me The priests-
ofhee.
to speak somewhat of the priests' office. Their office did con- sist in many things, but especially in teaching and instructing. Let priest* For the chief cause why the priests were ordained of God vras to instruct the church in true piety, and to teach the people the law of God. For thus we read that the Lord did say unto Aaron: "Thou and thy sons that are with thee, shall drink neither wine nor strong drink, when ye enter into the tabernacle of witness, lest haply ye die. Let it be an ever- lasting ordinance among your posterities, that ye may put difference both betwixt holy and unholy, and betwixt clean and unclean ; and that ye may teach the sons of Israel all the statutes which the Lord hath spoken unto them by the minis- tery of Moses." Levit. x. The same law doth Ezechiel in as many words almost rehearse in the forty-fourth chapter of his prophecy. And ]\Ialachi declareth it also, as it is to be seen in the second of his prophecy. They therefore are utterly deceived, which think that the Levitical priests were appointed only for to kill the sacrifices. Moreover, the Lord doth every where in his laws minister matter for the Levitical priests to instruct the people in ; and that matter was not the heathenish philosophy, the edicts of kings, or decrees of senators, but the very word of God, dehvered to them by God himself. And that this doctrine might be the more commodiously uttered to the people, the priests appointed certain holy days 2, wherein the people should assemble together, to hear them preach the word of God.
The next point of their duty ^ after teaching, was to bless Let them the people. That blessing was not free for every priest to use as he listed, but was bound to a certain form of words, very solemnly uttered, which is thus expressed in the sixth of Numbers: "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying. Speak Num^. vi. unto Aaron and his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, and say unto them : The Lord bless thee and keep thee: the Lord shew his face unto thee, and bo
[2 indicebant fastos, Lat.]
[3 non niiniinum officiorum, Lat. : and that, not the least of thoir duties.]
140 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
merciful unto thee; the Lord hft up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace." This manner of blessing did they use undoubtedly in their holy assemblies, especially at the break- ing up of the congregation, when the people did depart. In another place it is said, that God did bless; but here, that Aaron and his sons did bless the people : whereupon we have to note, that God doth work inwardly, and perform in the faithful, whatsoever the priests in that form of blessing did wish unto the people 1; so that still to bless is the only and proper work of God alone. And therefore, very significantly, after that solemn blessing uttered by the mouth of the priest, God doth add: "And they shall call, or put, my name over, or upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them." The priests, there- fore, do lay before the people the name of the Lord; they commend unto them the mighty power of his Godhead; and shew them that all goodness doth flow from God, teach 2 them how they may obtain^ it through faith in Christ, who is the blessed Seed that blesseth all them that call upon his name.
Now in this solemn blessing six principal points are chiefly contained. First the priest saith, "The Lord bless thee:" that is, the Lord bestow upon thee whatsoever belongeth to the safety of thy body and soul. Secondarily he saith, "The Lord keep thee; " for it is not sufficient to receive good things '^ at the hand of the Lord, unless they be preserved by his power, and not taken from us by his wrathful indignation, nor lost again by our own negligence. Thirdly he saith, "The Lord shew thee his face,"or, "the Lord make his face shine upon thee." The Lord doth then shew us his lovins: face, when after his an^er he sheweth us his favour, and doth become good and gracious to us. And therefore in the fourth clause doth follow a more plain exposition, where the priest saith, "The Lord be merciful unto thee:" as if he should have said. The Lord be always gentle and favourable unto thee in all that thou gocst about, either in words or deeds. The fifth blessing is, "The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee." Now the Lord liftcth up his counte- nance, when he looketh upon us, when he watchcth over us, and doth direct and guide our ways. The last desire is, "Peace;" which is taken for the salvation and chief goodness
[• cxternis scnsibus ingcrunt saccrdotcs, Lat.]
[2 teaching, cd, 1577.] [^ possimus, Lat.]
[•* corporis ct anima?, Lat. omitted : of the body and soul.]
v.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF CiOD. 141
that happcneth unto mankind, although in another sense it is put for the contrary to war or battle : and the peace of the con- science is no small felicity to mortal men^. These Avero the good things that the priests did wish to light upon the people, teaching them withal to beseech the Lord for those blessings with ardent prayers and earnest supplications. Even till this day there do remain the psalms that the priests did make for the people's sake to sing. For after that David had brought music into the temple, then did the playing upon musical in- struments, with sweet melody and singing of psalms, begin to be taken for an office amongst the priests. Touching this music used in the temple the first book of Chronicles speaketh very much, where it treateth of David and his dealings, how he distri- buted the singers into twenty-four orders, and that by course.
Moreover, the priests were commanded 'Uo minister the sa- sacrifices and
, . !•/. - ministering
craments, and to sacrifice. For they did circumcise the infants' : of thesacra-
<J • ' inents was
their office was to see the passover eaten, and to offer sacrifices t°'J],'^^"Se"Ls of sundry sorts unto the Lord : of which I will speak here- after in place convenient. And that they might more commo- diously offer their sacrifices, David, by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, divided the two families of Elcazar and Ithamar into twenty-four orders : for they did minister by course, as is to be seen in the twenty-fourth chapter of the first of Chro- nicles. All the while that their turn to minister did last the priests remained still within, and never did set a foot out of the temple. For there were houses builded within the temple for the priests to dwell in, when their lot did come to serve the Lord; they never went unto their own houses until their course were expired, and their time to minister were fully finished. The priests also did keep the holy vessels and make them clean; they kept the candles burning, and tlic holy fire, that it should not go out: to be short, they had the charge of all things which seemed to belong to the service of God, as oil, frankincense, and such like things.
Now before the temple was erected, and that the Israelites xhe priests had obtained a place where to settle themselves in the land oftab^macic promise, the priests' office was to see the tabernacle pitched of'ihe tSra.
[5 jugo convivium, Lat. : a continual feast. Prov. xv. 15.] [G rem facero divinam, adniinistrarc inquam, Lat. : to perform the service of God, I mean &c.]
[T The Mosaic Law did not require the priests to be the operators.]
142 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM*
down, and taken up again, and carried to and fro. For in the third of Numbers thus we read : " The Levites shall keep all the in- struments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and have the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the taber- nacle." For the tabernacle was so appointed, that when they journeyed it might be taken into many pieces ^ Therefore, when the Israelites were ready to remove their camp, Aaron and his sons came with the coverings appointed for the purpose, to wrap up and carry the holy vessels in. The Cahatites bare the ark, the table, the altar 2, and instruments belonging there- unto. The Gersonites had charge over the cords, the cover- ings, the hangings, the curtains, the veils, and ropes, belonging to the tabernacle. The Merarites did bear the harder stuff that was made of wood and brass, as the pillars, bars, stakes, and planks. All which whosoever desireth to understand more nearly, let him read the third and fourth chapters of the book of Numbers. When the temple was builded, there [ich'-on- were porters and warders of the temple appointed among Tr°ump«m'' *^^ Lsvitos. The trumpets also, wherewith the congregation was called together, were in the Levites' hands^; as we read were^appofnt- in the touth of Numbors. The priests also were appointed to war.° ^""^ '" be ready and serve in the wars, as is to be seen in the twentieth of Deuteronomy. For the Lord would not have the laws to be hushed where armour did clatter; for victories do avail greatly to godliness and the study of religion. The priests Bosido this also the priests had yet another office : that
did judge be- . . -i »' '
and'Muse'^ was, to judgo botwixt causo and cause, between clean and un- clean : both which are more largely declared in the seven- teenth of Deuteronomy, and in the thirteenth and fourteenth chapters of Leviticus. For as often as any difficult matter happened to rise among them, the hearing of it was brought to the mother city Hicrusalem^ : and if any man were suspected to be a leper, the Levitical priests did judge of his disease according to the laws that were prescribed them. So hitherto I have summarily laid down the offices of priesthood among the old people, reckoning up only the especial parts belonging to their service.
[1 So ed. 1577: places, od. 1587; partes, Lat] [^ aras, Lat. altars.]
[3 sacerdotum, Lat. : in the priests' hands.] [* Hierusaleni is not in the Latin.]
v.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 143
Now as those priests did serve the Israehtish church, so Thesupen.is did they Hve of the revenues of the church. For the Lord i'hccs^a^iga''-" appointed them certain stipends and dwelhng-places in the pnesu. land of promise. For he assigned forty-eight cities for them to inhabit in the land of Israel, six whereof were cities of refuge for men to fly unto, as unto sanctuaries. ^Moreover he commanded to lay out and appoint, for the sustenance of the priests' cattle and families, the suburbs and ferms with- out the walls of the cities, within a thousand cubits'" compass a thousand
. . , , . , cubits geome-
on every side. In those cities were schools, so conveniently "-ica' "'ake
'J '> one mile,
placed throughout all the land, that all men might easily go J.Siie'an.i with very small pain from the places thereabout unto the reckonfnj; synagogues, to hear the word of God. In those cities there eve'ry^pace. was no sacrifice made : for they were commanded to sacrifice t-ST^VilT in one place alone ; and thrice a year they went up to the Issefifble^ '° temple to sacrifice unto the Lord : but every sabbath-day the tog«her fn
, ^ - . , , to hear the
law was tauffht in every town where the synagoo;ues were, word or uw
O «' , , . "^ ° ° of the Lord.
Moreover the rents belonging to the priests were great and [f'eut. xvi. ample ; as is to be seen in the eighteenth of the book of Numbers, and in the last of Leviticus. The wealth of the priests was enough and suflftcient to maintain their families, and to live themselves honestly. And they with that stipend did not give themselves to riot and idleness; but, living moderately, did apply themselves to learning, and teaching of the people. Thus much hitherto touching the persons be- longing to the ministry of holy religion.
And for because by law they could not sacrifice but in one The hoiy place alone, there was a certain place appointed to the people, wherein, as in an holy shop, the priests should exercise their holy ministry in sacrificing to the Lord ; and therefore now the very order and course of this argument doth require, that I say somewhat touching that holy place. That place in the beginning was the tabernacle built by Moses, and afterward the temple which Salomon did make. The law, which forbad them to sacrifice any where but in that one place alone, un- less it were by dispensation, is extant in the twelfth of Deuter- onomy, and in the seventeenth chapter of Leviticus ; and doth contain the mystery of Christ, who was off'ered up but once, and in one place, to cleanse the sins of the world. Of whom I will speak somewhat more hereafter.
Now that tabernacle, or tent, (being called the tabernacle
144 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
of appointments because the Lord appointed it both to give answers in, and to have his lawful worship duly accomplished in) was to the people instead of a temple, so long as they wandered and dwelt in the wilderness. For insomuch as thoy strayed forty years in the desert, it was not convenient for them to have a settled temple, but such an one as in their journeys they might carry to and fro, so oft as they removed. That tabernacle was erected in this order, and was in a man-
onhftabe". ^'^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^^^"^ ^^^ fashion. First of all there were stuck
n^'^'^- into the earth, close by the ground, silver sockets to fasten in
and set boards upon, to make a wall withal : under every plank, or board, were two sockets. For every board had two tenons, like pikes, whereby they were stuck into the sockets. The boards on either side of the tabernacle, north and south, were twenty in number : at the upper end, which was toward the west, were ten boards, or planks, all laid over with gold, and ten cubits high apiece. These, when they were set up, were stuck or fastened into the sockets : upon the back sides those boards had golden rings, through which were bars of sittim wood (which is thought to be white- thorn) thrust ; partly, to join the boards close together, that they might be like a wall without chink or crevice ; and partly, to make them stand stedfast without wagging to and
[Exod. xxvi. fro. The sanctum on the east side was shut up with a veil. Moreover, there were made ten curtains, or hangings, of broidered work 2, which were coupled together with loops or taches. These curtains were laid upon the tops of the boards that were set upright, as it had been the rafter or roof of an house : over which curtains were three coverings more, the uppermost whereof was of taxus leather ^ well able in rain to keep water out.
Exod. xxvi. Now the tabernacle was in length thirty cubits, and in breadth ten cubits ; as may be gathered by the measure of the boards. It was divided also into three parts : the first was called sanctum sanctorum, holy of holies, and aihjtum a'dis (the house* into which no man came but the high priest alone), U- 1)!)D Sin. The tabernacle of the congregation. Auth. vcr.] [^ oporc Phrygio, Lat. Pictas vcstcs. . .acu faccro Phrygcs invenc- runt, idcoque Phrygioniaj appelhita) sunt. — Plin. Hist. Nat. viii. 74.] [3 □''CirnjTl, badgers' skins. Auth. vcr.] [•* the house — alone, not in the Lat.]
[Exod. XX 15-29.]
31—33.]
-14.]
v.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 145
or the chancel of the temple^ the second was the sane- turn, whose length was twenty cubits, as the length of the first was ten : the third part was called atrium, the court, which had in length an hundred cubits, and in breadth fifty. This atrium was compassed about with fifty-three pillars, that were fastened down into brasen sockets, and were in height five cubits ; upon which there hung hangings of network, through which a man might easily see : at the very entry was hanged a veil twenty cubits long upon four pillars. The sanctum sanctorum was divided from the sanctum by the most precious veil, hanged upon four pillars of silver : and the sanctum was severed from the atrium with the second veil, that was very precious, and hung upon five pillars laid over with gold. In the midst of the atrium did stand the inner house, I mean, the tabernacle, that is divided (as I said even now) into the sanctum and the sanctum sanctorum.
Into the sanctum sanctorum no man did enter but the high priest only once in a year. Therein was laid the ark of what thin?
ings
some (upon the apostle's words) do add the golden censer. lhW ix. 4.] But other there be which think that by Ovixiartjpioi' is meant the incense altar, and not the censer. It should seem thereby (if these fellows be not deceived), that at the time when the apostle writ, the golden altar did stand within the veil in the sanctum sanctorum. But it is manifest by the fortieth chapter of Exodus, (as I mean to shew you anon,) that the golden altar from the beginning was placed in the sanctum before the veil. And thereunto agreeth that which may be gathered out of the first chapter after [Exod. xi. St Luke. But howsoever it was, this is sure, that the ark of i%^' the covenant was not seen of any mortal man, but of the high priest alone, when he ofl'ered incense in the sanctum sanctorum, once in a year. For it was hid with the first veil, the staves wherewith it was borne appearing a little within the Sanctum, by the bearing up of the veil which was some- what thrust out with the ends of the staves; so that he which stood any thing nigh in the sanctum might easily discern it, but of him that stood farther off it could hardly be perceived. For in the eighth chapter of the third book of Kings thou C" ^'ngs v.ii readest : " And they drew out the staves, that the ends of [5 oraculum templi, Lat.]
[bullixger, ilJ
146 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
them might appear out of the sanctum sanctorum into the
sanctum, but they were not seen without." The sanctum was
open daily for the priests, that did by course supply the place
The Latin of ministry before the Lord. In the sanctum, before the veil,
doti^^uMe was placed the golden table furnished with shew-bread, upon
words of the tho uorth side^ : right over against it, upon the south side-, was
twenty-sixth O o ' 1 _ '
whfre weend ^^^ ^^^ goldeu caudlestick. Xow in the midst, betwLxt^ those
(as I have turned it) that the table stood on th(
whereas the of swoct perfumes. And in the atrium, not very far from the saith, on the sccoud Veil of the scinctum, did appear the altar of burnt-ofler-
south side, . .
and caiieth it ings ! aud bctwixt the altar and the veil was put the laver,
pars austra- . . .
'♦*• out of which the priests did wash themselves, when they
began to go about their ministry. All the people, which came to the sacrifice, might easily on every side see to the altar. And of this sort was the holy tabernacle, which was to the Israelites instead of a temple : touching which he shall read more largely and fully, whosoever will look in the twenty-sixth, twenty-seventh, thirty-sixth, thirty-eighth, and fortieth chapters of Exodus. The meaning Now SO much as I have hitherto spoken touching the nacie. ' buildiug of the tabernacle hath a very good end to be applied unto, and containeth and comprehendeth no obscure signi- fication. For first of all, it was profitable to nourish and maintain the unity of the catholic faith. For with that one tabernacle, as with a sure bond, they"^ were tied, first to God and his religion, and then among themselves one to another, as it were, sundry members compact and knit into one body. For to that tabernacle the whole people was gathered, as to one parish-church, to worship and pray unto one God and Lord. And for because the children of Israel did dwell in tabernacles, it pleased the Lord also to have a tabernacle builded for himself, and placed in the midst of them, that thereby he might testify that he himself doth dwell in the midst of his people. The tabernacle therefore being as it were the palace of God, the most high and mighty king, did stand in the midst of the people, as a testimony of his divine presence, to strike the fear and reverence of God into the
[^ in parte australi, Lat.] [2 in latere meridionali, Lat.]
[3 Joseph. Antiq. Lib. iii. cap. vi. § 8. J [4 Israelitse, Lat. ; the Israelites]
v.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF r;OD. 147
hearts of all his subjects. We men lay up in our tabernacles, or houses, the thin2;s that we have ; and will be sought lor and asked after at our houses. And therefore the Lord did place in the tabernacle the holy things, as it were his trea- sure ; and would be inquired after in the tabernacle, promising that there he would hear the prayers and requests of all the faithful that called upon his name.
Moreover in those ceremonies are contained the secret mysteries of Christ and his church. For Paul calleth us the temple of God, and our bodies the tabernacle of the Lord : for in us the Lord doth^ dwell. The boards of the tabernacle are, as it were, the rafters, beams, and pillars of the church. And the church hath her pillars, which are doctors and other excellent men inspired with the Holy Ghost^: and every several faithful man is a board laid over with gold, if he keep sin- cerity, and remain in the unity of the faith. The boards of the tabernacle were joined together with bars : and so must sound doctrine keep all the faithful (which are the boards of the mystical tabernacle) in their duty and quiet concord, without crack or crevice. The curtains, though they were many, yet were they knit together with golden loops, as if they had been but all one piece : and therefore the sundry members of the church must be gathered together, and by charity be knit together in one, that they may be one among themselves, and, as it were, a roof of righteousness in the church of God. The coverings of the church, to keep out storms, are faith, repentance, and^ desire to do good. Christ ^} ^or. "L himself is the socket thereof ; " for none other foundation can be laid than that is already laid, even Christ Jesus." Moreover, the veil that was spread before the sanctum sane- ueb. ix. torum doth signify, as the apostle ^ saith, that the way of the saints, which they had to go in, was not as then made mani- fest, so long as the first tabernacle did stand. Therefore, when Christ was come, and with his death had finished all, then the veil that hung in the temple was rent from the top to the very ground : whereby all men might understand, that
p vult, Lat. ; will, cd. 1577.]
[*5 horoico vel principal! spiritu pra?ditos, Lat. ; referring to Psalm li. 14, which tho Vulgate renders, spiritu principali confirma me.] [7 vel, Lat. ; or.] [8 did signify, as the holy apostle, ed. 1677.]
10—2
148 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
the way was opened into the sanctum sanctorum, that is, into the very heavens ; and that satisfaction was made for all men in respect of the law^ In the tabernacle also did hang other veils, which were as shadows of the flesh ^ of Christ. Those veils did hang at the very entry into the sanctum and the atrium. Now Christ, our Lord, is the way and the door, by whose incarnation and death we have an entry made into the kingdom of God. Yea, Christ himself is our tabernacle, in whom we dwell and live, and in whom we worship and please our God : he is the curtain and ceiling, the rafter and orna- ment of his church : he is the trusty and most assured cover- ing, that doth defend us from the injuries of man and the devil : he is the bar of the church, which joineth the members thereof together, and keepeth them in the unity of faith^ : he is the pillar and socket of his church ; he is the head*, and only all-in-all both of our life and true salvation. In those figures, therefore, they of old had the chief mysteries hidden of Christ and the church ; in which Christ is now no other- wise to be beheld, than he was in the beginning of the world beheld of the ancient patriarchs, to wit, very God and very man, the only and highest king and priest, the true Saviour of the world, in whom and by whom alone the faithful have their whole salvation. The history To procccd now : this tabernacle, by the Lord's appolnt-
God.^" ° ment, was erected in Silo, as soon as they came into the land of promise, and did continue there until the time of Hcli ; as is evident in the eighteenth of Josue, and first of Samuel, first and third chapters. Under Ileli the ark was taken by the Philistines, and carried into Palestine^ ; from whence it was restored again, and placed in Bethsemes ; from thence again [1 Sam. vii. it was Carried to Kirjath-jearim, into the house of Abinadab in ^'"' Glbea, that is, on the hill ; for his house was set upon a high
place. For in the sixth of the second book of Samuel we read : " David went with all the people to Baala Juda (which Josh. XV. in the fifteenth of Josue is called Kirjath-jearim), to fetch from
\} ct omnibus in lege satisfactum, Lat.] [2 purissima) carnis, Lat. ; of the most holy flesh.] [3 ac omnis boni, Lat. ; omitted : and of every good thing.] [4 et virtus, Lat. ; omitted : and strength.]
[5 in urbes Pala^stinorum, Lat.; among the cities of the Philistines. 1 Sam. v.]
v.] THE CEREMONIAL I^WS OF GOD. 149
thence the ark of God." And presently after ; " And tliey fetched it out of the house of Abinadab that -was in Gibea," that is, on the hill For there was an higli place in Kirjath- jearim, Avherein Abinadab dwelt. Some other, which take Gabaa for the proper name of the town^, do say, that the ark was translated from Palestine into Gabaa. But this is sure, the ark Avas conveyed from the house of Abinadab into the house of Obed-edom, and from thence into the city of David, that is, into Sion. For so is the city [of] David ex- [2 sam. vi. pounded in the eighth chapter of the third book of Kings. I'Kings vui.
In Sion did David pitch a new tabernacle for the ark of God, wherein he did place it, and appointed priests to minister there before the Lord : as it is at large described in the six- teenth chapter of the first book of Chronicles. And yet, by The history building that new tabernacle, David neglected not the old Cfi^'^'iiac'ie!' ' tabernacle of appointment. For after the time of Ileli, and the taking of the ark by the Philistines, it seemeth that it was translated diversely from place to place. Silo verily, wherein it was first placed, was desolate, as is to be seen in the seventy- eighth Psalm and the seventh chapter of Jeremy. Therefore, when Saul did reign, it appeareth to have been pitched in Gilgal, where he offered peace-offerings in sign of thanks- giving unto the Lord for victory against the Ammonites, as is to be seen in the eleventh chapter of the first book of Samuel. In the twenty-first chapter of the same book it is apparent, that the tabernacle was for a time in ISTob (a town not very far from Ilierusalem, Isaiah x.), where Ahimelech, isai. x. the priest, gave to David the fresh shew-bread that was taken from the golden table. In the time when David reigned it was erected in Gabaon, a city of the Benjamites : for in the twenty-first of the first of Chronicles thus we read : " The tabernacle of the Lord, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt-offerings, was at that time (when the angel appeared to David with a sword ready drawn) in the hill of Gabaon^." In that place was it also in the reign of Salomon, and to that hill did Salomon go to pray to the Lord before the temple was buildcd. For in the first chapter of the second
[<5 Accordingly, the one and self-same Hebrew word is rendered in our authorised version, in 1 Sam. vii. 1, In the hill, and in 2 Sam. vi. 3, in Gibeah.]
[7 vol cxcclso, Lat. ; or high place.]
150 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
book of Chronicles we find : " And Salomon, with all the con- gregation, went to the high place that was at Gabaon ; for there was the tabernacle of God's appointment, which Moses the servant of the Lord made in the wilderness. But the ark of God had David brought from Kirjath-jearim into the place which David had prepared for it : for he had pitched a tent for it at Hierusalem. Moreover the brasen altar, that Beza- leel the son of Uri had made, was there before the tabernacle of the Lord : and Salomon and the congregation went to visit it." Therefore, whereas we read in the third chapter of the
[1 Kings iii. third book of Kings, "Salomon loved the Lord, and walked in the ways of his father David ; only he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places :" that is not spoken in the dis- praise, but in the praise, of Salomon, as he that did not at adventures sacrifice in every place, but in the high places, to wit, upon that consecrated altar which was appointed of the Lord, whereof I spake even now before. Other there are which think that Salomon was not simply blamed in these words for offering upon the altar of burnt-offerings (for that was altogether lawful), but because he had till then deferred the building of the temple. But that which goeth before and folio weth after do make greatly that those words were spoken in that sense and sio;nification which I did first allege. The same Salomon, when the temple was builded, did command and see that the old ark, with all the instruments belonging thereunto, should be brought by the priests as a precious treasure from Gabaon, and placed in the temple which he had caused to be built for that purpose : the holy scripture bear- ing witness thereunto and saying ; " And they brought the ark of the Lord, and the tabernacle of appointment, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle : the priests and Levites, I say, brought them into the temple" — the third
[1 Kings viii. of Kings, eighth chapter, and the second of Chronicles, fifth
5] " chapter. And so was the tabernacle of the Lord, which stood
four hundred and seventy eight ^ years, abrogated at the last, and instead thereof the temple was erected.
Of Solomons Toucliing thc temple of the Lord, which was prepared by David, but builded and made an end of by Salomon, I need not make many words in the description thereof, because it is
[I Kings vi. in the third of Kings and second of the Chronicles very busily
A: 2 Chron.
iii. and IV.] [1 According to Usher, 4SG years, viz. from A. c. 1490 to a. c. 1004. J
v.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 151
set down, and painted out at the full. The place, where the temple was afterward huilded, is reported to have been shewed to David by the angel of the Lord ; and that David did first of all make sacrifice there unto the Lord ; and addeth these words ; " This is the liouse of the Lord God, and this altar is [' chron. for the sacrifice of Israel." As if he should have said : This plat of ground is appointed for the temple ; in this piece shall be built the house of the Lord ; yea, here shall be offered that only and elFectuaP sacrifice for all men, the very Son of God, Christ Jesus incarnate. For all the interpreters of the holy scriptures agree that the place was at Jerusalem, upon the mountain Moria, where Abraham once would have offered his son Isaac ; and that in that appointed or fatal place the tem- ple was erected ; and that the hill Golgotha, or Calvary, was not far off, but in the very top of the mountain Moria, which was the place and the holy hill, wherein the holy gospel doth testify that Christ was offered for the sins of all the world ; which was prefigured in a type of the ancient sacrifices and other ceremonies belonging to the templet The use and end of the temple was none other than the use and end of the tabernacle was before.
Jeroboam therefore and the kings of Israel did sin most The sin of grievously, when they forsook the temple to make sacrifices sacpficeTn in the high places, in their cathedral churches at Bethel and places'^ at Dan, and in other high and pleasant places. The people of Juda with their kings did sin most grievously, either for sacrificing to God in the high places, or else because they did not utterly cut down those high places. For the Lord would, and his will was to be worshipped in one place, which he had chosen unto himself. The plain law touching that matter is extant in the twelfth of Deuteronomy, and is very expressly set down in the seventeenth of Leviticus, in these words fol- lowing : " Whosoever of the house of Israel shall kill an ox, or a sheep, or a goat, within the host or without the host, (to wit, for a sacrifice unto the Lord ; for otherwise they might lawfully kill a beast for their sustenance in any place where- soever,) and shall not bring it to the door of the tabernacle of
[2 atcmum efficax, Lat.; everlastingly effectual.]
[3 quern sacrificia et templi ot vetcrum omnia pra?figurarunt, Lat. :
of whom all the sacrifices both of the temple and of the ancients
wore a type,]
152 THE THIRD DECADE, [sERM.
the congregation, to offer his sacrifice before the dwelling-place of the Lord ; blood shall be imputed to that man, as if he had shed blood. Wherefore when the children of Israel bring their offerings, let them bring them to the Lord before the door of the tabernacle of appointment, unto the priest, that he may offer them. And let them no more offer their offer- ings to devils', after whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be an ordinance to them for ever in their generations. And he that doth not this shall be rooted out from among his people." There are in these words three things to be noted: first, that it was not lawful to sacrifice but in that one place only, that was, before the altar of burnt-offerings : second- arily we have to mark, that that commandment was given, to the end that all men should understand that the sacrifice was made to God, to whom the tabernacle did belong : thirdly, that to offer sacrifice out of the place, against God's commandment, was to make sacrifice unto the devil ; that the offerer was to be j udged as a murderer ; and that he was excommunicated by the Lord God, as he that was excluded from the company of God and his holy saints 2. But whereas Samuel, Helias, and certain other patriarchs, did, by God's sufferance, make sacrifices upon some especial causes in other places, and not before the altar in the tabernacle, they did it by dispensation. They therefore that sacrifice in high places, not to strange gods only, but even to the very true God, did sin first of all by disobedience : for God doth mishke, yea, he curseth, all the worship done unto him, which we ourselves do first invent without the warrantise of his word ; it is faithful obedience that pleaseth him best. Secondarily, they sinned by making a schism in the unity of the ecclesiastical body. Thirdly, for despising the mystery of Christ, that was to be offered in the mount of Golgotha ; and for not referring the meaning of their sacrifices to Christ, the only truth of all their typical ceremonies. Lastly, they sinned by trusting in their sacrifices, as in well-wrought works, to justification, and by neglecting the worship of God, and changing it into trifles of their own inventions^.
The temple stood, from the time that Salomon did first build it until the first destruction of it under king Zcdekias,
[1 satyris vcl da>monibus, Lat.] [2 Isai. Ixvi. Lat.]
[3 cultum pcculiarom finxcruiit, Lat.]
v.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 153
four hundred and forty years'*. And from the reparation of it unto the utter overthrow^ under Vespasian, it stood five hundred and eighty two years^ Other there be that do account it otherwise. Thus have I hitherto spoken a Httlo of a great deal concerning the temple.
Now it remaineth for me to touch and lightly to pass The siRnifi.
° "^ -l cation and
over" the holy instruments belonging to the tabernacle and [;;^"|f^'y "^ temple of the Lord : among which the ark of the covenant lj}<i^t- ^^xxi. was the chief; which ark was so called, because of the tables of the covenant that were put within it. It was also called the ark of the Lord God of hosts, which dwelleth upon it betwixt the cherubim ; and by that means the Lord himself was called by the name "of him that sitteth betwixt the cherubim," because he did from thence give answers unto his servants, and had placed it in the midst of his people to be a sign that his presence was always among them. Touching the stuff whereof, and the form how, the ark was made, I will say nothing here. For the matter and fashion are in their colours very lively painted out in the twenty-fifth chap- ter of Exodus. Of the meaning, mystery, and use of the ark, I will speak somewhat now. We men lay up in our coffers and chests the treasures that we most set by. And therefore we understand, that in the ark was laid the treasure ^,ra is an of the church, and all the substance of which the faithful knd what made most account. u e must not therefore seek for them m therein. men, in Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, St Mary, John, Peter, or Paul ; much less in the llomish indul- gentiary^; but in him in whom all fulness dwelleth, and in whom all the treasures of God's wisdom and knowledge are heaped up in store ; who is not seen here on the earth, but in the sanctum sanctorum, in heaven, I say, above, and is called Jesus Christ ; whose divinity is figured by the most pure gold, and his humanity by the sittim-wood, that is, of
[< According to Usher, 416 years; viz. from A.c. 1004 to a.c. 588.] [5 ad secundum cxcidium, Lat.; until the second destruction.] [c According to Usher, 585 years; viz. from a.c. 515 to A. d. 70.] [~ per transennain inspicianius, Lat. — proverbialis locutio, qua sig-
nificatur, non propius, neque sigillatiin,sed procul, obiter, ct summatim
inspicere. Facciolati Tot. Lat. Lex. in voc. Erasrai Adag. Chil. p. 3G4.
Ilanov. 1G17.]
[8 in cista Chananaica ac Romanensi indulgcntiaria, Lat. ; in tho
Canaanitish and Romish indulgence-chest.]
154 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
cedar, or rather white-thorn : for he took upon him flesh like to our sinful flesh ; even the very flesh that we have in all points, saving that it was not sinfuP. Out of this ark do the faithful fetch all good and necessary things for the use of their life and eternal salvation. For in the ark we read that there was laid the tables of the covenant, the pot of manna, and Aaron's rod that budded. For we heard that in Christ were hidden the jewels of the church. Christ is our wisdom, the word^ of the Father, the fulfilling of the law ; he is just himself, and our righteousness also. In Christ is the heavenly food : for he is the bread of life that came down from heaven, to the end that every one that eateth of it may
o.rist his live eternally. In Christ did the priesthood bud again : it
comp^Tcfto seemed verily, at the death of Christ upon the cross, to have been cut down for growing any more; but at his resurrection it budded again, and he took the everlasting priesthood, that never shall be ended : for even noAv, as he standeth at the right hand of the Father in heaven, he maketh intercession to him for us. Moreover the ark was compassed with a crown, because Christ our Lord is a king, which delivereth us his faithful servants from all evil, and maketh us the sons
The mercy- of God. Upon the ark we read that there was placed the mercy-seat, which was either the cover of the ark, or else a
[Rom. iii. 25. seat sct upou tlic ark. By it was fio-ured, as the apostles
1 John ii. 2.] '^ , . "^ . .
John and Paul interpret it, Christ our Lord, who is the throne of grace, and the propitiation for our sins ; not only for ours, but also for the sins of all the world. Out of the propitia- tory, or mercy-seat, also were uttered the oracles and answers [Exod XXV. of God. For the use of the mercy-seat is read in the holy scripture to have been this, that Moses, entering into the tabernacle, did at the mercy-seat receive the answers and commandments of God, which he declared unto the people. And Christ is he by whom our heavenly Father declareth his will to us, and whom alone he hath given us to hear, saying, " This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased ; hear him." Two cherubim have their faces turned toward the mercy-seat, and do as it were look one to another :
[1 nulla in eo peccati spina cxistento, Lat. omitted : there being in him no thorn of sin. The allusion in this phrase is, of course, to the white-thorn, or sittim-wood, mentioned above.]
[2 lex et verbum, Lat.; the law and word.]
v.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 155
■whereupon St Peter saith, that " the angels do desire to [i rtt. i. 12.] behold" the Saviour of the world, which is declared in the gospel. The same angels do always serve our Lord and Master, and are ready at his beck, as to him that is Lord over all. Now none did carry the ark of the Lord but the priests alone 3. For they only which are anointed by the Holy Ghost, and endued with true faith, do receive Christ, and are made partakers of his heavenly gifts. Neither must we wink at and let pass the note that is given in the fourth and fifth chapters of the first book of Samuel, where it is said, that the Israehtes, for abusing the ark and turning The use and it to another use than that for which it was given, and for ark.'" attributing unto it more than the scripture willed, were slain by the riiilistines, and that the ark was carried into captivity ; to the end that all men might learn thereby not to attribute more to the sacraments and mysteries of God than is con- venient, and not to apply them to any other use than that for which the Lord hath ordained them. For the ark was not ordained to the end it should be taken for God, although it bare the name of God^ ; neither was it made to the end that they should look for grace and help to proceed from it, as we read that they did : but it was given them as a token, that God, their confederate^, was in the midst of his people, so long as they did keep the tables of the covenant that were closed within the ark, and did cleave to God alone, at whose hands they should look for all good things through Christ, his Son, which was prefigured by the ark.
Next to the achjtum, or sanctum sanctorum, in the sane- xhegoiden turn, did stand the golden table, the matter and fashion whereof is declared in the twenty-fifth chapter of Exodus. Upon the Exod. xxv. table we men do set our meat and sustenance ; by the table we are refreshed ; and at the table we forget our cares, and
[3 sacerdotes Domini, Lat. ; the priests of the Lord.] [< . . . discrtis verbis appellatur (Area) Dominus exereituum. Nam 2 Samuelis, 0 cap. scriptura testatur, ct ait: Et surgons David abiit una eum toto populo, ut transfcrrct arcam Dei, super quam invocatum est nomcn, nomeii Domini exereituum insidcntis cherubim super cam. Hoc cnim Ilebraico idiomate tantundem valet, ac si tu dicas: cui nomcn inditum est ut appelletur, Jehovah, sivo Deus exereituum, habi- tans super cherubim. — BuUiiig. de Episcop. Instit. et funct. cap. G. fol. 88. Tig. 1538.]
[s utpote confcederatum, Lat.]
156 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
are merry and jocund. Therefore the table can be none other but Christ our Lord, and christian doctrine : for Christ is the sustenance of our hfe ; he is the joy and mirth of the faithful. The table was of gold without, and all wood within, because Christ, our tabled is both God and man. The table (which is the type of christian doctrine 2) is set forth in the church : it is not therefore to be sought at Athens, among ^ the sophisters, nor among the Gymnosophists of India", nor in the Jewish synagogues. Upon the table are set twelve new loaves, divided into two parts. For the bread of life, which is now and sweet ^, doth feed and fill both the Jews [Lev.xxiv. and the Gentiles. Moreover, that bread was holy and not
!). Matt. xii. . • i i • i t
^•^ profane, and none might eat it but the priests alone. In
like manner the faithful only are worthy of Christ, the bread
The shew- of life, aud they that believe receive it only. The loaves Avere called by the name of shew-bread, or the bread of sight'' ; whereby is meant, that the bread of life (which is christian doctrine'^) should always be in sight before our eyes. And as those loaves were to be set always before the Lord in the sight of all men; so must not the doctrine of Christ be privily hidden, but openly shewed unto all people. A vessel with frankincense was set upon the shew-bread, because they that eat the heavenly bread do offer to God prayers and thanks- givings without intermission, which is to God as sweet as frankincense^. In the twenty-fourth of Leviticus it is at large declared in what sort the shew-bread is prepared.
Thegowen The goldeu candlestick is in the sanctum, and standeth
before the veil on the one side, or over against the table.
Exod. XXV. We have the description of it in the twenty-fifth chapter of Exodus. Candles are set up in our common houses to give light to all them that are in the house. And Christ our Lord is come'-* a light into the world, that whosoever folio w-
[1 cibiis nostcr, Lat. ; our food.] [2 which — doctrine, not in tho original.] [3 aut apud, Lat. ; or among.] [■1 Sec Vol. I. p. 102. note 3.] [5 ot cxsaturans, Lat. omitted ; and satisfying.] [c panes propositionis, sivo facierum, Lat. In Ilcbr. called bread of faces, or of presence. Ainsworth on Exod. xxv. 30.] [7 which— doctrine, not in the original.] [8 which— frankincense, not in the original.] [9 datus est, Lat. ; has been given. John viii. 12.]
v.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 157
eth him should get the light of life. Out of Christ do pro- ceed, and upon Christ do stick, other noses of candlesticks'", which have their light from Christ, the chief candlestick. For the Lord did say unto the apostles, " Ye arc the light of the world." So then Christ is the shank, or shaft, of the candlestick, upon which shank many snuffs or noses do stick, which hold the light up to the church'': for what light soever is in the ministers of the church, they have it all of Christ, who is the head of light, and very light itself. The candlestick is wholly all of gold. And Christ is very God indeed, the light and wisdom of the Father : and the minis- ters of Christ must he sincere and throughly snuffed'^ from all affections of the flesh : and to that end bclongcth the use of the snuffers that did pertain unto the candlestick.
In the midst, betwixt the table and the candlestick, before the veil, in the sanctum, did stand the golden altar of incense, The
incense alur.
XXX.
which is exactly painted out in the thirtieth chapter of Exodus, e^ou. That altar was ordained for two uses. For first, there was offered upon it every day incense or perfume, which it was not lawful to offer or prepare to any other God or creature. That was done twice every day, at morning and at evening. Zacharias, the father of John Baptist '^ was in that ministcry, when he saw the angel, and for his unbelief's sake was made fi-^'^e •• »- dumb for a season. Secondarily, incense was offered upon that altar after a certain solemn manner once in a year, that was, at the feast of cleansing, as is declared in the sixteenth Lev. xvi. chapter of Leviticus.
Now by incense, or perfume, is to be understood the prayers of the faithful ; as David witnesseth where he saith : " Let my prayer be set forth in thy sight as the incense ; [Psai. cxil and let the lifting up of my hands be an evening sacrifice." Now there was but one incense altar alone. Whosoever builded any more, he was condemned of blasphemous Avicked- ness. By that only altar is figured Christ our Lord, both God and man, the mediator and intercessor betwixt God and man ; by whom all the saints do offer all their prayers to
[10 cannse ct luminaria, Lat,]
[11 cannoc in suprcina parte habentcs luinina, Lat. ; rocd-liko branches having lights at their extremities.] [12 repurgatos, Lat.] [13 divi Baptistsc, Lat.]
158 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
God, their Lord and heavenly Father. They therefore build many altars, which choose to themselves creatures to be their intercessors, by whose mediation they desire to obtain that which they lack at the hands of God. In the end of the thirtieth chapter it is expressly said : " Whosoever shall make like incense to that, to smell thereto, shall perish from among his people." Therefore through Christ alone the faithful church of Christ doth offer her prayers to God the Father. This altar, whereof we speak, was bound about with a crown of gold : for Christ, our Lord and altar, is a very king and priest, and weareth the crown of glory ^ Now we must pray at morning and evening, that is, continually and very earnestly 2. And we must always pray in and through the name of Christ. And Christ is he alone, through whom God hath been pleased with the prayers of them that have prayed in the morning, that is, at the beginning of the world ; and is at this day pleased with them that pray to him at evening, that is, in the end and these last days of the world. They therefore sinned most grievously against the Lord, that offered incense in the high places everywhere : for as they were rebellious and disobedient to God, preferring their own inven- tions before the laws of God, which they neglected ; so did they despise the mystery of Christ, the only mediator, in departing from that only altar.
In the court, or atrium, did stand another altar, which
ings. .^y^g called the brasen altar, or the altar of burnt-offerings,
which is finely described in the twenty-seventh of Exodus. Of this sort also there was but this one. For it was not lawful for any religious man to sacrifice in any other place, saving in the holy place where this altar was, imless it were by some singular dispensation. Therefore, when the Reuben- itcs with their confederates had built an altar by the banks of Jordan, and the fame thereof was brought to the ears of the other tribes of Israel, they did all agree with one consent,
fjosh. xxii. that the crime was to be punished with open war. Whereby we may again gather the greatness of their fault, which, neglecting that altar, did offer sacrifice in the high places : of which I also spake before. Now that only and catholic
[1 Nam Christus Dominus uoster vcrus est rex et poutifex, Lat. ; and — glory, not in the original.] [2 perpetuo et jugiter, Lat.]
The altar of burnt-offer
10, &c.]
v.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 159
altar of ours is Jesus Christ, who oft'oreJ himself a living sacrifice for us to God. Neither is there any sacrifice in all the world that can cleanse sin, but that alone. Neither do any sacrifices of the fiiithful please the Father, but those that are by faith offered upon the altar, Jesus Christ. For Christ doth sanctify us ; and, being sanctified, we do by him offer the sacrifice that he doth well accept of. This have I taken out of the apostle's doctrine in the thii'tcenth to the Hebrews, and the twelfth to the Romans.
The last of the holy vessels was the brasen laver, which Thcbrasen was placed in the atrium, betwixt the veil of the sanctum and the altar of burnt-offerings. It is described in the thirtieth [Exod. xl chapter of Exodus. In it was contained the water where- *^'' with the priests, that ministered before the Lord, did wash themselves. By that laver was Christ signified, which is the washing of the faithful. And by it was meant, that holy things were not to be handled with unwashed hands and feet. They wash themselves, that by the Holy Ghost are purified, and by the grace of God are made fit to the ministry of religion : but he is in danger of death, that is not a par- taker of the grace of life.
Beside these, there are also reckoned other instruments belonging to the tabernacle : but these in a manner are the chief. I thought not good, by beating out busily every par- ticularity, to rehearse unto you every small thing, lest per- adventure by too long a treatise I should be too tedious unto your patience.
Xow the same holy vessels, that were in the tabernacle, were in the temple also; saving that in Salomon's temple there was a far more goodly shew and pomp than in the taber- nacle : for none other cause, undoubtedly, but that the mys- teries of Christ and of the church should increase every day more and more to the sight of the world. Cln-ist, the true Salomon, and king of peace and tranquillity, the very eternal felicity itself, hath raised up in this world to himself a church, which stretcheth to the ends of the world ; of which the prophets have spoken very largely, Zachary especially, and the famous prophet Nathan, second of Samuel, chapter seven. Thus much hitherto of the holy place.
After the holy place in the sacred ceremonies, the next to be handled is the holy time. For as to the outward rcli- ume!"**''
160 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
glon a certain place -was given, so to the same also an appointed time was assigned. And holy days are to be employed upon holy actions. For actions are either those ■which we call handy works ^ invented for to get victuals, clothing, and other things necessary for the use of our bodies ; or else they are holy or religious, which are done for the exercise of outward religion. We must not consume all our time in handy works and profane business ; neither can we bestow all times upon outward religion. But those actions are not without time : for every action is contained in time. Therefore God hath divided the time into sundry parts for sundry actions : so that he will have some working days, to serve for handy actions ; and other holy days, for the exer- cise of outward religion. Not that the working days are not holy and dedicated to the Lord, (for he doth challenge all days and times to himself, and will at all seasons be worshipped in heart ;) but for because the holy days are singularly, and, as it were, more precisely, consecrated to the outward worship of God, than the working days are. What an holy Therefore the festival or holy day, which by God's appoint- ''^^"' ment is holy to the Lord, was kept for the devout exercising of God's outward worship. Therefore those days are not holy, nor those feasts lawful, which are not held to the one and only God, Jehovah : neither are those holy days lawful, in which the lawful service of God is not lawfully exercised. And for those causes the sabbaths and festival-days of the Israelites are in the prophets many times rejected, because they were unlawfully solemnized, without pure faith and sincere affections. To what end Now all holy days had one common name, and were
were^orkln-' Called sabbaths, feasts 2, holy days 3, meetings and assemblies. *'*■ All holy days, what name soever they were called by, were
ordained to God alone, not to creatures, not for surfeiting and wanton chambering. All holy days were invented for the health, profit, and recreation of mankind : for holy davs are no burden, but the casing of our burdens. Profane works, I confess, are profitable, but ease is also necessary : for without rest labour cannot continue. The Lord's will
[1 et quasi prophansc, Lat. omitted : and, as it wore, profane]
[2 item festa, Lat. ; also feasts.]
[3 dies stati et sancti, Lat. ; omitted.]
v.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. IGl
tlicreforc is, to give man a time of recreation, and biddcth his servants to be merry on the holy days in hoHncss and modesty ; so that their ease may be an honest recreation, and not reproachful sensuality. Again, ease of itself is not good, but in respect of another thing it is good. God biddeth to cease from work, but yet he setteth us on work another way ; he willeth us to cease from bodily labour, and begin to work in heart and mind, and wholly apply ourselves to his holy service. And therefore it is needful to have holy assemblies, the reading of the holy scriptures, public prayers, sacrifices (for it is prescribed in the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth chapters of the book of Numbers what they ought to offer at every feast and holy day), the celebration of the sacra- ments, and whatsoever else the Lord hath commanded to be done at festival-days and solemn seasons. For that one thing is here required especially, which Mary found, as she sat at [Luke x. 39, the feet of Jesus, and heard his word. Moreover, all feasts generally do contain the memory, and put us in the remem- brance, of notable things ; every feast according to the name. The sabbath did put them in mind of God's good benefit in The sabbaih. creating the world for the behoof and profit of us men. It ■was also, as Moses witnesseth, Exodus thirty-first, a sign of the true sanctification, which God alone bestoweth upon the people that call -upon his name. The other holy days did beat into them the memory of the other benefits that God had shewed them, and had (as I will anon declare) their several significations.
IS^ow there was a measure and certain number of holy a measure
,., ...... ., and certain
days, which were distmguished, and very wisely ordered : 55"j"'jj«[ y^ first into seven-nights^ whereof every one had in it one sab- bath, that was the seventh day : then into months ; for the first day of every month was holy to the Lord, and was called the feast of the new moon^ : and lastly, they were divided into yearly feasts, which returned once every year at an appointed season : of that sort of feasts there were three in number, the passovcr, pentecost, and the feast of tabernacles^ Besides these, there were also other made holy days, which God had not commanded, but were received by the church
[•* septimanas, Lat.] [^ vcl calendas, Lat.]
[•5 The Latin is, et septimi mensis ; and (the feast) of the sevontli month.]
r 1 11
[bullingeh, It. J
Solemn fast- ings.
162 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
to the glory of God and remembrance of his great benefits. For the feast of lots, which they called Purim, and was brought in by Mardocheus, was received of all the church, as is to be seen in the ninth of Esther. The feast of dedication was ordained by Judas Maccabeus, with the consent of all the church, in memory that the temple was restored and the people delivered from the tyranny of king Antiochus, as is to be read in the fourth chapter of the first book of Mac-
john X. 22, cabees : and Christ our Lord did honour that feast of dedi- iinfast- cation with an holy sermon. Moreover, there were solemn fastings appointed to be kept among the people of God : as in the fifth month, wherein the city was set on fire ; in the seventh month, wherein Godolias was slain ; and in the tenth month, wherein Hierusalem was besieged : of which fastings the prophet Zachary speaketh in his seventh and eighth
[Esth. ix. 20 chapters : and in the time of Esther a fast was ordained in the month Adar, for a remembrance of the calamity which was wrought, or rather purposed, against the Jews by the wicked Aman.
The Sabbath. Of the sabbath, and the signification thereof, I spake a little above, and in another place also, where I expounded the ten commandments ^ The sabbath was observed by a natural ^ and divine law ever from the first creation of the world, and is the chief of all other holy days. For it was not then first ordained by Moses, when the ten commandments were given by God from heaven: for the keeping of the sabbath was received of the saints^ immediately from the beginning of the world. And therefore we read that the Lord in the com- mandments did say : " Remember that thou keep holy the sabbath-day." And before the law was given, there is evi- dent mention made of the sabbath in the sixteenth of Exodus, and the second of Genesis.
The new The socoud kind of holy days was the new moons ^ which
""^"' were solemnized in the beginning of every month. Mention
is made of them in the x. and xxviii. chapters of the book of Numbers, 1 Samuel xx., Psalm Ixxxi., Ezekiel xlvi., and 2 Chronicles ii. That solemnization is reported to have been
[1 See Vol. I. Dec. 2. Serm. iv.] [2 quasi naturali, Lat.]
[3 a Sanctis, Lat,]
[■i Secundum genus Sabbati sive fcriarura sunt calencire vcl noo- menite, id est novilunia. Lat.]
v.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 1G3
ordained in remembrance of the light created ; to admonish the people not to ascribe the months to Janus or Mars, or any other ^ planet, but to the one and holy*' God, the maker, governor, and ruler of all things and seasons. INIoreover, it •was a sign of the reparation or renewing of faithful minds by the heavenly illumination : that we Christians may truly and in deed solemnize the new moon, when, being brought forth of darkness into light by the Son of God, we walk as becoraeth the children of light, and reject the works of the devil and darkness.
The third kind of holy days doth contain the feasts that The three
V V Year's meet-
return once every year; of which I find to be three: the i"gsori^,^ea
«' •' ' bliesofthe
passover, the pentecost, and the feast of tabernacles ^ Now •'^^^^• the Lord's will was, that in these three feasts there should be general assemblies and solemn meetings in the holy place, to wit, at the tabernacle, and, after the tabernacle, at Salomon's temple. For thus saith ]\Ioses in Deuteronomy : " Thrice in [neut. wi. the year shall every male appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he hath chosen ; that is, in the feast of sweet bread, in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of taber- nacles : neither shall he appear empty in the sight of the Lord ; every one according to the gift of his hand^, and according to the blessing of the Lord thy God, which he hath given thee :" that is to say, every man shall offer to the Lord according as he can, and according to the measure of riches which the Lord hath given him. Now those three solemn feasts were divided into three several months, most apt to journey and to travel in. In the spring time was the passover holden, when first the corn began to spindle ^ or turn into ears. About harvest, when the first work belong- ing to husbandry was done and finished, they kept the feast of pentecost. And lastly, when all their fruits were in, they went up to the feast of tabernacles. And so many went to it as possibly could go. Some are of opinion, that they, which had once in the year appeared before the Lord, were dis- pensed withal, and might lawfully tarry at home at the other two feast-times. But I think verily that religious men did
[6 divo vol, Lat.; god or.] [C soli, Lat. ; only, ed. 1577.]
[" festum mcnsis septiini, Lat.; the feast of the seventh month.] [8 So the marg. of Auth. Ver.] [9 to shoot into a long small stalk. Johnson's Diet.]
11—2
164 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
[Exod.xxxiv. seldom times use such dispensations. The Lord in one place promiseth that he will defend and keep the bounds and sub- stance of them that travel to seek his name. Howsoever those dispensations were admitted, yet this is most sure, as appeareth by all histories, that at those feasts were very great assemblies'.
Passover. Now the foast of passovor was called by many names",
but especially it was termed the feast of sweet, or unleavened, bread : for by the space of seven whole days they fed upon unleavened bread. The ceremonies of that feast, with the sacrifices that were to be offered thereat, are at large described in the twelfth of Exodus, and twenty-third of Leviticus. In that feast was eaten the paschal lamb, in no other place but at the tabernacle, or afterward at the temple, Deut. xvi., for a remembrance of that notable deliverance of Israel and all the faithful out of the Egyptian servitude and slavery. In that feast God would have the first-fruits of their land offered unto him, in token of the manna wherewith he fed their fathers. Moreover, that feast did signify that passing over and delivering of the faithful, which in the sheddino- of of blood was accomplished by Christ. Whereupon the apos- tle said, " Christ our passover is offered up." 1 Cor. v. But of the passover I will speak more in my next sermon.
Pentecost. The poutecost was also called the feast of weeks, and new
[Exod.xxxiv. .
2^-] corn ; lor at that least was set forth shew-bread made of
the new year's corn^. They reckoned from the next day after the passover seven weeks, that is, fifty days ; and upon the fiftieth day they did celebrate the memory of the law of God, revealed and given by God himself from heaven unto his people Israel. For the fiftieth day of their departure out of Egypt we read that the Lord himself spake to them at the mount Sinai, and gave to them the law of the ten command- ments : so that the pcntecost was a memorial, that, as then, the church was illuminated with the very word of God. And that old pentecost was a figure of the day wherein Christ the Lord, being the end of the law, did send the Holy Ghost upon his disciples, and did illuminate his spouse the church-*.
[^ concioncs fuisse longe frcquontissimas, Lat.]
[2 See below, page 182.]
[3 two loaves, Lcvit. xsiii. IG, 17.]
[■* universam ccclesiam, Lat. — his spouse, not in Lnt.]
V.]" THE CEUEMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 165
The ceremonies belonging to this feast arc expressed by- Moses in the twenty-third cliapter of Leviticus.
They kept the feast of tabernacles in the seventh month, The feast or as Moses commanded in Deuteronomy, saying : " When thou monfhroJ*Ijf hast gathered in the crop of thy land and vineyards^, then nacte. shalt thou keep the feast of tabernacles by the space of seven i^-is] days : and thou shalt be merry in thy holy day, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, thy manservant, and thy maid- servant, the Levito, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates. Seven days shalt thou keep holy unto the Lord thy God, in the place which the Lord hath chosen to himself; because the Lord thy God hath given thee happy success in all thy fruits, and in all the work of thy hands. See therefore that thou rejoice." Moreover, the manner of this feast, solemnly celebrated, is to be read in the eighth chapter of Nehemias, where, whosoever looketh, he shall find it described at the full.
Now this feast of tabernacles of the seventh month was divided into four solemnities^. For the first day of the xhefeastof month was the feast of trumpets, or sounding of trumpets ; ^"^^ which was a memorial of those troublesome wars, which the people did happily achieve, by the help and aid of God, against the Amalekites^, and^ all other their heathen enemies. And by that feast was signified, that the whole life of man upon the earth is a continual warfare.
Upon the tenth day of the same month was held the feast The feast of of cleansing. In that feast the priest, in a solemn form Qf '^^^"^'"^• words, began to confess aloud the people's sins ; and every man, quietly following in the same words, did recite them pri- vately to himself, and in his mind did quietly speak unto the Lord^. To those confessions was added the ceremony used with the scape-goat, and the sacrifice, which is at large set down in the sixteenth chapter of Leviticus. And so were
[5 de area tua et de torculari tuo, Lat. and Marg. of Autli. Vcr. ; thy floor and thy winepress.]
[c Bullingor here recounts the chief rehgious anniversaries of tho seventh month, Tisri, in which also the feast of tabernacles occurred : coha?rent enim inter se festa (juatuor, as he says in his Comment, in Joan. Lib. iv. foh 78. Tigur. 155G.]
[' primo quidem, Lat.; in the first instance.]
[^ deinde vero, Lat.; and afterwards.]
[9 Levit. xvi. 21. See Lightfoot's Temple Service, chap, xv.]
166
THE THIRD DECADE.
[SERM.
[Lev.xxiii. 42, 43.]
The congre- gation.
The year of jubilee.
the sins of the people cleansed : which was a type of the cleansing that should be through Christ ; who, being once offered, did with the only sacrifice of his body take away the sins of all the world. It did also contain the doctrine of true repentance.
Upon the fifteenth day began the feast of tabernacles. For by the space of seven whole days, that is, from the fifteenth to the twenty-second, the people dwelt in tabernacles. The end of this ceremony the scripture doth declare to be, that the posterity should know that the Lord did place their forefathers in tabernacles ; whereby they were put in mind of the good that he did to them while they were in the wil- derness. For they were kept forty years in the wilderness, so that they lacked neither victuals nor clothing. And by that feast we are warned that the life of this world is but as a stage, and that we have no abiding place to stay for ever, but are still looking for the world to come ; as the apostle Paul taught us, 2 Cor. v., Heb. xiii.
The fourth feast of this month was held upon the twenty- second day, and was called the congregation, or assembly. Upon that day was gathered the offering and stipend given to the ministry, for reparations of the temple, for the cost of sacrifices, and maintenance of the ministry ^ It is thought that in that feast was sung the eighty-fourth Psalm : " How pleasant arc thy tabernacles," &c., and certain other Psalms called Torculares Psalmi~, which they did use. Thus much hitherto concerning the feasts that fall out once in every year.
Here also I think it necessary to make mention of the year of jubilee. Now this year of jubilee was every fiftieth as it fell by course, which is at large described, with all the ceremonies belonging thereunto, in the twenty-fifth of Leviti- cus. It was declared to all the people in the land of promise by the sound of a trumpet made of a ram's horn, with a pro- clamation of freedom to all them that were wrapped in ser- vitude or bondage.
In that jubilee was contained very evidently the mystery
\} For this statement BuUinger refers, in his Comment, in Joan. Lib. IV. fol. 78, to Lev. xxiii. and Numb, xxix.]
[2 Psal. viii., lxxx., and Lxxxiii , as they are numbered in the Vul- gate, bear the title, Pro torcularibus, for the presses (Douay Bible) : the title in our Auth. Ver. is upon Gittitlu]
v.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 167
of Christ our Lord, -who declared to us the meaning of that ceremony out of the sixty-first chapter of the prophecy of Esay, in St Luke's Gospel, chap, iv., where ho saith, that he is he that doth indeed proclaim the jubilee, the true freedom and acceptable year of the Lord. Now he hath pronounced remission and freedom to all the ftiithful, not with a trumpet made of a ram's horn, but with the gospel. For by the mercy of God in the merit of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, all debts or sins are forgiven to all the faithful that live upon the face of all the earth, upon condition that we, whose sins are forgiven, should likewise forgive the trespasses of them that offend us. And in Christ, verily, we have^ the true and everlasting rest, that shall never fail us. By Christ we have return granted us to our possession or country*, from whence we were fallen, that is, to heaven, the place of the faithful.
Thus much have I said of the holy time or holy days, as briefly as possibly I could. The rest is at the full to be seen in the twenty-third of Exodus, Levit. xxiii., Numb, xxviii. and xxix., Deut. xvi. That which is behind touching this argu- ment (I mean, touching the Jewish ceremonies) I will by God's leave make an end of in the next sermon. Now let us make our humble prayers and supplications unto God, &c.
OF THE SACRAMENTS OF THE JEWS ; OF THEIR SUNDRY
SORTS OF SACRIFICES, AND CERTAIN OTHER
THINGS PERTAINING TO THEIR
CERE^IONIAL LAW.
THE SIXTH SERAION.
In my last sermon I spake of the holy persons, I mean, the ministers of God's religion, the Levitical priests ; and the place and time assigned to God's service. There remaineth now for us to consider the holy thing which those holy per- sons did exercise in the holy time and place ; I mean, the very worship and holy rites so ordained, taught, and pre- scribed by God himself, that all men might easily understand
[3 vocationem et, Lat., omitted; our calling and.]
[* vetercm nimiruni, ad tcrram vivcntiuni, Lat. ; that is, the ancient
country, to the land of the living:— 'that is— faithful,' is the translator's
addition.]
168 THE THIRD DECADE. [SEIIM.
how to do service, and what honour to give unto the Lord. In this treatise we have first to consider the Jewish sacra- ments, and then their sacrifices.
Two sacra- The ancieut church of the saints had two especial sacra-
ments of the . . . -^,.11 1 • 1 T
•synagogue, mouts ; circumcision, and the paschal lamb. Of both which I will speak severally, and agreeably to the word of God, according to the grace which the Lord shall vouchsafe to give unto me.
Circumcision, Now circumcision was the holy action, whereby the flesh of the foreskin was cut away for a sign of the covenant that God made with men. Or, to describe it more largely, cir- cumcision was a mark in the privy members of men, betoken- ing the eternal covenant of God ; and was ordained by God himself, to testify his good-will toward them that were cir- cumcised, to warn them of regeneration and cleanness, and to make a difference betwixt the confederates of God and other people or nations.
The original The author, therefore, of circumcision is God himself: the
or beginning
ci^sron?™" beginning of it is of great antiquity. For the Lord himself LJohnvii. in the gospel saith : "Circumcision began not at Moses, but ^^■■' at the patriarchs." Moses verily did renew, or repair, the
law or custom of circumcision ; but Abraham, the renowned friend of God, was the first that was circumcised, in the nine- tieth year^ of his age, and in the very same day that God, making a covenant with him, did first ordain the use of cir- cumcision. For he added circumcision as a seal to the league which he made with Abraham and with his seed for ever. The place is extant in the seventeenth chapter of Genesis. It was first ordained in the 2046 year after the creation of the world, 390 years after the deluge, when Sem, the son of JN'oah, was 487 years old. So that ]\Ioses is found to have been born 320 years after the first institution of circumcision : whereby it appeareth, that circumcision was in use among the patriarchs 400 years before the law was given to the Israel- ites by the hand of Moses 2.
[1 Nonagcsimum nonum, Lat. ; ninety years old and nine. Gen. xvii. 24.]
[2 According to Abp. Usher, these dates are as follows : Circum- cision was instituted a.m. 2107, after the deluge 450 years, when Shem was 549 years old, before Moses' birth 326 years, and before the giving of the law 40G years. But see Vol. r. page 42, note ; and The Old Faith, in works of Covcrdalc, Parker Soc. ed. p. 36.]
VI.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. ICO
Now for because circumcision is added as a sign or seal or the league to the league that was made betwixt God and Abraham, I man!"**'"* must briefly, and by a short digression, touch the manner or order of that covenant. God, in making of leagues, as he doth in all things else, applieth himself to our capacities, and imitateth the order which men use in making confederacies. Men do by leagues, as by most sure and stedfast bonds, bind themselves to the society and fellowship of one body or people ; in which society, to the end they may be the safer, and live more quietly from the wrongs and injuries of all other nations, they do mutually hazard both lives and livings, the one in defence of the other's liberty. In these leagues they do precisely express what they be that make the confederacy, upon what conditions, and how far the covenant shall extend. And therefore, when God''s mind was to declare the favour and good-will that he bare to mankind, and to make us men partakers wholly of himself and his goodness, by pouring himself out upon us, to our great good and profit, it pleased him to make a league or covenant with mankind. Kow he did not first begin the league with Abraham, but did renew to him the covenant that he had made a great while before. For he did first of all make it with Adam, the first father of us all, immediately upon his transgression, when he received him, silly wretch 2, into his favour again, and promised his only-begotten Son, in whom he would be reconciled to the world, and through whom he would wholly bestow himself upon us, by making us partakers of all his good and heavenly blessings, and by binding us unto himself in faith and due obedience. This ancient league, made first with Adam, he did afterward renew to Noah, and after that again with the blessed patriarch Abraham. And again, after the space of four hundred years, it was renewed under Closes at the mount Sinai, where the conditions of the league were at large written in the two tables, and many ceremonies added there- unto. But most excellently of all, most clearly and evidently, did our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ himself^ shew forth that league ; who, wiping away all the ceremonies, types, figures, and shadows, brought in instead of them the very truth, and did most absolutely fulfil and finish the old league,
[3 jam profugum, Lat. ; now become an outcast.] [1 tandem, Lat. ; at length.]
170 THE THIRD DECADE, [SERM.
bringing all the principles of our salvation and true godliness into a brief summary, which, for the renewing and fulfilling of all things, and for the abrogation of the old ceremonies, he called the new league, or new testament. In that testament Christ alone is preached, the perfectness and fulness of all things ; in it there is nothing more desired than faith and charity; and in it is granted holy and wonderful liberty unto the godly : of which I will speak at another time. But now I return to the league which was renewed with Abraham. Between Wo are oxprossly taught in Genesis, who they were that
league was made the league ; that is, the living, eternal, and omnipotent God, who is the chief maker, preserver, and governor of all things ; and Abraham with all his seed, that is, with all the faithful, of what nation or country soever they be. For so doth the Apostle expound the seed of Abraham, especially in LGai. iii.29.] his epistle to the Galatians, where he saith, "If ye be Christ's,
then are ye the seed of Abraham, and heirs by promise." The time, The time, how long this league should endure, is eternal,
this league aud wlthout oud or term of time. For although, in the
shouKl last. . , °.
renewings or declarations of the league, many things were added which afterward did vanish away, especially when Christ was come in the flesh ; yet notwithstanding, in the substantial and chiefest points, ye can find nothing altered or changed. For God is always the God of his people : he doth always demand and require of them faithful obedience; as may most evidently be perceived in the new Testament. The condi- For thoro are two points, or especial conditions, contained
leagu^or ^ in this Icaguo : the first whereof declareth what God doth promise, and what he will do for his confederates; I mean, what we may look for at his hands : the second compre- hendcth the duty of man, which he doth owe to God, his confederate and sovereign prince. Therefore God for his part saith, " I will be thy God, and Saddai^ that is, thy ful- ness and sufiSciency ; I will, I say, be thy God, and the God of thy seed after thee." God of himself is wholly sufiicicnt to most absolute perfectness and blessedness ; neither needeth he the help of any other, since whatsoever is in any place Godisaii in whcrcsoever, it is both of him, and hath abiding by him ; God
all to his ' ' O J '
confederates, glono sufficcth man, aud he alone is the giver of all that men desire, or doth belong to perfect felicity. And therefore [1 See Vol. I. p. 215, note G.]
VI.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 171
Saturnus (peradvcnturc by occasion of the word SadJai) took his name among the heathen, and significth to suffice, or satisfy. For he alone is able to satisfy or suffice all, who is himself very fulness and sufficiency itself. But now God sheweth, by two arguments, that he will be the sufficiency, or all in all, to the seed of Abraham. For first he saith : " To C^en. xv. ir, thy seed will I give the land of Canaan." In which promise he comprehendeth all earthly and bodily benefits ; to wit, great wealth, felicity, tranquillity, abundance of all things,, health, glory, notable victories, and whatsoever else pcr- taineth to the preservation and temporal happiness of man- kind. Now how he did perform this promise to the seed of Abraham, the holy scripture doth declare; by that means teaching, that the very true God was the God of Abraham's seed, as he had promised to their father Abraham. Second- arily, he promiseth that Seed wherein all the nations of the [cen. xii earth were to be blessed ; to wit, Christ the Saviour, whom he had promised to Adam many years before. To bless is to enrich with all spiritual benediction : wherein he compre- hendeth all the spiritual gifts of God ; the forgiveness of sins, the reviving of life, and glory everlasting. To bless also is to take away a curse ; so that this promise of God's to Abra- ham is all one with that which he made to Adam, saying ; " The seed of the woman shall tread down the serpent's head." [Cen. ai i.-.i For the head of the old dragon is nothing else but the power and kingdom of Satan. His power is the curse, sin, and death. Therefore, when his head is crushed or trodden down, the curse is taken away ; and instead of the curse succeedcth a blessing. By this, I say, he doth declare that he will be the God of Abraham and of his seed.
The second condition of the league betwixt God and man what is prescribeth to man what he must do, and how he must behave men in me
league.
himself toward God, his confederate and sovereign prince. "Walk before me," saith God to man, "and be upright." [Gen.xvui.] Now they walk before God, which do direct all their life, words, and works, according to the will of God. His will is that we should be upright. That uprightness is gotten by faith, hope, and charity ; in which three arc contained all the offices of saints, which are the friends and confederates of the Lord. Therefore this latter condition of the league doth teach the confederates what to do, and how to behave them-
172 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
selves before the Lord ; to wit, to take him for their God, to stick to him alone, who is their only all in all, to call upon him alone, to worship him alone, and, through the Messiah, to look for sanctification and life everlasting. These were the conditions of the covenant ; to which the number of ceremonies were not added in Abraham's time, which afterward were given to the Israelites under the leading of their captain Moses. Circumcision To this confcderacv the Lord did add circumcision as a
was the sign ■ ^ "^ .
nexld to"the ^^&^ ^^ ^®^^' ^^ coufirm it withal. Seals are put to writings for
league. ^^^ effectual force and confirmation's sake. The tables, or writings, do contain and give evidence of all the points of the whole league. Circumcision, therefore, is added to the league instead of the writing \ and also of the seal ; and for that cause circumcision is called the league itself ^ : even as the writings or letters of covenants among us are commonly called the very covenant^, when as in deed they are nothing else but the evidences of the league, which contain in writing all the order of the confederacy, and confirm it with a seal. It is A^ery usual that the signs do take the names of the things which they do signify ; so that it is no marvel though circum- cision be called the league, when as in deed the league is not the cutting of the skin, but the communion of fellowship
Gen. xvii. which WO havc with God. In the seventeenth of Genesis thus saith the Lord touching this sign of outward circum- cision : " This is my covenant, which ye shall keep betwixt me and you, and thy seed after thee ; every male shall be circumcised among you. Ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be for a sign of the covenant betwixt me and you," &c. Lo here circumcision, in these words of the Lord's, is first named the covenant ; and afterwards, for exposition's sake, it is called the sign of the covenant. In the
Actsvii. same sense doth St Stephen call it a testament, in the seventh chapter of the Acts, when he meant that it was the sign or seal of the testament.
Moreover, the manner of circumcision is declared : *' Ye
[1 tabularum, Lat.]
[2 Sec Gen. xvii. 9, 13. Mi/ covenant, that is, the sign of my covc- riant, or testament, as is explained in verso 11. Ainsworth on Gen. xvii. 10.]
[3 der bund, ipsuni inquani foedus, Lat.]
VI.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 173
shall," saith God, "circumcise the flesh of your foreskin'*." The manner
_ ^ _ and order of
The cutting: or taking away of this flesh was called circum- 'ircumcuion.
. , o ° . . ['-ien. xvii.
cision. But now, whose oflice it was to cut that skin away, "• we find not expressed. It appeareth that the most honour- able in every house or family, I mean, the first-begotten, or ancient of every household, did circumcise, before the law ; which ofllice was turned to the priests, when once the law was given^ It is a singular example, and no more to be found like unto it, that Zipporah, the wife of Moses, did circumcise her son. Exodus, chap. iv.
Now also the time of circumcision is set down, to wit, the eighth day, when the new-born child began to be of a little more strength. And we gather out of the fifth chapter of the book of Josue, that they did circumcise them not with knives of iron, but of stone : for in that chapter the Lord doth in express words command to circumcise the sons of Israel with knives of stone ^. But it is manifest by the rites of the sacra- ments, that God doth alter nothing in the ceremonies of the sacraments : and therefore we conjecture and gather, that Abraham used none other but knives of stone, especially since we read that Zippora, Moses his wife, did circumcise her son with a stone.
The rest of the Jewish trifles, which they sow abroad touching the ceremonies of circumcision, I do of purpose here let pass : for they are utterly unworthy to be heard, and have no mystery contained in them. But the knife of stone is of force in the exposition of the mystery of circumcision : for circumcision had a mystery and a most certain meaning hidden within it.
For, first, circumcision did signify that the whole nature The mystery
1 1 /. 1 11 af"' meaning
of man is unclean and corrupt; and thereiore that all men ofcircumc-
> . sion.
have need of cutting and regeneration. And for that cause that cutting was made in the member wherewith man is begotten^. For we are all begotten and born the sons of wrath in original sin. Neither doth any man deliver us from that damnation, but he alone that is without sin, to wit, the blessed Seed, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was conceived by
[* A sentence of the original and of tlic translation is here omitted.] [5 See above, p. 143.]
[G verse 2, sharp knives, Auth. Vcr. ; marg. knives of flints.] [7 Cf. Augustin. Expos, in Evang. Joan. Tract. xxx.J
174 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
the Holy Ghost, and born of the virgin Mary ; who with the shedding of his blood (which was prefigured in the blood shed in circumcision) doth cleanse us from sin, and make us heirs of everlasting life. And now this circumcision maketh sorely against them that deny original sin ; and putteth them to their shifts, that attribute justification and salvation to our own strength and virtue. For if we were clean, if we by our own power could get salvation, what needed our fathers to be cut in that sort? The things that are cut off are either unpure, or else superfluous. But God made nothing unpure or superfluous. Now he made the flesh of the foreskin. If the flesh of the foreskin had been evil, God had not made man with the flesh of the foreskin. The skin, therefore, is not evil of itself, nor yet superfluous : but the cutting of the foreskin doth rather serve to teach us to understand, that by our birth and nature we are corrupt, and that we cannot be cleansed of that corruption but by the knife of stone. And for that cause, verily, was circumcision given in that member, and in none other. I will anon add another cause out of Lactantius, why it was given in none other part of all the body.
Moreover, circumcision did signify and testify that God Almighty, of his mere grace and goodness, is joined with an indissoluble bond of covenant unto us men, whom his will is first to sanctify, then to justify S and lastly to enrich with all heavenly treasures through Christ, our Lord and recon- ciler. For that was the meaning of the stony knife ; because Christ, the blessed Seed, is the rock of stone out of which do flow most pure and cleansing waters ; and he by his Spirit doth cut from us whatsoever things do hinder the mutual league and amity betwixt God and us: he also doth give and increase in us both hope and charity in faith, so that we may be knit and joined to God in life everlasting, which is the blessed and happy life indeed.
Now here it is expedient to hear the testimonies of the law and the apostles. In the thirtieth of Deuteronomy Moses saith: "The Lord thy God shall circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, that thou mayest love the Lord thy God." Now the outward and visible cutting was a sign of this inward circumcision. And Paul also, speaking of [1 quos velit sauctificatoB justificave, Lat.]
VI.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 175
Abraham, saith : " And ho received the sign of circumcision, [Rom. iv. as the seal of the righteousness of faitli which he had being yet uncircumcised ; that he should be the father of all them that believe, though they were not circumcised ; that right- eousness might be imputed to them also," &c. Lo here, Abraham's circumcision was a sign that God by his grace had justified Abraham ; which justification he received by faith before his circumcision : which is an argument, that they which believe, though they be not circumcised, are neverthe- less justified with faithful Abraham ; and again, that the Jews, which are circumcised, are- justified of God by faith. And for that cause was circumcision given in the very body of man, that he might bear in his body the league of God, and be thereby admonished that he is justified -by grace through faith.
Whereby we gather also, that the grace of God, and the The grace of lustification of the godly, is not tied to the sign: for if it t'e<i t? cu- had, then had not Abraham been justified before his circum- cision, but even in his circumcision. Furthermore, if it had been so, then the Lord, whose will is to have mankind saved, would not have given commandment to have them circumcised upon the eighth day : for many children died before the eighth day, and never came to circumcision ; and yet they were not damned. To which we may add that Sara, Rebecca, Rahel, Jochabeth, and Mary, Moses' sister, with innumerable more matrons and holy virgins, could not be circumcised; and yet they were saved by the grace of God through faith in the Messiah that was to come. The grace of God, therefore, was not tied to the sacrament of circumcision : but yet it was not despised and neglected of the holy saints of the old church, but used to the end for which it was ordained, that is, to be a testimony and a seal of free justification in Christ^, who coioss. ii. circumciseth us spiritually without hands by the working of the Holy Ghost.
Furthermore, God by the outward and visible sign did Bydrcum-
, . Ill 1-1 • • 1 • cision the
gather into one church them which were circumcised : in tircumcised
, . , . ... •'"''^ gathered
which number those which he had chosen before^ he did ioin jntoone
J body.
to himself with the bond of his Spirit. For St Paul, for the
[2 sciant se, Lat. ; may know that tliey arc] [3 venturo, Lat. ; who was to come] [* ex quibus electos, Lat,]
17G THE THIUD DECADE. [sERM.
very same cause, did call the people of one religion the cir- cumcision, as is evident by the fifteenth chapter to the Romans, and the third to the Philippians. Therefore by circumcision God did separate his people from the unbeheving nations. Whereupon it came, that to be called uncircumcised was as great reproach among them, as to be called dog is now-a-days among us : for an uncircumcised person was reputed for an
1 Sam. xvii. unclean and profane man, and for such an one as had no part in God nor his covenants.
Circumcision Finally, circumcision did put the circumcised in mind of
imtteth a . '' ' '■
of ws diuy""^ their duty all their life long ; to wit, that every man should think that he had taken upon him to profess God, and to bear in his body the sacrament of the Lord. For that is the cause why the Israelites were named, or had their names given
rLiiUe i 59. them, in their circumcision : for it is evident in Luke, that
& 11.21.] ' _ _ _ ' _
John Baptist and Jesus our Saviour had their names given [Gen. xvii. them at their circumcision ; even as also the first circumcised ^'•' at his circumcision was called Abraham, whose name before
was said to be Abram.
It did admonish the circumcised of his duty, forsomuch as he had given his name unto the Lord, his confederate, to be enrolled in the register of God among the names of them that give themselves unto the Lord : wherefore he ought, by cove- nant and duty, to frame his life, not after his own lust and pleasure \ but according to the will of God, to whom he did betake himself. For the condition of the covenant was, that the circumcised should not defile themselves with idolatry and strange religions ; that they should not pollute with unclean living the bodies and minds that were hallowed to the Lord; but that they, persevering in true faith, should ensue godhncss, shew the works of repentance, and be obedient to God in all things. For thus saith Moses in the tenth of Deuteronomy : "Circumcise the foreskin of your hearts, and harden not your necks any longer." To which words the prophet Jeremy jei.lv. alludeth in his fourth chapter, saying: "Be ye circumcised to the Lord, and cut away the foreskin of your heart." And the [Acts vii. 51.1 martyr St Stephen, rebuking the unbelieving Jews, saith : "Ye stiff-necked, and of uncircumcised heart and cars, ye always resist the Holy Ghost." Very rightly, therefore, doth the holy apostle Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans, the second chapter, [1 aut aliorum voluntatc, Lat., omitted; or the will of others.]
VI.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 177
declare that there arc two sorts of circumcision: the one ofTwocircum- the letter, in the tiesh, the outward circumcision, that is made ofthcs,,irit.
the other of
With hands ; the other in the heart, of the Spirit, the inward ">eieiier. circumcision, which is made by the means of the Holy Ghost. The circumcision of the heart God doth well like of in those that be his ; but that in the tiesh he doth utterly mislike of, if, as the flesh is, the heart be not circumcised. The liking and misliking of these two circumcisions is in that which went before so plainly already declared, that I need not to stick any longer upon it.
And here I think it not amiss, before I make an end of Lacuntius
' touching
circumcision, to rehearse unto you, dearly beloved, the words circumcision of the ancient writer Lactantius, Lib. Instit. iv. chap. 17. where he speaketh of circumcision in this manner : " The meaning of circumcision was, that we should make bare our breasts ; to wit, that we should live with a simple and plain deahng heart ; because that part of the body, which is circum- cised, is partly like to a heart, and an object of shame-': and the cause why God commanded to make it bare was, that by that sign he might admonish us not to have a covered heart, that is, that we should not cover within the secrets of our conscience any crime whereof we ought to be ashamed. And this is the circumcision of the heart, whereof the prophets speak, which God hath translated from the mortal flesh to the immortal soul. For the Lord being wholly set and fully minded, according to his eternal goodness, to have a care for our life and safeguard, did set repentance before our eyes for us to follow, as a way to bring us thereunto : so that, if we make bare our hearts, that is, if by confession of our sins we satisfy the Lord, we should obtain pardon, which is denied to the proud and those that conceal their faults by God, who bcholdcth not the face as man doth, but searcheth the secrets of the breast^." Thus much hitherto hath that ancient writer
[2 substituted for another term; et pudenda, Lat.] [3 Hujus secundse circumcisionis figuraerat, (illacarnis circumcisio) significans, nudandum esse pectus, id est, aperto ct simplici cordo oportero nos vivere; quoniam pars ilia corporis, qua? circuniciditur, habet quandam similitudincm cordis, et est pudenda. Ob banc causam Dcus nudari earn jussit; ut hoc argumento nos admoneret, no invo- lutum pectus haberenius, id est, ne quod pudendum facinus intra con- scientia) secreta velemus. Hacc est cordis circumcisio, do qua pro- phetse loquuntur; quam Deus a carne mortali ad animam transtulit,
r 1 12
[bullinger, il]
[Exod. xii. 23.]
178 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERJM,
of the church, Lactantius Firmianus, declared unto us touching the mystery of circumcision.
Now all this, which hitherto I have said touching the meaning and mystery of circumcision, was set forth, as in a picture, to be seen of all men's eyes, so often as circumcision was solemnized in the church. There was the league, as it were, renewed, which God did make with men. There was the grace of God, his sanctification, and our corruption, de- clared : therein did Christ, the rock of stone, appear, who with his Spirit doth cut and wash away all spots of the church. Moreover, the worshippers of God did learn by that sign, and so by all the holy ceremony, that they, being in one celestiaP body, ought to do their endeavour by pureness of living to win the favour of God, their confederate ; because by the visible circumcision there was, after a sort, an open confession made of the true religion, of free consent to the true religion, and of a binding by promise unto the same. He therefore that did despise or unadvisedly neglect that holy ceremony was sharply punished, as may be gathered by the seventeenth of Genesis, and the fourth chapter of Exodus. And so much hitherto concerning circumcision.
There followeth now the second sacrament of the ancient church, I mean, the paschaP lamb. It is an Hebrew word, not signifying a passion, as it should seem if it were derived according to the Greek etymology^; but it signifieth a skipping, a leaping, or a passing over : for the Hebrew signifieth to leap or pass over^. The cause of this word Moses sheweth in the law, where he saith : " The Lord shall go over to strike the Egyptians ; and when he shall see the blood upon the upper post, and the two side posts of the door, the Lord will
qu£B sola mansura est. Volcns enim vita) ac saluti nostra) pro reterna sua pietate consulere, pcenitentiam nobis in ilia circumcisione proposuit, ut si cor nudaverimus, id est, si peccata nostra confessi satis Deo fece- rimus, veniam conscquamur; quce contumacibus et admissa sua celan- tibus denogatur ab eo, qui non faciem, sicut homo, sed intima et arcana pectoris intuetur. — Lactant. Instit. Lib. iv. cap. 17. Lugd. Bat. 1660, p. 406.]
[1 ecclesiastico, Lat, ; ecclesiastical, ed. 1577.]
[2 Pascha, Lat.]
[3 Earn (i. o. vocem Trdcrxcd quidam patrum a voce naaxeiv pad derivarunt. Sclileusner. Lex. in voc]
[^ HDS Passed, stood, over for defence. Lee's llebr. Lex. in voc]
VI.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 179
pass over that door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come within your houses," This sacrament is known also and called by other names. For it is called a sign, a remembrance, a solemnity, an holy assembly^ the feast of the Lord, a worship, an observation, an oblation, and a sacrifice. But whereas that ceremony is called a passing over, that is not done without a trope. For the passing over was the very benefit, wherein the angel of the Lord did pass over the Jews, leave their houses untouched, and save their lives ; but for because the paschal lamb was a memorial and a renewing of that benefit, therefore it took the name of the benefit : even as I admon- ished you before^, that it is usual in sacraments for the signs to be called by the names of the things that they signify, because of the likeness and mutual proportion that is betwixt them.
Let us see now what the passover was, and what kind of what the ceremony did belong unto it. The passover was an holy action, ''^"^^^ ^^' ordained by God, in the killing and eating of a lamb ; partly to the end that the church might keep in memory the benefit which God did for them in the land of Egypt, '''to be a testi- mony of God's good will toward the faithful, to be a type^ of Christ, and partly" also to gather all the partakers thereof into the fellowship of one body, and to put them in mind to be thankful and innocent.
This sacrament was first ordained by God himself, and not '^ ''^ first
«' ' author of
by man. For Moses delivered to the children of Israel ^Xuu'e^mi whatsoever he received at the Lord's hand : as it is to be seen began.'' ^"' at large in the twelfth chapter of Exodus. And he instituted that ceremony even at that very time when he brought the Israelites from out of Egypt. Now since this ceremony came first from God, it followeth consequently, that all the passovers vrhich followed, even until that passover which the Lord did hold with his disciples a little before his death, were holy and divine actions. To flesh and worldly wisdom many points, I may say, all the parts, of this sacrament do seem to be merely absurd and altogether needless ; but faith, which looketh up to God, the author of this sacrament, hath a great respect unto, and reverenceth greatly, all the mysteries contained
[6 nav^yvpis, in Lat.] [* p. 176.]
[■^ deindc, Lat. ; next.]
[8 tvpum quoque, Lat. ; to be also a type.] [^ deniquc, Lat.]
12—2
180 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
therein ^ For even as God Is the chief and most absolute wisdom, so are all^ his ordinances most absolute and passing profitable.
Here now is noted the time when this sacrament was first delivered to the church of Israel ; to wit, in the four hundreth and thirtieth year (counting from the promise made to Abra- ham, or from the time that he departed from his country first), which was the 2447th year from the beginning of the world, 791 years after the general flood ^. The time is also appointed when the passover should be holden, to wit, every year, in the month Nisan, which taketh part of our INIarch and TheEqui- part of April. Moreover, the very day is named, that is, the whei^he fourteenth of the month, beginning their account at spring nfgVtisboth time's equinoctial. For on the tenth day they chose the lamb
of one length, ^ , .. .
and cometh tj^^t should bo eatou, and on the fourteenth day they killed it.
twice in a ' "^ "^ .
the8th°of''' There is also set down the hour of the day when it should themh""/ be slaughtered : that was, about eventide*, to wit, betwixt three Th'e°jews and fivc of the clock in the afternoon, according to the course rickonfrom of our dials; aud, as the Jews were wont to reckon the hours
one to twelve, „ , ■, . 11-1111 • • ii 111
as we begin of the dav, it was to be killed betwixt nine and eleven o clock.
to reckon . ,
from seven ^^(j [j^ ^liat killing of the lamb at eventide did this meaning
in the morn- O o
l" mght'^and l^^ hid, that Christ should be slain in the latter days of the thitour' world ; yea, the very hour and moment, wherein Christ should wasnuie"'''' die, was therein foretold : for he gave up the ghost about them, an'd tho ninth hour. Whereupon St Peter saith, that the prophets eleven to did scarch at what moment, or minute of time, the Spirit of hour"of the Christ, which was in them, did signify that Christ should come
afternoon to
[1 omnia, Lat. ; all things in it.]
[2 omnia et singula, Lat ; all and every one of.]
[3 According to Abp. Usher the Passover was instituted, as Bul- linger also says, 430 years after Abraham's call, Gen. xii., but a.m. 2513, and 857 years after the deluge. But see Bullinger's Treatise, The Old Faith, in Covcrdale's Fruitful Lessons, &c. p. 36.]
[■* inter vesperas, Lat. ; between the two evenings. Marg. Auth. Ver. Exod. xii. 6]
[5 1 Pet. i. 11. Bullinger has adopted the translation, not of the Vulgate, but of Erasmus : — scrutantcs ad qucm aut cujusmodi temporis articulum significaret qui in illis erat Spiritus Christi: where also Erasmus notes; Nee est tenipus, quod Grrcci vocant xpovov, sed Kaipov, quod articulum vertimus: est enim certius quiddam quam tenipus. Calvin similarly understands the apostle's phrase : prophetas scrutatos
VI.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 181
Furthermore, there was a certain appointed place assigned The pUce
J ii • a T T-i , •! , 1. , . , appointed
to this sacrament". In Egypt, verily, they did eat it by f-^^he
^ 0,1 1 ' J ' J J eating of the
companies here and there in several houses. But when they p^^^"- were once come into the land of promise, it was not lawful to hold passover in any place but at the tabernacle of appoint- ment ; and after that, at the the temple in Ilierusalem. Being divided therefore into several houses at Hierusalem, they did eat it by companies, as is to be seen in the twenty-second chapter of St Luke's gospel. And that was a type, that Luke xxii. Christ, which was to be oftered but once upon the mount of Calvary, should be effectual for ever to cleanse the sins of all his people.
There was also appointed, who they should be that should who were
l_lJi • ^ II- • ^ the guests at
hold the passover; to wit, the whole circumcised congrega- t^eeatj^g of tion of Israel, being assembled by houses and families in so great companies as were sufficient to eat a lamb^. For as Christ is the Saviour of us all, so all sinners (for we all are sinners) are the cause why Christ our Lord was offered upon the altar of the cross.
Moreover, there is great diligence^ used in describing the The manner
1 • 111 •!-,• 1 or rite of
manner of killing and eating the lamb. First, they chose to eating the
o o ' t/ ^ passover.
themselves this lamb from among other lambs and kids : the fifth day after they cut the throat thereof, and saved ^ the blood in a platter, which with a bush of hyssop, made like a holy-water stick'", they sprinkled upon the two sides and upper posts of the door. The lamb itself they did eat publicly, not boiled with water, but roasted with fire ; and that whole also, I mean, both head and feet, and purtcnancc too ; and with it they did eat lettuce or sour herbs, and unleavened bread. And while they were at it, they stood about it with their loins girded, with shoes on their feet, and staves in their hands. They did eat it in haste : they neither brake nor cast a bone
esse quo teniporis articulo advenerit Cbristi regnum. Comment, in loc. cit.]
[6 huic sacro, Lat.]
[■^ Exod. xii. 43 — 49. — (j)paTpia -nepi (Ka(TTr]v yiverai Bvcrlav, (rov rititrxa) ovK fXaaa-ov dvdptHv 8(Ka — TroXXot Se koi <tvv tiKoaiv aOpol^ovrai. Joseph, do Bell. Jud. Lib. vi. cap. 0. § 3.]
[8 multa fide ct diligentia, Lat. ; great faithfulness and diligence.]
[9 excipiebant, Lat. ; received.]
[1'^ aspergillo hysopi, Lat.]
182
THE THIRD DECADE.
[SERM.
The end whereto this ceremony tended.
The Lord's benefit was kept in memory by the eating of the passover.
[Exod. xi 26, 27.]
The testi- mony of Uoil's good will towards his people.
of it unto the dogs, but burnt the bones with fire. From evening until morning no man did set one foot out of doors.
All these ceremonies had their ends whereunto they tended, contained great mysteries, and bare a very evident significa- tion of things past, things present, and things to come. They did also join the whole congregation, or Jewish church, into one body and profession of one religion ; and did also warn all those that did eat of the lamb to be thankful to God, and zealous in religion : as I will by parts touch, and teach you as briefly as I can.
For, first of all, the Lord's will was to keep in memory, and as it were for ever to prolong the remembrance of that great benefit, which he did once for his people of Israel', in preserving marvellously his chosen flock, when he slew in one night all the first-born of the Egyptians, and the next day after led his elect from out of Egypt, where they had a long time sustained great misery in bondage. This benefit he would not have only to be preached by word of mouth (for it is certainly sure, that in that feast were made most effectual sermons touching God's benefits and grace shewed to their fathers) ; but would have them also laid before their eyes by an holy action and ceremony, as it were by a looking-glass and lively picture, even as though their deed were newly in doing again before their faces. For the visible action did, after a sort, make a sermon to their eyes and other senses. Where- fore Moses, when he did interpret the ceremony and holy action, did say : " When your children shall say unto you. What meaneth this worship of yours ? ye shall say unto them. This sacrifice is the passing over of the Lord, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he slew the Egyptians, and delivered our houses,"
But this ceremony was the signification of a thing already past : and therefore it should have little availed that age of man which followed, to celebrate a benefit which did nothing at all belong unto them, unless the Lord had applied it to every age and season. God therefore would have this to be a testimony to the posterity of his favour, goodness, and per- petual assistance 2; to put them in mind, that he was not only the God of their fathers and ancestors, but that he would bo
[1 in yE^ypto, Lat. ; in Egypt.] [2 libcrationis pcrpeture, Lat.]
VI.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF OOD, 183
the God of all the posterity of the Isrcaelites; that he would bear with and spare them for the blood of Christ ; and finally, that he both would and could defend them from all evil, and bestow upon them all good and fatherly blessings. For in the 136th Psalm we read: "O praise the Lord, for he is good, because his mercy endureth for ever : which struck the first-born of the Egyptians; for his mercy endureth for ever : with a strong hand and a stretched out arm ; for his mercy endureth for ever^." Besides the remem- brance, therefore, of the benefit which God did for their fathers, the posterity did by the use of that ceremony stir up their faith, to believe that God would have mercy on and do good for them according to his natural goodness, even as he did to their fathers before them. And by that means this ceremony was no small exercise of faith in the children of Israel.
Furthermore, those ceremonies did contain the mysteries, me iamb that were to come, of Christ, the Saviour of us all. For ofchristrof
• /» T 1 /^^ • Till 1 1 ^'^ passion
in them was prefigured what Christ should be, what he and redemp- should do for the world, by what means the faithful should be partakers with him, and how they should behave them- selves before him. For among many other beasts there was none thought to be more fit for this sacrament than a lamb ; not so* much for the signification of simplicity and patience that was in Christ, like to the quietness of a lamb, as for because a lamb was the daily sacrifice that was ofi'ered to the Lord^. For Paul saith : " Christ our paschal Lamb is Li cor. v. 7.] offered up." And a lamb by the law was every morning fj^'^^f •,'"''''• and evening offered up in sacrifice. For Christ is the Lamb [Uev.xui.s.] that was killed since the beginning of the world ; of whom John Baptist testified, saying, " Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world ^." And for because we all did go astray like sheep, every one after his own way, the Son of God came down unto us, and became a sheep, of our very substance and nature. But yet he** was sound and without spot, without sin and wickedness ; conceived by the Holy Ghost, and born of the virgin Mary. He was a male,
[3 verses 1, 10, 12. The eleventh verso is also quoted in the Latin.]
[•1 quam quod victima est, Lat.]
[5 John i. 29. peccatum mundi, Lat.]
[<5 hie noster, Lat.]
184 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
and of a year old ; that is to say, strong, and all one, the same to-day that he was yesterday, and the same for ever, to wit, the Saviour of all the world'. The ceremonial lamb was chosen and taken from among other lambs and goats : for Christ descended lineally of righteous men and sinners ; as is to be seen in the first chapter of Matthew's Gospel. Like- wise, for the shedding of the lamb's blood God did bear with the whole church of the Israelites : for the blood of Christ (whereof 2 the lamb's blood was a type) was to be shed, that by it^ all the faithful might be cleansed, and that by the shedding of that the anger of God the Father might be ap- peased, and he reconciled again unto the church'*. The blood was sprinkled upon the upper and two side-posts of the house with a bunch of hyssop. Hyssop, verily, is a base herb and of small account ; and the preaching of the Gospel seemeth to be foolish, vile, and of no value : and yet by the preaching of the gospel the blood of Christ unto the re- mission of sins must be sprinkled^ on us which are the house of God. Now we receive the Lamb to life, when we do eat, that is, when we believe that Christ did suffer for us : for Christ is eaten by faith, as it is at large declared^ in the sixth chapter of St John. The lamb is dressed with fire, and not with water : it is not eaten raw, but roasted. For Christ was not man alone, but very God also, the true burnt- offering. He is able fully to absolve us, so that there needs no ad- dition of ours : all our additions are mere water, and alto- gether cold. Moreover, the whole Lamb was to be eaten ; the head, the feet, and purtenance : for unless we believe that Christ is very God and very man, and that he is our wisdom and righteousness, we do not eat him wholly. They eat not the head, which deny that Christ is God : they eat not the feet, which do deny that Christ is man : they eat not the purtenance, which do not acknowledge the gifts that are in Christ, which he doth communicate unto the faithful, to wit, righteousness, wisdom, sanctification, redemption, and life. The bones of the Lamb were neither broken nor thrown to the dogs, but burnt with fire : for in Christ there
[1 univorsi orbis, Lat.] p whereof— a type, not in Lat.]
[3 ejus sanguine, Lat. ; by his blood.]
[•* toti ccclesiop, Lat.] [^ aspergi sive praidicari, Lat.]
[6 ipso fuse exponit, Lat. ; he him.'>elf at lai-gc declares.]
VI.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 185
was not one bone broken ; as the apostle John beareth wit- ness in the nineteenth chapter of his gospel. Herein also lieth John xix. hid another' mystery. For although the Son of God did suffer^ in his humanity, yet in his divinity he remained still without any passion. Now the things in Christ, which we cannot attain unto by reason of the excellency of his God- head, we do^ earnestly wish for and greatly desire. More- over, Christ is the meat of the reasonable and faithful soul, and is not to be cast to dogs and unbelieving miscreants'**. The Lamb was to be eaten in haste, without delay : for Christ must be eaten by faith, out of hand, without foading off'', and that too with a sharp desire and eager appetite. AVith the lamb they were commanded to eat sour herbs and unleavened bread : for the faithful must repent them of their life'- ill-spent, and wholly betake themselves to a purer trade of living. For here followeth'^ the manner how they ought to behave themselves toward their Redeemer. They stood to eat the lamb, having their'* loins girded, with shoes on their feet, and staves in their hands. Such was the habit of wayfaring men, or pilgrims. We therefore must so behave ourselves in this present world, as doth become pil- grims and strangers, which do contemn this world, and look for another country. In their journey, therefore, let them give themselves to temperate modesty ; let their feet be shod with the preaching of '^ the gospel of peace ; let them wholly lean upon the staff of God's aid and succour ; and let them depart with as much haste as may be from the bondage and corruption of this naughty world '^.
This very same ceremony was, as it were, a confession of The badge the true rehgion, and as a cognisance, whereby the people sion oTfaUh. of God were known from other people and nations. There- fore all the Israelites were gathered together into one church and society : wherein, by celebrating of the passover, they
[7 prseterea, Lat.]
[8 in 60 quod pati potuit, Lat. omitted; in that which could suffer.]
[9 merito, Lat. omitted ; we do justly.]
[10 impiis, Lat.] [n See p. 38, note 3.]
[12 prajteritaj, Lat. ; past.]
[13 copiosius, Lat. omitted ; more at length.]
[n rcnibus vel, Lat. ; their reins or.]
[15 Eph. vi. 15. — ike preaching of, not in the original.]
[16 hujus seculi, Lat.]
186 THE THIRD DECADE, [sERM.
did profess that they were the redeemed, the libertines', and the people of the living God. For thereunto belongeth the commandment which charged them that no stranger should eat of the lamb, but that the circumcised alone should be partakers of it ; that it should not be divided into many Atthetaber- parts; that it should be eaten nowhere but in one place alone,
nacle first, ^ •/>iiitto jii
anrt^after- aud that too by companies of all the Israelites^ ; and lastly,
temple. ^hat uo man should once set a foot out of doors until the next
morning. By which thing it is given us to understand, that
neither Christ, nor our salvation, is to be found without the
church, in the sects or schisms of wicked heretics. Christ,
the Lamb of God, doth gather all the faithful into one church,
wherein he keepeth them, and lastly doth save them.
The paschal Last of all, this cercmony did put God's people in mind
warn the of their dutv, of thankfulness especially^, of the study of
comrnuni- '' ' . ^ '' j- j •
^a'ljs^of their godliness and harmless innocence. They therefore did give thanks to God for these and all other his benefits ; they praised his name ; and did utterly abstain from all leavened bread. For ye shall find nothing so severely forbidden in this cere-
Exod.xii. mony as the eating of leavened bread. " Whosoever eateth leavened bread," saith the Lord, " his soul shall perish from among the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or an Israelite born." The same saying is afterward often- times repeated, and throughly beaten into their brains. Now the apostle Paul, whose cunning and learning was much in the law of Moses, expounding what was meant by the lea- vened bread, doth say : " Therefore let us keep the feast, not in the old leaven, nor in the leaven of malice and unright- eousness^ but in unleavened bread, that is, in sincerity and truth ^." Thus much hitherto touching the eating of the pas- chal lamb.
To these sacraments were also added sacrifices of sundry
rst begin- sorts and many kinds: which were not first invented and taught by Moses, but were taken up and used immediately after the world was created. For Cain and Abel oftered burnt sacrifices to God the maker of the world : the one, of
[1 libcrtos, Lat. ; freed men.] [2 ab universe Israele, Lat.]
[3 gratitudinis prcesertim et, Lat. ; especially of thankfulness, and, &c.]
[•* versutise, Lat.]
[5 1 Cor. V. 8, Erasmus' rendering.]
b.]
Of sacrifices, and tlieir
nings.
VI.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 187
the fruits of the earth ; and the other, of the cattle that was in his flock. Likewise Seth, Noah, Scm, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, with all the other patriarchs, are known^ to have sacrificed unto the Lord. Now since the heathenish sacrifices of the Gentiles, as the very heathen writers themselves did testify, were partly like unto, and in many points all one with, the Jewish sacrifices; it is not unlikely but that the grand patriarchs'' of the Gentiles did teach every one his own nation the manner of sacrificing, which they had learned of their forefathers, Sem, Cham, Japhet, and of the holy patriarch Noah himself. But it is undoubtedly certain, that the holy fathers did bring in nothing of their own invention, nor add any thing to the sacrifices more than they had received and learned of God, who is the author of all goodness ; although Moses did more precisely distinguish and certainly order the sorts, the kinds, and differences betwixt sacrifice and sacrifice : and yet whatsoever he did, that did he at the Lord's appoint- ment. God instructed Moses in all that he did. For the book of Leviticus, wherein are specially described all the kinds of sacrifices, doth immediately after the very beginning testify, that Moses was called by God, and that he learned of the Lord all the ceremonies of the sacrifices which he commanded the Israelites to keep. And in the seventh chapter of the book of Numbers we read: "And when Moses Num. vh. came into the tabernacle of appointment, he heard the voice of God speaking unto him out of the mercy-seat."
Now, as I was about to say, there were divers sacrifices sun- sacrifices drily diff'ering in many points among themselves, and yet having thi'ngfco.n- many things common and general one with another. It was some things general to all sacrifices, not to be offered in any other but one appointed place alone. It was general to all sacrifices, that they ought of duty to be offered by faith, according as they were taught by the word of God. It was general to all sacrifices, to be made according to the Lord's commandment, with holy fire, and not with strange fire, or fire profanely kindled. Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, were slain for nothing else but for because they used profane or strange fire in sacrificing to the Lord. For when the Israelites, or Levites, did first of all sacri- [Lev ix.24.] ficc, as the Lord had commanded them, in the tabernacle of [0 crcduntur, Lat.] [" gcnearchas, Lat.]
188 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
appointment, then did God, by sending fire from heaven, give a token that he did Hke of that manner of sacrifice. Where- upon in the sixth of Leviticus the priests are charged to maintain or keep the holy fire always burning, first in the tabernacle, and then in the temple : which thing it is manifest The vestal that the heathen did imitate, in commanding the vestal virgins cr"a"ed tS\he ^^ R-ome always to keep the holy fire burning. By this ^e^ perpetual fire is meant the perpetual working of the Holy Ghost in the church of Christ ; which must be kept quick and stirred up in the hearts of the faithful with fervent prayers, with the sincere doctrine of the Lord, and with the right use of the holy sacraments. It was also general to all sacrifices, that in them neither wild nor unclean beasts were offered to the Lord. Moreover, this general rule of sacrifices is given by Moses in the twenty-second chapter of Leviticus, saying : " Let no deformity be in the thing that thou shalt offer : if it be blind, or lame, or maimed; if it have pushes ^ or scabs, or tetter^, ye shall not offer it unto the Lord, neither shall ye put ought of it upon his altar." Verily, if any man had brought a deformed oblation unto the Lord, he shewed him- self plainly to be a contemner, and utterly unthankful toward his maker. And therefore the Lord in Malachi crieth [Mai. i.e.] out, and saith : "When ye bring the blind for sacrifice, do ye not sin? and when ye bring the lame and sick, do ye not sin? Offer it now, I pray thee, to thy prince or captain ; will he be content with it ? or will he accept thy person ? saith the Lord of hosts. And so I say. My name is in contempt and of no estimation among you." The just and true God, therefore, doth at all times require truth, liber- ality, sincerity, and integrity in them that worship him ; and on the other side, he abhoreth and utterly detesteth unclean- liness, lying, and hypocrisy.
There are certain other things also, which be generally common to all sorts of sacrifices : but I will not at this time make particular rehearsal of every several jot or minute. But ■what peculiarities every sundry sacrifice hath, it "will evi- dently appear in the exposition of their sundry sorts : which I will now speak of in order as they lie.
[1 push, a pimple, an eruption. Johnson's Diet.] [2 tetter, a scab ; a scurf; a ringworm. Ibid.]
VI.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 189
First of all, I "will expound to you that kind of sacrifice iroiocaus- which in the scripture is called Holocaustum^ That sacrifice bumt-cJfler. ■was wholly consumed with fire, so that nothing but the skin or hide of the beast was left for the priest. The word is derived of the Greek : for it is called holocaustum, as one should say o\ov kuvotov, that is, wholly burnt or consumed with fire"*. This sacrifice was of three kinds : I mean, it was made after three sorts, to wit, with greater, with little, and with less, Uving creatures; namely, with an ox, a bullock, or a calf; or, if any man's ability were not sufficient to stretch to that expense, then did he offer a lamb, or a kid : and yet again, if he could not offer that by reason of his poverty, it was lawful for him to sacrifice birds, not geese, or cocks, or other unclean fowls, but turtles, and doves, and such kind of [Lev. i.] clean birds.
Now the manner of making this burnt sacrifice was in this order. The beast, that was to be offered, was placed at the one side of the altar ; upon which the priest did presently lay his hands, and cut the throat of it. The blood was saved, to be sprinkled round about the altar ; the skin was flayed from the slaughtered beast, and that alone was all the fees that fell to the portion or share of the priest : the legs were chopped off, and washed together with the purtenance. Im- mediately after, a fire was made upon the altar, whereupon was laid the whole sacrifice, to wit, the head, the body, the legs, and the purtenance, and were altogether burnt upon the altar before the Lord. But if so be it happened that a turtle or a dove were offered for a sacrifice, then did the priest with his finger wreath about and break the neck thereof, and the blood was let drop about the sides of the altar. The feathers also were cast at the one side of the altar into a place where ashes lay ; the wings were jointed ; and last of all, the whole body was burnt upon the altar. This was the manner of the sacrifice, or oblation, which they did commonly call a burnt-offering : the signification whereof was most cheerful and pleasant to them which were per- suaded, that by burnt-offering was prefigured the very Son of God, to be incarnate of the unspotted virgin, and to be
[■* The con-esponding Hebrew name is ^"•73. Deut. xxxiii. 10. Ps. li. 19.]
190 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
sacrificed once for the cleasning of all the sins of the whole world. For they in the glass of that sacrifice did behold the cross and passion of the Lord, which took our sins upon him- self^ and, being slain, did shed his blood for the remission of sins, offering himself wholly to God the Father in the fire of charity and heavenly zeal. The very same Christ is the turtle or pigeon.
Moreover, beside these ceremonies in the burnt sacrifice, it was required that no burnt sacrifice of beasts should at any time be made without that kind of offering which they called minha^. That oblation was an handful of corn, or of meal, or else of crusty bread sodden in a caldron, or a bowed^ piece of bread (which we call a cracknel) baked in an oven or in a frying-pan, which was burnt with oil and frankincense upon the altar of burnt sacrifices. And Christ, verily, is the bread
[Heb. ix. 14.] of life, who by the eternal Spirit, as saith the apostle, did offer himself to God the Father for us, to be the meat and preser- vation of our life.
Thedaiiy lu tho number of burnt sacrifices are reckoned the daily
sacrifices that were offered every morning and every even- ing, and the sacrifices of the anointing or consecrating of priests. Of the daily sacrifice a large exposition is made in the twenty-ninth of Exodus and the sixth chapter of Levi- ticus. It was called the daily offering, because every morn- ing and evening two lambs were offered, to wit, one in the morning, and another at the evening. In these lambs was Christ most manifestly prefigured ; who is that Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world ; whose virtue is always effectual and of power to take away the sins of the faithful. For the Lamb"* was killed from the beginning of the world ; he was once slain upon the cross : but yet his merit and eftectual power endurcth still, and doth absolve all them that are delivered from their sins.
[1 Omitted: "for to this pertainetli the laying on of hands, which was a sign of communion." Hue cnim pertinet maximo manuum im- positio, qure communionis erat symbolum." P.]
[^ nrop, a gift to God in sacrifice, — generally unbloody, and con- sisting of various fruits, flour, oil, &c. opp. tw HUT. Leo's Heb. Lex. in voc]
[3 bowed : bent.]
[* that Lamb, cd. 1577 ; agnus illo, Lat.]
VI ] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 191
Now the sacrifices of consecrating, I mean, of the priests, of the tabernacle, and of all the vessels or instruments be- longing to the holy ministerj, are in many points all one with the burnt-offerings, and in some things differing from them : as is fully to be seen in the twenty-ninth of Exodus and the eighth of Leviticus. And Christ our Lord did first begin the priesthood by his passion, and after that hallowed all the faithful to be priests unto himself.
The second kind of sacrifices was the oblation, which they The meat- called minlia; a gift, reward, or sacrifice of a whcaten cake;" '^""^" and by another name was called a meat-offering^. This sacri- fice was of the fruits of the earth, and was not offered always after one sort: for there are reckoned three kinds of this sacrifice. For there was offered cither parched wheat, stick- ing in the ears ; or wheat out of the ears, or else clean meal, unbaked ; or, at leastwise, meal made up into bread ; which bread again was made three sundry ways, and in three sundry fashions. For either it was baked in an oven, or furnace ; or else sod in a pot, or a caldron ; or else fried in a frying- pan, like unto cakes. To these there was added, as sauce to the sacrifice, salt, oil, and frankincense. Honey and leaven ■were by a general rule utterly barred from all sorts of sacri- fices. For cakes made with honey were never allowed of, nor admitted in their offerings : yet in the feast of thanksgiving they did eat leavened bread. Therefore, when any man did offer wheat, it was first anointed by the priest with oil, then seasoned with salt, and last of all had frankincense put upon it : after that the priest took one handful from out of all (but in the sacrifice for the priest all was burnt), and burnt it upon the altar ; the rest he did reserve, as a share to himself. [Lev. vi. 23.] And in all meat-offerings frankincense was always used, except in the sacrifice for sin and in the sacrifice of jealousy ; as is to be seen in the fifth of Leviticus and the fifth of the book of Numbers. The rest that belongeth to the full rites and ceremonies of the meat-offerings whosoever is desirous to know, he shall find them in the second chapter of Leviticus. For I mean not here particularly to repeat every jot and tittle of their accustomed ceremonies.
Now even as Christ was before prefigured in beasts and birds, so also is he represented in this bread or cakes. For \J' cibavium, Lat.j
The drink- offerings.
192 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
he is the bread of life, and hath sundry fashions of infirmity and glory. In Christ thou shalt not find any leaven, that is, sin, uncharitableness, hypocrisy, or pride. There is in Christ no sweetness, nor honey-hke taste, of worldly or wicked pleasures. But salt thou mayest find in him, a well seasoned temperature altogether heavenly, and most absolute wisdom. Because of Christ, and for his sake, all things of ours are acceptable unto God ; for Christ his sake our prayers are heard of God the Father : upon Christ, therefore, there is a sweet-smelling frankincense in the nose of God the Father i. And in these ceremonies are also shadowed the manner and matter of our sacrifices ; to wit, that they should be without hypocrisy, bitterness, hatred, envy, and fleshly pleasure, and should be seasoned with godly and continual prayers.
With the meat-offerings we may place the drink-off'erings also 2. For in those sacrifices wine was poured out unto the Lord, as is evident in the twenty-ninth of Exodus, the twenty-third of Leviticus, and the twenty-eighth chapter of the book of Numbers. Now Christ is our wine, our drink, and joy unto eternal life. He poureth himself into the minds of the godly, that he may fill them with joy, and hve in them and they in him. And therefore did he consecrate in wine the memory of his blood that was shed for us to the remission of our sins.
With these meat-offerings may be joined the sacrifices of the first-fruits, of the first-begotten, and of the tenths: touching all which there is much to be read in divers places of the law ; as in the thirteenth and twenty-third of Exodus, in the eighteenth of Deuteronomy, and the eighteenth of the book of Numbers. Now Christ is the first-begotten and the first-fruits of all the faithful, for whose worthiness and merit we are all spared, and by whom we, being sanctified, are made the sons and^ heirs of God. To him, as to our Maker and Redeemer, we owe, as tenths, our very souls, and what- soever else is dear unto (and good in) us. ]\Ioreover, it is a point of thankfulness frankly to bestow upon God part of our earthly riches, which we have at his hands, to the main-
[1 The Latin is only. Est ergo thus super Christo.]
[3 adeoque et, Lat. ; and so also.]
VI.] THli CEUKMONIAL LAWS Ol' GOD. 193
tenance of his true worship, and the rcHcf of all that be in poverty.
The third kind of sacrifice is that which is offered for The sin- sin, and is therefore called Ilattah*, a cleansing^, or Ascham^, " "'"'''' a sacrifice for sin. We in one word may call it a cleansing sacrificed For it was offered for sin committed unwittingly or by ignorance ; (which by the degrees of the sinners were divided into four sorts ; as, if the chief priest did sin, if the whole church did sin, if the prince did sin, or if some man of the meaner sort did sin ;) or else they did offer it for sin committed willingly, or of a set purpose, being yet a mean or excusable^ sin; or else for a great and heinous crime, which ignorance could by no means excuse. The ceremony used in this sacrifice is very ample and large, so that I mean not presently once to touch it^. It is most exquisitely set down in the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters of Le- viticus. Neither is it to be doubted but that Christ was laid before their eyes, as well in that sacrifice, as in all their other oblations. For Christ is the end of the law, (and the mark whereto the ceremonial laws did tend'*'.) And Esay in the fifty-third chapter of his prophecy saith : " Whereas he never did unrighteousness, nor any dcceitfulness was found in his mouth ; yet hath it pleased the Lord to smite him with infirmity ; that when he had made his soul an offering for sin' V' (for here is put Dli'^f Ascham,) "he might see seed, and might prolong his days, and that the advice of the Lord might prosper in his hand." To this belongeth that whole disputation of the apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Hebrews, wherein he sheweth that Christ is the true sacrifice for sin, that cleanseth all the church and the sins thereof'^. In this cere- mony were shadowed'^ the disposition'* of sins'-*, the passions of Christ, and the power and strength of death' ^.
[^ n^^;3^.] [^ piacularc, Lat.]
\P □ti'J^.] \} sacrificiura expiatorium, Lat. J
[8 mediocri is Bullingei''s ono word here.]
P adeo ut in prajsenti per coinpendiuin commemorarc iion placcat, Lat.]
[10 This sentence between brackets is an addition of the translator's.] [11 hostiam dchcti, vol victimam pro culpa, Lat.] [12 et peccata omnia, Lat.] [13 partial, Lat. omitted ; partly.]
[1* ingenia, Lat.] [is passionis Christi ct mortis virtus, Lat.]
[bULLINGEU, II. J
Isai. liii.
17-J
194 THE THIRD DECADE. [sEUil.
Now these many and sundry sacrifices, appointed for sins, were kept uncertainly^, because they were wont to be offered of them that sinned at that very time when they did commit the sin : but the certain, the yearly, and universal sacrifice was that which is at large described in the sixteenth of Le- viticus, and may be referred in this place to the number of cleansing sacrifices. For in the feast of atonement, upon the tenth day of the seventh month every year, was solem- nized the sacrifice of cleansing, or atonement, for all the sins universally of all the people. The manner of this general sacrifice I will not over-busily at this time describe, since it is as clearly as the light set down in that place of Leviticus which even now I cited ; and since I, in expounding the mystery thereof, do mean to shew, and make plain, so many shadows in it as are needful to be marked. For I will say somewhat touching the meaning and mystery thereof.
In that most pleasant glass was figured the whole passion, and effect of the passion, of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Sa- viour ; which by that sacrifice was every year laid before the eyes and renewed to the minds of all the faithful church of God. For this manner of representing our redemption and salvation did please God, by sacraments, rather than by pictures, colours, or by stage-plays ; which are at this day greatly set by, although scarce godly, by no small number of trifling and fantastical heads".
Now mark, that the high priest only did all that was to be done in this solemn sacrifice ; save only that two ministers were joined unto him, the one to lead away the scape-goat, and the other to carry out of the host the bullock and he- goat that was to be offered. Yea, charge is very precisely given, that no man should join himself to the high priest, when he entercth into the tabernacle, and maketh an atone- ment for the sins of the people. " Let no man," saith the Lord, " be in the tabernacle of appointment, when he goeth in to make sacrifice in the sanctuary, until he do come out again." For no man must be joined to Christ in finishing the work of our salvation and redemption. For he alone is
[1 conceptiva crant, Lat.]
[^ Viz. the Miracle Plays, or Mysteries — the Easter representations of our liord's crucifixion and resurrection, &c. Brand's Pop. Antiq. Vol. I.]
VI.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 195
the Saviour ; he alone hath trodc the press, and he alone was crucified for us. The patriarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs, and all other creatures, are utterly excluded from having any thanks for our redemption and salvation. Christ alone remaineth the Saviour and Kcdceraer of the world. To at- tribute our salvation to creatures, to our own works and our own merits, is to admit creatures with the high priest into the tabernacle, and to incur the indignation, that is, the terrible curse, of the almighty, true, and everHving God. For by the Jewish high priest is prefigured to us Christ our Saviour, who, as the apostle Paul saith, hath a priesthood, which by succession cannot go from him to any other^.
Now Aaron did take a bullock for a sin-offering, and a ram for a burnt-offering, of his own ; and of the people he took two he-goats. Therefore Christ our Lord, the true and only priest of his chm^ch, did offer for us the thing that he took of us, to wit, the substance of our flesh. There is added also, that Aaron, (by which name we understand every one that was the high priest among the people of God), when he went about to sacrifice, did clothe himself with the usual and common garments of the other priests (I mean, such as the other priests were wont to wear), saving only that they were holy and without spot. For, although Christ the Son of God did take our nature upon him, and did become like unto us, being clad, as it were, in the usual garment of us men ; yet, notwithstanding, his fleshly garment (I mean, his body that was like to ours) was altogether free from corrup- tion*, and clean without all spots of sin.
Aaron did first of all kill a steer for himself and his family : whereby he declared that he was not the very and true high priest, but the type of him that was the true priest. For Paul saith: "Our high priest had no need, as those high [ucb. vii. priests had, first to offer sacrifices for their own sins, and then for the sins of the people. For he did that once, when he offered up himself." Afterwards Aaron drew lots at the door of the tabernacle, to try betwixt the two goats, which should be slain for the sacrifice, and which should be sent away as
[3 Ileb. viii. 24, "hath an unchangeable priesthood;" anapalBaTov e^e' rrjv Upaxrvvrjv, one that cannot pass on to a successor. See Schleus- ncr. P.]
[* his fleshly — to ours, not in Lat. ; ho is altogether, &c.]
13—2
190 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
the scape-goat into the desert. The two goats do signify Christ our Lord, very God and very man, in two natures unseparated. He is slain, and dieth^ in his humanity; but is not slain nor dieth in his divinity. Yet he, being one and the same Christ, unseparated, is the Saviour of the world, and doth work the redemption of us mortal men. So in the (Prov. xvi. two goats -was a mystery hidden. And for because, as Solo- *"'■' mon saith, the lots are guided by the Lord's will, it was
not without the especial will of the Father that the Son was sacrificed, and killed on the cross.
Moreover, the high priest did take the blood, first of the bullock, then of the slain goat, and a censer in his hand, and went within the veil, where with the incense he did make a cloud of smoke before the mercy-seat, and with his finger did sprinkle the blood seven times toward the mercy-seat. All which the apostle Paul expounding in the ninth to the Hebrews saith, that "Christ entered not into the tabernacle made with hands, but into the very heavens; not with the blood of a bullock, or a goat, but with his own blood, and found for us a perpetual LUohnii.2.] cleansing and remission of our sins." For "he is our propitiation; not for our sins only, but also for the sins of all the world." And hereunto did the apostles allude, as often as they called Christ our propitiation ; as St Paul in the third to the Ptomans, and St John in the second and fourth chapter of his first epistle. Now the seven times sprinkling of the blood betokened the full perfection, or perfect fulness, of the cleansing. We have need also to be sprinkled with the finger, not of man, but of Christ 2 Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, whose finger is the Holy Ghost, by whom our cleansing doth come upon us. To the sprinkling of the blood is also added sweet-smelling incense^ : for, as the apostle testifieth, Christ, our high priest, did offer prayers for us with tears, and was heard in that which he feared^. AVhereupon, by the cloud of smoke, that is, by the great quantity of smoke, was noted the great cfiicacy of earnest prayers.
When that was done, the high priest went again into the
[1 socundum id quod mori potuit, Lat.] ['^ summi iiostri Pontificis, Lat. ; our Iligli-priest.] [^ inconsum aromaticuin contusum, Lat. ; of beaten, pounded, aromatics.]
[■1 llcb. V. 7, pro rcvcrcntia, Lat.; for his pioty. Autb. Vor. inarg.]
VI.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 197
sanctum, and set the blood upon the golden altar of incense. For in the work of our redemption both innocent blood and earnest prayer for us must be joined together. Out of the sanctum again he came to the altar of burnt-offerings, which stood in the court (which was called atrium), and there he gave the other goat to a convenient man to be carried away into the wilderness : but in the delivering of the goat he used a precise manner and singular ceremony. For the high priest laid both his hands upon the goat, and over his head did con- fess the sins of the people, who also did themselves confess their sins, following the priest, clause by clause, in all the confession^ which he rehearsed : and then, so soon as all the sins were laid upon the head of the goat, he was sent away, that by that means he might carry the sins of all the people^ into the desert. From this ceremony did the Gentiles un- doubtedly borrow their kind of cleansings or purgings of the people, called in Greek KaOapiutTa' , and in Latin piamina. For their manner was, in extreme perils, that one should give himself for all the rest, whom they took, and did either kill and burn upon the altar, or cast into the water ; praying there- withal, that all their evil luck might go with him, and that the gods being pacified with the death of him^ might again be favourable to all the rest. But the wretches erred as far as heaven is wide: for Christ the Son of God was made sin for us, that is, he was made a sacrifice for sin, yea, he became a curse for us, that we by him might receive a blessing. For to this had the prophet Esay an eye, when he said : "We all went astray like sheep ; every one turned after his own way: but the Lord hath thrown down upon him'^ all our sins." Again: "He was wounded for our offences, and smitten for our wick- edness." And again : "The pains of our punishment were laid upon him, and he bare our griefs'"."
[5 See Lightfoot's Temple Service, chap. 15. Works, Vol. i. p. 9G3. Lond. 1684. See above, p. 169, note 8.]
[•^ totius ecclesia;, Lat.]
[" Kadapfxara — hominos ignobilcs ct scclcratl, qui puMiro alebantur et grassante pcste aliovo malo graviorc immolabantur ad oxpiandum urbem aut civitatem Dcorumque iram averteiidam. Sclileusner, in voc]
[8 unius, Lat.]
P cfFecit in ilium incurrcrc, Lat.]
[10 Isai. liii. G, 8, 5. For the paync of ouro punyshmct shal bo layde upo him. Coverdale, 1535. But this last quotation in the Latin
198 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
Now the goat did carry the sins into the desert, not that the sins should not be, but that they should not be any more imputed unto them. For in the church verily there is sin in the saints, but it is not imputed unto them. Sin is imputed to all them that are without the church, in the desolate wil- derness. The convenient man, that should carry away the scape-goat, can be none other than Christ himself, who in the days of his flesh did observe the convenient time and fit occa- sion, repeating oftentimes that his hour was not yet come; but at the last, when time convenient was come for him to die, he said that then his hour was come. And by dying he canned away conveniently the scape-goat, I mean\ the sin of all the world.
When this also was thus accomplished, the high priest did again wash himself; and, putting off the common garments of the inferior priests, did again put on his high priest's attire. Now this often and manifold washing in the holy ceremony is a shadow, or type, of the most absolute remission of sins; even as also the changing of a garment is a sign or figure of glorification; as is at the full to be seen in the third chapter of Zachary's prophecy. And Christ, being glorified, did enter into heaven, there to appear in the sight of God, the only and effectual sacrifice for us mortal men. Therefore did Aaron sacrifice a ram for a burnt-offering : for Christ is the sacrifice which endureth always, and purgeth all the faithful.
Moreover, Aaron sent the bullock and the other goat unto the holy place without the host, that there they might be burned. Which thing Paul expoundeth thus, and saith : "The bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest for sin, was burnt without the tents : therefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his blood, did suffer without the gate." Heb. xiii.
And although in this which I have hitherto alleged I have by fits^ declared the end and fruit of this ceremony, yet will I not think it much here again particularly to repeat the same again ; since I see that the Holy Ghost in the scripture doth, as it were, take pains very busily to beat the same into our heads.
is of verso 4 : Vere languores nostros ipse tulit, et doloves nostros ipse portavit.]
[1 adeoquo, Lat.] [2 sparsim, Lat.]
VI.] THE CEREMONIAL LAM'S OF OOD. 199
The end of all this stir and solemnity is^, that all the sins, I say, all the sins of God's universal church, are by the one and only sacrifice, once only offered, most perfectly blotted out* and absolutely purged. Let us, therefore, hear the very words of the Holy Ghost, which speaketh in the scripture most plainly and evidently, saying: First, "And the high [i-cv.xvi. 21, priest shall confess over the goat all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their trespasses and all their sins." Secondly, "And the goat shall bear upon him all their misdeeds into the desert." Thirdly, "The same day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord." Fourthly, " And let this be an everlasting ordinance unto you, to cleanse the children of Israel from all their sins once every year." But who is so very a sot or dull head as to think, that all the sins of the people are washed away with the blood of beasts ? "If," saith the apostle, "they had once fully cleansed sins, then [n,.b. x. would they have ceased to oifer any more." By this cere- ' '' raony, therefore, the mystery of Christ to come was beaten into all men's brains, and once every year laid forth to the eyes of all men to behold. For of this ceremony did Zachary borrow his prophecy of Christ, in his third chapter, where zech. lii. he saith : " Behold, I bring forth the Branch, my servant. For, lo, the stone that I lay before Josua, upon one stone shall be seven eyes : behold, I will cut the graving thereof, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will take away the sin of this land in one day." The Lord doth promise the Messiah, which was prefigured by the priests, and especially by ^ the high priest Josua. Christ is the stone, upon which the eyes of all men are stedfastly fixed, as upon their only Saviour. He is digged in, and cut, in his passion; and by suffering and dying once he purgcth the sins of all the earth.
Of this ceremony, and of this place of scripture, did Paul, the holy apostle of Christ, borrow his whole discourse almost in his epistle to the Hebrews, touching the sacrifice of Christ once offered for all the sins of the whole world : in which discourse he doth very often repeat out of the law the word "once," and that with a certain emphatical vchemency.
[^ omnium, Lat. ; stir and solemnity, not in Lat.] [» c medio siddata, Lat.] [•' of, ed. 1587.]
200 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
Theoniy Now, to appoliit other priests, to institute another time,
Christ is and to ordain another manner of sacrifice, is utterly to kick
wodd"'*^ at, and tread under foot, this heavenly and most evident
truth. But this doctrine of the only sacrifice of Christ
is the true, ancient, sound, unreproveable, and everlasting
doctrine : by which all they are saved that are saved, and
by which all they have been saved, that have been saved since
the beginning of the world. The enemies or adversaries
of this doctrine Paul, the apostle of Christ and the Gentiles,
(whose skill in the law was inferior to no man^^s,) doth call
[icor.xvi. fools, mad, unconstant, light-headed, carried with every puff of
■2-2 ; -2 Cor. xi. . / . ' O J I
ji' ■)'^ iii^'f '.I- "^^1"^' "vvickcd, apostates, which have revolted from Christ, liars, I i ^HiiL hl' ^^^^® prophets, false apostles, deceivers, schismatics, dogs, en- -■^ chanters, witches, detestable, and cursed. Therefore, if an angel
from heaven teach us any otherwise, let him be to us accursed.
Yet by the way this must not be concealed, that in that yearly sacrifice it was required and looked for at men's hands, first, that they should confess their sins ; then, that they should be sorry in their minds, in good earnest and indeed, for their sins committed ; and lastly, that they should keep sabbath, — I do not mean an idle resting from honest business, but a quietness in the faith of Christ and a ceasing from ill deeds. "Whosoever doth so prepare himself in the feast of atonement, that is, in the time of the preaching of the grace of God through Christ, he is without doubt throughly cleansed by that only sacrifice of Christ Jesus : of which I have hitherto not without good cause spoken so largely as you perceive that I have. For this one place doth give a wonderful light both to the understanding of many places in the scriptures, and also of the mystery of our re- demption, and of Christ our lledeemer, so plainly, that no other place' doth so clearly expound, set forth, and lay them open before our eyes to be seen and looked on : it doth also teach us to understand the words of Christ our Lord in the [John V. 45, gospel of St John, where he saith, " There is one which accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye hope: for had ye beheved Moses, ye would then have believed me ; for he wrote of me." wiI^um,'*'" -^^^"^ ^'^^'^^ ^^^^ sacrifice of atonement and the other cleans-
water ot'' ^"g sacrifices we do advisedly number the sacrifice of the red [' vix alius, Lat. ; scarce any other.]
VI.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 201
COW ; I mean, of the cleansino:, or of the cleansino^ or lioly separation.
' ' O/ O J an,) the water
water, that was ordained against all sorts of defilings and SeMil'ctheV uncleannesses. For there were sundry kinds of uncleannesses; S't'wlJs^sprT- of which there is a large discourse to be seen in Moses his law : LpamTcTror and by them is laid before us the type of our corrupt nature fhe'Jltt'o'r'" and continual sins. There is fully described, in the nineteenth tin by it chapter of the book of Numbers, first the very ceremony and cieanstu. sacred rite; then is declared the manner how to make the holy cleansing water against all defilings; lastly is added the use and efi'ect of that holy water.
There was brought to Eleazar the priest a red cow with- xhe sacrifice out spot, which never felt the yoke, and that was out ofww/"' hand carried out and slain without the host. Part of the blood was saved by the priest, and with his finger he sprin- kled it seven times towards the tabernacle of appointment : but the whole cow he burnt with fire, so that no part of it was left ; and into the fire he cast cedar-wood, hyssop, and a scarlet lace. This being once done, the priest did wash himself in water, and in his stead came another that was clean-, who, gathering the ashes, did lay them up in a clean place. Therefore, so often as need required, they did put off those ashes into an earthen vessel, into which they poured running water ^; and in that sort was the holy cleansing water always prepared, which they did sprinkle with a sprinkler made of hyssop upon all such as were defiled. This was the manner and ceremony of the cleansing, the use and end whereof doth immediately follow.
The apostle Paul doth testify, that the circumstances of this ceremony did lay before us a most evident type of Jesus Christ : for in the ninth chapter to the Hebrews he saith : " If the ashes of a young cow, sprinkled, doth sanctify them Heb. ix. that are partakers of it to the purifying of the flesh, how much more the blood of Christ!" Therefore both the priest and the cow did bear the type of Christ. The female kind in the cow doth note the infirmity of man's nature ; the red colour doth admonish us of the Lord his blood, by which we are washed from our uncleanncss. There was no spot to be found in Christ ; for he was the Holy of holies, and altogether free from and without all sin. He was not brought to death by the yoke of necessity ; for he offered himself unto it of ['- vir mundus,Tjat.] [•'' aqua viva, Lat.]
202 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
his own free will : yea, he offered himself willingly to go to his death, and that too without the host or walls of the city, in the mount of Calvary : which thing the apostle Paul doth touch in the thirteenth to the Hebrews. Christ, both God and man, was wholly oiFered in body and soul : whose blood is wholesome^ for us, if by the Holy Ghost it be sprinkled in our hearts. The faithful also must die with Christ ; they must be humbled, and burn in love to God- ward as red as scarlet ^ : and that was the meaning of the cedar- wood, the hyssop, and the scarlet lace, which were cast into the fire.
Moreover, the ashes which came of the sacrifice were gathered up and preserved to purify and cleanse withal. Those ashes were nothing else but the type or figure of the effect of Christ his death or sacrifice ; I mean, the very cleans- ing and remission of our sins. For therefore did blood and water gush abundantly out of the pierced side of Christ^, that we might learn that out of the death of Christ doth flow our cleansing and our life : for in blood life doth consist, and water purgeth and is a sign of cleansing. The ashes were gathered by a man that was clean, who nevertheless was made, and did remain, unclean until the evening. Finally, the water was sprinkled with a sprinkler made of hyssop upon the defiled, to the end that thereby he might be sanctified or purged. The water was kept in an holy place : for marga- rites^ and that which is holy, ought not to be cast to dogs and filthy swine. The Lord also doth require preachers to teach the effect of Christ his passion, and in the contemptible and lowly ^ preaching of the gospel to lay before the world our redemption and sanctification in the death and blood of Christ : he doth require, I say, such holy teachers as are themselves faithful and cleansed in the blood of Christ. And yet those teachers, with the whole church beside, do even till
[1 salutaris, Lat.]
[2 ardere amore divino ct extolli, Lat. 'As red as scarlet,' is the translator's addition.]
[^ morientis et jam extincti Cliristi, Lat. ; of Christ, when dying, and now already dead.]
[< margarit.ic, Lat.; pearls, IMatth. vii. 6.]
[5 coram mundo, Lat. ; as tlio world esteems it. The translator missed the meaning of these words, when he rendered them, "to lay before the workl." BuUinger had in his mind 1 Cor. i, 20 — 29.]
VI.] THE CEREMONIAL lAWS OF GOD. 203
the evening, I mean, the ending of their lives, pray still, "Forgive us our trespasses." For the Lord himself said ; "He [Johnxiiu that is washed is clean, and hath no need but to wash his feet only." To this do appertain the often washings used in this ceremony, which signify that by the grace of God all sins are purged ; that the saints have always an holy care to watch against the assaults of sin ; and that those sins are cleansed none other ways but by the water of Christ his grace. Lastly, it is most often and earnestly repeated in the law, that they all remain unclean, how many soever, being once defiled, are not again cleansed with the holy water of separation. For the Lord said to Peter, "Unless I wash thee, thou shalt have [Johnxiii.a.] no part with me."
My meaning is not to run through every particular point of this ceremony, but to touch the especial matters only. Therefore now I proceed to that which remaineth.
To these cleansing sacrifices may also be added the sacri- sacrifices for fices whereby the bodily defilings, which were figures of the of 'the bodf". defilings of sin, were purified and cleansed : of which sort were the defilings of the seed, the eating and touching of unclean creatures, the leprosy, and of the woman in child-bed : all which ISIoses doth largely handle from the twelfth of Leviticus unto the fifteenth of the same. And in all this there is nothing else prefigured to the church of God but our natural corrup- tion and original wickedness, with the free cleansing of the same by the grace of God in the blood of Christ our Saviour. With these we may also number the sacrifice of jealousy ; The sacrifice which is thoroughly treated of in the fifth chapter of Numbers : although the manner and order thereof seemeth rather to belong unto the judicial laws of God.
The fourth kind of sacrifices was the sacrifice of thanks- The sacrifice
_ of tlianl<.sgiv-
giving*', which they called sGhelamim, or scholomim' , the '"g- sacrifice of health, or the peace-oiFering : for it was oflfered to give thanks withal, to wit, either for the recovery of health, or for felicity and prosperity ; I mean, when they had received some good turn at the hands of God, or else by his aid had escaped the brunt of some mishap or evil fortune. In this sacrifice they used a beast either of the herd or of the [c sacrificium eucharistioc, gratiarum actionis, vcl gratulatorium, Lat.]
204 THE TFIIRD DECADE. [SEHM.
fold: it was not lawful to offer birds; for it was done either with a bullock or an heifer, with a male or a female lamb, or with an he or she-goat. It was slain before the atrium: the hide or skin thereof was the priest's fee. The blood was sprinkled about the altar. The kidneys, the caul of the liver, the rump of the lamb, and all the fat, was burnt upon the altar of burnt-offerings. The right shoulder was heaved, the breast was waved toward the ends of the world^. (For Thnima and tkruma and tJimipha^, that is, the heaving and waving, were
thnupha. -^ ' o . , , ° .
not kinds of sacrifices, but ceremonies only, which the priests did use in making their sacrifices and oblations. By the heaving was signified, that Christ should be heaved or lifted up, and that he, being once lifted up, should draw all men unto him. The waving of the breast toward every part of the world was a token, that the preaching of Christ should be spread in every corner of the world.) The breast and the shoulder were both the priest's portion, together with the jaw- bone and the paunch or belly. The rest of the flesh returned to him that made the oblation, and was eaten by him in an holy banquet. The remnant of ceremonies belonging to this [Leyj- vii. sacrifice are to be found in the third chapter of Leviticus. For if it were thoda^, a confession, a praise, or a protestation, then was added to the sacrifice a cake of pure wheat flour and salt steeped in oil, or sodden cracknels, or bread baken in pans : part whereof was heaved, and fell to the priest's share ; the rest returned to the offerer, even as also leavened bread was allowed to be eaten in the banquet.
Now in this kind of sacrifice also Christ was preached, with the effect and power of his death and passion ; and in it was shewed the whole manner and order of giving thanks to God for his good benefits. There are sundry sorts of benefits. If a man received a good turn, if an ill turn had not befallen him, if he had recovered his health or had escaped some misfortune, he offered a sacrifice to the Lord. There are also other ancient benefits common to all men'; as, that God
[1 in cardines miindi, Lat.]
[2 n^^nJI, <* heave-ofering. ("12^3^1, ivamng, shah'mg of sacrifices before Jehovah, a particular rite in oircring. Gesenius, Ilcb. and Eng. Lex. in voc]
[^ mij^ Ileb. confession, praise.]
[' common to all men, not in Lat.]
VI.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 205
hath made the world and all that is therein ; and that through Christ he hath redeemed all the faithful : there are daily benefits ; yea finally, all things are full of God's good benefits. For all which benefits we must off'cr our sacrifice to God alone, and not to any creatures which he hath made : yea, we must offer to him with all our hearts ; all our affections must be hallowed to the Lord. For out of the beasts which were sacrificed to the Lord for thanksgiving, those parts were chosen and given to the Lord in which the especial power of life consisteth. For in the kidneys is the power of generation; in the blood the vital spirit ; in the liver the spring of all the blood, &c. Now we must give thanks by a sacrifice, that is, by Christ, for^ we are saved for Christ his sake; and all good things are bestowed on us by God, not for our own sakes, nor for any creatures' sakes, but for Christ his sake, our only Saviour and Redeemer. To them which oft'ered was allowed a sober and merry banquet, because the felicity of those that are not unthankful is for the most part augmented two-fold double. And the knowledge of Christ is a delicate banquet and a continual feast.
With the sacrifices of thanksgiving those offerings do xhefree-wiu- much agree which are called vows and free-will-offerings*^. The free-will-offering was that which proceeded of mere good will and devotion of the mind, without necessity or compulsion of any law or ordinance ; as when a servant giveth to his master the thing that he oweth him not, for a declaration only of the good will that he beareth unto him. But herein the free-will-ofterings do differ from the sacrifice of thanks- giving ; because in the sacrifice of thanksgiving charge was given, that whatsoever was left, which was not spent the first day, should not be eaten on the morrow, but be burnt with fire : on the other side, in the free-will-ofterings it was lawful for them to eat the remnant upon the second day, and^ to burn then* leavings upon the third day. Now the vowed sacrifices were those which were offered by covenant to the Lord ; as for example, a man, being in peril, doth vow to make a sacrifice to God, if he be delivered out of that im- minent danger : it falleth out that he is delivered, and he
[^ porro, Lat. ; further.]
[•^ "113, a vow, ("7113 a voluntary offering.]
[' jubcbautur, Lat.j tliey were commanded.]
206 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
for his delivery doth offer up the sacrifice : the thing that is so offered is called a vowed sacrifice. The ceremonies of the twain 1 did wholly agree with the sacrifice of thanksgiving. More of them is to be seen in the seventh chapter of Levi- ticus.
The meaning of these sacrifices was, that all good benefits are bestowed upon us for Christ his sake ; and^ with those benefits we receive the very good will which we have to serve the Lord.
Thus much have I hitherto said touching the sacrifices of the people of God : not that I have touched every point, but so many only as are of most importance. In these sacrifices, as in a Hvely action, were set forth Christ our Lord, his passion, and the effectual merit of his death : so that we may call the holy actions of the sacrifices sermons upon the passion of Christ, and instructions^ of our redemption by our Lord and Saviour.
Now, for because we have already spoken hitherto of vowed sacrifices, we must here consequently borrow leave, for a digression, to say somewhat of their usual vows. For vows belong to the Jewish ceremonies. Of the making, per- forming, and redeeming of vows there is a large discourse in the law of God, but especially in the twenty-seventh of Leviticus. To vow is to promise any thing^ with an oath solemnly, either for our own or another's welfare. And therefore a vow was an action referred to God alone, and that too in an holy and lawful thing. But in vows there was a difference; because vowed things were divided into four kinds : for sometimes they vowed men, sometimes they vowed other living things, sometimes houses, and some- times lands or other immoveable substance^. Again, there was a difference in men according to their ages, and after^ their ages they might be redeemed. For clean living crea- tures there was no redemption permitted at all. It was free either to leave their houses to the use of the ministery, or else to redeem them with such a sum as the priest should
[} of the twain, not in Lat.]
[2 atque adeo, Lat.; and so too.]
[3 catcchescs, Lat.] [•* Deo, Lat.; imto God.]
[5 res inanimcs, Lat.; lifeless things.]
[c juxta, Lat.; according to.]
VI.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 207
value them at". In lands, redemption was sometimes ad- mitted, and sometimes not admitted. And in the thirtieth chapter of the book of Numbers there is a precise command- ment given touching the votaries, when their vows are of force, and when of small effect ; where it is diligently beaten into their heads, that vows lawfully made to God are not to be called back again, but straitly kept and throughly per- formed. Eash or unlawful vows the Lord did never like of nor receive.
Of the lawful vows, and such as are made to the true and only God, the prophet speaketh, where he saith, "MakciPs. vows, and pay them." We read not that any of the godly sort did make any vows to any saints or any other creatures; neither that they vowed any thing that was not in their power to vow, nor that which was contrary to the will of God to whom they vowed it, nor that which was to their neighbour's hinderance, nor the thing that had not in it some evident commodity. And verily, these kinds of vows were for none other cause permitted to the Israelites till the time of amendment, but that they should remain in the worship of one true God, and not make their vows to any other strange God.
To the treatise of vows belongcth the discipline and The disci order of the Xazarites ; of which there is a large discourse Nazarues. in the sixth chapter of the book of Numbers. The Nazarites were those who, because they would the more freely, without let, attend upon God's service, or else because they had heretofore Uved too licentiously, did of their own accord and will take upon them a more strict and severe trade of life than the common people used, and kept it for a discipline, to make other men to follow their example of virtue and honest living. Whereupon it cometh to pass, that some do take the Nazarites to have their name of separation, because Nazir among the Hebrews signifieth a separation ; and that the Nazarites, separating themselves from the common trade of life that other men did lead, did give themselves to a peculiar form of living for God and godliness' sake. That severe and strict disciphne did continue in some by the length of all their lifetime, as in Samson and Samuel.
Moreover, such as did wholly give themselves to the [7 sostimationc sequa, Lat. ; fair valuation.]
the
208 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
Ltm"iv''7'i ' ^^"^y ^^ the scriptures were, by the prophets Amos and Jeremy, because of their most temperate life (which is required of students), and because they were wholly dedicated to the ministry of God, called Nazarites. Sometimes also it did endure but for the space of certain days or months. These Nazarites did abstain, according to the commandment of the law, from certain things, from which they were not barred by any other law, and which were not unlawful for other men to use which were without the necessity of that vow. First of all they abstained from wine, from all things that the vine brought forth, and whatsoever else did make men drunken. But it is manifest, that as wine is the good creature of God, so no drink is forbidden by the law. Yet for because the Nazarites were consecrated to the Lord, and sanctified by a certain peculiar kind of living ; and for because wine is the means that leadeth to drunkenness, which is the gulf of all sin and filthiness ; therefore did the Nazarites not without a cause abstain from wine. They did also take heed of idleness, the mother of mischief, and utterly despised all worldly pleasures. Furthermore, so long as the time of their vow endured, they did not chp their hair, but let their locks grow out a length. And thereupon, as some do think, they took their names, and were called Nazarites : for insomuch as Nazer signifieth hair, they suppose that they were called Nazarites, as who should say, long-locked or shaggy-haired peopled But the apostle Paul biddeth the woman to pray, or to come into the congregation to hear a sermon, with her head covered, for none other cause, but for that she is not in her own power, but subject to another, that is, to her husband. And therefore the Nazarites did let their hair grow, because by the vow which they had made to God they were no longer in their own power, but were wholly yielded into the power of God. And the head, which is the tower of the body and the most excellent part thereof, being covered- with a bush of hair, was a token that the whole man was by vow given to the Lord, to whom alone he ought to have an eye, and upon whom alone he ought wholly to depend. Moreover it
[1 *10 consecration, lloncamciou. the consecrated head {oi a.'^azvi- ritc) ; — and even (the primary idea being neglected), the lonrj, unshorn hair (of a woman). Gesenius, lleb. and Eng. Lex. in voc]
[2 veluti obvclata, Lat, ; covered as witli a veil.]
VI.] THE CEIIEMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 209
was required at the hands of the Nazarlte, that he should not defile himself with the contagious company of wicked and naughty persons. AVhereunto also belongeth the command- ment, which charged the Nazarite not to be present at the death or burial of his parents, or children, or wife, or breth- ren, or sisters. For he ought to settle the eyes of his mind upon God alone, and in comparison of him to set light by and loathe the things which were most dear and precious unto him. But if it so fell out, that^ at unawares he were defiled by seeing of a dead body ■*, he was not therefore acquitted of his vow, as one whose former life had been sufiicicnt for tho performance of the same : for he was commanded to sanctify himself the seventh day, and then to undertake the keeping of his vow again.
By all this we may plainly perceive what and how great samson a the sin of Samson was, who was a Nazarite to the Lord. the^Lord ■" For because he did not only lurk in the brothel-house with he sinned. the harlot, but did also bewray the secret of God unto her, and cast behind him the covenant made with God, whereof his hair was a sure testimony ; therefore did the Lord forsake him, and that wonderful strength which he had from heaven was clean taken from him. For the strength of Samson lay not in his hair, so that by the cutting off his hair his strength was cut away also ; but it lay in the Spirit of the Lord, which was given him from God above. And therefore do we find this sentence so often in the scripture, "And the Spirit of the rjudg. xiu. Lord came upon Samson." Therefore when the Spirit of igj'xty'u'.] God departed, his strength departed also: but it departed from him, when he, being wholly joined unto the harlot, was made one soul with her, and did prefer her before God and his commandment, so that he suffered his hair to be polled, and utterly revolted from the ordinance of the Lord : for by that means did the Spirit of God forsake him. Where- upon immediately after he was brought into the hands of his enemies the PhiUstines ; where when he was miserably vexed, and when he heard the name of God evil spoken of^ and blasphemed because of his captivity, he repented heartily, and
[3 vel, Lat. ; even at.]
[■1 super mortuo, Lat. ; by a dead body. Seeing of, not in Lat.] [5 Rather, and when on his account the name of God (male audirct, Lat.) was evil spoken of.]
[bullixgek, II. J
210 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
called upon the name of the Lord : whereby it came to pass, that, when his hair grew forth again, his strength returned ; that is, the Spirit of the Lord came upon him again, being brought unto him, not by the growing of his hairs, but by his repentance and earnest calling upon the Lord. K^either did Samson desire to revenge his own private injury so much as to suppress the blasphemous mouths, and to deliver the people of God^ from fear and slavery. The strength of God, there- fore, returned again, wherewith he bending the pillars of the theatre was himself slain with the fall of the palace, and at his death slew many mo than he had killed in all his life time before.
But now we return again to the purpose, to add the other ceremonies that do belong to the exposition of the vow of the Nazarites.
When the time was expired, therefore, which the Nazarite had taken upon him for to observe, he came to the taber- nacle of the Lord, and offered the sacrifices that are prescribed in the law : whereby he testified that he was a sinner, and plainly confessed that all goodness and virtue 2, that was to be found in him, was given and bestowed from God above. And therefore he polled his head, and cast his hair into the fire^ wherein the peace-offering was a burning. At last, when all this was in this manner accomplished, it was lawful for the Nazarite, as one loosed of his bonds, to return unto his old life again. Thus much hitherto touching the disciphne of the Nazarites. Of the clean Now touching; the clean and unclean, there is a long dis-
and unclean . rt-nr t • n • ^• ^
creatures. course m tlio law of Moscs. I in my former treatise did lightly touch and pass over some certain things ; but now at the last (for here I mean to make an end to speak of ceremo- nial laws) I will add somewhat touching the choice of meats, I mean, of clean and unclean meats,
God, verily, in the beginning created all things ; and he so created them, that, as the Creator is good, even so all his creatures even at this day are good also : neither doth he gainsay himself now, when he forbiddeth certain meats, as
[1 ad quos vocatus fucrat, Lat. omitted; unto whom lie had been called.]
[2 id est, si quid virtutis, Lat. ; that is, whatever virtue.] [3 craticulam, Lat. ; gridiron.]
VI.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 211
though somewhat of itself were unclean. There are other mysteries, that lie hidden under this doctrine of the choice of meats.
The laws, which are given touching meats and victuals, why ond seem to be small and of little value ; but it pleased the Lord in eating of''
111- •! 11' certain
a small thmg to admonish us what we have to do m a greater, "'^au. and that even in the smallest things the authority of his God- head ought to be regarded. For the authority of the law dependeth upon God : God is the lawgiver, and the law is his invention. This suppresseth the malapertness of mortal men, which maketh, undoeth, and every day deviseth new laws and ordinances. Therefore God in these kind of laws doth commend to his people faithful obedience to be shewed unto him : even as, in the beginning, he commanded Adam not to taste of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, requiring thereby faithful obedience to be shewed unto him. Verily, the obedience and faith, which was in the Maccabees, in old Eleazar, and in certain other godly men, that stood The constant
... Ill- i" 1 • 1 1 1 obedience of
agamst kmor Antiochus, even to the shcddmg oi their blood t^ertain hoiy
~ ~ o men, who
and suffering of most bitter death, did please the Lord ex- fj'om'th^ngs ceedingly. Other more abstained from swine's flesh, where- ""jlac^ji.s; by they obtained neither praise nor glory among wicked &c!t%ii!i '"' men*. When the word of God saith that a thing is holy, it is holy indeed ; and that, because he is holy that commandeth it. AVhen God saith that any thing is unclean, it is unclean indeed, so that to eat any thing against the word of God is to defile the eater. " Ye now," saith the Lord in the Gospel, [Johnxv. 3.] " are clean because of the word which I said unto you." It is needful, therefore, that we believe the word of God, and that obedience go before faith ^ ; and then it cannot be but that the deed or work that is of faith, as Eleazar's was, who would not taste the swine's flesh, must needs be accept- able unto God, with whom whatsoever is not of faith is sin ^R"™- ''•v. and wickedness.
Moreover, the Lord in'' these laws of his touching the abstaining from the flesh of certain hving creatures had a great respect unto the health and soundness of mortal men's
[* among wicked men, not in Lat.]
[5 et pra?ccdat obedicntia fidei, Lat. ; the obedience of faith go before.]
[8 in quibusdam, Lat. ; in somo of.]
14—2
212 THE THIRD DECADE. [sEUM.
bodies. For some of those which he forblddeth to be eaten are by physicians^ scarcely thought to be wholesome for our bodies. And thereupon the saints do gather this syllogism : If God hath care for the health of our bodies, he is far more careful verily for the preservation of our souls. What may be thought of this, that many nations have tempered ^ themselves from the eating and touching of some living creatures? Therefore, that the people of Israel, who of themselves were sufficiently superstitious and curious enough, should not be their own carvers, and invent such toys as they thought best, God gave them such laws for choice of their meat as did contain hidden mysteries in them, thereby to draw them from their own devices, and to sever them from all other nations ; as Moses testifieth in the fourteenth chapter of Deuteronomy, saying : " Thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord thy God hath chosen thee from among all the nations upon the face of the whole earth, to be a peculiar people unto himself." To St Peter^ in the Acts of the Apostles, a vision is shewed, wherein by the unclean beasts are meant the Gentiles. Lastly, God would have the nature and disposition of the beasts, that he forbad to be eaten, to be throughly scanned. For in their diet at the table he did by figures lay before their eyes the heavenly philosophy, giving them occasion, even in their meat, to think and speak of the true holiness of the mind, to the end that men should not be filthy, impudent, foul, and unclean. And therefore is this clause so many times ILev. xix. 2; repeated, " t the Lord your God am holy ;" as if he should 8.&C.]' say : All these ceremonies tend to this end, that ye may give yourselves to holiness. Wherefore in those figures he taught the godly what to follow, and what to fly from.
Now in the law of the clean and unclean he doth first of all put certain gcncrahties ; then he dcscendcth by spe- cialities, and doth in a bcadrow* reckon up certain particular things in a very natural course and order. The place is at the full set out in the eleventh chapter of Leviticus and the fourteenth of Deuteronomy. Those beasts were allowed
[1 ct a incdicis, Lat.]
[2 sibi tompcrarunt, Lat. ; have abstained.]
[3 certe, Lat.; without a doubt.]
[■* per catalogum, Lat.]
VI.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 213
to be eaten, which cleave tlie hoof, and chaw tlie cud. Ilcrc are two things set down, in which the duty of a good man is notably contained : for if we will be clean, we must divide the hoof, and also chaw the cud. Our affection is the foot of our minds, which aifcction must not be followed. We must have discretion in all things to judge betwixt affec- tions. And as in a cleft there be two parts or sides, the right and the left ; so a good man chooseth the good, and flicth from the evil. Chawing of the cud is our judgment. For wo must not admit everything which we hear and see, but those things only which we have examined exactly, and found to be contrary neither to God nor to his law.
There are then repeated many living things particularly, which were not lawful to be eaten among the people of the Lord. Those were either four-footed beasts upon the earth, or fishes, or birds, or such as creep upon the ground. Of four-footed beasts four by name we are especially forbidden : the camel, whose long and lofty neck doth teach us, that pride and arrogancy must be eschewed^; the coney, or the moun- tain mouse^ ; for God doth utterly mislike the men that are altogether overwhelmed, like coneys, in the earth, and never lift up their minds unto heaven'^ ; the hare, a fearful beast, which doth warn us to shake off all cowardly fearfulness ; even as also the hog doth put us in mind to avoid all un- cleanness ; for a hog is the very type and picture of nasty filthiness, and of it doth the byword rise, to call an uncleanly person a beastly swine ^. And of Circe the fable goeth, that she with her enchantments did turn Ulysses his men into a sort of loathly hogs^. Furthermore of fishes, so much was allowed for meat, as was found to have fins and scales upon them : if they lacked either of them, they were forbidden ; as the eel, which though it hath fins yet lacketh it scales, and therefore was not to be eaten. For as the bodies of fishes are ruled with the fins, so must the whole man be go- verned by hope'". The scales are hard and cover the body :
[s modis omnibus, Lat. ; by all means.]
[6 ]r){j^^ the jerboa. The name is probably derived from tlio
animal's hurrowinrj. Lee's Lex. in voc] [7 and never — heaven, not in Lat.]
[8 qui et proverbiis locum dedit, is the Lat. of this sentence.] [9 Horn. Od. Lib. x.] [lo spc firma, Lat.]
214 THE THIRD DECADK. [sEUM,
and we, unless we be constant and patient in the Lord's work, are worthy to be abhorred of the Lord our Maker. Of birds those are forbidden, which are the greatest raveners, devourers ; which love and live by unclean meats ; which fly abroad at owl-light, at midnight, and in the dark ; and such as are crafty, unstable, and nothing cheerfuP. Herein there- fore is commended unto us well-doing, abstinence, temperance, simplicity, light, constancy, cheerfulness, soundness and pure- ness of living. Lastly, of such as creep by the ground no small number are noted : for men altogether wrapped in worldly muck do utterly displease the Lord.
I have of purpose not reckoned up all the names of the forbidden creatures, partly because it would have been too tedious unto you, and partly because the interpreters of the Bible do wonderfully stick^ in the interpretation of their names : so that I can never marvel enough at the extreme blind stubbornness of the Jewish people, in keeping so strictly the choice of their meats, when their own rabbins do stick, and cannot tell certainly what creatures they be that the Lord did forbid them.
To this belongeth, that even before the law, in the time of Noah, God did forbid to eat the blood and the flesh with
The eating of the blood of any thing torn by wild beasts, or strangled.
strangled is Bcforo the deluo;e the fathers did eat the herbs and fruits of
forbidden. '^
the earth. After the flood they had leave given to eat the flesh of living creatures ; but so yet, that they should cut the throat off, and drain the blood out of the body. The place is extant in the ninth chapter of Genesis. Moreover, in the law Lev. xvii. the Lord with great severity saith : "Whatsoever man it be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eatetli any manner of blood, I will set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people." Leviticus xvii. And the same law is repeated in the nine- teenth chapter of the same book, and in the twelfth and fif- teenth chapter of Deuteronomy. It is again rehearsed in the third and seventh chapter of Leviticus. Neither is it without very just and great causes, that he did so severely forbid the eating of blood. For first of all, after the words above re- hearsed, he addcth immediately : "For the life of the flesh is in the blood ; and I have given it unto you upon the altar, to [1 alacres, Lat.] [2 laborant ac variant, Lafc.]
VI.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 215
make an atonement for your souls : for blood shall make an atonement for the soul. Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Let no soul among you eat blood, &c." Lo, in these words a most evident reason is given why it was not lawful to eat blood ; because blood was the most excellent and precious thing, as that which was ordained for the sanctifica- tion of mankind. For God gave blood to be as the price, wherewith sins should be cleansed ; to be, I say, the price of redemption, whereby men should be absolved of their sins. Blood also is the life, that is, the nourishment of life.
The blood, therefore, was a sign of the blood of Christ, that was to be shed upon the cross : by which, as by a most full and absolute atonement, the faithful are cleansed and thoroughly sanctified ; and in which is the nourishment of the soul to life everlasting : and as it was not lawful to eat the flesh of the sacrifices, whose blood was carried into the sanctum^ for sin, but to burn it without the host; so it was unlawful to eat the* blood, which ^ was the cleansing for their sins. He therefore did eat blood, which attributed to his own strength or works the atonement which was made by the blood of Christ, esteeming his blood to be profane, and not attributing unto it the full satisfaction for all sins. Again, he did not eat, but pour the blood down at the altar, who did ascribe the benefit of our redemption to the only merit of Christ, and did esteem it of so great value as it ought by right to be esteemed.
Lastly, God would have it deeply printed in the minds of men, that no man should shed another's blood, nor live of the blood and bowels of other men : as mercenary soldiers, covetous persons, usurers, and cozeners do, in sucking out and shedding the blood of silly people with subtle sleights and open injury. And God, talking with Noah, did with terrible threats^ beat into all murderers an horrible fear, saying: " If ^oen. ix. men be slack, I will take vengeance upon the shedding of blood." For man was made to the image and likeness of God : how can God choose then but take the reproach as done to himself, which is done unto his image? For whosoever
[3 in sancta, Lat. ; into the holy places.] [■* blood, not the blood.] [5 utpotc, Lat. ; inasmuch as it was.] [8 et rationibuB, Lat. ; and reasons.]
216 THE THIRD DECADE. [sEUM.
castetli down the image of the king, he offendeth against the king, and is accused of treason.
But now touching strangled, this law was given: "Eat not [Kxod.xxii. with blood." And again, "Eat not of that which dieth of 24 ; xfx.'aa] itself, nor of that which is torn with wild beasts, &c." But by strangled and carrion that dieth of itself are signified the dead works, from which he is bidden to purge himself ^ who- soever desircth to get God's favour. He therefore did eat strangled, whosoever did live in wickedness, without repentance, not regarding 2 the blood of Christ his Saviour. The touching Now also the touching of unclean things is set down in the things!^" law by these three notes; as if thou touchest an unclean thing, or if thou bear it, or if it fall by chance into some vessel or garment of thine. He verily is defiled by the falling of a thing, whosoever sinneth unwittingly. But he sinneth more heinously, whosoever sinneth^ willingly and of a set and pre- tended purpose*. But he sinneth most grievously of all, that upholdeth^ wickedness, and compelleth other to commit the
But whereas in touching, and in other places, it is said that the uncleanness shall abide till evening; that is an evident prophecy of Christ, to wit, that the Messiah should come at evening, that is, in the end of the world, to purge the sins of all the earth.
I have enough, and long enough, thus far by two whole sermons (I pray God it may be to your profit, dearly beloved) stayed in and stuck upon the ceremonial laws : therefore, that I may now come to an end, I will bring the chief points whereof I have spoken into a brief sum. I did divide the whole treatise of the ceremonial laws into three especial branches : for I spake of the holy persons, of the holy time and place, and of the holy things which the holy persons did exercise in the sacred place ; I mean, the sacraments, the sacrifices, and other holy ceremonies. The holy persons are the priests : I shewed you their first beginning, their ordering, their mystical apparel, and their sundry offices. When I spake of the holy time and place, I did describe unto you the taber-
[1 per divinam gratiam, Lat. ; by the grace of God.]
[2 ncquc magnopero curabat, Lat.]
[^ sciens, Lat. omitted ; with knowledge.]
[•* dcdita opera, Lat.] p dcfendit, Lat.]
VI.] THE CEREMONIAL LAWS OF GOD. 217
nacle, and noted unto you what was within the tabernacle; to wit, the ark of the covenant, the golden table, the golden candlestick, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt-sacrifices, and the brasen laver : the mysteries of all which I declared unto you. In the treatise of the holy time I touched all the kinds of holy-days and solemn feast-days, with all their certain and uncertain holy-days. Last of all, in our discourse upon the holy things*^, I told you of the two sacraments of the old church, circumcision and the passover ; and also of the sacri- fices, whereof some were burnt-offerings, some meat-offerings, some peculiar, and some of thanksgiving "" ; wherein we spake somewhat also touching free-will-offerings and vowed sacri- fices: finally of vows, of the discipline^ of tlie Nazarites, of clean and unclean creatures, of the choice of meats, of blood and strangled, and of the touching of unclean things.
The Lord Jesus enlighten your hearts, that all this may tend to the glory of his name, and the health of your souls ! Amen.
OF THE JUDICIAL LAWS OF GOD. THE SEVENTH SERMON.
In prosecuting the treatise of God's laws, I have now lastly to speak of that sort which are called the judicial laws ; of which I will entreat, dearly beloved, as briefly as I can, so far forth as I shall be persuaded to be expedient for your edification. This treatise will not be unpleasant nor unpro- Tiiejudimi fitable to every zealous hearer, although it doth specially profi^'uie. belong to courts of law, where judgment is exercised ; for the judicial laws were with wonderful faith and diligence set out of God^ by the ministry of his servant JNloses ; and God is not wont to reveal any thing to mankind with so precise and exquisite diligence, unless it do directly tend to mankind's great commodity.
[•5 et cultum sacrum, Lat. ; and upon the holy worship.] [7 gratulatoria scu cucharistica, Lat.] [8 vel instituto, Lat. ; or institution.]
p ab Optimo ct sapientissimo Deo, Lat. ; of the most excellent and most wise God.]
218 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM-
Now although these judicial laws are very few in number, and not to be compared in multitude with the huge volumes of the laws and decrees of emperors, kings, and wisest sages ; yet do they in their short breviary contain the chief points of judgment and justice, and, in effect, as much almost as is contained in the books of the laws and constitutions of the emperors and civil lawyers. The good Lord would not by too long and burdensome a pack of laws be too burdenous and troublesome unto his people ; neither was it needful over curiously to stick upon every several thought of ill-disposed persons : it is sufficient for all wise men, people, and nations, if every one have so much law as is sufficient for the conser- vation of peace, civil honesty, and public tranquillity ; as all the holy scripture' wltnesseth that the people of Israel had. Most ancient Now thcso judicial laws are the most ancient, and very fountains of all other good laws which are to be found almost in all the world. JSIoses was before all other lawgivers that were of name and authority : among whom Mercurius^ Trls- meglstus and Rhadamanthus the Lyclan^ are thought to be the eldest. The Egyptians called their Mercurius by the name of Thoth, who, as Lactantius affirmeth, slew Argus that had so many eyes, and upon the murder fled into Egypt*. He wascaiied Nqw Argus and Atlas lived about the time of Cecrops Diphyes ; ordu"iicir ^^^ Cecrops is reported to have been in the same time that cause'h'e'first Moscs was^. Rhadamanthus also is supposed to have lived mati'i^ony after the days of Joshue, Moses his servant and successor.
among the
Grecians. [1 uiiiversa liistoria sacra, Lat. ; all the sacred history.]
[2 He is by Augustine (de Civit, Dei, Lib. xvm. cap. 8 and 39) made a late contemporary of Moses.]
[3 In Euseb. Chron. a.m. 3765 are placed " Rhadamanthus et Sar- pedon reges Lyciorum." Moses is there placed from a.m. 3608 to 3728. Augustine (de Civit. Dei, Lib. xviii. cap. 12.) places Rhada- manthus in the interval between the Exodus and the death of Joshua.]
[•* legislatorem suum, Lat. ; their lawgiver. Lactantius, on the authority of Cicero (de Nat. Deor. Lib. in.) having stated that there were five Mercuries, says : — quintum fuisse cum, a quo occisus sit Argus: ob camque causam in JEgyptum profugisse; atque yEgyptiis leges ac literas tradidisse. Ilunc J3gyptii Thoth appellant. — Lactant. Div. Instit. Lib. i. cap. 6. pp. 29, 30. Lugd. Bat. 1660.]
[6 Cecrops is placed by Abp. Usher, B.C. 1556, a little after the birth of Moses. In Euseb. Chron. under date A.M. 3615, it is said: Quid am scribunt Athlantem fratrem Promethei, ct Argum cuncta cer- nentem his fuisse temporibus ; alii vcro rotate Cecropis (i. e. a.m. 3640.)]
Vir.] THE JUDICIAL LAWS OF GOD. 219
But the most famous lawgivers of the greatest and most His image ancient nations did follow long after the death of Closes ; fLtes?or\Ivo" Draco and Solon among the Athenians, Minos with the Cretians, Charondas of the Tyrians [Thurians], Phoronaeus to the Argives, Lycurgus to the Lacedaemonians, Pythagoras to the Italians, Romulus and Numa unto the Romans. Plato writ of laws a little before the reign of Philip, king of Maccdon and fiithcr to Alexander the Greaf. And Cicero, Lib. n. de Legibus, saith : " I see therefore that the opinion of the wisest sort was, that law was neither invented by men's wits, nor yet was the decree or ordinance of people ; but a certain eternal thing, ruling the whole world with discretion to command or forbid, to do or leave undone. So they said that the chief and highest law is the wisdom of God, which commandeth or The Latin forbiddeth all things by reason. Whereupon that law, which nieritem oei, the gods have given to mankind, is rightly commended : for it J^,^f({J„n of is the reason and discretion of the wise which is able either to ^°'*- command or else forbid;" and so forth '^. Therefore the judicial laws of God are commended unto us, not so much for their antiquity, as for the authority which they have of God.
Now that we may plainly and distinctly discourse upon Tojudge, this matter, ye have to mark, that to judge is an action ; and fud"me^nt,
,. . . , I. . ,® . , ^antttheju-
m this treatise is taken lor an action done in the courts of ditiii laws
« . . . ^ , . v<-h3.t they be.
judgment : for it signineth to take up and determine of matters betwixt such as be at variance, or else upon the hearing of a cause to give sentence or judgment. Finally, to judge doth signify, to deliver them that be in danger, to relieve the oppressed, to defend the afflicted, and with punishment to keep under mischievous offenders. Judgment, therefore, is not the sitting or meeting of judges in assizes or sessions ; but is rather the very diligent discussing of causes, the giving of sentence according to right and equity by the laws of God, and also the assertion and defence whereby the good are delivered, and the punishment that is executed upon the ill-
[c Draco, B.C. 624. Solon, 594. IMinos is placed by Euseb. Cliron. thirty years later than Rhadamanthus. Charondas at Thurium, 446. Phoroncus is placed in Euseb. Chron. about the 110th year of Isaac's age. Lycurgus, 884. Pythagoras, 547. Romulus, 753. Numa, 715. Plato de Legibus, cir. 367. See also Polydor. Vergil, de rcr. invent. Lib. ir. cap. 1 ; and Augustin. de Civit. Dei. Lib. xvnr. cap. 3, 8, 25.]
[7 Cic. de Legib. Lib. n. cap. 4.]
The judicial laws belong to the ten command
220 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
disposed and wicked offenders. The judges are the over- seers of judgment and justice ; I mean, such as do justly according to the laws give sentence betwixt them that are at discord, which do defend and deliver the good, and punish and bridle the wicked. And so the judicial laws are those which inform the judges how to determine of controversies and questions, how to judge justly, how to punish the wicked, and how to defend the good, that peace, honesty, justice, and public tranquillity may be among all men ; which is the end and mark alone whereto both the judge and all the judicial laws do tend and are directed. For God, our good Lord and lawgiver, would have it to go well with man, that we may live happily, civilly, and in tranquillity. And therefore we do not in this treatise exclude the care and defence of pure rehgion, but do make it one of the especial points which the judicial laws do look unto.
And now even as the ceremonial laws, so also are the judicial laws added by God unto the ten commandments, to
ments'r""' oxpouud and confirm them therewithal. For the precepts of the ten commandments are the chief and principal precepts, whereunto we must refer all laws, as to the eternal mind or will of God. I think I need not to stand and shew you, dearly beloved, to what precepts of the ten commandments every several judicial law is to be referred : for that is very plain and evident to every one that will take but small pains to confer and lay them together. For the judicial laws that are set out against murder and injury are apper- taining to this precept : " Thou shalt do no murder." And whatsoever is spoken against adultery, fornication, and filthy lusts, are added to the commandment : " Thou shalt not commit adultery." Likewise, whatsoever is said in the ju- dicial laws against deceits, shifts, cozenings, and usury, do belong to the commandment : " Thou shalt not steal." Lastly, all the laws touching the bridling of heretics and suppressing of apostates by force arc set down to make plain the first, second, third, and fourth commandments of the first table : for some laws may be applied to more precepts than one of the ten commandments. But this is easy and plain to bo perceived of every man : therefore I will not stand any longer about it.
TJ^j<',|,']^^sof jv^Q^ fQj. because the judicial laws do first of all require
VII.] THE JUDICIAL LAWS OF GOD'. 221
judges, such, I mean, as should maintain and put the laws in execution (for the laws without executors seem to be dead, and on the other side are alive under a just magistrate, who is for that cause called the Hving law'); therefore before all other laws are placed those judicial laws which were given by God touching the magistrate or judges, with their office and election. Of their election thus we read: "Bring ye," [Oeut. i. n.] saith Moses to the people, " men of wisdom and of under- standing, and expert", according to your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you." Again: " I will make thee^ toeut. xvi. rulers and judges to judge the people, according to thy tribes, in all thy cities which the Lord thy God giveth thee." And yet again more plainly: " Seek" (saith Jethro, being [Exod. xviu. inspired from above, unto Moses) " out of all the people men "* ' of courage, and such as fear God, true men, hating covetous- ness," (to wit, such as hate to take money and bribes), " and make of them over the people rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens : and let them judge the people at all seasons. AVhich if thou dost, thou shalt both keep the ordinances of GodS and the people in peace and safety." To this doth belong that which we read in the book of Numbers, where Moses prayed, saying : *' Let [Num. xxvu. the God of the spirits of all flesh set a man over this con- ^'"~ gregation, which may go out and in before them ; that the congregation of the Lord be not as sheep without a shepherd.'*" Herein Moses hath left an example for us to imitate, in making our prayers to God for the election of our judges. For oftentimes our opinions or judgments of men do utterly deceive us ; but the God of spirits doth behold the minds and hearts, and knoweth what every one is in thoughts and inward meaning ^ He therefore must be besought to give and shew to us not hypocrites to be our judges, but men of truth and virtue. In the same place doth Moses leave to us the description of consecrating new chosen judges : for they ■were set before the Lord, and hands were laid upon them
[1 See Vol. I. p. 339.]
[2 spoctatfc probitatis viros, Lat. ; men of tried probity. Heb. and Auth. Vcr. known. Vulg. quorum convcrsatio sit probata.]
[3 Constitues tibi, Lat. ; thou sbalt make thco.]
[^ scrvabis instituta Dei, Lat. ; iinplebis imperiuin Dei, et proccepta ejus poteris sustcntare, Vulg.]
[5 intus ct in cute, Lat.]
222 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
•with making of prayers and supplications. Moreover the office of judge is very briefly, but yet in most effectual and absolute sentences, described of the Lord, by the mouth of
Deut. L 16, Moses, in these words : " Hear the causes of your brethren, and judge righteously betwixt every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him. Ye shall have no respect of any person^ in judgment : but hear the small and the great alike ; and fear not the face of any man : for the judgment
Deut.xvi. is God's," Again: "Judge the people with just judgment. Decline not in judgment^: have no respect of persons, neither take thou any bribes ; for rewards do blind the eyes of the wise, and doth pervert just causes. Do judgment with jus- tice, that thou mayest live, and possess the land which the
Lev. xix. Lord thy God shall give thee." And again : " Do no unjust thing in judgment; accept not the face of the poor, neither fear thou the face of the mighty, but judge thou justly unto thy neighbour." Again : " Thou shalt not have to do with a false report ; thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil ; neither shalt thou speak in a matter of justice according to the greater number for to pervert judgment :"" that is, if thou seest an innocent to be condemned of the multitude, do not thou therefore condemn him because the multitude hath con- demned him ; but judge thou justly, and commit not evil because of the many voices of the multitude. " Thou shalt not esteem a poor man in his cause : neither shalt thou hinder the poor of his right in his suit. Keep thee far from a false matter ; and the innocent and righteous see that thou slay not^ Thou shalt not oppress the stranger ; seeing ye your- selves were strangers in the land of Egypt."
And God verily, when he had delivered the people from the tyranny of the kings of Egypt, did not put them in sub- jection to kings again, nor burden them with the tributes which kings are wont to exact of their subjects : for he made them a commonweal, or an aristocracy, which was the most excellent kind of regiment, Avherein the choicest men in all
[1 non agnoscetis facies, Lat. ; yo shall not ackuowlcdgo faces, Auth. Ver. Marg.]
[2 no flectas judicium, Lat. ; thou shalt not wrest judgment. Auth. Ver,]
[3 Non enim justificabo impiura, Lat. omitted by the translator; for I will not justify tho wicked.]
-3, 6, 7, 9.]
The institu- tion of a king and of princes.
VII.] THE JUDICIAL LAWS OF UOD. 223
the multitude were picked out to bear the sway and to rule the rest : but yet because he was not ignorant of his people's foolishness, and that they, being weary of their liberty, would crave a king (which thing he did afterward also dissuade them from* by his servant Samuel), he made laws for a king isam vui. also, that he might understand that he was to live under the laws, and to give judgment according to the laws. The dis- cipline or institution of a king is thus expressed in the seven- teenth chapter of Deuteronomy : " When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God givcth thee, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me ; then thou shalt make him king over thee, whom the Lord thy God shall choose. One from among the midst of thy brethren shalt thou make king over thee ; and thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not of thy brethren. But he shall not gather many horses unto himself, nor bi'ing the people back again into Egypt, to increase the number of horses ; " that is, to get himself a strong troop of horsemen : "forasmuch as the Lord hath said, Ye shall hence- forth go no more again that way. Also let him not take many wives to himself, lest his heart turn away : neither let him gather too much silver and gold. And when he is set upon the seat of his kingdom, he shall write him out a copy of this law in a book, according to the copy of the book which the priests the Levites do use : and it shall be with him, and he ought to read therein all the days of his life; that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, and to keep all the words of this law, and these ordinances, for to do them. And let not his heart arise above his brethren, neither let him turn from the commandment, cither to the right hand or to the left ; that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, both he, and his sons, in the midst of Israel."
Thus much hitherto of the magistrates, of judges, and of kings.
Now I suppose that in this institution of a king all things are contained, which are most largely set out by other authors touching the discipline and education of a prince. And by the way this is especially to be noted ; that kings are not set as lords and rulers over the word and laws of God ; but arc,
[* multis ot validis rationibus, Lat. omitted ; with many and power- ful reasons.]
224: THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
as subjects, to be judged of God by the word, as they that ought to rule and govern all things according to the rule of his word and commandment.
And here I have to rehearse unto you some of the judicial laws ; I mean, not all and every several one, but those alone which are the chief and choicest to be noted : by which ye may consider of the rest, and plainly perceive, that the people of Israel were not destitute of any law which was necessary and profitable for their good state and welfare. I will recite them unto you as briefly as may be, and in as natural and plain an order as possibly can be.
Holy things. Of the lioly buildings, of the not making away of such
things as were consecrated to the Lord, and finally, of the maintaining and publishing of true religion, there is large speech everywhere throughout the whole scripture. Neither do I think it to be greatly to the purpose word by word to recite all the laws, nor particularly to make mention of all the commandments touching those matters. Verily, of the heathen, and of the overthrowing of their temples and super- stitious holy toys, this commandment is briefly given by the
[Deut. vu. Lord himself: "When the Lord thy God hath cast out many nations before thee, thou shalt root them out ; neither shalt thou make league with them, nor pity them, nor join affinity with them : because they will seduce thy sons to serve strange gods ; and so my fury wax hot against thee, and I destroy thee. But this shalt thou do to them : ye shall dig down their altars, ye shall break their idols\ ye shall cut down their groves, and burn their images with fire. For an holy people art thou unto the Lord thy God ; and the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself." The same law is set down in the twenty-third of Exodus, and is again repeated in the twelfth of Deuteronomy. Hereunto
Idolatry. bclong the laws that were published against idols and images. In the nineteenth of Leviticus the Lord saith: "Look not back to idols, neither make you molten gods : I am the Lord your God." Also in the twenty-sixth chapter : "Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up any pillar, neither shall ye set you up any image of stone- in your land,
[1 statuas, Lat. ; statues, or pillars. Auth. Vcr. Marg.] [2 lapidem figuratum, Lat. ; a stone of picture, or figured stone. Auth. Ver. Marg.]
VII.] THE JUDICIAL LAWS OF GOD. 225
to bow clown unto it: for I am the Lord your God." Again in the sixteenth of Deuteronomy : "Thoushalt plant no grovo of any trees nigh unto the altar of the Lord thy God : neither shalt thou set thee up any image, which the Lord thy God hateth." There are, beside these, also many other laws to this end and purpose in every place through all the volume of the scriptures.
Of the AvcU handling and entreating of the poor, of widows^, The poor, of orphans, and strangers, the Lord giveth this commandment: "Ye shall not afflict the widow, nor the fatherless. But if ye [Kxod. xxii. go on to afflict them, without doubt they shall cry to me, and I will assuredly hear them, and will be angry with you, and will slay you with the sword, and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless." To this belongeth a good part of the fifteenth chapter of Deuteronomy. In the twenty-fourth chapter the Lord saith : "Do not pervert the judgment of the stranger, of the fatherless, and of the widow, llcmember that thou wast a stranger in the land of Egypt."
Of the receivino: and refusing of witnesses and their wit- witness ana ness-bearmgs in judgment these few notes are given in the '"b"'- law: "One witness shall not be of force against a man, [pent. xsx. whatsoever his sin or offence shall be : but in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. If a false witness rise up against a man, to accuse him of trespass, the judges shall make diligent inquisition; and if they find that the witness hath borne false witness against his brother, then shall they do to him as he had thouglit to have done to his brother ; and thou shalt put evil away from out of the midst of thee."
Now, for the oath which the judges have to exact, or they that are at variance, or else the witnesses, have to take, that doth the Lord command to be done by the calling to record of his holy Name, and that too of none other but his name alone. Deuteron. x. &c.
iMoreover, that in eflFect is a kind of appeal, where Moses Anappwi. doth so often bid the judges in an hard and doubtful matter to have recourse unto the high priest, and so, as it were, to God himself, or the oracle of God, for the declaration of the same ; as is to be seen in the eighteenth chapter of Exodus, and in the first and seventeenth chapter of Deuteronomy. [•■' pupillis, Lut. omitted ; fatherless.]
[bulling Ei;, ii.J
226
THE THIKD DECADE.
[sEKM.
Marriage.
[Deut. vi 6-9.]
Of lawful wedlock, against incestuous and unprofitable marriages, and also of the degrees of consanguinity and affinity, there are exquisite precepts as well in the eighteenth chapter of Leviticus, as also in other places of the books of Moses. Verily, where lawful marriages are not, there is no matrimony : therefore the children that are so born are counted bas- tards ; neither is there for them any dowries or inheritance.
The Lord in many places of his law doth charge parents to bring up their children honestly, and to instruct them in the fear of God. Among the rest he saith : "The words which I command thee this day thou shalt shew unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou art at home in thine house, and as thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets betwixt thine eyes ; and thou shalt write them upon the posts of thine house, and upon thy gates, &c."
Again, for the honouring, reverencing, and nourishing of parents, there are not in the moral law only, but also in the judicial laws, some things set down wherein the honour and duty to be given to parents is diligently commended to all sorts of people : of which I will speak when I come to treat of parricide, under which title I do comprehend the evil hand- ling and naughty demeanour of men to their parents.
Now, how great the authority of fathers over their chil- dren was, we may conjecture by that especially, where, in the twenty-first of Exodus, it is permitted to the father, that is in poverty, to sell his daughter. Again, in another place, leave is given to the father either to deny, or else to give, his de- flowered daughter in marriage to him that did defile her. And again, it was in the father's power to break the vow^ which the child had made without his knowledge or consent, Num-
Disiuheriting. bcrs XXX. But that to disinherit the children (if the children had not deserved it, but that some corrupt afl^ection had blinded the parents) lay not in the power or will of the parents, that law doth shew, which is published in the twenty- first chapter of Deuteronomy ; and doth forbid the father to place the second in the right of his eldest or first-begotten son.
Inheritance. Conccming tlio comiug to inheritance, and the succession
[1 Deo nuncupatum, liat. ; inado to God.]
Of the power andautnority of fathers.
[Exod. xxii. 16, 17.]
VII.] THE .ILDIUIAL LAWS OF GOD. 227
of goods, 01" the lawful succession by kindred, there is a pre- cise law in the twenty-seventh chapter of the Look of Numbers. There is set down the case of the daughters of Zelphad, who did request that their father's name should not be wiped out, but that their father's inheritance and name might be given unto and still remain with them. Upon that occasion was the law made, that if the sons did die, the heritage should be con- veyed over and given to the daughters, or, at leastwise, to those that were nearest of affinity. And thereunto belongeth the law of -raising seed unto the deceased brother, and the whole thirty-sixth chapter almost of the book of Numbers. Upon this law also doth hang the right which cometh by adoption.
Furthermore, of whoredoms, adulteries, and the ravishing whoredom of virgins, there are many profitable, honest, and wholesome ^°'* ^'^'^'^'^• laws. In the twenty-third of Deuteronomy it is said, " There shall be no whore of the dau2;hters of Israel, nor whoremonser of the sons of Israel." And in the same place he forbiddeth to bring oblations which are the price of an harlot's hire. In Leviticus charge is given, saying : " Set not out thy daughter [Lev. xix. for hire, to make her play the harlot; lest the land be de- filed, and filled with sin." Therefore, in the twenty-second of Deuteronomy, the maid that was deflowered, and yet feigned herself to be a virgin still, when she was given to an husband, was commanded to be stoned to death before the doors of her father's house ; to the end that parents, being terrified with so grievous a thing, might be stirred up to look more warily unto their children. In the twenty-second of Exodus this law is given: "If a man entice a maid that is not be- trothed, and lie with her, he shall endow her and take her to -wife." There are most sharp laws against whoredoms and adulteries, Deuteronomy xxii. ; for there adulterers are pun- ished with death. The same punishment was appointed for him that did by violence ravish a virgin.
For suspicions and jealousy there are rules given in the fifth chapter of Numbers. Against detestable, unlawful, and altogether devilish lusts, there are most severe and yet most just laws expressed ; as against most filthy incest, abominable sodomy, horrible and unnatural bestiality, and such sins as God hath cursed, and are not once worthy to be named among men. Levit. eighteenth and twentieth chapters.
15 — 2
228
THE THIRD DECADE.
[SERM.
[Matt. xix.
Buying and selling, &C.
Pawns and
liledgcs.
i Kxod xxii.
2a, 27. J
[Deut. xxiv.
Things left in custody.
Divorcements and separations were permitted by the law in the twenty-fourth of Deuteronomy, for nothing else but for the hardness of the Jewish people's hearts, and for the avoiding of some greater inconvenience; to wit, lest perad- venture any man should poison, strangle, or otherwise kill the woman, his wife, which he hated, when he could by none other means rid his hands of her. And they that were in that manner divorced might at their pleasures be married to others.
Moreover, that justice might be maintained, and that every man might enjoy his own, in the law there was charge very diligently given for the division of things, for the parti- tion of the land of promise by equal portions, and for the peculiar possession of proper goods ; that to every tribe pos- sessions might be given by lot, and that no man should by any means make away the possessions which were given him. For hereunto belongeth that which is spoken by Moses in the thirty-second, thirty-third, thirty-fourth chapters of the book of Numbers, and oftentimes in other places also.
And yet notwithstanding, this law was nothing prejudicial to traffic by exchange. For there were many and very upright laws published for buying and selling, for letting and hiring, for borrowing and lending, for usury and things left in custody. Whosoever desireth to see the places in the law, he shall have them in the twenty-fifth of Leviticus, in the twenty-second of Exodus, in the fifteenth and twenty-third chapters of Deute- ronomy. And I suppose that to this is to be referred the law which is given concerning pawns or pledges : " If thou hast taken thy neighbour's garment to pledge, thou shalt restore it him again before the sun be set. For that is his only covering:*" that is, it is the garment wherewith he covereth his flesh, and wherein he sleepeth. "For it shall come to pass, that if he cry to me, I will hear him ; because I am merciful." Again; "Thou shalt not take the nether or upper mill-stone to pledge : for he hath laid that whereon he liveth to pledge to thee."
The laws for things loft in custody, or committed to the credit of another man, and for taking of oaths, commandeth every man to make true restitution of the thing which was given unto him to keep. But if it were stolen away from him to whom the custody of it was committed, then he that
VII.] THE JUDICIAL LAWS OF GOD. 229
kept it ought to purge himself by an oath before a magistrate, to shew that he consented not to the conveying of the thing away. The same order is commanded to be observed in things borrowed, that are lost, or otherwise broken : as is to be seen in the twenty-second chapter of Exodus.
And for because it is manifest that no small part of the Bondage, goods of the ancient Israelites did consist in the multitude of bondmen, therefore the law of God doth stick long upon the discourse of bondage and bondmen, and of the binding and manumission of them. And yet it doth diligently command to handle bondmen mercifully like men, and every sixth year^ to set them free from slavery. But if it so fell out, that at iiancipation. the sixth year's end any bondman were desirous to stay still in his master's house, he was permitted so to do, upon con- dition that his voluntary bondage should be confirmed by the ceremony of mancipation ; to wit, that the bondman, being [^^- ""'• brought before the judges, should there testify that he would serve in bondage voluntarily ; and thereupon the nether lap of his ear should be bored with an awl, and fastened to the door. And that was the sign or token of faith and obedi- ence. For David, alluding thereunto, did say, that the Lord had bored through his ear, that is, that by faith he had bound him to obedience.
Moreover, the Lord did in these laws limit out the time Mamimis- of bondmen's manumission, because the lords of bondmen should not use them over-cruelly for their gain and commo- dity's sake : all which are at full set down in the twenty-first chapter of Exodus. We must also refer that to the clemency that ought to be shewed to servants, where as in the twenty- third chapter of Deuteronomy it is said : " Thou shalt not deliver unto his master the servant which is escaped from his master unto thee ; but let him dwell in any place whereunto he is fled." And yet manstealing is most sharply forbidden. Now they commit the offence called Plagium 2, that is to say, pugium. mansteahng, whosoever do entice other men's bondmen to run from their masters, or which do, by theft or robbery, steal other men's servants, whom they do either keep to themselves, or else sell to others. Against such this law is given : " Whosoever stealeth a man, and selleth him, if he be [K'
[1 sexennio finite, L;it.] [- See aV>ove, page 47.]
Exod.
' -J
230
THE THIRD DECADE.
[SERM.
Theft and
deceit.
Restitution.
Sacrilege.
The hireling's wages. [Deut xxiv.
14, 15.]
The doing and receiving of damage.
[Exod. xxi. 3.), 34.]
couvlncecl of the crime, let him die the death." And the same law is again repeated in the twenty-fourth of Deuteronomy.
Of free men little is said in the law ; but they were ex- empted from bearing office in the commonwealth, which were known to be harlots'" children, whose fathers^ no man knew. Strangers also, as the Ammonites and Moabites,'were utterly barred from rule and authority in the Israelitish weal public. Deuteronomy xxiii.
All deceit, cozening, robbery, shiftings, and subtil crafts, are flatly forbidden in the law under the title of theft. For in the nineteenth of Leviticus we read : " Ye shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie one to another." And in the nine- teenth of Deuteronomy : " Thou shalt not remove thy neigh- bour's meerstone^." In the twenty-second of Exodus the Lord doth punish theft with four or five-fold double resti- tution : which whosoever did not perform, he was sold, and brought into extreme bondage. But if the stolen thing were found with the thief, and recovered again, then did the stealer restore to the owner double the value of that which was stolen. To this law belonged whatsoever was spoken con- cerning sacrilege, stealing of cattle, robbing of the common treasury, and carrying away of other men's bond-slaves ; of which I spake somewhat a little before ^ And to this doth appertain that excellent law whicli saith : " Thou shalt not deny, nor keep back, the wages of an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of the strangers that are within thy land ; thou shalt give him his hire the same day*, and that before the sun go down; because he is needy, and doth therewith sustain his life^: lest he cry against thee unto the Lord, and it be sin unto thee."
Concerning doing and receiving damage, and the making of full restitution for the harm that is done, there are many constitutions in the law of the Lord. " If any man," saith
[^ and wliose, Lat.] [2 more: a boundary. Johnson.]
p sacrilegium, abigoatum, etpeculatum, Lat. See above, p. 44-48.]
[■* die suo, Lat. ; at his day. Auth. Vor.]
[5 Sustcntat ex eo vitam suam, Lat. So Vulg. and Covordalc, 15.35, "and his life (is) sustcyned therwith." Ainsworth in loc. : "And unto it he liftetli up his soul ; that is, hopcth for and desireth it for the main- tenance of his life."]
VH] THE JUDICIAL LAWS OF GOD. 231
the law, " doth dig a well, and do not cause it to be covered, so that an ox or a sheep of another man's do fall into it ; then let him that owneth the well take to himself the beast that perished, and pay the worth of the beast to him that is the owner thereof." The like law is made in the twenty-first of Exodus touching an ox that pusheth with his horns. In the twenty-second chapter is given the law of restitution in giving like for like ; if either one man's pasture be oaten up by another man's cattle, or if one man hurt another's corn or vineyard. For the law commandeth to restore other pasturings, other corn-ground, and other vineyards, not of the worst, but of the best, to him that had the damage done him. Likewise if any man had set thorns on fire, and by [Exod.xxii. his negligence had suffered it to catch hold upon corn, either x'xiv.i8-'ii.] standing in the field upright, or stacked up in mows" at home ; ^
then he, by whose negligence the fire began, did make amends for the loss that the other received. The same law is again repeated in the twenty-fourth of Leviticus. In the twenty- second of Deuteronomy there are many things expressed that must be referred unto this title : of which sort is the law that biddeth us to bring back the ox that goeth astray, and to restore the things that are found to him that lost them ; to keep our buildings in good reparations, that by misfortune in the fall of them our brethren be not mischieved. And like to these is the law also which saith : "Thou shalt have [Deut. xxHi. a place without the host to go forth unto ; and shalt bear a paddle-stick at thy girdle, wherewith as thou sittcst thou shalt dig a hole to hide thy ordure, or cover thine excrements in." And in the civil law the like matter in effect is handled'^: for very necessity doth require, that in commonweals there should be laws concerning draughts, and order of buildir*gs, so that no man by his excrements or building of new houses should trouble or annoy his neighbours about him. To this place, also, we may add the laws that were made concerning the separating of lepers from them that were clean, lest per- adventure the contagious disease should by little and little infect the healthful. The laws of lepers and the leprosy are
[c mow, a heap of corn or hay ; when laid up in a house, said to bo in mow; when heaped together in a field, in rick. Johnson's Diet.]
[7 Codex Justin. Lib. vin. tit. 10, dc aidificiis privatis. Tom. ir. Lugd. 1551.]
232 THE THIRD DECADE. [sEUM.
at large set down in the thirteenth and fourteenth chapters of Leviticus. Weight and Just weights and just measures the Lord commanded to
be kept in the law, where he saith : " Thou shalt not have in thy bag two manner of weights, a great and a small : neither shalt thou have in thine house divers measures, a great and a small. But thou shalt have a right and a just weight, and a perfect and a just measure shalt thou have : that thy days may be lengthened in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. For all that do such things, and all that deal unrightly, are abomination unto the Lord thy God." This law is given in the twenty-fifth of Deuteronomy, and is again repeated in the nineteenth chapter of Leviticus. The punish- Qf public judgmcuts, of witclicrafts, and the punishment
guilty. of offenders, there are many laws set down in the book of
[Exod.xxii. the Lord. "Thou shalt not," saith the Lord, " suffer witches xxivl^iTi to live." Again : " The fathers shall not be killed for the sons, nor the sons for the fathers : but every one shall be slain for his own offence." Neither doth the law conceal the manner of killing : for it giveth the use of the sword, of stones, and of fire, into the magistrate's hands. And some- time it is left to the judge's discretion to punish the offender according to the circumstance of the crime committed, either in body or goods, in loss of limbs or life, in scourging with rods, or selling into bondage. In the twentieth chapter of Leviticus all the offences are almost reckoned up that are to be punished with present death. And in like manner the like are repeated in the eighteenth and twenty-first chapter of the same book. Witches and Agaiust witchos and soothsayers^ there is precise charge
soot sayers. ^■^^^^ -^^ ^l^^ eighteenth of Deuteronomy. In the nineteenth of Leviticus this short precept is given : " Ye shall not seek after witches, nor observe your dreams : ye shall not decline to sorcerers, nor inquire of soothsayers to be defiled by them.'" Against such the lavv doth expressly give judgment of death and extreme punishment, Leviticus xx. In the twenty-second of Exodus this strait sentence is sharply pronounced : " Let not a woman live that is a witch." Heretics and Agaiust hcrctics, schismatics, apostates, and false prophets, yh^u""' the law giveth judgment in the thirteenth and eighteenth [1 Mathciuaticis, Lat. Sco Vol. i. p. 221, note 7.]
VII.] THE JUDICIAL LAWS OF GOD. 233
chapters of Deuteronomy ; where it doth most plainly teach how such kind of people are to be handled. And like to this is the law for the stoning of blasphemers, which is contained in the twenty-fourth of Leviticus ; and also the law for con- temners and breakers of the Lord''s sabbath, Numbers xv.
Against seditious rebels and secret slanderers there is Rebels ana much to be found in many places of the law. Chore, Dathan, and Abirom were rebels, of whose ends ye may read in the sixteenth of the book of Numbers. If any man did mali- ciously bring up a slander upon his wife's chastity, and was not able to prove it true, he was merced at a sum of money, or punished with stripes, as is to be seen in the twenty-second of Deuteronomy. In the nineteenth of Leviticus this precept is given : " Thou shalt not go up and down with tales among thy people : neither shalt thou hate thy brother in thine heart ; but shalt rebuke him and tell him thy mind plainly." Also in the twenty-second of Exodus it is said, " Thou shalt not rail upon the gods (or judges i), nor blaspheme the ruler of thy people."
Moreover there are sundry kinds of murder, whereof Murder, some are greater or smaller than other. The most detest- able murder of all is parricide, (when one killeth his father or his kinsman^), under which we do comprehend the evil- entreating or currish handling of parents by their children. •'Whosoever striketh father or mother, or curseth them," fExoi. xxi. saith the law, "let him die the death." Again, they are bidden to kill the rebel that dareth stand up to resist the upright decrees and holy ordinances of the elders, Deutero- nomy xvii. And also in the twenty-first of Deuteronomy we find : " If any man have a stubborn, a froward, and rc- belhous son, that will not hearken to the voice of his father, and the voice of his mother, and they have chastened him, and he would not hearken unto them : then shall his father and his mother take him, and bring him out unto the elders of that city, and to the gate of that place ; and say unto the elders of the city. This our son is stubborn and disobedient, and will not hearken to our voice ; he is a rioter and a drunkard : and straightway all the men of that city shall stone him with stones until he die ; and thou shalt put evil from thee : and all Israel shall hear and fear." [■-' The translator's addition.]
ary
234 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
Furthermore, murder is either committed willingly or else unwillingly. Of murder unwillingly committed there is an example in the nineteenth chapter of Deuteronomy, where the case is put as followeth : Two friends go to the wood to hew wood together ; and as the one fetcheth his stroke, the head of the axe falleth from the helve, and striketh the other SO' that he dicth upon it. This deed the Lord doth neither impute, nor would have it to be imputed to the man, Thesanctu- but to himsolf ; and therefore he giveth licence to the man to fly unto the sanctuary. For his mind was that the sanc- tuaries should be a safeguard to such kind of people as killed men unwillingly, and not to bladers^ and cutters, not to them that poison, or otherwise kill their neighbours of a set pretence or purpose- : of which there is much to be seen in the thirty-fifth of Numbers, the fourth and the nineteenth chapters of Deuteronomy. To the law for murder unwillingly committed doth the case belong^ that is thus put forth : Two men fight together, and in their fight they strike a woman with child, so that either she falleth in travail before her time, or else doth presently die out of hand. In such a case what is to be done, the Lord did teach in the twenty- first of Exodus, where the law of like for like is also set down: "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand," &c. In the same place, also, is put another kind of murder, which is committed either by thy beast, as by thine ox that pusheth with his horns, or by thy wolf, or by thy dog that thou keepest in thine house; or else by some instru- ment, or building, that is in thy possession. Now thou didst either know, or not know, the fierceness of thy beast, the peril in thine instrument, or the rottenness of thy building. If thou knewest it not, thou wast then excused : but if thou knewcst it, and didst not seek a way to prevent the mischief, the Lord gave charge that thou shouldcst die for it. But if of clemency it were granted thee to redeem thy life, thou shouldest not refuse to pay any sum of money, how great soever it were.
Now wilful murder, committed upon pretended malice'*,
[1 bladcrs, latronibus, Lat.]
[2 non vcneficis aut parricidis, Lat.l p etiam, Lat. ; also.]
[< quae fit voluntato destinata per insidias aut malevolentiam, Lat. ; wliich is perpetrated of set purpose by lying in wait or malice.]
VII. 1 THE JUDICIAL LAWS OF GOD. 235
is utterly unpardonable in the law of God. " Such an one," [i:xod. xxi. saith the law, " thou shalt pull from mine altar, that he may be killed." In this case redemption of life is not permitted, but the blood of the murderer is straitly required. Many cases of this severity, and many other things tending to this end, are to be read in the thirty-fifth chapter of Numbers and the twenty-first of Exodus. In the twenty-first of Deu- teronomy is described the action, partly ceremonial, and partly judicial, which was solemnized when any man was found to be slain, and no man knew who was the murderer ; where also the manner is prescribed, how to make, an atone- ment for the murder : whereby we may gather how horrible a sin murder is in the sight of God and the catholic church.
Lastly, the law doth not leave the order of war untouched: war. for it giveth precepts concerning the beginning, the making, and the ending of war ; which are to be read in the twentieth chapter of Deuteronomy. Moreover in the law there are set out the examples of terrible wars; as that witl\ the Amalachites in the seventeenth of Exodus, and that with the INIadianites in the thirty-first of the book of Numbers : where somewhat also is said touching the division of spoils gotten in the wars.
I know, my brethren, that I have been somewhat tedious conclusion. unto you in making this rehearsal of the laws unto you : but for because the most wise and mighty God doth nothing with- out especial causes and the evident profit of mankind, I could not therefore suffer this part of the law to pass me untouched; considering that I see it so diligently taught by God himself, and that it maketh much to the opening and maintaining of the moral law. Our good God, who knoweth all things, doth also know the dulness and overthwart slackness of man's wit, and how it requireth to be driven perforce many times to do good and eschew evil. And therefore the holy Lord hath in these judicial laws added an holy kind of compulsion to drive men on withal.
In the morals he frameth our manners, and teacheth us what to do, and what to leave undone. AVith the ceremonials he helpeth forward the morals; and doth under types and figures lay before the eyes of our body and mind the mys- teries of God^ and his heavenly kingdom. And lastly, by ['' niysteria regni Dei, Lat.]
236 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
the judicials he compelleth us to the keeping of the laws, and doth preserve the integrity of the same. Now all these to- gether do tend to this end only, that man may be saved, that he worship God aright, and live according to the will of the Lord.
Thus much have I spoken hitherto, by the help of God, concerning his holy laws. Now let us praise the goodness of the Lord, who doth not suffer his people to lack any thing that is necessary for their commodity ; and doth even at this day instruct us with these laws to the glory of his name and health of our souls.
OF THE USE OR EFFECT OF THE LAW OF GOD, AND
OF THE FULFILLING AND ABROGATING OF THE
SAME : OF THE LIKENESS AND DIFFERENCE
OF BOTH THE TESTAMENTS AND
PEOPLE, THE OLD AND
THE NEW.
THE EIGHTH SERMON.
Although I have hitherto in large sermons laid forth^ the law of God by several parts, yet methinketh I have not said all that should be said, nor made an end as I should do, unless I add now a treatise of the use, effect, fulfilling, and abrogating of the law of God ; albeit I have here and there in ray sermons 2 touched the same argument. Now by this discourse or treatise, dearly beloved, ye shall understand, that the Testament of the old and new church of God is all one ; and that there is but one means of true salvation for all them that either have or else at this present are saved in the world : ye shall also perceive wherein the old Testament^ doth differ from the new. Moreover this treatise will be necessary and very profitable both to the understanding of many places in the holy scripture, and also to the easy per- ceiving and most wholesome use of those things which I have said hitherto touching the law. God, who is the author, the
[1 qua potui diligentia, Lat. ; with my best diligence.]
[2 in liiscc nostris sermonibus, Lat.]
[^ quid novum testamentum diflferat a vctori, Lat.]
VIIl.] USB, FULFILLING, AND ABROGATION OF THE LAW. 237
wisdom, and the perfect fulness of the law, give me grace to speak those things that are to the setting forth of his glory, and profitable for the health of your* souls.
The use of God's law is manifold and of sundry sorts; ortheuse and' yet it may be called back to three especial points, and G"c^sTaw."'^ we may say that the use thereof is threefold or of three sorts.
For first of all, the chief and proper office of the law is, to convince all men to be guilty of sin, and by their own fault to be the children of death. For the law of God setteth forth to us the holy will of God ; and, in the setting forth thereof, requireth of us a most perfect and absolute kind of righteous- ness. And for that cause the law is wont to be called the testimony of God's will, and the most perfect exemplar of his divine pureness. - And hereunto belong those words of the Lord in the gospel, where he, reciting shortly the sum of God's commandments, doth say: "The first of all the com- Absolute mandments is: Hear, 0 Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord: J^^MuTredof and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and ["^"k xi.i'ou with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. This is the first commandment. And the second is like to this. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these." Therefore to this doth also appertain that saying of the apostle Paul : "The end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, |-iTim i .- and a good conscience, and faith unfeigned." But since the law doth require at all our hands most absolute righteousness, charity, and^ a pure heart, it doth'' condemn all men of sin, unrighteousness, and death. For in the law of God it is expressly said: "Cursed is every one which abideth not in all [Deut. xxvii. that is written in the book of the law to do it." But what fll]^^'"" one of us fulfillcth all the points of the law ? What man, I nvmgTs pray, either heretofore hath had, or at this day^ hath, a pure unspotted. heart within him ? What man hath ever loved, or doth now love, God with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his mind ? What man is he that did never lust after evil ? Or who is it now that lusteth not every day ? Therefore imper- fection and sin is by the law, or by the bewraying of the [•* nostrarum, Lat. ; our.]
[5 adeoque, Lat. ; and so a.] [c certc, Lat. undoubtedly.]
[7 etiain hodie, Lat.]
238 THE THIRD DECADE. [SEKM.
law^ revealed in mankind^. What shall we say to this? Where, I praj you, doth there appear in any man that divine and most absolute righteousness, which the law requireth ? Job crieth, "I know verily that a man, compared to God, cannot be justified^." Or, "How shall a man be found right-
[ Job ix. 2, 3, eous, if he be compared to God ? If he will argue with him, he shall not be able to answer one for a thousand. ^If I have any righteousness in me, I will not answer him, but I will beseech my judge." Likewise, these^ are the words of the apostle John, who saith : " If we say we have no sin, we
[1 John i. deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." Again, " If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." Therefore by this means the law is a certain
The law doth lookiug-glass, whcroin we behold our own corruption, frailness,
^ns manifest, imbecility, imperfection, and our judgment, that is, our iust
and bring , , i , • t-. i i i , i
our misery and dosorved damnation, r or the apostle doth expressly say, that the law was given to the end that it might make mani- fest men's transgressions, and by that means drive them to the acknowledging of their imperfection and guilt in sinning. For none of us doth look into his own bosom, nor into the secrets of his own breast, but we do all flatter ourselves, and will not be persuaded that our thoughts and deeds'^ are so corrupt as they be in very deed ; and therefore doth the law creep in, and lay open the secrets of our hearts, and bringeth to light our sin and corruption. "Before the law," saith the apostle, " although sin were in the world, yet was it not imputed"."
[Rom. iv.15; The samo apostle also saith : "The law worketh wrath; for where there is no law, there is no transgression." And again, "By the law cometh the knowledge of sin." For in the seventh to the Romans the same apostle doth say more fully : "I knew not sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not lust. But sin, taking
[1 indicio legis, Lat.]
[2 ut non dicam hie aliud gravius, Lat. omitted ; not to allege hero any severer charge.]
[3 So the Vulgate; and Covordalo, 1535.]
[•t item, Lat. ; again.] ^
[5 succinit huic, Lat. ; like to these, cd. 1577.]
[c res nostras, Lat. J
[7 non imputabatur, vol reputabatur, Lat. ; or not considered, Horn. V. 13.]
VIII.] USE, rULlILLIXG, ANU AHKOUATIOX Of THli LAW. 239
occasion^ by the commandment, wrought in mc all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. I once lived without law; but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I was dead''. And it was found, that the same commandment, Avhich was ordained unto life, was unto me an occasion of death, &c." For a good part of that chapter is spent in that matter. Therefore the proper office of Moses, and the principal use and cifect of the law, is to shew to man his sin and imperfection'*'.
As for those which stay here, and ffo no further to make any Moses doth
J ' o >! not on Iv Slav,
other use and effect of the law, but as though Moses did nothing J];j[ '1^^,',""' but kill, and the law nothing but slay ; they are diversly, and that not hghtly, deceived. I do here again repeat it, and tell them, that the very proper office of the law is, to make sin manifest ; and also that JMoses his chief office is, to teach us what we have to do, and with threatenings and cursings to urge it, especially when the law is compared with the gospel. For in the third chapter of the second epistle to the Corin- thians Paul calleth the law the letter ; and immediately after,, the ministration of death ; then again, he calleth it a doctrine written in letters and ink, and^^ figured in tables of stone, which should not endure, but perish and decay. The same apostle, on the other side again '^^ (joth call the gospel the ministration or doctrine of the Spirit, which endurcth and decayeth not, which is written in men''s hearts, and giveth life to the believers'^. Whereupon we do freely confess, that the law doth properly make manifest our infirmity'*; but the gospel giveth a medicine, and a remedy to that which was almost past hope.
And now here we must think that our holy ancestors had not the law, alone to convince them of sin ; nor Moses, to do nothing else but kill and slay ; nor that Moses was given to wound them, but to heal them'^: and that, not by his own power or virtue, but by the guiding of them to him that cherisheth the contrite in heart, and healeth all their sor-
[8 occasiono acccpta, pcccatum per procceptum gcnuit, Lat. ; and Erasmus.]
p rnortuus sum, Lat.] ['o movbum, sivo pcccatum, Lat.]
[11 rursus, Lat.] \}' protinus, Lat.; and immediately.]
[13 to the believers, not in Lat.] [i» morbum, Lat.]
[15 ut raederctur ctiam, Lat, ; but to heal also.]
240 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
rows : that is Christ Jesus, who also wrought by the min- istery of Moses. For we must not think, from the beginning of the world, nor from Moses his time till the coming of Christ ^ that the bare letter was preached only, and that the grace and Spirit of God was idle and wrought not in the minds of the faithful : for in that the law doth shew us, and invincibly prove to us, that in us, I mean, in our flesh, that perfection is not, which the most holy and perfect God doth in his law require of us, it doth therein revoke and pull back mankind (not by the virtue of itself, but by the power of the quickening Spirit of Christ) from confidence of the flesh 2, as that wherein there is no health nor jot of perfection ; and so consequently doth give us occasion to turn ourselves to Christ our mediator, who is alone our sanctification and perfection. And so, for this occasion ^ the lavv is a path and ready way, and, as it were, a schoolmaster^ given by God to us men, to draw us from all confidence in our own strengths, from all hope of our own merits ^ and from the trust in any kind of .creatures, and to lead us directly by faith to Christ, who was
[1 Cor. i.3o.] made by God (as I said even now) our " righteousness, sancti- fication, and redemption," without whom there is no salvation under the sun. Therefore Moses did not only urge the law, but did also preach Christ and life in Christ. For the Lord in
Moses doth the gospel saith to the Jews: "Think not that I will accuse
also lead to -n i c i • i i
fj'^.hnv 45 y^"^ **^ ^y Father*'; there is one that accuseth you, even ^•' ] ' Moses, in whom ye trust. For if ye had believed Moses, ye would undoubtedly have believed me : for he wrote of me." And Paul to the Galatians saith : " If there had been a law given which could have given life, then no doubt right- eousness should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by the faith of Jesus Christ should be given unto them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, and were shut up into the faith which should afterward be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster unto Christ, that we should be jus-
[1 ad Christum usque, Lat.] [^ ab omni carne, Lat.]
[3 juxta lianc concomitantiam vel occasioncm, Lat.] [■1 adcoque ct ptedagogus, Lat.]
[5 ab omni openun nostrorum rospcctu, Lat. ; from all regard of our own works.]
[c apud Patrem, Lat.]
[Gal. iii, 21—24.]
VIII.] USE, FULFILLING, AND ABROGATION OF THE LAW. 241
tificd by faith." Lo, -what could be said more plainly, than that the law hath concluded all under sin ? But to what end ? " That the promise by the faith of Christ Jesus should be given unto them that do believe." And again : "Before faith came," that is, before he came to whom our faith is directed, and upon whom it is grounded^, " we were kept under the law." How ? Forsooth, being shut up unto the faith that was to be revealed. Therefore our fathers were shut up in the law, that they should not break out at any time, and seek for life and salvation any where else but in Christ alone. Wherefore the law did lead us^ by faith directly unto Christ. And yet more plainly he saith : " The law was our schoolmaster unto Christ." Lo, here again the law doth bring us to Christ^. And again he addeth ; "That we should be justified by faith." Therefore the law setteth forward the true doctrine of justi- fication, teaching plainly that we are justified by faith in Christ, and not by the merits of our own works. In which point it is openly like unto the gospeP*', and taketh to itself the office of the gospel : and no marvel, since to many men, through their own fault, the gospel" doth become and is made the letter. Furthermore, the same apostle doth in another place say, that " in sacrifices they called their sins [Heb. x. 2, to remembrance," and we know that in them was prefigured '^ the purging of sins. Therefore even the ceremonial laws also led them to Christ, testifying and teaching them that he alone doth cleanse us from all our sins. Whereupon I conclude that tlie ofiice of Moses and of the law both was and is, to open to us our sin and judgment ; and yet not to condemn us only, but also by occasion to lead us to Christ.
By which we learn also, that the law doth not only The law teach us the first principles and rudiments of righteousness, jfeTfect right- but the very true and absolute righteousness. For Moses ^°"'"''''*" doth expressly say, that he taught a most perfect and absolute [neut. xxx. kind of doctrine, as that wherein both life and death doth wholly consist. And the apostle saith, that the law Icadcth
[7 See Vol. I. Addend, in pag. 112, lino 32.]
[8 us, not in Lat.] [^ En, ducit lex ad Christum etiani, Lat.]
[10 miscetur evangelio, Lat.]
[11 ipsum evangelium, Lat. ; the gospel itself.]
[12 also prefigured, Lat.]
r 1 16
l_nULLINGER. H.J
242 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
US by the hand to Christ, that we should be justified by faith. Now the righteousness of faith is the most perfect right- Therefore, whereas the precepts of the law are mlntlVf'the "^ ^°™® pkcBS Called the rudiments of the worlds that is world. £qj. ^^q especial causes : the first whereof is, because the law is, as it were, the first instructions or elements, which, when the doctrine of the gospel cometh, is finished, and giveth place to it as to more absolute principles ; the latter cause is, because ceremonies are taught under outward things or signs, when as in those outward things they do prefigure, and set forth to be seen, the inward things, even Christ him- self and his holy mysteries.
And out of that which I have hitherto said we may also learn, that the ancient saints, which lived under the old testament, did not seek for righteousness and salvation in the works of the law, but in him which is the perfectness and end of the law, even Christ Jesus ; and therefore that they used the law and the ceremonies as a guide and school- mistress to lead them by the hand to Christ their Saviour. For so often as they heard that the law required perfect righteousness at their hands, they did by faith through grace^ The kind of uudorstaud, that in the law Christ was set forth to be the w^ich was in most absoluto righteousness, to whom all men ought to fly
the people of r-i & ./
theoid for the obtaining of righteousness. So often as they met
ancient & & «/
world. together in the holy congregation^, to behold the holy cere- monies which God hath ordained, they did not look upon the bare figures only, nor think that they did please God, and were purged from their sins, by that external kind of worship^ ; but they did cast the eyes of their minds and of faith upon the Messiah to come, who was prefigured in all the ceremonies and' ordinances of the law. They therefore did abuse the law, who thought that they were acceptable to God, and that they served him as they should, because they were busy in those ceremonial works. For those thoughts and persuasions the prophets in their sermons did
A carnal sharplv accuso, and evermore cry out upon. And in that
or fleshly ^ n \ i ipti-
people. sense, and for that cause, the people oi Israel is many times called a carnal people : not that all the patriarchs and fathers before the coming of Christ were carnal or fleshly ; but for
[1 Gal. iv. 3. Marg. Coloss. ii. 8, 20.] [2 donata ex gratia, Lat.] [3 in loco sacro, Lat.] [^ propter cultum ilium, Lat.]
VIII.] USE, FULFILLING, AND ABROGATION OF THE LAW. 243
because they did as yet live then under those external sha- dows and outward figures^ ; and for because there were peradvcnture among the people some that did not perceive the spiritual things shadowed under those external figures, and did think perhaps that they were acceptable to God for the workino; and doins; of that external work^.
The second use and another office of the law is, to teach Theuw them that are justified in faith by Christ what to follow and iifeofman. what to eschew, and how the godly and faithful sort should worship^ God. For the law of God doth comprehend a most absolute doctrine both of faith in God, and also of all good works. For in the first use of the law I declared how the moral and ceremonial law doth teach us faith in God and Christ his Son, and how it bringeth man to the know- ledge of himself, that he may understand how that in himself, that is, in the nature of man, there is no good thing nor any life ; but that all the gifts of life, of virtues, and salvation, are of God the Father, the only well-spring of all goodness, through Christ his Son our Saviour^. In this second argu- ment of the end^ the use, or ofiftce of the law of God, we must acknowledge all the forms of virtues, and the treasure of all goodness ^^ to be set forth unto us in the law of the Lord ; and that the apostle applieth the precepts of the law to exhortation and consolation. The first of the two tables of the moral law doth teach us what we owe to God, and how he will be worshipped of us : the second table frameth the offices of life, and teacheth us how to behave ourselves toward our neighbour. The ceremonies also do belong to religion''; and the judicials teach the government of an house or a commonweal, so that by them we may live ho- nestly among ourselves and holily to God-wards. Therefore the law doth teach all justice, temperance, fortitude, and wisdom, and instructeth a godly man in every good work
[5 dementis et figuris, Lat.]
[8 propter opus externum operatum aut pcrfectum, Lat. Sec also BuUingcr, adv. Anabapt. Lib. iv. cap. 3.] [7 rite colant, Lat.] [8 per Cbristum, sive Messiam, Lat.]
[p In pra;senti, id est, in consideratione sccundi finis, &c. Lat.] [10 omnium bonorum opcrum, Lat.] [11 ad cultum, Lat. ; to the worship (of God).]
16 — 2
244 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
wherein it is necessary that an holy worshipper of God should be instructed. Wherefore so often as the holy pro- phets of God would set up again and restore the worship of God and true religion that was decayed ; so often as they would cry out upon and rebuke^ the faults and errors of men ; and lastly, when they would teach them to do those good works, which are good works indeed, they led them always^ unto the law, and cited all their testimonies out of the law. Whereof we have evident examples in the fifteenth Psalm of David, and in the first and thirty-third chapter of Esay's Prophecy, and in the eighteenth of Ezekiel also. Paul in the thirteenth to the Romans referreth all the offices of our life to the law of charity ; for the Lord himself, before Paul, had done the same in the gospel. Moreover the prophet David in the ninety-fourth Psalm crieth, " Blessed is the man, 0 Lord, whom thou instructest in thy law ;" and in the seventy-eighth Psalm, " He made a co- venant to Jacob, and gave a law in Israel, that the posterity might know it, and put their trust in the Lord, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments." Again, in the nineteenth Psalm he saith : " The law of the Lord is an undefiled law, converting the soul : the testimony of the Lord is sure, and giveth wisdom unto the simple : the statutes of the Lord are right, and rejoice the heart : the commaDdment of the Lord is pure, and giveth light unto the eyes. The fear of the Lord is holy, and endureth for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether^ : more to be desired are they than gold and precious stone ^; and sweeter than honey and the honeycomb." And to this end tendeth the sense of all the alphabetical psahn, which is in order of number the 119th. The law The third use or office of the law^ is to repress the un-
bridleththe i i ,i i , i i- ,
unruly. ruly ; and those whom no reason can move to orderhness the law commandeth to constrain with punishment, that honesty, peace, and public tranquillity, may be maintained in christian
[1 corrigcrc, Lat.]
[2 semper ac unicc, Lat. ; always and alono.]
[3 justificata in semotipsa, Lat. and Vulg. ; justified in themselves, Douay.]
[■* lapidem pretiosum, Lat. and Vulg.] [^ divina) Icgis, Lat.J
VIII.] USE, FULFILLING, AND ABROGATION OF Tllli LAW. 245
commonweals". For some there are, and that no small number of people, which do refrain from doing evil, and live somewhat tolerably, not so much for the love of virtue, as for the fear of punishment that will ensue their inordinate living. Therefore it pleased the goodness of God, by giving the law, to put in a caveat, and to make a proviso for the tranquillity of mankind. And to this it seemeth that the apostle had an eye when he said : " AVe know, that the law was not given iiTim. i. n, to the just, but to the unjust, to the lawless and disobedient, to the ungodly and to sinners, to unholy'^ and unclean, to murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, to man- slayers, to whoremongers, to them that defile themselves with mankind, to man-stealers, to liars, to perjured ; and if there be any other thing that is contrary to wholesome doc- trine," &c.
After the declaration of the use, the end, and the office it is unpossi- of the law, I have next to teach you how, and by what ""f o*"
'',.'' strength to
means, the law of God is fulfilled. It is unpossible for any ^""'' ''^^ '=>*•
man, of his own strength, to fulfil the law, and fully to satisfy
the will of God in all points. For it is manifest that in the
law there is not required the outward work only, but also the
pureness of the inward affections, and, as it were, as I said
even now, a certain heavenly ^ and absolute perfectness. For
the Lord himself in one place crieth, "Be ye perfect, even as [Matt. v. 48. i
your Father which is in heaven is perfect." But so absolute
a perfectness is not found in us so long as we live in this flesh :
for the flesh, even to the very last end of our life, doth keep
still her corrupt disposition ; and although it doth many times
receive an overthrow by the spirit, that striveth against it,
yet doth it still renew the fight^ ; so that in us there is not
found, nor in our strength there doth remain^'', that heavenly
and most absolute perfectness**. But let us hear the testimony
of the holy apostle Paul touching this matter, who saith :
" We know that the law is spiritual : but I am carnal, sold (-rotti. vh. "^
under sin. For that which I do I allow not : for what I '^' '"''^
Avould, that do I not ; but what I hate, that do I." And
[6 in christian commonweals, not in the original.] [" irreverentibus, Lat.] [8 divinam perfcctioncm, Lat.]
P usque tamen recurrit, Lat. Cf. Herat. Ep. Lib. i. 10, 24.] [10 GX nostris viribus dcrivetur, Lat.]
246 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
again: "I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing : for to will is present with me ; but I find no means to perform that which is good." Again : " I delight in the law of God after the inward man : but I see another law in my members, rebelling against the law of my mind, and subduing me unto the law of sin which is in my members." Rom. vii. And at the last he concludeth, and saith : " So then with the in the 7th miud I mv^olf^ scrvo the law of God; but with the flesh the
chapter to ^'' . ,
theiiomans j^w of siu," Now somo tlioro are which thmk that Paul
of his own
person. spako thoso words not of himself, but of the persons of others which were carnal men and not as yet regenerate. But the very words of the apostle do enforce the reader, whether he will or no, to confess, that the words recited may be applied even to the man that is most spiritual 2. Augustine, i. Lib. Retractat. cap. 23, saith, that he himself was sometime of opinion, that those words of the apostle ought to be ex- pounded of the man which was under the law, and not under grace ; but he confesseth, that he was compelled by the authority of others' writings and treatises to think that the apostle spake them of such men as were most spiritual, and of his own person : as he doth at large declare in his book^ against the Pelagians'*. Even St Hierome also, who is said to have thundered out a most horrible curse against them that taught that the law did command things unpossible^, doth •expressly write to Rusticus, that Paul in this place speaketh of
\} idem ego, Lat., and Erasmus.]
[2 maxima spiritualibus competere, Lat.]
[3 libris, Lat. ; books, ed. 1577.]
[* In (eo) libro, " Quod autem ait," inquam, " Schnus quia lex spi- ritalis est, ego autem carnalis sum, venundatus sub peccato, satis ostendit, non posse implcri legem, nisi a spii'italibus, quales facit gratia Dei." Quod utiquc non ex persona Apostoli accipi volui, qui jam spiritalis erat ; sed hominis sub lege positi, nondum sub gratia. Sic cnim prius hajc verba sapiebam, qute postea lectis quibusdam divinorum tracta- toribus eloquiorum, quorum me moveret auctoritas, consideravi dili- gentius et vidi etiam de ipso apostolo posse intelligi, quod ait, Scimus quoniam lex spiritalis est, ego autem carnalis sum. Quod in eis libris quos contra Pelagianos nuper scripsi, quantum potui diligenter ostendi." —Retract, i. 23. Aug. 0pp. Par. 1531. Tom. i. fol. 7. col. 3.]
[5 Execramur etiam eorum blaspliemiam, qui dicunt impossibilc aliquid liomini a Deo praiceptum esse. Symboli Explan. ad Damasum. Hicron. 0pp. Tom. v. col. 124. Par. 170G. But this treatise is not Jerome's.]
VIII.] USE, FULFILLIXG, AND yVBROGATION OF 'IIIE LAW. 247
liis own person^. But if the flesh and the corrupt disposition thereof remain, wherehy it doth unccssantly strive with the spirit, then, verily, that licavenly perfcctness is never perfit in us so long as we live ; and so, consequently, so long as we live, none of us fulfilleth the law.
Here also is to be inserted that disputation of Paul, where xomanis
....,,,, justified by
he proveth that no mortal man is justined by the works of the works of the law : his meaning is, not that no man is justified by the very works of the law, but that no man is justified by the works of our corrupt nature'', which doth not perform that which the law of God requireth ; for, as the same apostle saith, it is not able to perform it. And very well truly ^ saith he ; " AYe know that a man is not justified by the deeds [cai. ii. ic] of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ : and we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the deeds of the law ; because by the deeds of the law no flesh shall be justified." Neither must we by the deeds of the law understand the ceremonies only : for even as the ceremonies do not, so likewise do not the morals, justify us men. The apostle speaketh of the morals, when he speaketh of the deeds of the law. For in the xhe works
of the law.
third chapter to the Romans the same apostle saith : " By the
deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight."
And immediately after he addeth the reason why, saying ;
" for by the law cometh the knowledge of sin." But in the
seventh chapter he sheweth by what law, to wit, the moral
law. For the moral law saith, " Thou shalt not lust." But
the apostle saith, " I knew not sin but by the law ; for I had
not known concupiscence, if the law had not said, Thou shalt
not lust." In his epistle to the Kphesians he speaketh to the [Ephes. u. 9.]
Gentiles, and saith simply that works do not justify : but,
speaking to the Gentiles, he could not mean it of ceremonial
laws, but of the very moral virtues, that is, all kinds of works
that seemed to be good. To the Galatians he saith : " As [oai. iii. 100
many as are of the deeds of the law are under the curse."
[G Ilieron. 0pp. Tom. iv. par. sec. col. 772. Ep. 95. Bullinger, Expos, in Ep. ad. Rom. Cap. vii. p. GO. Tigur. ir)37.]
[" The translator has hero (from, 'his meaning is,' &c.) entirely mistaken BuUingcr's words, which arc; non legis quidem, scd corruptaj natura) nostra) vitio : not indeed through any fault of the law, but through the fault of our corrupt nature.]
[8 diserte quidem, Lat.]
248 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
And to prove that, he addeth ; " For it is written, Cursed is every one that eontinueth not in all things -which are written in the book of the law to do them." Now unless we do by the deeds of the law understand the morals, as well as the ceremonials, I do not see how his proof can hang to that which went before. For he saith expressly, "In all things which are written in the book of the law^ to do them." Now who knoweth not that the ceremonials were not written alone, but that the morals were written also ? And St Augustine in his book, De Spiritu et litera, cap. viii.^ doth by many arguments prove, that Paul by the deeds of the law did un- derstand the morals also^.
Now that we may conclude this place, I will here recite the words of the apostle in the eighth chapter to the Romans^, saying : " What the law could not do, inasmuch as it was weak through the flesh, that God performed by sending his own Son in the similitude of sinful flesh, and by sin condemned sin in the flesh; that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, which walk not after flesh, but after the spirit." The apostle in these words teacheth us two things : first, that the law neither can now, nor never could, justify us men. The fault of this weakness or lack of ability he casteth not upon the law, which is of itself good and efi'ectual, and is the doctrine of most absolute righteousness ; but he layeth the fault thereof upon our corrupt flesh. Our flesh neither could, nor can, perform that which is required of us by the law^ of God. Whereupon St Peter, in the council held at Hierusalem, [Acts XV. 10.] is read to have said : " Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put on the disciples' necks the yoke, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear ?" The latter is inferred upon the
{} legis hujus, Lat. ; of this law.]
[2 prsesertim cap. 8, Lat.; and more especially in chap. 8.]
[3 Ac ne quisquam putaret hie Apostolum ea lege dixisse neminem justificari, qua? in sacramentis vetevibus multa continet figurata prre- cepta, unde etiam ipsa est circumcisio carnis, quam die octavo accipore parvuli jussi sunt; continue subjunxit quam legem dixcrit, et ait. Per legem enim cognitio peccati, &c. — Lib. de Spiritu et Litera. ch. viii. Aug. Op. Par. 1531, Tom. in. fol. 172. col. 2. Several similar passages are contained in the same treatise.]
[* verses 3. 4. Bullinger has adopted Erasmus' rendering. But see below, p. 258, note 1.]
[6 bona lego, Lat. ; by the good law.]
VIII.] USF, FULFILLING, AND ABROGATION OF THE LAW. 249
first, to wit, when the law could not give us life, nor we were able to do that which the law required at our hands, then God, who is rich in mercy and goodness, sent his Son into the world, that he, being incarnate, should die for us, and so take away the sin of our imperfection, and bestow on us his perfectness and fulness of the law **. By this therefore it is mani- fest that Christ hath fulfilled the law, and that he is the per- fectness of all the faithful in the world.
But here this place rcquireth a more full exposition, how riuist hath Christ hath fulfilled the law, and how he is made our perfect- law.andis*^ ness. First of all, whatsoever things are promised and pre- "e^^ofhe
O 1 1 faithful.
figured in the law and the prophets, all those hath Christ our Lord fulfilled. For those promises ; " The seed of the woman [cen.ui. 15 ; shall crush the serpents head : In thee shall all the kindreds ""' ^'^ of the earth be blessed;" and other more innumerable like to these did our Lord fulfil, when he, being born into this world, made an atonement for us, and brought back life to us again. In like manner he fulfilled all the ceremonials, while he himself, being both priest and sacrifice, did oifer up himself, and is now and ever an eflfectual and everlasting sacrifice, and an eternal high priest, making intercession always at the right hand of the Father for all faithful believers. He also doth spiritually circumcise the faithful, and hath given them in- stead of circumcision the sacrament of" baptism. He is our passover, who instead of the paschal lamb hath ordained the Eucharist, or supper of the Lord. Finally, he is the fulfilling^ and perfectness of the law and the prophets. More- over our Lord fulfilled the law, in that he did most ab- solutely in all points satisfy the will of God, being himself the holiest of alP, in whom there is no spot, no evil concupi- scence, nor any sin : in him is the love of God most perfect, and righteousness altogether absolute ; which righteousness he doth freely communicate to us that are most unperfect, if we behove and have our hope fast settled in him'". For he forgiveth us our sins, being made a cleansing sacrifice for us,
[c perfectionem suam nobis conferret in fide, qui est perfectio et plenitudo legis, Lat. ; and bestow on us his perfectness in faith, being himself the perfectness and fulness of the law. Ed. 1577.]
[■^ the sacrament of, not in Lat.]
[8 ct mens, Lat. ; omitted.] p sanctus sanctorum, Lat.]
[10 and have — him, not in Lat.]
[Rom. i 24.1
Life is pro mised to them that
250 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
and maketh us partakers of his own righteousness ; which is for that cause called imputed righteousness'. Whereunto the testimonies of the apostle do appertain. " God," saith Paul, "was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their sins unto them. For him, which knew no sin, he made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God by him 2." Again: "Abraham believed God, and it was im- puted to him for righteousness, without works^ So also, if we believe in God through Christ, our faith shall be imputed to us for righteousness." For by faith we lay hold on Christ, whom we believe to have made most absolute satisfaction to God for us, and so consequently that God for Christ his sake is pleased with us, and that his righteousness is imputed to us as our own'' (and is indeed by gift our own), because we are now the sons of God.
These things being diligently weighed, it shall be easy for us to answer them which make this question, and do demand : Since no mortal man doth of himself exactly satisfy
„. the law, how then is righteousness, life, and salvation, promised
l^aw""" to them that do observe the law? Our answer is forsooth, that that promise hath a respect to the perfect righteous- ness of Christ, wliich is imputed unto us. Otherwise it is assuredly certain, that the holy scripture doth not so much as in one jot disagree or square ^ in any point from itself. The apostle doth plainly say : " If there had a law been given which could have given life, then had righteousness been of the law : but now the scripture hath shut up all under sin, that the promise might be given by faith to them that do beheve." Wherefore he keepeth or doth fulfil the law, even of the ten commandments, who doth the thing for which the law was chiefly ordained. But the law was chiefly ordained (as I did declare a little before) to the end, that it might convince us all of sin and damnation, and so by that means send us from ourselves, and lead us by the hand to Christ, who is the fulfilling of the law
[1 imputativa, liat.]
[2 2 Cor. V. II), 21, per ilium, Lat.; Erasmus' rendering. Calvin reta'ins the "in ipso" of the Vulgate ;_molius enim quadrat menti Pau- linrc ilia signiflcatio. Com. in loc. cit.]
[3 certo absque opcribus, Lat.]
[4 Christi justitiam gratis imputari, Lat.]
[5 discrcpare, Lat.]
Gal. iii. 21,
^
VIII.] USE, FULFILLING, AND ABROGATION OF THE LAW. 251
unto justification to every one that dotli believe. And therefore irow we he doth fuhil and Icecp the law, who hath no confidence in himself thtlawf and his own works, but, committing himself to the very" grace of God, doth seek all righteousness in the faith of Christ, Whereupon now it is evident, that these two sentences of Christ our Lord arc of one sense and meaning ; " "Whoso- [J"hn vi. 47;
O ' Matt xix.
ever believeth in me, he hath life everlasting :" and, "If thou '71 wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." For Paul also in the thirteenth chapter of the Acts saitli : " Be it Acts xiii. known unto you, brethren, that through Christ is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; and by him all that believe are justified from all the things, from which he could not be justified by the law of Moses." And to this place now be- longeth all the work^ of justification, of which I have at large disputed in another place^.
Now that faith, wherewith we believe that Christ hath now we satisfied the law, and that he is our righteousness and our ^^^ 'a^. perfection, is neither of our own nature, nor of our own merits, but is by the grace of God poured into us through the Holy Spirit which is given into our hearts. This Spirit abiding in our hearts doth inflame our breasts with the love and desire of God's law, to do our endeavour to the express- ing^ and shewing of the law in all our works and conversation : which desire and endeavour, although they be never fully accomplished by reason of the flesh's frailty '°, or weakness of man's nature, which remaineth in us even till the last gasp and end of our life, is notwithstanding acceptable to God by grace'' for Christ his sake alone ; neither doth any godly man put any confidence in this other, but in the first fulfilling of the law •-, as that which is only absolute and perfect. For Paul in his epistle to the Romans crietli out : " 0 wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death '2?" x\nd yet immediately after he answereth ; "I thank God," to fR0m.vii.24, wit, because he hath redeemed me from death, "through Jesus ""' ^"'' Christ our Lord. So then I myself with the mind serve the
[c vera3 gratioc, Lat. ; true grace.]
[7 negotium, Lat.] [s Sec Docatio i. Sorni. G.]
[9 legitime, Lat. ; omitted.] [if> carnis ingenium, Lat.]
[11 seel duntaxat, Lat.] p tantum, Lat. ; omitted, alone.]
[13 ex hoc corpore morti obnoxio, Lat. ; Erasmus' rendering.]
252 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. There is then ^ no condemnation to them which are graifed^ in Christ Jesu, which walk not after the flesh but after the spirit," &c. Wherefore, since we are in Christ, we are in grace, and there- fore is God pleased with our works, which, being given to us by faith ^ and by the liberal Spirit^ do proceed from an heart that loveth God, the giver of them alF. For John said : " This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments ; and his commandments are not grievous." He addeth also [1 John V. 3, the reason thereof, and saith ; " For all that is born of God
4,12,13.]
overcometh the world :" now every one is born of God that doth believe ; as is declared in the first of St John. Gods com- By which it is easy to reconcile these two places, which
mandments i i i • • t i mi i o /-n i
are not heavy seem at a blush to lar one with another: The laws of God
to be borne. i • i • i
are heavy, which neither we nor our fathers were able to [Acuxv.io; bear: and, The laws of God are not grievous, or heavy to be borne. For they are not heavy to the faithful which are in Christ^, and to those which have the gift of God's Spirit, that is, to those that are reconciled to God by Christ their Lord and Saviour. Without Christ and faith in Christ they are most grievous and heavy to be borne of every unbeliever^. So the faithful, being stirred up by the Spirit of God, doth voluntarily and of his own accord do good to all men, so far as his ability doth suifer him, and will not in any case do hurt to any man : not for because he feareth the punishment that in the law is appointed for the diso- bedient, unjust, and wrongful dealers ; but for because he loveth God. And so also he fulfilleth the judicial law.
oftheabro- Here I know full well that thou wilt make this objection
fhe'uw! and say : If the law be fulfilled, and that the fulfilling ^
thereof hath a place in the saints and faithful ones, what
needed then, I pray you, the abrogating of the law ? AVhat
\} nunc, Lat.; omitted: now.]
[2 qui insiti sunt, Lat., and Erasmus.] [3 ex fide, Lat.]
[4 ex liberali spiritu, Lat.; referring to Psalm li. 12, where Calvin and Bucer read, spiritu liberali. See also p. 147, note 6.] [5 the giver of them all, not in Lat.] [•> insitis in Christo, Lat.] ["^ and heavy — unbeliever, not in Lat.] [8 that the fulfilling thereof, not in Lat.]
VIU.] USE, FULFILLING, AND ABROGATION OF THE LAW. 253
needed Paul, and all the best divines, to dispute so largely of the abrogation of the same? I will therefore say somewhat of the abrogation of the law, first generally, and then by parts peculiarly. But first of all, these words of the Lord in the gospel must be beaten into the head of every godly hearer^ : '* Think not," saith he, " that I am come to destroy [Matt v. the law or the prophets : yea, I came not to destroy, but to fulfil them. Verily, I say unto you, heaven and earth shall pass''^, but one jot or tittle of the law shall not pass, till all be fulfilled. "Whosoever therefore shall loose one of the smallest of these commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven : but whosoever shall do and teach them, he shall be called great in the king- dom of heaven." Let every one therefore be assuredly per- suaded that the law of God, which is the most excellent and perfect will of God, is for ever eternal, and cannot be at any time dissolved, either by men, or angels, or any other creatures. Let every man think that the law, so far as it is the rule how to live well and happily, so far as it is the bridle wherewith we are kept in the fear of the Lord, so far as it is a prick to awake the dulness of our flesh, and so far as it is given to instruct, correct, and rebuke us men, that so far, I say, it doth remain unabrogated'^, and hath even at this day her commodity in the church of God : and therefore the abrogating of the law consisteth in this that followeth.
I told you that God's commandments require the whole man, and a very heavenly ^^ kind of pcrfectness ; which who- soever performeth not, he is accursed and condemned by the law. Now no man doth fulfil that righteousness : there- fore are we all accursed by the law. But this curse is taken away, and most absolute righteousness is freely bestowed on us, through Christ Jesus. For Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made the curse, righteousness, and sanctification for us men. And so in this sense the law is i abrogated ; that is, the curse of the law is through Christ taken from the faithful, and true righteousness is bestowed upon us through grace by faith in the same Christ Jesus '^
p insculpenda erunt animo pio, Lat.]
[10 donee prcctereat, Lat. ; as in Auth. Vcr.]
[11 intactam, Lat.] ['^ plane divinam, Lat.]
[13 through grace — Jesus, not in Lat.]
254 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
For he is that blessed Seed in whom all the kindreds of the earth are blessed. He is our righteousness. For Paul [Actsxiii. saith, "By him every one that beheveth is justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of 2 Moses." Therefore the law is put for the curse of the law : or else the law of God is taken for that which is bewrayed or made manifest by the law, that is to say, it is taken for sin; for by the law cometli the knowledge of sin. There- fore the law is abrogated, that is, sin is taken away, not that it should not be, or not shew itself^ in us, but that it should not be imputed unto us and condemn us ; " for there
3 is no damnation to them that are in Christ Jesu^." ISIoreover the law is taken for the vengeance or punishment which is by the law appointed for transgressors. Therefore the law is abrogated, because the punishment appointed by the law
[1 Tim. i. 9.] is taken from the necks of the faithful believers ; "for the law is not given to the righteous man." For Christ deli- vered the faithful from eternal punishments, whiles he being guiltless did suffer afflictions for wicked sinners. Furthermore,
[Rom. viii. the apostle saith : " The fleshly mind is enmity against God :
4 for it is not obedient to the law of God, neither can be." But now this hatred or enmity of God's law is by faith pulled out of the hearts of the faithful; and instead of it is graffed in the love of God's most holy will : so that, in this sense also, the law is said to be abrogated, because the ha- tred of the law is taken away. And therefore the apostle compareth them that are under the law to bond-slaves, and them that are free from the law to sons and children^: to whom also he attributeth the spirit, not of bondage, but
Gal. iv. of adoption. "For because ye are sons^," saith he, "God hath sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, which crieth, Abba, Father, &c." To these may be added, that the law of ^ God hath types and shadows, and that the ceremonies are very^ burdensome, even as also the whole law is called a yoke. But now the Son of God came into this world, who, fulfilling the figures, shewed to us the very truth, and did abolish those types and shadows ; so that now no man can
[1 Gxserat suas vires, Lat.] p Horn. viii. 1, qui insiti sunt in.]
[3 liberis sive filiis, Lat.] [*» ejus filii, Lat. ; his sons.]
[5 satis alioqui, Lat. ; are otherwise sufficiently.]
VIII.] USE, FULIILLIXG, AND ABROGATION or THE LAW. 255
condemn us" for neglecting or passing over those ceremonies or figures: and so again in that sense the law of God is abrogated, that is to saj, that kind of government which Moses ordained did come to nought, when Christ did come and his apostles began to teach. For they, without regard of the ecclesiastical regiment appointed by Moses, did con- gregate churches, to which they taught not that kind of regiment which Moses had ordained. For they did con- stantly reject the priesthood of Aaron, the sacraments, the sacrifices, and choice of days, of meats, and of apparel, which IMoses had taught their elders ; and instead of all those rites they preached Christ alone, and his two sacraments, &c.^
This have I said hitherto generally^ touching the abro- xhe moral gation of the law ; and now again I will more largely expound abrogated, the same by several parts.
The whole law^ is divided into the moral, the ceremonial, and the judicial laws. The moral law now is contained in the ten commandments, the first precept whereof doth teach us to honour and worship one God alone, and not to match i any strange gods with him. This commandment did our Lord Jesus in the gospel so earnestly urge and diligently teach, that we may perceive very well that in it nothing is altered. The second precept forbiddeth idolatry, that is, the worship- ping and honouring of all manner images, whether they be 2 the images of God himself, or of any of his creatures. But it is known that the apostles, in the doctrine of the gospel, did use all means that they could to banish and drive away all kind of idolatry. Paul and John cry, "Flee from idolatry." f 'j^;^J; ^"oV.] And whereas Christ and his apostles do most diligently teach -^ us to sanctify and glorify God's holy name, they do thereby give their consent to the establishing of the third ^^ command- ment, which doth forbid to defile God's name by taking it in vain. The fourth alone of all the commandments ^^ concerning the sanctifying of the sabbath-day, is of St Augustine called 4 ceremonial'". But it must not be simply understood to bo
[6 nos judicarc, Lat.]
[7 ct paucula sacramcnta, &c., Lat. ; and very few sacraments.]
[8 ct brevitcr, Lat.; omitted, and in few words]
[» lex Dei, Lat.] [i" the third, not in Lat.]
[11 in universe dccalogo, Lat.; omitted, of all the ten.]
[12 Inter omnia ilia decem praiccpta, solum ibi quod dc Sabbato
Eph.
256 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
ceremonial : for so far forth as the outward worship of God requireth a certain appointed time to be exercised in, and carrieth with it the^ sacrifices of the law, so far, I say, it is ceremonial ; but in respect that it teacheth to meet in holy assemblies to worship God, to pray, to preach, to be partakers of the sacraments, and to offer spiritual sacrifices, therein it is eternal and not ceremonial : as I have before declared in
5 the exposition of the sabbath ^ The fifth precept, touching the honour due to parents, the Lord himself doth ratify in the fifteenth chapter of Matthew's gospel ; even as he doth also
B very diligently teach the sixth against murder, and the
7 seventh against adultery, in the fifth chapter of the same gos-
8 pel. The eighth, which is against theft, is renewed by the ri Thess. iv. apostle, who giveth charge, that no man deceive^ his brother,
and that no man steal any more; but that every one should labour with his hands, that he may have things necessary for himself, and be able to give to him that wanteth. The ninth precept, which is for the bridling of the tongue, so that no lie be made nor false witness borne against our neighbour, is by Christ himself and his apostles confirmed so often as they give rules for the ordering of the tongue, and charge every man to speak the truth to his neighbour. And they also do condemn evil lusts and affections, whereby they do not abro- gate but repair the tenth^ commandment, which doth forbid all manner of concupiscence. Therefore the whole abrogation of the ten commandments, so far forth as they are abrogated, doth consist in those points whereof I spake even now : to wit, that Christ in faith is our perfect and absolute righteousness, &c. the apostle bearing witness thereunto, and saying : " What the law could not do, inasmuch as it was Aveak through the flesh, God, having sent his own Son in the simiUtude of sin- ful flesh, even by sin condemned sin in the flesh ; that the righteousness of the law might bo fulfilled in us, which walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit :" as is to be seen in the eighth to the llomans^. I have therefore discussed the
positum est, figurate observandum pra3cipitur. — Aug. Januario. Ep. 119.
c. 12. Op. Par. 1531. Tom. ii. fol. 110. col, 4. In the Bened. cd. it
stands ad Inquis. Jan. ii. 65. c. 12. P.]
[1 externa, L at. ; omitted.] [- See Decade il. Scrra. 4.]
[3 fraudet in negotio, Lat.] [^ tentli, not in Lat.]
[5 verses 3, 4. Bullinger varies in this quotation from himself at
VIII.] USH, rULKlLLlNG, AND AIJIIOGATION OF THE LAW. 257
bi'leliicr of this matter, in this place, because I have at the full spoken of it in the treatise of the ten commandments.
1 am now come to speak of the ceremonials. These cere- ','"« f^r menials were given and granted until the time of amendment, ^"^^i^^-' to wit, until Messiah should come. Messiah is already come ; ^^^'''^■ therefore all the ceremonies, even to the coming, death, re- surrection, and ascension of Christ our Lord into the heavens, are come to an end, and have no place any longer in the church of the Christians. And yet here we must and do make a difference*' betwkt the writings concerning the cere- monies, and the very things of the ceremonies that are set down in writing ; I mean, the very ceremonies themselves, or actions that were used. For the writings concerning the ceremonies, which were set forth by the Spirit of God, are not taken away from Christians'^, nor abrogated, so that they may not be read, retained, or used in the church : as I declared in the second sermon of the first decade^. For they are effectual to instruct us in Christ Jesu, while in them Ave do behold the manner how Christ was preached and prefigured to the ancient church of the holy fathers. Paul, verily, did most significantly preach Christ out of the ceremonies ; which no man will deny that readeth diligently his epistle to the Hebrews : for he doth wonderfully in that epistle lay Christ and all his gifts before the eyes of all the church. Therefore the ceremonials both may and ought to be read in the church; so yet that in them Christ be sought, and, when he is fuund, be aptly preached. And for that cause, in the fifth and sixth sermons of this decade, where I handled the ceremonials, I annexed unto them certain notes of their significations, that I might open a way for the students of the scriptures and lovers of Christ to go forward and proceed in that kind of argument.
Now the ceremonial things, or stuff of the ceremonies, of which sort are the priesthood, the place, the time, the sacrifice, and whatsoever else is like to these, are utterly page 253, and from Erasmus' rendering, in these points : he reads eo quod (which Calvin also prefers), instead of ea parte qua imbccillis erat ; — and Bub specie carnis jyeccatricis, instead of carnis peccato ob- noxiaj ; — and instead of de peccato, per peccalum condemnavit pec- catum.]
[<» necessario, Lat. omitted.] [7 from Christians, not in Lat.]
[8 Vol. I. p. 59.] [^ res cercmoniales, is BuUinger's own term.]
[bullingeu, II.J
258 THE THIRD DECADE. [sKRM.
abrogated, so that henceforth they are neither used, nor have any place in the church of Christ. This did Jeremy foretell in the third chapter of his prophecy, saying : " In those days^ they shall make no more boast of the ark of the Lord's cove- nant ^r no man shall think upon it, neither shall any man make mention of it ; for from thenceforth it shall neither be visited, neither shall such things be done any raore^." By the ark the prophet meaneth those points of the law^ which are abohshed by the coming of Christ. St Paul, in his epistle to the Hebrews, by the promise that God made to Jeremy ^ saying, "that he would make a new covenant," doth gather
Heb. viii. this observation : " In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath worn out the first; for^ that which is worn out, and waxed old, is ready to vanish away." The same apostle to the Ephesians saith: "Christ is our peace, which hath made both one, and broken down the middle wall, that was a stop between us ; taking away in his flesh'' the hatred, even the law of com- mandments contained in ordinances, for to make of twain one new man in himself, so making peace." Ephes. ii. God verily severed the Jews from the Gentiles, while he chose and consecrated them to be a peculiar people unto himself, not by the calling of the word only, but also by the sacraments. For there were ceremonies prescribed and given, which, as a middle wall betwixt the Jews and the Gentiles, should compass in and contain^ the heritage of the Lord: so that in the ceremonies the note of difference^ did consist, whereby the Jews were known to be the lawful heirs^° of God's good pro- mises, whereof the Gentiles had no part or portion. But Christ came into the world, to the intent that of two people, the Jews and the Gentiles, he might make one church ; and
fh*JtJ!!iddlf therefore did ho break down the middle wall that parted p«- them, that is, he did clean take away the ceremonial ordi-
[1 (licit Dominus, Lat. omitted ; saith the Lord.] [2 non dicant amplius, area fcederis Domini, Lat.] [3 nequc fiet ultra, Lat. ; neither shall that be done any more.
Auth. Ver.]
[4 etiam alia legalia, Lat.] [5 apud Jeremiam, Lat.]
[° porro, Lat.] [7 per carnem suam, Lat.]
[s includcrent, Lat. ; inclose.]
[3 discriminis professio, Lat.]
[10 ac (adeo ut) Judoeis, ceu justis liceredibus addiceretm- hrcreditas,
Lat.]
wall
VIII.] USE, FULFILLING, AND ABROGATION OF THE LAW. 259
nances -svliicli were a stop betwixt them". For Christ in that
case did the same that princes are wont to do, who, when
thev go about to brine; two nations, that are at variance, into
one kingdom and under one authority, do first take away the
diversity of arms^^ which are the cognisances of their ancient
hatred, that when the cause of the remembrance of the grudge
is taken from their eyes, they may the better agree betwixt
themselves in mind and behaviour. For even so did Christ
take away circumcision, the sacrifices, and all the ceremonies",
to the end that of the Jews and Gentiles he might make one
church and fellowship^*. Paul, to the Colossians, compareth
the ceremonies to an obligation, or hand-writing'^, whereby God ceremonies
hath us bound, as it were, so that we cannot deny the guilt.
But he saith that we were so delivered by Christ from the
guilt, that the obligation or hand-writing was cancelled or
torn in pieces. But by the cancelling of the hand-writing
the debtor is acquitted and set at liberty. And therefore
we read, that at the death of our Lord the veil of the temple
was torn in pieces from the bottom up to the very top ; that ^J^^jy"^
thereby all people might understand, both that sins were then ^^^^^^^,|j
forgiven them, and that the people of God was set at liberty
from all the burden and yoke of the law. Yerily, when the
wicked, stiff-necked, and disloyal'^ people of the Jews did, after
the death of Christ, go on to exercise, prorogue'", and to obtrude'^
to all men the ceremonies, which were finished and abrogated
at the coming of Messiah'^; then Christ, sitting at the right hand
of the Father, did by the means of the Roman princes utterly
deface their city, and overthrow ^^ the temple, wherein they
[11 which — them, not in Lat.]
[12 diversas tcsseras, Lat. ; the variety of badges.]
[13 legah'bus, Lat.] [i' and fellowship, not in Lat.]
[15 Coloss. ii. 14. Calvin's words, in his Commentary on this pas- sage, are here again largely adopted by Bullinger. See also Calfhill's Answer, p. 123.]
[16 perfidus, Lat.]
[17 prorogarc, Lat. ; to continue or prolong.]
[18 pictatis ergo in templo, Lat. omitted ; as a matter of religion in the temple.]
[liJ at the coming of Messiah, not in Lat.]
[20 funditus, Lat. omitted; to its foundations.]
[21 wherein thev boasted, not in Lat.]
17—2
260 THE THIRD DECADE. [sEll.M.
hundred years before Daniel's time, foretold and said should come to pass. Neither hitherto yet, by the space of 1500 years and more, have they had any place to restore and set up again their city and temple.
In Theodoretus and Ruffinus we read that in the reign of Julian the emperor the Jews, with very great hope and pre- sumption, went about to build a new temple ; and that they sought the foundation thereof in the place where that temple stood which was burnt by Titus, son and general ^ to the em- peror Vespasian: but Christ our Lord (who in the gospel fore- told out of Daniel's prophecy the desolation thereof, and did among other speeches say, "And Ilierusalem shall be trodden under foot of the Gentiles, till the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled,") did mightily repress their wicked endeavours, and hinder their labour for going forward. For when they had gathered and brought together many thousand bushels of lime and chalk, then suddenly came a whirlwind with a wonderful storm and blustering, which scattered abroad and carried away the store of stuff by them provided. There happened also a terrible earthquake, by which all the buildings almost of the whole place were swept away, and made even with the ground. Finally, when a great company, which were busy in the work, did the same night remain, or take their rest, in a certain porch or gallery near to the new begun city and temple, the whole building and roof thereof, falling down on a sudden, slew all the number that were within the reach thereof. In the morning they which remained alive ran to- gether to seek every man for his friend among them that were slain by the ruinous building. And when those terrors could do no good, nor turn them from their purpose, then suddenly out of the trenches, foundations, and storehouses hard by, where their tools and other necessaries lay, there sprang forth a fearful fire, which burnt many that urged the work, and compelled the rest to take their heels. For in that one day it brake forth sundry times, and so at last repressed the stubborn rashness of that stiff-necked people. And for because these things should not be thought to have happened casually or at adventures, the night before and the night fol- lowing there appeared in the sky a bright or glistering sign of the cross, and the garments of the Jews were filled over [1 and general, not in Lat.]
VIII.] USU, FULFILLING, AND ABHOGATION OF THE LAW. 2GI
with crosses, not bright but black, •v\liich could not be rid away or wiped out by any pains-taking or manner of means. They therefore, in spite of their teeth and full sore against their wills, being compelled with those horrible terrors, fearful judgments, and bitter plagues of Christ our Lord, forsook the place, and fled every man to his house, leaving the work un- done, and openly confessing, that Jesus Christ, whom their forefathers had crucified, is a most mighty God, howsoever Julian, with Pharao-, and the chief of the Jews, did persevere still in their disloyalty and despiteful blasphemy against him^ and his holy church'.
But howsoever the Jews do even at this day abide in their wilful stubbornness, the Lord did from heaven declare openly enough, that he is no longer delighted with the^ ceremonial rites, because he destroyed all the instruments belonging to that ancient kmd of worship ; and made the very shop of that old religion, I mean the temple and city of nierusalem, level with the ground. Touching the temple, the Lord in the gospel spake to his disciples, when they with wondering did behold it ^ and said: "Do ye not sec [Matt. xxiv. all these things? Verily I say unto you, there shall not be 44.] " ^'"'" left here one stone standing upon another." And again, weep- ing over the unthankful city, he said : " They shall not leave in thee one stone standing upon another, because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation."" And now, that all this was word for word accomplished and fully finished, Josephus, an eye-witness of the same, doth largely testify in the eighteenth chapter of his seventh book De Bello Judaico'. Even very now I told you, that from one thousand and five hundred years ago unto this present time the Jews never had any place given them to build their temple up in again : whereby, if they were not beside themselves, they might
[2 licet cum Pharaone, ct Julianus ct potior Judrcorum turlta, Lat.]
[3 contra Christum, Lat. ; and his holy church, not in Lat.]
[^ Vide Theodorct. Eccl. Hist. in. 20. et Ruffin. Aquil. Ilist.Ecclos.
Lib. I. cap. 37. 38. 39.] [5 legalibus vol, Lat.] [c coinmonstrantibus, Lat. ; point it out.] [7 This reference is according to the Latin edition of Joscplui?,
Basil, 1540. In the more modern editions the account is contained in
the chapters of the si.^th, and the first chapter of the seventh hook, dc
Bell. Jud.l
262 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERJI.
easily gather, that the Messiah is ah'eady come into the world, and that he hath abrogated all the ceremonial rites. Rites or It is a Ycrj slender, or rather no defence at all for the
how they are Jews to allcffe the words in the law, which are many times
perpetual or ° . i • i i -\r i 1 1
everlasting, rehcarscd, where the ceremonies are described : "Ye shall keep it for an everlasting ordinance." For in this sense everlasting is taken for long lasting and unchangeable, so far forth as it hath respect unto the will or authority of mankind^. For the Lord did with threatening of grievous punishments forbid that mankind's unadvisedness should change or abrogate the holy ceremonies. And yet, since he did ordain those ceremonies until the time of amendment, he 2 doth neither sin, nor yet incur the crime of unconstancy, when he doth change or take away the ceremonies according to the determinate purpose which he intended from the be- ginning. Moreover, so long as the thing signified^ doth not decay, and that the shadow only, or raomentany figure*, doth vanish away, it is assuredly certain that the ceremony doth yet remain in full effect and substance^. The whole man doth live for ever ; and yet the things that are temporal or corruptible in him do perish in death, and are abolished in his clarification''.
The priest- But that all thcsc things may appear as clear as the
grted.^ '°' daylight, I will particularly run through and touch the more notable sort of ceremonies. That the priesthood of Aaron is utterly abrogated, it is evident by the words which"^ the
rpsaim ex. 4 ; apostle citoth out of David, saying: "The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent. Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedech." Christ, therefore, is the one and only high priest, and that too an everlasting priest, having an immutable priesthood, which cannot by succession pass from him to any other man or angel. For he now, standing at the right hand of the Father in heaven, the very true temple which was prefigured by the tabernacle and temple at Jerusalem, doth make intercession for us, and doth all the oflices of an high priest : of whom the apostle of Christ, St Paul, doth speak very largely in his epistle unto the Hebrews.
[1 quantum attinet homines, Lut.] [2 Deus, Lat.]
[3 per ritum, Lat.; by the ceremony.]
[4 cadit et, Lat. ; falls, and.] [5 in substantia sua, Lat.]
[6 i. c. glorification.] [7 id maxime arguit quod, Lat.]
VIII.] USE, FULFILLING, AND ABUOGATION OF Till; LAW. 2G3
This Christ Jesus, our high priest, hath consecrated all the faithful to be kings and priests unto himself. And yet not- withstanding he doth ordain ministers of the church, by doctrine and examples to instruct the church, and to minister the sacraments ; I mean, not those old and ancient ones, but those which the Lord hath substituted instead of the old ones. What doctrine they must teach, he doth expressly declare. The mystical attire and garments of the priesthood he neither did commend to his apostles, nor leave to his church, but took them away with all the ceremonies^ that are called the middle wall betwixt the Jews and Gentiles. The Lord himself and his apostle Paul will have the pastors of the people clad with righteousness and honesty ; and do precisely remove the ministers of the church from superiority and secular affairs. They do also appoint stipends for the ministers to live upon ; yet not those which the law allowed Matt. x. them, but such as were most tolerable and convenient for the state and condition of every church.
The Lord left the place to serve and worship God in The place for
. , . T Ml to worship
free, without exception or binding to any one prescribed or p^°^*^^'^^.g peculiar place, when in the gospel after John he said : " The Xo"se°where hour shall come, and is already, when the true worshippers a^J'the'con- shall worship the Father neither in this mountain, nor at {fkf^!"" Jerusalem, but in the spirit and in truth : for such the Father 23,°24.]''' ^'' requireth to worship him. God is a Spirit ; and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." The apostle followed the Lord in this doctrine, and said ; " I will H Tim. u. s.] that men pray in every place, lifting up pure hands, without anger." Neither did the Lord in vain, as I shewed you even now, suffer the temple to be utterly overthrown, considering that at his death he had rent the veil thereof. And yet, for all that, the ecclesiastical assemblies are not thereby con- demned : of which I spake in the exposition of the fourth precept^, "Remember that thou keep holy the sabbath-day." Verily, the tabernacle and the temple bare the type of the catholic church of God, out of which there are no prayers nor oblations acceptable to the Lord. But the church is extended to the very ends of the world. And yet it follow- eth not thereupon, that all are in the church which are in the world : they alone are in the church, which through the [^ decretis, Lat.] p See Vol. i. page 255.]
2Gt THE TIlinD DECADE. [SEUM.
catholic faith are in the fellowship of Christ Jesus, and by the agreement of doctrine, by charity, and by the participation of the sacraments (unless some great necessity hinder them), are Tosnrrificp in the communiou of the holy saints. But they burn incense iiiiws. and sacrifice in high places, whosoever seek after any other sacrifice than the one and only oblation of Christ Jesus ; or look for any other to offer their prayers to God the Father than Christ alone ^ as they are taught by the mouth of the pastor sincerely preaching the word of God. Moreover the church of God hath no need now of any ark, any table, any shcwbread, any golden candlestick, any altar either of incense or burnt-offerings, nor yet of any brasen laver : for Christ alone is all in alF to the catholic church; which church hath all these things spiritually and effectually in Christ Jesus, and can seek for nothing in any other creatures ; insomuch that, if it perceive any man to bring in again either these or such like ceremonial instruments, it doth sharply rebuke and bitterly cursc^ him for his unwarrantable rashness and blas- phemous presumption in the church of Christ. For what need hath the church of shadows and figures, when it doth now enjoy'' the thing itself, even Christ Jesus, whose shadow and figure the ceremonies bare ? Moreover the church hath signs enough, in that it hath received of Christ two sacra- mental signs, wherein are contained all the things which the old church did comprehend^ in sundry and very many figures. The holy Furthermore, he hath left the holy time, to worship God
time is free. _ ', , .
[Miri<.ii. 27, in, free to our choice, who in the gospel saith : "The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath : therefore the Son of Man is Lord also of the sabbath." And the apostle
[coioss. ii. l*aul saith: "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or drink, or in part of an holy day^, or of the new moon, or of the sabbaths : which arc the shadows of things to come ; but the body is of Christ." Of the christian sabbath I spake in
[1 et alium in oramlo et sacrificando modum tciicnt, quam vcrbo pastoris in ecclesia est traditum, Lat. ; and practise another method of prayer and sacrifice than, &c.]
[2 hccc omnia, Lat. ; is all these things.]
[3 execrctur, Lat. ; for his — Christ, not in Lat.]
[■* per fidem, Lat. omitted ; by faith : whose — bare, not in Lat.]
[5 habuit, Lat.] [^ So Auth. Ver. niarg.]
VIII.] USE, FULFILLING, AND ABROGATION OF THE LAW. 2G5
the exposition of the fourth commandment ^ As for the new moons, they are not solemnized by the church of Christ, in- somuch as it is taught by Christ to attribute to God^ not the beginning of months only, but the -whole year also, and the commodity'' thereof, with the light of the sun, the moon, and all the stars in heaven.
jNIoreover the Christians do celebrate their passovcr more spiritually than bodily ; even as also they do solemnize their rcntccost, or AVhitsuntide^*^. For as he sent his Spirit upon his disciples, so doth he daily send it upon all the faithful. And that is the cause that in the faithful the alarm is stricken up to encourage them as soldiers to skirmish with their enemies". For the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the faithful are daily assaulted, and provoked to battle, by the world, and by the devil the prince of the world'-. Furthermore, the feast of propitiation, being once finished upon the cross, endureth for ever : neither do the saints any more send out a scape- goat, to bear their sins into the desert'^ ; for Christ our Lord came once, and was oifered up, and by his sacrifice took away the sins of all the world. Finally, since the faithful do daily consider and bear in their minds, that they have no abiding place in this transitory world, but that they look after a place to come ; they need not, as the Jews did, once a year to cele- brate the feast of tabernacles. In like manner, the faithful do no more acknowledge any year of jubilee : for Christ came once, and preached unto us that acceptable year, even the gospel, whereby it is proclaimed that all our sins and iniqui- ties are clearly forgiven us. For so doth Christ himself in- terpret it'^ in the fourth of St Luke's gospel, taking occasion to speak of it out of the sixty-first chapter of Esay's prophecy. And thus the holy time and festival days are abrogated by Christ in his holy church ; which notwithstanding is not left destitute of any holy thing or necessary matter.
[7 Decade ii. Serm. 4.]
[8 creatori, Lat. omitted ; the maker of tliom.] p provcntum, Lat.]
[10 or Whitsuntide, added by the translator.]
[11 Semper autcm hie classicum camiiit ad pugnam, Lat. See above, page 1G9.]
[12 hujus seculi, Lat.]
[13 to bear— desert, not in Liit.] [>' lircc dcclarat, Lat.J
The Romish jubilee.
2G6 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
But now because this present year, wherein this book is first of all printed, is the year of grace 1550, and according to the Romish tradition is called the year of jubilee ; I am therefore compelled, as it were of necessity, to make a little digression, and speak somewhat of the Romish jubilee.
I do therefore call it the Romish, and not the christian, jubilee, because, as I shewed you even now, the church of Christ, after our redemption wrought by Christ and preached by the gospel, doth neither acknowledge nor receive any other year of jubilee. In the ancient Jewish year of jubilee there is to be considered the meaning of the letter, and of the spirit^ According to the letter, bondmen were set at liberty, and lawful heirs did receive again their patrimony and pos- sessions, which either w^as changed away or otherwise gone from them. The meaning ^ of that order, as it could not be brought again into all kingdoms in these latter days^ without the trouble of all estates, so it is little set by and the care of the oppressed utterly neglected by the holy popes ^ who now of late^ brought in the year of jubilee, and preached it unto the foolish world, not for any zeal they had to help the oppressed, but for the desire they had, by robbing the world, to augment their own treasures'^. The spiritual and hidden mystery of the jubilee did commend'^ unto them of old the free remission of all sins through Christ by faith in Christ : which free grace cannot, without reproach to Christ, be other- wise preached than it hath been already taught by the holy gospel. Therefore the church was without the observation of any year of jubilee by the space of 1300 years after Christ his incarnation. At last, up start Bonifacius, the eighth of that name, bishop of Rome^ who first of all invented that wicked ordinance. For Platina, in the life of that Bonifacius, saith : "This is he that first brought in tlio jubilee, in the year of Christ 1300, wherein he granted full remission of all
[1 consicleratur litem et spiritus, Lat.]
[2 Is ritus, Lat.] [3 hodie, Lat.]
[4 non admodum curant beatissimi patres, Lat.]
[5 now of late, not in Lat.]
[6 ut opibus suis plurimum acccdat, is the Lat., rendered by, not for any — own treasures.]
[7 Christum et gratuitam ejus, Lat. ; Christ, and his free, &c.]
[8 cujus nomino et Sextus Decret. prodiit, Lat. omitted; under whoso name the sixth book of Decretals also was put forth.]
VIII.] USE, IL'LFILLING, AND ABUOGATIOX OF THE LAW. 267
their sins to as many as visited the see apostolical. And the same did he ordain to be observed every hundredth year." So then the church of Christ was without this jubilee, without peril of salvation, by the space of 1300 years. And therefore may we also be without it without all peril and damage, yea, to our great profit and commodity. For if our Romanists go on to obtrude it to the world as a thing necessary to sal- vation, then shall they condemn the universal church which ■was before pope Boniface his time, who first brought in this unacquainted jubilee. Thus we are so far from not^ being able to be without it, that we ought by all means possible to detest and abhor it as a very wicked and blasphemous ordinance ; considering that we have to believe that the jubilee is utterly abrogated by Christ, and also that all sins are freely through Christ forgiven to all that believe, in what place of the world soever they live and arc conversant in.
This pope Boniface doth to his false promise and unpure place annex the remission of sins. Now 1 doubt whether this blasphemous antichrist^'' could do any thing more horrible, and more against the honour of the Saviour ^^ For therein is defiled the glory of the only-begotten Son of God, who is the only health ^^ of all the world. Therein is defiled the salvation of many thousands, for which Christ died upon the cross. And therein also is defiled the glory of christian faith, by which alone we are made partakers of eternal salvation. This ungracious and wicked pope was ho of whom that com- mon proverb runneth : " He entered like a wolf, he reigned like a lion, and died like a dog^-^." For verily so blasphemous an ordinance was worthy of such an author ; so foolish a people was worthy of such a pastor ; and so devilish a pope was worthy of such an end'i Platina writeth, that in that
p non tantum illo carerc possumus, Lat.]
[10 "blasphemous antichrist" is not in the original.]
[11 et execrandum, Lat.; and to be abhorred.]
[12 Salvatoris, Lat.; Saviour.]
[13 See Homily for Whit-sunday, Part II. page 425. Oxford, 1832. "It is reported, that Celcstine" (his predecessor) "prophesied of him, Ascendisti ut vulpes, Itegnabis ut leo, Alorieris ut canis. — Of this Pope (Boniface) a certain versifier wrote thus :
Ingreditur vulpes, regnat leo, scd canis exit ; Re tandem vera, si sic fuit, ccce chimera."]
[!•* and so— end, not in the original.]
2G8 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
year of jubilee there came so great heaps of people to Rome, that although the city were indifferently large enough, yet one man could not for throng pass by another ^ For the world will needs be deceived: if it were not so, they would give ear unto the Lord which crieth, " 0 all ye that thirst, come to the waters, and ye that have no money, draw nigh. Why spend yc your money upon a thing of nought, &c." Esay Iv., and John iv. vii. Now all the while that the world was set thus on mad- ding, the righteous Lord was not asleep, nor yet did dissemble how much they displeased him with that devilish" invention. For the very same year he stirred up Ottoman^, the patri- arch and first founder of the Turkish empire, by whose means he did notably scourge the church of Rome and the corrupt manners that were crept into Christendom. A few years after succeeded Clement the sixth ^ Paul the second, and Sixtus the fourth^, as wicked men as he, as is to be found in the histories of their lives ; who changed the year of jubilee from every hundreth to every fiftieth year, and so at last to every five and twentieth year, that so they might suck the more advantage out of men's foolishness. But now to the matter again.
[1 Jubileum idem (Bonifacius VIII.) retvilit anno millesimo trecen- tcsimo, quo plenam delictorum omnium remissionem his preestabat, qui limina apostoloi'um visitassent. — Idem etiam centesimo quoque anno observari mandavit. — Ob banc rem eo anno tanta undique bominum multitude Romam venit, ut vix incedere per urbem, amplam quidem et vastam, liceret.— Platin. de Vit. Pontif. Rom. p. 245. Colon. 1568.]
[2 devilish, not in Lat.]
[3 From that very year (viz. of the institution of the jubilee), as most stories do record, the Turks do begin the first count of their Turkish emperors, whereof the first was Ottoman. Foxe's Acts and Monum. Vol. ii. p. 58G. ed. Lond. 1837. See also Bullinger in Apo- calyps. Cone. xxx. on Rev. vi. 1 — 4, and xlt. on ix. 12-19.]
[^ Petentibus Romanis, ut qucmadmodum Bonifacius octavus olim concesscrat, ut centesimo quoque anno plenam peccatorum omnium remissionem visitantibus limina apostolorum Petri et Pauli, quinqua- gosimo quoque anno id facere libenter annuat (Clemens VI.) cum di- cei-ent astatem bominum jubileum ilium centum annorum attingere non posse. Platin. de Vit. Pontif Rom. j). 258.]
[5 Quum vero annus Jubileus instnrct, quem ex quinquagesimo ad XXV contraxit (Xystus IV,) primusque anno salutis mcccclxxv. celc- bravit, &c. Platin. p. 350. — This was in confirmntion of the bull of bis predecessor, Paul the Second.]
VIII.] USE, FULFILLING, AND ABROGATION OF THE LAW. 2G9
The sacraments also of the ancient Jews arc Hatly abro- TheJew^h
J .... , 1 • 1 sacraments
gated, and in their places are substituted new sacraments, "■"• sncntii-e which are given to the people of the new covenant. abrogated:
Instead of circumcision is baptism appointed". The apos- i ties, in the synod held at Hierusalem, did oppose themselves against those Avhicli were of opinion that circumcision was necessary unto salvation ; and in that council they allowed of Paul's doctrine, who both thought and taught the contrary. For Paul in one place saith ; " Lo, I Paul say unto you, that [oai. v. if you be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify to every man Avhicli is circumcised, that he is a debtor to the whole law to do it. Christ is made of none effect to you : as many of you as are justified by the law, are fallen from grace." Neither is it right or convenient that in the church of Christ there should remain so bloody a sacra- ment^ as circumcision was, when once that blood was shed upon the cross which stancheth and taketh away the blood ^ of the old Testament.
Instead of the paschal Lamb is the Lord's supper or- 2 dained", which by another name is called the eucharist, or a thanksgiving. For so the Lord himself in Luke expoundeth it, saying, that he did then eat the last passover with his disciples ; at the end whereof he did immediately ordain the sacrament of his body and blood, which he biddeth them to celebrate in remembrance of him ^, until he return to judg- ment again. Therefore the Lord left^" the supper to be an unchangeable sacrament until the end of the world.
Moreover, that all sorts of sacrifices contained in the law are utterly abrogated, no man, I suppose, will once deny, which doth but consider, that both the temple and the two altars, with all the holy instruments, are utterly overthrown and come to nothing. I told you that those sacrifices Avere remembrances of sins, and types or figures of the cleansing and atonement that was to be made by Christ Jesus". There- fore when Christ was come and offered up for the sins of all the world, then verily did all the sacrifices of the ancient Jews'^ come to their ending. For where there is a full and absolute
[6 subiit, Lat.] [" signum, Lat.] [8 omncm sanguiiiem, Lat.] \p in remembrance of him, not in Lat.]
[10 ecclesise, Lat. ; to the church.] [n expiatiouis futurtc, Lat.] [12 Teterum, Lat. ; Jews, not in Lat.]
The eucha- rist, or sup- per of the Lord, is to Christians instead of all sacrifices.
270 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
remission of sins, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin. But in the new Testament there is a full remission of sins : there- fore in the new Testament there is no longer any sacrifice offered for sins. For Christ is only and alone instead of all the sacrifices. For he was once offered up, and after that is offered no more : who by the once offering up of himself hath found eternal redemption ; so that all, which be sanctified, are sanctified by none other oblation but that of Christ upon the cross made once for all. Wherefore Christ, being once offered upon the cross for the sins of all the world, is the burnt-offering of the catholic church : he is also the meat-offering, which feed- eth us with his flesh offered upon the cross unto eternal life, if we receive and feed on him' by faith. Moreover he is the drink-offering of the church, which with his blood doth quench the thirst of the faithful unto life everlasting. He is the purging and daily sacrifice of the church ; because he is " the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world 2." His death and passion cleanseth all men from their sins, their errors, and iniquities^. Finally, he is the church'*s sacrifice of thanksgiving ; because by Christ we offer praise to God, and by Christ we render thanks unto the Lord*.
To conclude : the only supper of the Lord, which we call the eucharist, containeth in it all the kinds of ancient sacrifices: which are in effect but of two sorts; to wit, of purging and of atonement, as those which were offered for sin ; or else of thanksgiving, as those which rendered thanks and offered praise unto the Lord. Now the supper is a testimony, a sacrament, and^ a remembrance of the body of Christ which was given for us, and of his blood that was shed for the remission of our sins. For the body and blood of our Lord, which were but once offered upon the cross *^, and neither can nor ought to be offered any more of men, are not sacrificed afresh in the celebration of the supper : but in the celebrating of it there is reiterated a remembrance of the thing, I mean, of the oblation, which was but once made, and in once offering
[1 si pcrcipiatur, Lat. ; if it (liis flesh) be received.]
[2 John i. 29, peccatum, Lat.]
p omnia vitia rnortalium, omnes erroves, omnia scelcra, Lat.]
[4 Deo Patri, Lat. ; to God the Father.]
[5 adeoque, Lat. ; and so.]
[*5 pro peccatis, Lat. ; for sins.]
VIII.] USE, FULFILLING, AND ABROGATION OF THE LAW. 271
■was sufficient. Again, in tlic snppcr we render thanks to God for our redemption, for which also tlie universal church doth offer praise unto his name. AYhercforo the supper of the j Lord doth comprehend the whole substance and matter, which / was prefigured in those ancient sacrifices : so that, in that 1 point, the church is not destitute of any good or necessary thing, although it doth no longer retain those sacrifices of the elder church. Yea, they ought not any longer to be solem- nized in the church, because they were nothing else but the figures, types, and sacraments of Christ to come. But the church doth now believe, and that rightly too, that Christ is already come, and that he hath fulfilled and accomplished all things ; as we read that he himself did testify, when on the cross he cried, saying, " It is finished."
Moreover all vows are come to an end, because all sacri- vows ficcs, wherein'^ the vows consisted, are vanished and gone. ^^''°^^^^'^- Likewise the discipline of the Nazarites is now decayed, because the temple with all the ceremonies belonging there- unto is vaded away. There rcmaineth still in the church a christian and moderate discipline, but not that which is described in the law : and the saints do perform to God the vows which they have made in the church, not contrary to faith and godliness ; but they are sparing, wary, and very religious in making vows. For what have we to give to God, which we have not first received at his hands ; and to the performing of which we were not bound before in bap- tism?
Christ doth not so distinguish between clean and unclean The choice in the gospel, as Moses doth in the law. " That," saitli he, abrogated.
o 1 ' r Matt. XV.
"which entereth into the mouth defileth not the man; but "J that which cometh out of the mouth." And the apostle Paul doth flatly say, that "to the clean all things are clean." And [tu. i.is.] like to this he speaketh much in the fourteenth to the Romans, and in other places moe. In his epistle to the Colossians he saith : " If ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as living in the world, are ye led with traditions, (touch not, taste not, handle not ;) all which do perish in abusing^?" And so forth. To Peter also it is said: "What
[■7 wherein — consisted, not in Lat.]
[8 Coloss. ii. 20-22, ipso pcreant abusu, Lat. ; and Erasmus : wliycli all peryshe tliorow the very abuse. Cranmei', 1539.]
272
THE THIRD DECADE.
[SERM.
Blood and God hatli sanctified, that call not thou unclean." Therefore
Strangled
oTtii'e'''^" whereas, in the synodal epistle set forth by the apostles in apostles. ^}jQ fifteenth of the Acts, both blood and strangled is forbidden and exempted from the meat of men, that commandment was not perpetual, but momentany, for a time only. For it pleased the apostles, for charity's sake, to bear therein with the Jewish nation, who otherwise would have been too stubborn and self-willed. The Jews at that time did every day so rifely hear the reading of the law, which did expressly forbid to eat blood and strangled, as if the preaching of the gospel had not begun to be sowed among them; and therefore they could not but be greatly offended to see the Gentiles so lavishly to use the things prohibited. Wherefore the apostles would have the Gentiles for a time to abstain from the things that otherwise were lawful enough, to see if peradventure by that means they might win the Jews to the faith of Christ. For the epistles, which Paul wrote a few years after the council at Hierusalem, do sufficiently argue that the decree of the apostles against blood and strangled was not perpetual. But the commandments given against things offered to idols, and against fornication, (in using whereof the Gentiles thought that they did not greatly offend,) are perpetual, because they be morals, and of the number^ of the ten commandments. But of that matter I have spoken in another place.
And now, because I am come to make mention of the
synodal decree ordained by the apostles and elders of the
council at Hierusalem, I think it not amiss to recite unto you,
dearly beloved, as a conclusion to this place, the whole epistle
The decree of sent bv the synod, because it doth bear an evident, full, and
the synod ,..''. , .,
held at Hie- bricf tcstimonv, that the law is abroo-ated alter that manner
rusalem. _ «' ....
which 1 have declared. Now this is their epistle, or constitu- [Actsxv. tion ; " The apostles, and elders, and brethren, send greetings unto the brethren which arc of the Gentiles, that are in Antiochia, Syria, and Cilicia. Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which departed from us have troubled you with words, and cumbered ^ your minds, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law ; to whom avc gave no such commandment : it seemed good therefore to us, when we were come together with one accord, to send chosen men unto you,
[1 legura primarum atquc, Lat. ; of the first laws and, &c.] [^ labcfiictantcs, Lat.]
VIII.] USE, FULFILLING, AND ABROGATION OF THE LAW. 273
with our beloved Paul and Barnabas, men that have jeo- parded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, which shall also tell you the same things by mouth. For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us, to charge you with no more than these necessary things ; (that is to say) that ye abstain from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication : from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. So fare ye well." This is word for word the catho- lic, the synodal, apostolic, and ecclesiastical epistle of the council held at Hierusalem, both brief and easy : for as the speech of truth is simple, so also may true religion and christian faith be easily laid down in very few and evident words.
Immediately, in the beginning, after their accustomed J'^ost^g'^^ manner of subscribino; and inscribino: their epistle, they do ''"'^'""<^-
O O L ' J They sub-
out of hand fall to, and touch the false apostles with whom scnbe their
' 1 own names,
own 1
inscribe names
sent.
Paul and Barnabas were in controversy, and do declare what ^^^^ kind of doctrine that of the false prophets was, which they whomThe'' had till then preached unto the churches as the catholic, true, ^""^^'^ and apostolic doctrine ; to wit, that they which will be saved must be circumcised and keep the law of Moses. For they thought not that faith in Christ, without the help of the law, was sufficient enough to full and absolute justification. They made their boasts, that they were sent from Hierusalem^ by the apostles and disciples of the Lord, who did all Avith one consent teach the same doctrine that they did preach ; and they said that Paul with his companion Barnabas alone did, schismatic-like, sow in the churches a certain doctrine, peculiar to himself, touching faith which justified without the works of the law. Wherefore the apostles straightways, after the beginning of their epistle, do declare what they think of such false teachers and their unwarranted doctrine : " We confess," say they, "that those false teachers went from hence out of Hierusalem, but we deny that they were either sent or in- structed by us. For we gave no commandment to any such." And so they do testify that it is utterly false, which those fellows taught, to wit, that the apostles and disciples of the Lord did preach that the law is requisite to full justi- fication. Yea, they do yet go on more plainly to declare
[^ ox urbe sancta, Lat.]
r 1 18
[bullinger, n.J
274
THE THIRD DECADE.
[SERM.
. what the doctnne of those false apostles was : *' They trouble you," say they, "with words, and cumber your minds, com- manding you to be circumcised and to keep the law." The sum therefore of their doctrine was, that, unless a man were circumcised and did keep the law, he could not be saved : whereby they did ascribe salvation to the keeping of the law, or to the merit of their works. Unto this doctrine the apostles
1 do attribute two perilous eifects. The first is, " They trouble you with words." They be words, say they, which do rather amaze, than appease, comfort, or pacify your minds ; yea, they do trouble you so, that ye cannot tell what to believe, or whereto to trust : and do moreover stir up strifes, discords, and jarrings among you. To these words of the apostles doth Paul seem to have alluded in his epistle to the Galatians,
[Gal. 1. 6, 7.-) saying : "I marvel that ye are so soon turned from Christ^ which called you by grace, unto another gospel; which is not another gospel indeed, but that there be some which trouble you, and intend to pervert the gospel of Christ." The latter effect is,
2 "They cumber or weaken your minds." For they, which lean to the law and to works, have nothing stable or stedfast in their minds : for since the law requireth a most exact and absolute righteousness, and doth thereby kill, because such righteous- ness is not found in us; therefore those minds are weakened and subverted that are taught to lean to the works of the law, which law no man doth keep as of right he ought to do. Therefore Paul to the Romans saith: "If they that do belong unto the law are heirs, then is faith vain, and the promise made of none effect"." And immediately after again : " Therefore the heritage is given by faith, as according to grace; that the promise may be sure to all the seed," &c. The false apostles therefore did subvert and weaken minds, by teaching that salvation is gotten by the law : which, verily, is a grievous judgment against those which with them do teach the like.
Then also they do with like liberty go on to the other side, to shew their opinion of Paul and Barnabas; yea, they do adorn them, as their messengers, with a most holy tes-
[^ a Christo qui rocavit vos per gratiam, Lat.; and Erasmus : from Christ which called you by grace. Cranmer, 1539.]
[2 Nam lox iram operator, Lat. omitted; for the law worketh
wrath.]
[Rom. i 14—16.]
Paul his doctrine is allowed and commended to the churches.
VIII.] USE, FULFILLING, AND ABROGATION OF THE LAW. 275
timoniaP, to the end that they may among all men have the more authority, and that all men may understand that be- twixt them twain and the other apostles there was a full agreement and consent of doctrine and rehgion. " We being gathered together with one accord," say they, " have sent messengers unto you." Lo here, of the false apostles they testified that they sent them not, nor gave them any com- mandment : but these men they send, and do with one accord give them a commandment. But who be they whom they send ? *' Our beloved Paul and Barnabas, which have jeoparded their lives for the name of Christ Jesus." These twain are most choice apostles, and holy, glorious martyrs, our dearly- beloved brethren, being of the same religion and doctrine with us, who have declared what their lives and doctrine is by their manifold virtues* and manful suffering of peril and dangers.
But for because Paul and Barnabas were themselves no small doers in that controversy and disputation, there were joined to them two other chosen men, Judas and Silas, to the end that they might indifferently, without suspicion, declare the things which in the council were alleged for both sides ; as I mean to shew you in the exposition of the general decree.
For now they do in few words comprehend the very The exposi- decree of the whole and universal synod ; in the laying: down gXrai' ^
decree of
whereof they do first of all name the author of the decree, the synod
•^ ' held at
saying : " It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us." Hierusaiem. They first set down the Holy Ghost, and then themselves ; making him to be the author of truth, and themselves to be the instruments by which he worketh : for he worketh in the church by the ministry of men. But men's authority without the inspiration of the Holy Ghost is none at all. Therefore do the apostles very significantly say : " It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us:" that is, after that we were assembled in that synod to treat of the matter of jus- tification and of the law, (about which things Paul and his adversaries did stand in controversy,) we followed not our own judgments, neither did we use proofs of our own inven- tions ; but, searching out and hearing the doctrine of the Holy Ghost, we do upon his warrant write this unto you.
[3 et elogio, Lat, omitted ; and encomium.] [■* editis, Lat. ; displayed.]
18—2
276 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
In the second place, they do set down the sum of the decree, saying: " That we might not charge you with greater burdens than these necessary things, (that is to say) that ye abstain from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication." Therefore, say they, the doctrine of the gospel which Paul hath hitherto preached with us, is sufficient to the obtaining of life and salvation. We intend not to lay any greater burden upon you than the doctrine of the gospel and abstinence from those few things. In which sentence they seem to have had an eye to the opinion of St Peter, who in the council said : " Ye Aeisx. know that I, being called by God, did go to the Gentiles, and did preach to them salvation through the gospel. Ye know, that to the Gentiles, being neither circumcised, nor keeping the law, while I preached to them faith in Christ Jesus, the Holy Ghost was given from above, so that their hearts were purified of God himself by faith, not by the law, and that they were made heirs of eternal life." And upon [Acts XV. this he inferreth : "Now therefore why tempt ye God, to lay ~ " upon the disciples' necks a yoke, which neither we nor our
fathers were able to bear ? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they." See here, St Peter called the law a burden and a yoke : and therefore, where the apostles say that they will not lay upon the church any greater burden, they do thereby signify that the law is flatly abrogated. They do therefore set the church free from the burden of the law, and do acquit it from all burdens like to the law. Men have Wo uow do gather by those words of the apostles, that
thrust upon tliose burdcusome and innumerable ceremonies, which the
the church of , , , , • i i • i i i • i •
God many churcli hatli recoivcd by councils and synods smce the time
ceremonies. *'^ ^ "
of the apostles, were unjustly and against the apostolic spirit then laid upon the church, and at this day wickedly retained and defended in the church. For they in express words said : " It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us to burden you with no more than these things necessary."
But if any man object and say, that those ceremonies
were for the rudeness of the people laid upon the churches'
necks, as a rule cr instruction ^ to guide or teach them
by ; mine answer is, that that kind of instruction is clean
[1 ptedagogiam, Lat.]
VIll.] USE, lULFlLLING, AND ABIIOGATIOX OF THE LAW. 277
taken away, which whosoever goeth about to reduce, he desireth nothing else but to bring in Judaism again. God knew very well what kind of church that would be, which he purposed to gather together of Jews and Gentiles ; and yet he abolished those external ceremonies. Now who doth better know than God what is expedient, or not expedient, for his church ? Therefore the things that be abolished were not expedient for the faithful : whereupon the apostles did rightly and very well pronounce ; " It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and us not to lay upon you any greater burden." Let them therefore be ashamed of their doings, which lay so great a burden upon the shoulders of the church, that otherwise ought to be most free.
Now also here is added the conclusion of the sentence : st james " Than these necessary things, (that is to say) that ye abstain st Peter-s" from things offered to idols," &:c. In these words they had an eye unto the sentence of St James, the apostle and brother of the Lord : for he, confirming and allowing of St Peter's opinion touching justification by faith and the not laying of the law upon the Gentiles' necks, doth allege a testimony of scripture out of Amos ; who did foretell that the Jews should be cut ^f'J^ *"• off because of their sins, and that in their steads the Gentiles should be taken, among whom the true church of God should be ; which was prefigured by the ruin and reparation of David's tabernacle. The same prophet did also foretell a reason how, and a cause why, the Gentiles should be received into the church; not for circumcision's sake, nor yet by the help of the law, but by grace through faith. For he saith : " The remnant of the men shall seek after the Lord, and all [Actsxv. 17 the heathen upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, which doth all this : all these works of God are known to him from before the world began." Lo here, they shall seek the Lord, and shall be received into his fellowship, upon whom his name shall be called. This phrase of speech doth signify, that they which are elect shall be the sons of God ; for upon them the name of the Lord is called, which are named the sons of God, and are his elect. Now the whole scripture attributeth that to faith. By faith, therefore, we are made the members of the church, and sons and^ heirs to God our maker. But if any man do murmur against the counsel of
[2 adeoque, Lat. ; and so.]
278 THE TIIIKD DECADE. [SERM.
God, and say. Why doth God so ? let him think, that this deed is the deed and work of God, whom it is not lawful for man to gainsay, and all whose works are known from the beginning of the world to have been done in judgment and righteousness: whereupon it doth consequently follow, that this counsel of his is good and righteous, whereby he doth through faith in Christ join to himself and sanctify^ the heathen nations 2.
Now upon these words of the prophet St James (sub- scribing as it were to St Peter's opinion) doth gather and infer : " Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them which from among the Gentiles are turned to God :" that is to say, I think that they are not to be molested, or charged with the observation of the law. But lest the Gentiles, once hearing that the law was abolished, should thereby think that they might freely do whatsoever they would, and so by that means abuse their liberty ; and also, against all charity, de- spise and give offence unto the Jewish brethren ; therefore From some Jamos addoth : " But I think it best for us to write unto musTthe '"^^ them, that they abstain from filthiness of idols." For there
saints '' , . a -, /-, •^
abstain. vrQVQ at that time certam converts of the Gentiles, who thought it lawful for them to enter into idol-temples, and be partakers of things offered to idols ; because an idol is nothing, since there is but one only God alone : whereupon they ga- thered that those sacrifices were nothing, that they did nei- ther good nor harm ; and therefore that Christians might with a safe conscience be partakers of them. But St James and Paul also, 1 Cor. viii. ix. and x., will have the heathen converts to abstain utterly from the worship of idols, that is, from the idols themselves, and from those things which are in the idol-temples offered to false and feigned gods.
Moreover he addeth : " Let them beware of fornication." The Gentiles, verily, did by good laws forbid the adulteries and defilings of virgins and matrons, with very sharp punish- ments suppressing the violent deflowerers of honest women : but they thought it a very light and in a manner no fault at all for such to commit whoredom as did of their own accords set their chastity to sale ; or if an unwcdded man
\} beatificat, Lat. See Vol. i. page 106, note G.] [^ citra legis observationcm, Lat. omitted ; without Tceeping of tho law.]
VIII.] USE, FULFILLING, AND ABROGATION OF THE LAW. 279
should have to do witli a single -woman : and therefore the apostle James, even as Paul also, 1 Cor. vi. and 1 Tliess. iv. doth very severely require the holy and pure use of the body, -without all filthy and unclean beastliness.
Last of alP, he willeth the Gentiles to be restrained of eating blood and strangled. He addeth the cause why, and saith : " For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him in the synagogues, where he is read every sabbath- day." Of which constitution (touching blood and strangled) I spake somewhat, before that I made this same digression.
Now therefore, since the matter is at that point, it is evident that they are without a cause offended with St James, st james which think that he did without all right and reason make and publish* this decree ; and that the fruit of that synod was very perilous, nothing wholesome, and flatly contrary to christian liberty. For it is assuredly certain, that the mean- ing of James did in no point differ from the mind of St Paul, who nevertheless did very well and praiseworthily ^ say: " Let us follow the things that make for peace, and things wherewith we may one edify another. Destroy not the work of God for meat's sake. All things are pure ; but it is evil for that man that eateth with offence. It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or falleth, or is made weak," &c. Romans xiv. It is also most certain, that St Paul, who was so sharply set to defend the christian liberty that he withstood Peter openly*' at Antioch, would not have been behindhand to re- sist St James, if he had thought that this constitution either had been, or should be, prejudicial to christian liberty. Verily, he would neither have preached, nor yet commended, this tradition of the apostles to the churches of the Gentiles, if he bad not thought that it had been both wholesome and profitable for them all to embrace. But he did preach and commend it unto the churches, as is to be seen in the sixteenth of the Acts : and therefore is St James without a cause mur- mured against of some, because he forbad to eat blood and strangled.
Finally, the conclusion of their epistle is : " From which
[3 in tertio loco, Lat. ; in the third place.]
[■* aut proposuisse, Lat.] [* cum laude oinuiuin, Lat.]
[8 et in faciem, Lat.; and to the face.]
J
280 THE THIRD DECADE. [sEUM.
if ye keep your selves, ye do well ; so fare ye well." They praise that abstinence, and teach it as a good work, because it is also commended to us in all the scriptures.
Thus have I digressed, not far, I trust, from our purpose, to speak of the decree of the apostolic synod held at Hie- rusalem : and thus much at this time touching the abrogation of the ceremonial laws, Jition'^oTthe ^^ remaineth here for me to say somewhat concerning the
judicial laws, abrogation of the judicial laws. Now therefore the judicial laws do seem to be abrogated in this sense, because no chris- tian commonweal, no city or kingdom, is compelled to be bound and to receive those very same laws, which were by Moses in that nation, according to the time, place, and state, published and set out of old. Therefore every country hath free liberty to use such laws as are best and most requisite for the estate and necessity of every place, and of every time and persons : so yet that the substance of God's laws be not re- jected, trodden down, and utterly neglected. For the things which are agreeable to the law of nature and the ten com^ mandments, and whatsoever else God hath commanded to be punished^, must not in any case be either clean forgotten, or lightly regarded. Now the end whereunto all these laws do tend is, that honesty may flourish, peace and public tranquil- lity be firmly maintained, and judgment and justice be rightly executed. Of which because I have at large disputed in the exposition of the precept^, " Thou shalt do no murder,*" I will here be content to be so much the briefer.
The holy apostle Paul commandeth to obey the magistrate : he alloweth of the authority of the sword, which he confesseth that the magistrate hath not in vain received at the hand of God. And therefore he did not disallow or find fault with the election of the magistrate, the use of the sword, the exe- cution of the judgment and justice, nor with upright and civil laws.
Now whosoever doth confer the laws and constitutions of princes, kings, emperors, or christian magistrates, which are to be found either in the Code, in the book of Digests or Pandects, in the volume of New Constitutions^, or else in any
[1 quaj Deus semper et apud omnes gcntes puniro jussit, Lat.]
[2 Decade ii. Sermons 6, 7, 8.]
[3 The Code is the Codex Justiniancus, or collection of imperial
VIII.] rsii, ILLIILLING, AND AIJKOGATION OF Tllli LAW. 281
other books of good laws of sundry nations, with these judicial laws of God ; he must needs confess, that they draw very near in likeness, and do very well agree one with another'*. Justi- nian, the emperor, forbad by law either to sell or otherwise to make away the possessions of the church^ and things con- secrated unto God. For the sincere confessing and pure maintaining of the catholic faith the emperors, Gratian, Ya- lentinian, and Theodosius, did make a most excellent and holy law^. Constantino the great gave charge to Taurus, one of his lieutenants, to shut the idol temples, and with the sword to destroy such rebels as went about to set them open, and to sacrifice in them'^. That laws were made for the relief of the poor, and that kings and emperors had a care over them, it is to be seen in more places than one of the emperor's laws and constitutions. It is very certain, that whosoever readeth the Code, Lib. i. tit. 2, he shall find much matter belonging to this arguments For the honest training up of children, and the liberal sustaining of aged parents, there are very com- mendable laws in the books of the heathens^. Concerning the authority that parents have over their children, there is much and many things to be found in writing : likewise of ■wedlock, of incest, and unmeet marriages, Honorius, Arcadius, and many other princes, have made very tolerable and laud- able decrees : -where they speak also very well and wisely of
constitutions in twelve books, each of which is divided into titles, which was promulgated at Constantinople, under Justinian, Nov. 16, A.D. 534. — The Pandects, so called because of the comprchemiveness of the work, or Digests, so called because of the arrangement of its materials, was a compilation out of ancient juristical writings, which was ordered by Justinian, and finished in the close of a.d. 532. It contained fifty books, which were divided into seven parts, and sub- divided into titles. After the code was completed, Justinian supplied what was deficient in that work by a collection which he called No- vella) Constitutioncs. Theodosius II. had published his code of laws, A.D. 438; and his Novella;, or additions, about nine years later. — See Smith's Diet, of Greek and Roman Antiq., and Duck's Jur. Civil. Lib. I. cap. 3. ^^ 8. and cap. 4.]
[* Vol. I. pages 197—205.] [•' Vol. i. page 331.]
[6 Vol. I. pages 34, 35, 328, 331.] [" Vol. i. page 359.]
[8 De — orphanotrophis, et xenotrophis, ct brephotrophis, et pto- chotrophis, &c. In his onmibus locis piis aluntur sou recipiuntur pauperes, &c., &c. Pacii Isagog. in Cod. Lib. i. 3. p. 460.] [9 Vol. I. pages 202, 273, 288—290.]
282 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM-
the law of divorcement^ But if I go on to add or oppose to every several title of the judicial laws contained in this sermon sundry and peculiar laws out of the decrees of chris- tian princes, I shall, I know, be too tedious unto your patience; for then would this treatise pass the time of an ordinary sermon. Let it therefore suffice us at this time, by the decla- ration of these notes^ to have opened and made a way to the diligent lovers of the truth to come to the understand- ing of other things, which we have here omitted ; and that they may beheve^ that the substance of God's judicial laws is not taken away or abolished, but that the ordering and limi- tation of them is placed in the will and arbitrement of good christian princes; so yet that they ordain and appoint that which is just and equal, as the estate of time, place, and persons shall best require, that honesty and public peace may be thereby preserved'*, and God the Father duly honoured through his only-begotten Son Christ Jesus, to whom all praise is due for ever. For we do see that the apostles of Christ did neither require nor command any nation, in the adminis- tration of politic affairs, to bind themselves to the strict keep- ing of Moses' law. This rule must always be kept and observed.
n Pet. ii. 13, St Peter doth simply command, and say: "Submit yourselves to all manner ordinance of man^ for the Lord's sake; whether it be unto the king, as having the preeminence, or unto rulers, as unto them that are sent of him for the punishment of evil-doers, but for the laud of them that do well." And
[Acts V. 29.] yet the same apostle affirmeth that "we ought rather to obey God than men," so often as men do publish laws against true religion, justice and equity; concerning which I spake in the exposition of the common place of the magistrate^. And so, thus much I thought good to say touching the abrogation of the judicial laws.
The likeness Now if cvcry ouo of you do througlily ponder with him-
enceofthe sclf the tliiugs that I have hitherto said touching the law of
old and new o o
testament
and people.
[1 Bingham, Orig. Eccles. Book xvi. chap. 11.; and Book xxir. chap. 5.]
[2 et vestigiis, Lat. ; and traces.]
[3 tenereque in prcescntiarum, Lat.]
[4 in gcnto quavis, Lat. omitted ; in every nation.]
[5 cuivis humanfc creaturaj, Lat.]
[6 Vol. I. pages 269, 316.]
VIII.] USE, FULFILLINfJ, AND ABROGATION OF THE LAW. 283
God, the parts of the law, the use or eft'ect, the fulfilling and abrogating of the same ; it will be a thing of no difficulty to determine what every one ought to think concerning that point or title of this treatise, whereof I promised, in the beginning of this sermon, that I would speak somewhat toward the end; to wit, that the testament of the old and new church'^ is all one, and that there is but one way of true salvation to all that either are, or have been, saved in this world : and also, wherein the new testament doth differ from the old. For since I have already shewed^ that all the points of the law have a respect and a kind of relation unto Christ, and that he was in the law preached ^ to the fathers to be the only Saviour, in whom alone they were to be saved ; who is it which cannot perceive, that they had none other but the very same manner and way to be saved which we at this day do enjoy by Christ Jesus^"? And yet, that this may appear more evident, I will not stick to bestow some pains to make this matter more manifest unto you with as plain a demonstra- tion as possible may be, although a plainer cannot likely be than that which I have already shewed you.
Yerily, there is no difference of the people, of the testa- The fathers ment, of the church, or of the manner of salvation betwixt a" on? ^
' ' church, and
them, among whom there is found to be one and the same J,'n°''a^d°fhe doctrine, the same faith, the same Spirit, the same hope, the menl"''''*' same inheritance, the same expectation, the same invocation, and the same sacraments. If therefore I shall be able to prove that all these things were indifferently common to them of the old church as well as to us, then have I obtained that which I shot at; to wit, that in respect of the substance there neither was, nor is, any more than one testament ; that the old fathers are one and the same people that we are, living in the same church and communion, and saved not in any other but in Christ alone, the Son of God, in whom also we look for salvation.
That they and we have all one and the same doctrine, I That the fa-
" 1 T-i thers and we
prove thus. Our doctrine is the doctrine of the gospel. But 5^J'fj?JJ.°"^ that the fathers were not without the same doctrine, it is evident by St Paul, who testifieth, saying : " God verily r^^^ i_ promised the gospel of God afore by his prophets in the holy ^
[7 ecclesiae Dei, Lat.] [^ apertissiine, Lat. ; most clearly.]
[9 propositum esse, Lat.] [lo by Christ Jesus, not in Lat.]
[Rom. iii
2<)— 22.]
[Acts XV. 10, ll.J
284 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
scriptures, of his Son, which was made of the seed of David after the flesh, and hath been declared to be the Son of God with power by the Spirit," &c. What could be said more plainly? The gospel, which is at this day preached \ was of old promised by the prophets in the holy scriptures ; to wit, that the Son of God should come into the world to save all faithful believers. This gospel also teacheth, that the faithful are not justified by the works of the law, but freely by grace through faith in Christ 2. St Paul saith : " By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight : for by the law cometh the knowledge of sin. But now is the righteousness of God declared without the law, being witnessed by the testimony of the law and the pro- phets : the righteousness of God cometh^ by the faith of Christ Jesus unto all and upon all them that believe." With Paul St Peter also doth fully agree, where, in the synod held at Hierusalem, he saith : " Neither we nor our fathers were able to bear the yoke of the law, but do believe, even as they, to be saved through the grace of our Lord Christ Jesus."" And so, consequently*, in all other substantial and material points there is no difference in doctrine betwixt us and them. The fathers To procoed uow : they, whose doctrine is all one, must
au'onlfoith. of necessity have all one faith ; " for faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." What doth that argue, that Abraham and the rest of the^ holy fathers are set before our eyes as examples of faith for us to follow? We see that it is so in the holy gospel of the Lord, and the sacred writings^ of the apostles. But who would give us such foreign examples to imitate, as do not concern the thing for which they are given ? Paul in many places, but especially in the fourth chapter to the Romans, sheweth that faith must be imputed to us for righteousness ; as wc read that it was imputed unto Abraham. Now that faith of his was not another, but the very same faith with ours, which restcth upon the promise of God and the blessed Seed : for he call- eth Abraham the father, not of those only which are born of the circumcision, but of those also which walk in the steps
{} ecclesioe, Lat. ; to the church.] [2 in Christ, not in Lat.]
[3 cometh, not in Lat.] [•* and so consequently, not in Lat.]
[fi patres nostri, Lat. ; our fathers.] [6 litoris, Lat. ; epistles.]
VIII.] rSE, FULFILLING, AND ABROGATION OF THE LAW. 285
of the faith which was in Abraham before he was circum- [Rom.iv. 12.] cised. Besides that also, the confirmation of the christian rule, I mean" the apostles' creed, or articles of our belief, is fetched out of the scriptures of the fathers of the old Testa- ment ; which is undoubtedly a most manifest argument that their faith and ours is the very same faith. They did be- lieve in the Messiah that was then to come; and we believe that he is already come, and do more fully perceive and merely^ see all that which was spoken of before in the pro- phets : as I will anon declare, Avhen I come to shew the difference betwixt the two Testaments.
That all one and the same Spirit did govern our fore- The fathers fathers and the people of the new covenant, who can doubt, aiion'e%1)u. considering that the Spirit of God is one alone ; and that St Peter doth in express words testify, that the Spirit of Christ n Pet. i. n] was in the prophets? And St Paul also saith : "Since wecacor. iv. have the same spirit of faith, according to that which is written, I believed, and therefore I spake ; and we believe, and therefore do we speak." Therefore, although the same apostle doth in another place say, that the faithful " have CR"'"- '^''''• not received again the spirit of bondage unto fear, but the spirit of adoption, whereby they cry, Abba, Father ;" yet doth he not deny but that the faithful fathers had the same spirit that we have. For even they also cried to God as to their father, although they obtained it not by the law (which terrifieth), but by the grace of Messiah. Again, the same apostle saith: " AVhosoever are led by the Spirit of God, [Ro'^'*'"- they are the sons of God :" which sentence we may thus convert, and say, that the sons of God are led by the Spirit of God. But there is none, unless it be such an one as never read the scriptures, which will deny that the ancient fathers were the sons of God, and were so called both by fxod iv.
^ Ueui. XIV.
the Lord himself, and also by his servant Moses.
What may be thought of that moreover, that our fore- fathers were called kings and priests, and so, consequently, a royal priesthood and a priestly kingdom ? which names St Peter applied to the faithful believers in Christ Jesus. [;^Yi'e?'ii Now such a kingdom and priesthood cannot be, or consist, '•'^ without the unction of the Spirit.
[" quam alias appellamus, Lat.]
[8 merely, absolutely, Johnson; exactius, Lat. but cil. 1577, nearly.]
286 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
The holy apostle John, I confess, in his gospel said : fjohn vii. " The Holy Ghost was not yet, because Jesus was not yet glorified." But as he spake not of the substance of the Holy Ghost, which is coeternal with the substance ^ of the Father and of the Son ; so he doth not altogether deny that the fathers had the Holy Ghost. For in that place he speaketh of the excellent gift, which after the ascension of the Lord was poured out upon the people that did believe. For John himself, interpreting himself, doth immediately before say : " These words, ' Whosoever beUeveth on me, out of his belly shall flow rivers of water of life,' spake he of the Holy Ghost 2, which they that believe on him should receive." The gift therefore of the Holy Ghost was not at that time, when the Lord spake those words, so commonly and plentifully poured upon all men, as it was upon the faithful after the glorification of the Lord Jesus.
And verily our forefathers and the holy prophets could not have so precisely and expressly foretold all the mysteries of Christ and the church, which the evangelists and apostles do testify to be now accomplished and fulfilled^, unless in their prophecies they had been governed by the very same Spirit wherewith the apostles were afterward instructed. For it is a wicked thing for us to think that the prophets and patriarchs* did, like madmen, babble they knew not what, and speak such words as they themselves understood not. Abraham saw the day of Christ, and was glad of it : for by that spiritual sight of his, he had^ and felt within himself a certain kind of spiritual joy. How many times doth David in the Psalms testify, that the service of God and the holy congregation did delight him at the very heart ! Which words he uttered not so much for the joy that he had in the external ceremonies, but for that he did, by the Spirit and by faith, behold in these ceremonies^ the true Messiah and Saviour of the worW. And since it is evident that our forefathers were justified by the grace of God, it is manifest that that justification was not wrought without the Spirit of
[^ essentise, Lat.] [2 de Spiritu, Lat.]
[3 ad verbum, Lat. ; to the letter.] [< patres nostros, Lat.]
P capions, Lat.]
[6 sivo ritibus sacris, Lat. omitted ; or holy rites.]
[■^ Christum, Lat. ; tho true — world, not in Lat.]
VIII.] USE, FULFILLING, AND ABROGATION OF THE LAW. 287
God ; through whicli Spirit even our justification at this day- is wrought and finished. Therefore the fathers were governed by the very same Spirit that we of this age are directed by.
Of this opinion was St Augustine, whose words, dearly beloved, I mean to recite unto you word for word out of his second book, de Peccato Orig. contra Pelag., et Celest. Cap. 25. " Things to come," saith he, " were foreseen of the pro- phets by the same spirit of faith, by which they are of us be- lieved to be already finished. For they, which of very faithful love could prophesy these things unto us, could not choose but be themselves partakers of the same. And whereupon is it that the apostle Peter saith, ' Why tempt ye God, to lay upon the disciples' necks the yoke that neither our fiithers nor we were able to bear ; but we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ wo shall be saved even as they :' whereupon is it, I say, that Peter saith this, but for be- cause they are saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and not by Moses' law, by which doth come, not the salving, but the knowledge of sin ? But now the righteousness of God is without the law made manifest, witnessed by the law and prophets. Therefore if it be now at this time made manifest, then must it needs be that it was before, although as then it were hidden : the hiding whereof was prefigured by the veil of the temple, which, when Christ died, was rent in pieces, for a signification that it was then revealed. And therefore this grace of the only Mediator of God and man, the man Christ Jesus, was then in the people of God, but it was hidden in them, as it were rain in a fleece, which God doth separate unto his inheritance, not of duty, but of his own voluntary Avill : but now, that fleece being as it were wrung out, that is, the Jewish people being reprobated, it is openly seen in all nations, as it were upon the bare ground in an open place^." This much out of Augustine.
[8 Eodem Spiritu fidei ab illls liaic futura vidcbantur, quo a nobis facta crcduntur. Xeque enim, qui nobis ista fideli dilectione propho- tare potuerunt, eorum ipsi participcs iion fucrunt. Et undo est quod dicit Apostolus Petrus, Quid tentatis Dcum imponcro jugum supra collum discipulorum quod nequo patros nostri nequo nos potuinius portarc; sed per giatiam Domini Jesu credimus salvi fieri, qucmad- modum et illi ; nisi quia et illi per gratiam Domini Jesu Christi salvi
288
THE THIRD DECADE.
[SERM.
The fathers had the same hope and inheritance that we have.
That salva- tion was not promised only, but alsc performed unto the fathers.
Now also there was set before the eyes of Israel a car- nal and temporal felicity, which yet was not all that they hoped upon ; for in that external and transitory felicity was shadowed the heavenly and eternal happiness. For the apostle, in the fourth and eleventh chapter to the Hebrews, saith that the fathers out of that visible and temporal in- heritance did hope for another invisible and everlasting heritage. Neither was Christ to any other end so expressly promised them, nor the blessing and hfe in Christ for any other purpose so plainly laid before them, nor Christ himself almost in all their ceremonies so often prefigured, for any other intent, but that they thereby might be put in hope of the very same life into which we are received through Christ our Redeemer. For the Lord in the gospel saith, that we shall be gathered into the kingdom of heaven, into the same glory with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
But here is an objection made, that life and salvation was promised only, and not performed, unto the fathers ; but that they, being shut up in prison, did look for the coming of Messiah. I, for my part, do not find any thing in the scrip- tures to be written of such a prison, whereinto the holy patriarchs were fast locked up. Peter, verily, maketh mention of a prison ; but in that prison he will have the disobedient, and not the obedient, spirits to be. But if any man object, that Christ descended to them below, we verily do not deny it : but yet we say withal, that he descended to the departed saints ; that is, that he was gathered to the company of the blessed spirits, which were not in the place of punishment, that is, in torments, but in the joys of heaven ; as the Lord himself confirmeth the same, when, being ready to descend to
facti sunt, non per legem Moysi, per quam non sanatio, sed cognitio est facta peccati ? Nunc autcm sine lego justitia Dei manifestata est, tcstificata per legem et prophetas. Si ergo nunc manifestata est, etiam tunc erat, sed occulta. Cujus occultationem significabat templi velum, quod est ad ejus significandam revelationem Christo moriente conscissum. Et tunc ergo ista gratia unius mcdiatoris Dei ct liominum, hominis Christi Jesu, erat in populo Dei, sed tanquam in vellero pluvia, quam non debitam sed voluntariam segregat Dcus hrcreditati suce, inerat latcns: nunc autem, velut siccato illo vellere, hoc est, Ju- daico populo reprobate, in omnibus gentibus, tanquam in area, ccrnitur patens. — Aug. 0pp. Par. 1531. De Peccat. Orig. cap. 25. Tom. vii. fol. 164. col. 3.]
VIII.] USE, rULIILLING, AND ABKOGATION OF THE LAW. 289
them below, he did say unto the thief, " Tliis day shalt tlioii be with me in Paradise." It may also by many places of scripture be proved, that the ancient holy fiithers, from Adam's time until the death of C'hrist, at their departure out of this life did presently for Christ his sake enter not into prison, but into eternal life. For our Lord in the gospel after St Mark doth say : "God is not the God of the dead, [Markxii. but of the living." But he is the God of Abraham, of Isaac, ^''^ and of Jacob : therefore, consequently, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, do hve, or arc now alive; and yet not in body, cor- porally: for their bodies, being buried, were rotten long since ; therefore their souls do live in joy ; and their very bodies shall rise to judgment again. In the gospel after St Luke the Lord maketh mention of Abraham's bosom, into ^g^^'^'aS'"'- which are gathered all the blessed spirits ; and of it he testi- fieth, that it is placed aloft, and that it is not a place of pain and punishment, but of joy and refreshing. And therefore we do often read in the scriptures of the holy fathers, that they were gathered unto their people; that is to say, that they were received into the fellowship of those fathers, with whom they had in this world remained in the same faith and same kind of religion. For the sequences and circumstances of those places do manifestly declare, that those words' cannot be expounded corporally of the burial of the body. Again, in the gospel after St Matthew the Lord saith : "I say unto you, [Afatt. viii. that many shall come out of the oast and out of the west, and "''''■■' shall rest themselves with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven : but the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into utter darkness ; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." JN'ow if the Gentiles must be gathered into the kingdom of heaven, and that they must be placed in the fellowship of the fathers ; then must it needs be that the fathers were already in heaven, and felt the joys thereof at that very time when the Lord spake these words : who also in the gospel after St John doth plainly say : " Abraham [.w-hn viii. was glad to see my day ; and he saw it, and rejoiced :" which saying although we understand to be spoken of the justification and joy of the conscience, yet do we not separate from it the joy of eternal life; because the one doth of necessity depend upon and follow the other.
Moreover we must here consider the occasion upon which
[bULLINGLK; M.J
290 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
these words of the Lord do seem to have been spoken^. The Lord had said : " Verily, verilj, I say unto you, if a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death :" which words the Jews took hold on, and said, " Abraham is dead, and the pro- phets are dead ; and yet sayest thou. If a man will keep my saying, he shall never see death ? What, art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead ? and the prophets are dead also. Whom makest thou thyself?" To this the Lord made answer, and shewed that Abraham is quickened, or else pre- served in life and heavenly joy, through faith in the sayings of Christ Jesus ; and that, howsoever he is dead in body, yet notwithstanding his soul doth live in joy forever with God, in whom he did put his trust. To this may be added, that David in the sixteenth psalm, caUing God his hope, his expectation, and his inheritance, doth among other things say : " The Lord is always at my right hand. Therefore my heart is glad, my glory rejoiceth, and my flesh shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt make me to know the path of life : in thy presence is the fulness of joy, and at thy right hand there be pleasures for evermore." And although St Peter and St Paul do in the Acts of the Apostles apply this testimony of David, as a thing spoken prophetically, unto Christ Jesus ; yet notwithstanding, no man can deny but that the same may, after a certain manner, be referred unto David, who in that psalm maketh a profession of his faith, declareth his hope, and expresseth his Michtam, that is, his delight, or the arms or cognisance whereby he would be known 2. Those words therefore do first ap- pertain to Christ, and then to David and all the faithful : for the life and resurrection of Christ is the life and resurrection of the faithful. Again, in another place the same prophet [Psii. xxvii. saith : *' I believe verily .to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." Now in the land of the living there is neither death nor dolour, but fulness of joy and everlasting pleasures : these joys and delights David by faith did look to obtain at the hand of God through Christ his Saviour, and did indeed, according to his hope, possess the same im-
[1 pctitum ac pronunciatum, Lat.]
]^ insignia, aurcolum, aut cleynodium, Lat. DJ^^J^.]
VIII.] USE, FULFILLING, AND ABROGATION OF THE LAW. 291
mediately after he did depart out of tliis life, although it were many years after his death or ever Christ did come in the flesh; even as we also at this day are saved by him, although it be now one thousand five hundred and odd years ago since he in his flesh did depart from the earth •\
But whereas Paul in the eleventh to the Hebrews saith ; '•' And all these holy fathers, having through faith obtained good report, received not the promise, because God had pro- vided a better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect;" I think simply, that it must be understood of the perfect ■* or full felicity, in which the holy fathers with- out us are not consummated, or made perfect ; because there is yet behind the general resurrection of all flesh, which must first come : and when that is once finished, then is the felicity of all the saints consummated or made perfect ; which felicity shall then not be given to the soul alone, but to the body also. St Peter also doth constantly affirm, that salvation is first of all by Christ purchased for tlie souls of the holy saints ; then that they by the same Christ^ are immediately upon their bodily death received to be partakers of the same salvation ; and lastly, that in the end of the world the bodies of the saints being raised from death, as the bodies of all men be, shall appear before Christ to be judged by him. "The Lord," i saith he, " shall judge both the quick and the dead. For to this end was the gospel preached to the dead, that in the flesh they should be judged like men**, but in the spirit they should live with God^:" that is to say, the death of Christ is^ efi'ectual to the fathers that died in the faith : so that now in soul they live Avith God, and that they again are to be judged in their flesh^ like to all other men, at what time the Lord shall come to judge the quick and the dead. Therefore our salvation is not as yet perfect nor consummated, but shall be made perfect in the end of the world.
Moreover, our forefathers did not pray to any other but
[3 licet venerit ante annos mille quingcntos quadraginta novem, Lat. ; one thousand five hundred and forty-nine.]
[•* ut Ipse Pauhis (licit, Lat. omitted ; as Paul himself speaks.]
[5 by the same Christ, not in Lat.]
[<5 secundum homines, Lat.]
[" juxta Dcum, Lat.] [8 fuit, Lat. ; was.]
[9 came sivo in corporibus suis, Lat.]
19—2
292 THE THIUD DKCADE. [sERM.
rhe fathers God alonG, the only Cjreator of all things ; and did believe verily that he would be merciful unto mankind for the
and we have all one manner of
invocation, blcsscd Secd's Sake. And although they did not so usually call upon God, as we at this day do, through the Mediator and intercessor Christ Jesus ; even as the Lord in the gospel
[John xvi. did himself testify, and say, '• Hitherto have ye not asked any thing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive;" yet were they not utterly ignorant of the Mediator, for whose sake they were heard of the Lord. Daniel in the ninth chap- ter of his prophecy maketh his prayer, and desireth to be heard of God for the Lord's sake, that is, for the promised Christ his sake. Finally, so often as the holy saints did in their prayers say, " Remember, Lord, thy servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," they did not look back to the persons or souls of the deceased patriarchs, but to the promise that was made to the patriarchs. Now since that promise is, "In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed ; " and since Paul doth testify, that Christ is that blessed Seed ; it followeth consequently, that the holy fathers in their prayers had an eye to the blessed Seed, and that they did desire God to hear them for Christ his sake. For in one place also the Lord
[■2 Kings xix. promiseth deliverance to king Ezechias, saying ; " I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake." But in the seventh and twenty-eighth chapter of Esay's prophecy it is manifest that the city was spared for Christ his sake, the son of the virgin, which is the foundation placed in Sion; whom Ezechicl in the thirty-fourth
[Matth xxii. chapter calleth by the name of David, and the gospel calleth David's son.
The fathers Last of all, tlic apostlo Paul doth shew that the ancient
and we have /. ■, , ,
theverysatne fatlicrs had amongst them the very same sacraments which wo
sacraments. & ^ J
now have ; as he doth in other places also make us partakers and apply to us both circumcision and the passover, the sacra- ments which were given to them of old ; as doth appear in the second to the Colossians, and 1 Corinthians, the fifth chapter. In the tenth chapter he threateneth grievous punishment to the Corinthians at the hands of God, unless they abstain from things offered to idols, and from all heathenish sensuality. And thereupon he bringeth in the example of the Israelites, Avhich he doth after this manner apply to his purpose: "I would not, brethren, that yc should be ignorant, that our
Vm.] rSE, FULFILLING, AND ABROGATION OF THE LAW. 29.1
fathers were the churcli of God, and that they had the same sacraments which we at this day have. For they were all baptized unto ]\Ioscs (that is, by ]\Ioses, or by the ministery of Moses) in the cloud and in the sea. (For the cloud and the sea were figures of baptism.) And they did also^ eat of the same spiritual meat, and did drink of the same spiritual drink." And immediately after he interpreteth his own meaning, and saith : "For they drank of the spiritual rock that followed them ; which rock was Christ." ^lanna verily, and the rock, did typically represent the spiritual food wherewith Christ refresheth both us and them, who is himself the bread and drink of eternal life. But although they did bodily, outwardly, and visibly receive their sacraments; yet for because they were destitute of faith and the Holy Ghost, because they were de- filed with the worshipping of idols, with surfeiting and fornica- tion, they displeased God, and were by him destroyed in the desert. And therefore, unless ye also abstain from those filthy vices, neither shall baptism nor the sacrament of the Lord's supper' avail you, but ye shall undoubtedly be destroyed of the Lord.
Since therefore it is by^ most evident proofs of scripture declared, that the old fathers had the same sacraments, the same invocation of God, the same hope, expectation, and inhe- ritance, the same Spirit, the same fiiith, and the same doctrine, which we at this day have ; the mark, I hope, whereat I shot is fully hit ; and I have, I trust, sufiiciently proved, that the faithful fathers of the old testament, and we the believers of the new covenant, are one church and one people, which are all saved under one congregation, under one only testament, and by one and the same manner of means, to wit, by faith in Christ Jesu.
Thus much have I hitherto said touching the likeness, the ofthedif- agreement, and the unity betwixt the old and new testament, j'^^*^,';^,^^^"' or people of God. I will now add somewhat touching the an^i reo^ie. diversity betwixt them, and the things wherein they differ.
In the very substance, truly, thou canst find no diversity: the diflfcrence which is betwixt them doth consist in the manner of administration, in a few accidents, and certain circumstances.
[1 omnes, Lat. omitted; all.]
[2 aut spiritualo opulum, Lat. ; or the spiritual l)aii'|Uot.]
[•■' his tcstimoniis, Lat. : thcso proofs.]
294 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM,
For to the promise or doctrine of faith, and to the chief and
principal laws, there were annexed certain external things, which
were added until the time of amendment ; so that the whole
ecclesiastical regiment, the manner of teaching the doctrine
of godliness, and the outward worshsip of God, was among the
old fathers of one sort, and is among us of another. But the
especial things wherein they differ may be rehearsed and
set down in these few principal points.
All things First and foremost, all things of the new covenant are
iSThe^newf° moro cloar and manifest than those of the old testament.
c^enanl The preaching^ of the old covenant had always in it, for the
than were in a o ^ i i i • i mi i
the old. most part, some misty or cloudy thing, and was still covered and wrapped up in shadows and dim shews : but the publish- ing of the new testament is clear and manifest, so that it is called the light which is without all mists and darkness. Moses did with a vail cover his face, neither could the children of Israel behold his countenance : but we, beholding not only the countenance of Moses which is now uncovered, but the pleasant and amiable^ face of Christ himself, do greatly rejoice to see our salvation openly revealed before our eyes. In that sense did the Lord say that his disciples were happy, where he brake out into these words: "Happy are the eyes which see the things that ye see. For I say unto you, that many pro- phets and kings desired to see the things that ye see, and saw them not ; and to hear the things that ye hear, and heard them'not." The just man Simeon did in this sense call him- self as happy a man as lived, and did thereupon promise that
[Lukeii. 29- he was willing to die, saying: "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation; which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; to be a light to lighten the Gentiles, and to be the glory of thy people Israel."
But although our forefathers had not so much light as doth shine to us in Christ since his coming in the flesh, yet was that little light which they had sufficient to the getting of sal- vation by faith in Christ. Even we ourselves, although we see him^ far more clearly than our forefathers did, do notwith- standing behold him but in a mist^ in comparison of the bright-
[1 revelatio, Lat.]
[2 clarissimam et amoenissimam, Lat.] [3 him, not in Lat.]
[4 in cenigmatc, Lat. ; 1 Cor. xiii. 12.]
VIII.] USE, FULFILLING, AND ABROGATION OF THE LAW. 295
ness wherein he shall appear^ For wo shall hereafter see him^ face to face in the glory of his majesty^: and yet not- withstanding even this sight of him'^, which now we have, is sufficient to salvation. Therefore it is a very fine similitude, and prettily said of them which say, "Although at day-break the brightness of the sun is not so great as it is at noon-day, yet wayfarers or travellers do not stay till the sun be at the highest, but take the morning before them to go their journey in, and have light enough to see the way." For in like manner they think, that to our forefathers even that little portion of light, which was in the morning, was sufficient by the leading of faith to bring them through all impediments to eternal felicity. In the mean time, we have great cause to rejoice^, that Christ, the very sun and light of righteousness^ doth, after the ipisty light of the day-star of the law ^°, shine forth to us in the new testament.
Moreover the forefathers in the old testament had types. The new te*.
, , , „ f ^ • 1 1 lament hath
shadows, and fio-ures of thmo;s to come, but we have now re- no figures or
' ° . . . tvpes, but IS
ceived the very thing itself which was to them prefigured, o^^^'lii,'"/. Therefore the thing which God did promise to them he hath performed and given to us. They verily did believe that Christ should come and deliver all the faithful from their sins; and we believe that he is already come, that he hath re- deemed us, and hath fulfilled all that the prophets foretold of him. Therefore the Lord in the gospel said: "The prophets rLuke xvi. and the law prophesied unto John; since that time the king- ^'^ of God is preached, and suffereth violence of every man." "Whereupon it is gathered, when the thing prefigured is come and present, that then the figures and shadows, which did foreshew the things to come, do come to an end and vanish away. Therefore the yoke and burden, which our fathers chrut hath did bear, is thereby taken from our necks. The worshipping we:^" of God, which they did use externally, was very busy ^^ and shouiden.
p in comparison — appear, not in Lat.]
[6 Tho Latin is only, in gloria, in glory.]
[7 of him, not in Lat.]
[8 et propter quod cctcrnas Deo nostro agamus gratias, Lat. omitted; and we should render to our God everlasting thanks for it.]
[p clarissimus Sol, Lat.]
[10 post luciferum istum et Stellas lucidissimas, Lat. ; after that day- etar and the very bright stars. — of the law, not in Lat.]
[11 operosus, Lat.]
29G THE THIRD DECADE. [sERJf.
burdensome ; as the Aaronical priesthood, the tabernacle or temple that was to be throughly furnished with most exquisite things and instruments, their sundry sorts of sacrifices, and many moe ceremonies like unto these. Now from all this cost and business we, which be the people of the new covenant, are freely disburdened and set at liberty. And he by whom we are disburdened is Jesus Christ, in whom alone we have all things necessary to life and salvation. For it pleased God the Father to recapitulate in him, and, as St Paul saith, to bring into a sum', all things requisite to life and salvation; that the things which seemed before to be dispersed here and there should in Christ alone be fully exhibited and brought unto us. For Christ is the fulfilling of all the types and cere- monies ; by whose Spirit since we do now possess the thing prefigured, we have no longer need of the representing types and shadows. The external things that Christ hath ordained are very few, and of very small cost. Therefore the people of the new testament doth enjoy a passing great and ample liberty.
To this, I suppose, doth belong that excellent place of St Paul, which is to be seen in the fourth to the Galatians, where, in handling this matter diligently, he feigneth that there are two mothers, the one whereof doth gender to bondage, and the other unto liberty ; and that he doth under the type of Agar and Sara ; by which he noteth the two doctrines ; that of the law, and that of the gospel. That of the law gendereth to bondage, but that of the gospel doth gender unto liberty. Therefore the law did gender the holy fathers and the prophets unto bondage, not that they should abide bond-slaves for ever, but that it might keep them under dis- cipline ; yea, that it might lead them unto Christ, the full perfection of the law. The liberty of the fathers was by the weight and heap of ceremonies so oppressed and covered, that although they were free in spirit before the Lord, yet notwithstanding they did in outward shew differ little or no- thing from very bond-slaves, by reason of the burden of the law that lay upon their shoulders. For insomuch as the law was not as yet abrogated, they were compelled precisely to observe it. But when Christ was come and had fulfil- led all things, then did the shadows vanish away, and that [1 Epli. i. 10. See Vol. I. page 150.]
Vni.] rSE, FULFILLING, AND ABROGATION OF THE LAW. 21)7
heavy yoke was taken from the neck of us Christians. So by this means our mother Sara gendereth us unto hberty. She is the mother of us all. Of that mother (which is also called the holy mother church) we have the seed of life : she hath fashioned us, and brought us forth into the light ; she colleth- us in her bosom, wherein she canieth both milk and meat, (I mean the word of God,) to nourish, save, and bring us up.
Now the bonds being cancelled, and the middle wall. The people ■which was a ston, bcino; broken down, God doth more libe- testament
,,,,''■,, . . are new aiul
rally rule his church, and not retain it any longer under so nu'^^pr"" strait a custody. For neither is the people of God con- tained within the bounds of the land of promise ; for they are dispersed to the ends of the world : neither are the cir- cumcised, and those that keep the law, his people now, (although it is not to be doubted but that even then, when circumcision was of forced he had some that were his people among the Gentiles, as Job, and other moe which he himself did know ;) but those are his people, which do acknowledge Christ, although they be neither circumcised nor busied with the law. This is a new people, gathered together out of all the world b3^ faith and the Holy Ghost. To this new testa- so that the
1 1 /-ii • • I • 1 • 1 -r people of tilis
ment hath Christ given his own name: wnerein the Jews testament are
O after the
have none inheritance, unless they forsake their stubborn christcfiiied opinion of the law, and cleave to Christ alone without af- ^''"^"dns. fiance in the law. All the books of the prophets are fully fraughted with testimonies touching the calling of the Gentiles unto the communion and fellowship of God, and also touching the reprobation of the Jews, who for their unreclaimable affiance in the law are utterly rejected.
Furthermore, the apostle Paul puttcth another difference The gifts of betwixt the two testaments, alludine; to the prophecy of Je- tamem arc
O 11./ n,o5,t ann>le
remy, as it is to be seen in the eighth chapter of his Epistle -p^,'^', '"=""- to the Hebrews. For he attributeth to the people of the new testament certain excellent gifts, to wit, absolute and full remission of their sins : for he saith, " Because I will be merciful to their unrighteousnesses, and I will no more re- member their sins and iniquities." He doth also attribute to the people of the new testament a most exquisite refor-
[2 fovet, L;it. To coll: to embraf'o.] p when — of force, not Jn L:it.]
298 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
mation and absolute illumination of their minds: for he saith, " I will plant my laws in their minds, and write them in their hearts ; and then shall no man teach his neighbour, or his brother, saying, Know the Lord ; for they shall all know me, from the little unto the great." But of the law it is written, that it was graven in tables of stone. Yet for all this let no man think that the fathers obtained no remission of their sins. For as they by faith had free forgiveness of their sins, so did God^ both write his law and pour his Spirit into their hearts. For which of us at this day can say, that we excel in knowledge and in faith^ either Abra- ham, Moses, Samuel, David, Esay, Daniel, or Zacharias? So then the difference is not, in that the fathers of the old tes- tament were without the remission of sins and the illumination of the Holy Ghost, and that we alone, which are the people of the new testament, have obtained them : but the difference doth consist in the greatness, ampleness, largeness, and plen- tifulness of the gifts, to wit, because they are more liberally bestowed and more plentifully poured out upon more now than they were of old. For all nations, being called do not by dropmeal, but by whole handfuls, draw the water of life. The Lord doth pour out his Spirit upon all flesh. Of old God was known in Jury only ; but now, since Christ is come into the world, his disciples are gone through all the corners of the earth, and teach all kingdoms to know the Lord. Of old the worthy men^ and prophets were not so many but that they might be numbered ; because the land of promise in a manner alone did breed such good and holy men ; but who is at this day able to reckon all the kings, princes, noblemen, prophets, bishops, doctors, martyrs, and excellent persons of every sex, estate, and age, which have been and are at this day bred, not only in Jurie, but also in Arabia, Idumea, Phoenicia, Mesopotamia, Persia, Asia, Egypt, Africa, Greece, Italy, the east, the south, the west, and the north? Free remission of sins is preached to all countries and king- doms. All the faithful in every nation under heaven are through Christ received into the grace and favour of God the Father. All have received in great abundance the gift
[1 olim quoque, Lat. ; of old also,]
[2 illuminatione, Lat. omitted ; and in illumination.]
[3 heroes, Lat. omitted.]
VIII.] USE, FULFILLING, AND ABROGATION OF THE LAW. 299
of the Holy Ghost. All have prophesied. All have known the Lord.
Finally, the law makcth no man perfect*. The gospel simply maketh perfect, and doth directly, without any stop, lead us to Christ, and causeth us to rest and to content our- selves in him alone.
Last of all, I will not slip over this difference, although it The new be of little weight, and such an one as other hke unto it may hathno"pro.
^ . , '' iniseofariy
be easily observed ; that the law, appointing out a certain certain land, peculiarly separated from other nations, did promise to co""""y- the old fathers the possession of the same, so long as they did keep the law ; but if they did transgress the law, then did it threaten that they should be rooted up and utterly cast out of that good land. But to us no one limited land is expressly promised : "for the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; [Psai. xxiv. the round world, and all that therein is." But although he doth not here assign to us, as he did to our forefathers of old, any certain or peculiar thing, yet doth he not at any time neglect us : for he feedeth, blesseth, and preserveth us in every land and nation. Therefore the promises which were of old made to our forefathers concerning the land of promise, being come to an end, are utterly vanished away ; so that they, which for an age or two ago did incite many nations to arm themselves for the recovery of the holy land, do seem to have been besides their wits. Christ by his coming into the world hath sancti- fied all the earth : for there are in every nation of the world some sons and heirs of God and his kingdom.
Touching the likeness and agreement, the unlikeness and difference of both, I mean, the old and new testaments or people, I have therefore spoken the more briefly, because I have in the first sermon of the first decade, and in the sixth sermon of the third decade, already handled the selfsame matter. Finally, I have but shortly touched the abrogation of the law, because I did a good while ago set forth two treatises; the one Of the ancient faith^ the other Of the only and eternal covenant of God''; which treatises I know to be familiar among you.
[4 Scd duccbat ad spcm potiorcm, Lat. omitted ; but led to a better hope.]
[5 See the Old Faith, in Bp. Covcrdale's Works, Fruitful Lessons, Parker Soc. ed. The Latin translation was published at Zurich, 1544.]
[•5 This latter treatise, — De Testamento seu Fa?dcro Dei unico et
SCO THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
I will not here, in the conclusion, recapitulate unto you the special points of this sermon ; partly because I have already been somewhat too long ; and partly because I have, as I hope, used so plain an order, that every point is in- differently well settled in every man's memory. Thus have I, by God's grace and sufferance, made an end to treat of God's holy law, wherein I have been occupied a good sort of days by several sermons. Blessed be God and our heavenly Father Avorld without end ; whom I beseech to bless us all through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Amen,
OF CHRISTIAN LIBERTY, AND OF OFFENCES. OF GOOD WORKS, AND THE REWARD THEREOF.
THE NINTH SEEMON.
I HAVE already through many sermons discoursed long upon God's laws. Now therefore, because upon the considera- tion and handling of the law there do arise certain points not^ to be omitted, which do depend upon, and are annexed hand in hand unto, the law ; of which sort are christian liberty, good works, the reward" of good works; ^sin, and the reward or punishment of sin ; I will speak of them in order, as God shall put into my mouth : whom I shall desire you to pray unto with me, beseeching him not to suffer me to speak, in these or other points of holy doctrine, the thing that shall sound against his holy will. Of christian Upou the abrogation of the law doth christian liberty
depend and follow, as the effect of the abrogating of the law ; which liberty doth minister us occasion to speak of offences.
Now concerning christian liberty the most holy apostle of Christ, St Paul, hath reasoned very diligently and largely ; whereby we may gather that the consideration of christian liberty is neither of no weight, nor yet of little profit. But the treatise thereof is especially necessary to us of this age,
retcrno, — Bullinger published at Zurich, a.d. 1534, and afterwards appended to liis Commentaries in Epistolas Apostolorum canonicas .soptcm.]
[1 non contemncnda, Lat. omitted; not to bo thoutiht liylitly of.]
[2 mercos sivc proomium, Lat.]
[•'' deniquo, Lat. omitted ; lastly.]
liberty.
IX.] OF CHRISTIAN LIBERTY, WORKS, AND .MERITS. 30l
among whom there are no small number of men, which do either not understand what christian liberty is ; or else, if they know it, do foully abuse it, thereby to fulfil the lusts of the flesh. I will therefore tell you Avho is the deliverer that setteth us at liberty ; who they are that he settcth at liberty ; and wherein^ and how far forth he settcth them at liberty : which things being once known, it will be an easy matter to perceive what christian liberty is, what the property or dis- position of those is which are so set at liberty, and how far forth they must beware from giving offence to any man, and from abusing their granted liberty.
There is none other deliverer promised, given ^ and who is our preached unto us, than Christ Jesus, the Son of God. For he which doth deliver other men, must be himself free from the bands wherewith they are tied, that wish and look to be set at liberty. But throughout all ages there is none such to bo found in all the world, nor yet in heaven, but Jesus Christ^ alone, the Son of God ; who for that cause did in the gospel say, " If the Son set you at liberty, then are ye free indeed." [Johnviii.
Now they, whom the Lord delivereth, are bond-slaves : i^^'o" ""~y
•^ ' ' 'be that
wherefore he doth deliver them from bondage, and doth Sat'iiucny. incorporate them in the Hberty of the sons of God. He doth set all bond-servants at liberty, excluding none but such as do by their own default, their own unbelief and disobedience, exclude themselves. For the coming of the Son of God was to set all such at liberty as were entangled in bondage. Therefore he doth so far forth deliver us, as we are bond-ser- vants. For bondage and liberty are one opposed and contrary to the other, so that without the consideration of the one we cannot conceive the meaning of the other. Wherefore I think it best here to speak so much of bondage as this present argu- ment shall seem to require.
First, bondage is nothing else but the state or condition what i.,)na- wherein bond-servants be. Now those that are in bondage are" either bondmen born, or else made bond-servants. The chil- dren that issue of bond-servants are bond-slaves born. The other, that arc made bond-servants, are so made either by captivity, whereupon they take their names, and are called captives ; for Pomponius saith, Slaves were thereupon so
[■< a qua ro, Lat.] [■'' exiiibetur, Lat.]
['■' Jesus Christ, not in Lat.]
302 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
called, because the captains commanded to sell them for money, when they were in wars taken captives by their soldiers ; and so by that means to spare their life and save them : these bondmen are in Latin also called Mancipia, eo quod ah Jiosti- hus manu caperentur, because they were taken prisoners by the hand of their enemies : or else they are made bondslaves by the civil law ; as when a freeman, above twenty years of age, doth for lucre sake suffer himself to be sold for money'. Bondmen therefore have lost all liberty, and do wholly hang upon their masters' government, in whose power it lieth to kill them if they list. Two sorts of Now of bondage there are two sorts; the politic", and
Bodily " the spiritual. The politic bondage is not by grace and the °" ^^^' preaching of the gospel taken out of the church of the faith- ful, so that there should be no bondmen at all, or that they should not do their duty, or not do the service that of right ncor. vii. they do owe. For the apostle Paul saith : "Let every man walk according as he is called^. And so ordain I in all churches. Art thou called being a servant? care not for • it : but yet if thou mayest be free, use it rather." And again : LKph- vi. "Servants, obey them that are your bodily masters with fear and trembling and singleness of heart, as unto Christ ; not with eye-service, as men-pleasers ; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart ; with good will serving the Lord, and not men ; knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doth, that shall he receive again of the Lord, whether he be bond or free." And in his epistle to Timothy he saith: "Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed. And they which have believing masters, despise them not, because they are brethren ; but rather do service, forasmuch as they are believ-
\} Servi autem ex eo appellati sunt, quod Imperatores captivos vendere, ac por hoc sei'vare nee occidere solent: qui ci'vAxn mandpia dicti sunt, eo quod ab liostibus manu capiuntur. Servi autem aut nascuntur, aut fiunt: nascuntuv ex ancillis nostris; fiunt autem jure gentium, i. e. ex captivitatc ; aut jure civili, cum liber homo major 20 annis ad pretium participandum sese venundari passus est. — Corp. Jur. Civil. Par. 1G28, Tom. i. p. t), Instit. Lib. I. tit. 3, do jure pcr- sonarum.]
[2 sive civilis, Lat.]
[3 ut Yocavit eum Dominus, Lat.]
IX.] OF CHRISTIAX LIBERTY, WORKS, AND MERITS. 303
ing and beloved, and such as are partakers of the benefit '*,"
And yet in this bondage the faithful have this comfort by the
preaching of the gospel, that howsoever they be bond in body,
yet they are free in mind and soul. For the apostle again a paradox
doth say: "lie that is called a bondman in the Lord is thencor. vii.
Lord's freeman ; likewise he that is called free is bond to
Christ."
This is a comfort to the faithful in all their afflictions, which know that their spirit is safe and free, howsoever their body is straitly imprisoned or sharply tormented. Therefore the saints are at their liberty, although they be never so narrowly looked to and shut up in custody ; they arc victorers and van- quishers, howsoever they are bound and oppressed ; finally, they enjoy most exquisite pleasures even then when they are vexed ^ with most infinite evils. I know that the children of this world do mock and scoff at these pleasures and liberty of the faithful believers, as though they were mere dreams and fantasies of very fools and asses: but God^ doth soundly pay them home for their scoffs and mockery, not in the world to come only, but also in this present life; while they themselves, like miserable caitifts, being in extreme captivity, do notwith- standing even in that slavery'^ think themselves at liberty and in most absolute felicity. For they serve a filthy service in detestable slavery, making themselves bondmen to abominable whoredom, to beastly mad drunkenness, to the wicked mam- mon^ and to other most vile pleasures, wherein they die and rot with endless shame and infamy. But of the service and afflictions of the saints, who do even in their afflictions enjoy their liberty and rejoice in the Lord, the apostle Paul speaketh where he saith : "We are troubled on every side, yet are we not made pensive ; we are in poverty ^, but not in extreme poverty ; we suffer persecution, but are not utterly forsaken therein ; we are cast down, but wc perish not; bearing about
[* 1 Tim. vi. 1, 2, et qui bcneficia rcpcndere possunt, Lat.]
[5 accrbissimo, Lat.]
[6 justo judici, Lat. omitted ; the righteous judge.]
[^ Rather, inasmuch as they are in most extreme captivity and thrice miserable, even then when they think tlicmselves most at liberty, &c.]
[8 Luke xvi. 9; mammona! iniquitatis, Lat. and Vulg.]
[9 laboramus, Lat.]
Spiritual bondage.
304 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
always in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the Hfe , of Jesus might also appear in our body^" And again: "In all things we do our endeavour to shew ourselves as doth become the ministers of Christ ; in much suffering, in afflic- tions in necessities, in sorrows, in stripes, in imprisonments, in seditions, in labours, in watchings, in fastings ; in glory and ignominy, in reproaches ^ and praises ; as deceivers, and yet speakers of truth ; as unknown, and yet known ; as dying, and lo, we live ; as chastened, and not killed ; as sorrowful, and yet always rejoicing; as poor, and yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things." Lo, here ye see how the saints in extreme servitude have a cheerful consolation and are always at their liberty : as is to be seen by infinite examples in the Acts of the Apostles, and other ecclesiastical histories.
Now we come to the second part of bondage. The spiritual bondage hath a certain likeness to the bodily ser- vitude. For Adam by his own fault became a bondman; and we of him are all born bondmen''. He was once at liberty, and had the Lord to be his friend and favourer'*; but he did disloyally revolt from God, and got himself another master, the devil, a tyrant as cruel as may be, who for his sin having gotten power over him did, like a merciless lord, miserably handle him like a bond-servant. Now we of our corrupt grandsire are born corrupt and sinners, and for our sin are also under the devil's dominion ; we are in danger of* the law, and of the curse thereof: for we are the bond-slaves of sin ; we are made subject to sundry calamities by reason of our sin. This therefore is called the spiritual bondage, not because it is only in the mind of man, but because of the op- position whereby it is opposed to the bodily bondage**. For otherwise sin hath made our body also subject to the curse : neither do Ave sin in mind alone, but in the body also ; for every part and all the members of our bodies are subject unto
[1 2 Cor. iv. S — 10, in nostra mortali carnc, Lat. ; in our mortal flesh: as in verse 11.]
[2 per gloriam — per convicia, Lat.]
[^ nasciniur ex servo servi, Lat.]
[1 halmcrat Dominuin optimum ct clementissimum, Lat,]
[^ sul)jicimur, Lat. Tyndale's Doct. Treat, cil. P. S. p. 0, n. C]
[G civili vcl corporali, Lat. : to civil or bodily.]
IX.] OF CHRISTIAN LIBERTY, WORKS, AND MERITS. 305
sin, and infected Tvith iniquity. Therefore we serve in most Abortion is miserable bondajje, while, beinor under the devil's dominion, ••» woman is
O ' ' o ' before her
we do the things that please the tlesh, by the egging on of }jj'^e^'^<^;^^ evil aiFections, to the bringing forth of fruit, or rather to the '"^'^ '^'''''*- making of abortion with peril of our lives, to the devil, our cruel and our rigorous master ; for this verily is our hardest and most lamentable servitude and bondage.
Now on the other side, let us see what christian liberty The spiritual is ; that is to say, from what, and how far forth, the Lord i.'owfaV 'forth hath made us free. In one word we do briefly say, that free by Christ our Lord hath delivered us from a grievous bondage'; to wit, that he hath so far forth made us free, as we by sin^ were slaves and bond-servants. This we may more largely expound and say: The Son of God came into this world; and, having first oppressed the tyranny of Satan and crushed his head by his death and passion, he hath translated us into his own kingdom, and hath made himself our Lord and king. Secondarily, he hath adopted us to be the sons of God, and with his blessing took away the bitter curse of the law ; for he took away all sins, and purged all the faithful from their iniquities. Thirdly, he did most liberally bestow the free gift of the Holy Ghost, to the end that the sons of God should willingly and of their own accord submit themselves to the will of God, and to do the things that the Lord would have them : for the hatred of the law doth not remain, although the weakness of the flesh abidcth still. Lastly, the same our Lord and King hath taken from the shoulders of his elect the burden of the law, the types and figures, with all the costs belonging to the same ; and hath forbidden us, being once set at liberty, to entangle ourselves again with any laws and traditions of men. Of all this being laid to- gether we make this definition : To deliver is to make free, christian and to set at liberty from bondage. He is free, or manu- ' "*" missed, that, being delivered from bondage, doth enjoy his liberty : therefore manumission, or liberty, is nothing else but the state of him that is made free ; the commodity, I say, which a free-made man hath received and doth enjoy by reason of his deliverance ; to wit, in that he, being delivered from the tyranny of Satan, from sin, from the curse of the
[' a gravi ilia servitute, Lat. ; from that grievous bondage.] [8 by sin, not in Lat.] r 1 .20
[hulling ER, II. J
liberty by.
306 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
law, and from death, is made the son of God and heir of everlasting life ; and also that he hath received the Spirit of liberty, by which he doth wholly give himself to be the ser- vant of God, to do him service all his life long ; and lastly, that, being delivered from the law of Moses and from all mortal men^, he doth altogether depend upon the gospel only, having at liberty free use of external things, as of meat, of drink, of clothing, and of such like indifferent things : and in these three last rehearsed points doth chris- tian hberty chiefly consist. Testimonies Now to this I will add such testimonies of scripture as
christian shall both better confirm and more plainly declare my ex- position. And, first of all, I will allege those testimonies which are to be found in the books of the holy evangelists; and then those that are extant in the writings of the apostles. Zacharias the priest, and father of John Baptist, in his hymn of thanksgiving, Luke i. doth declare the truth and goodness of God in performing that to us which he promised to our forefathers ; to wit, " That we, being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life." In this testimony of his we have the true liberty ; that freedom, I mean, wherein we, being by the Lord delivered from all our enemies, both visible and invisible, should no longer serve them with fear, but^ serve our God^ in joy and gladness. There is added also the manner and order how to serve him ; " in hohness and righteousness." Holiness doth cut off and cast away all uncleanness and inconveniency^: righteousness giveth to every man that which is due, to wit, the things which we of duty do owe to every man, and doth contain in it both freedom and benevolence. And in this kind of service do they, which are made free, serve the Lord their God, not for a day or two, or a certain few years, but all the days of their life. Therefore true christian liberty is the perpetual service which we owe and do to God.
In the eighth chapter of St John's gospel, to the Jews
[1 ab omnibus hominum legibus, Lat. ; from all laws of mortal men, ed. 1677.]
[2 citra timorem, Lat. ; without fear.]
[3 ipsi Deo, Lat. ; God himself.]
[•* intemperantiam, Lat.; incontincney,cd. 1577.]
IX.] OF CHRISTIAN LIBERTY, WORKS, AND MERITS. 307
which made great brags of the vain and silly liberty which they received of their ancestors, Christ our Lord maketh this objection: " Verily, verily, I say unto you, that whosoever John viu. committeth sin, he is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever ; but the Son abideth for ever : if the Son therefore shall make you free, then are ye free indeed." In these words he^ maketh mention both of bondage and of liberty. He is a bondman to sin, as to a cruel master or a never-contented tyrant, whosoever doth commit any sin ; for he doth obey, as one that is bound to sin. Such bondmen are all the sons of men ; whose punish- ment is^ to have none inheritance in their Father's house, which is the heavenly Hierusalem'^. As for those which the Son of God restoreth to freedom, they are partakers of the heavenly kingdom and fellow-heirs with the Son of God, But Christ maketh none free but them that are faithful^: therefore the sons of God and fellow-heirs of Christ are for Christ his sake their only deliverer made free and set at liberty. Neither is there any other in heaven or in earth, beside Christ Jesu, which is able to set us at freedom and at liberty.
Paul in the sixth chapter to the llomans saith : " Let Rom. vi. not sin reign in your mortal bodies, that ye should there- unto obey by the lusts of it^ ; neither give ye your members as instruments'^ of unrighteousness unto sin ; but give your- selves unto God, as they that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments'*' of righteousness unto God, For sin shall not have power over you ; because ye are not under the law, but under grace." In these words he ex- horteth them that are purged and made free by Christ to live holily in their spiritual bondage. Now he saith not, Let not sin be in you, or in your mortal body : but he saith, "Let not sin reign in you, or in your mortal body." But when reigneth sin ? Forsooth sin reigneth then, when we obey
[5 Dominus, Lat.]
[6 id supplicii conjunctum, imo irrogatum liabentes, Lat. ; whoso punishment is adjoined, nay imposed.]
l"! in ccelesti utique patria, Lat. ; which is the heavenly country.]
[8 credentes, Lat. ; believers.]
[9 ut obediatis ei per cupiditates ejus, Lat. and Erasmus. That yo shulde ther unto obejr by the lustcs of it. Cranmer, 153y.]
[10 arma, Lat.]
20 — 2
308 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
it through the lusts thereof; that is, when we resist not, but do fulfil the lusts of the flesh. Sin therefore doth not reign in our mortal body, so long as it is but felt in the body and not obeyed or permitted to rule, but rather resisted and trod under foot^ The same sentence doth he expound by another somewhat more easy to be understood : I would not have you to permit your members to sin, as to a tyrant, to use them as instruments to work all unrighteousness : I rather require you to give yourselves to be ruled and go- verned by God. For since he hath set you free from death and brought you to life again, it is requisite^ that ye should give your members to God, as lively instruments, to work all righteousness. And that shall ye be easily able to do, be- cause "ye are not under the law, but under grace."
Upon this doth all the rest of that chapter depend ^ unto the end. "What then?" saith he; "shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, how that to whomsoever ye commit yourselves as servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey ; whether it be of sin unto death, or of obedience unto right- eousness ? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed with heart the form of doctrine into the which ye are brought unto*. Being then made free from sin, ye are become the servants of righteousness." And yet he sheweth, that the freemen of Christ do not abuse their liberty, and give themselves again to be governed by their old and tyrannous master sin : for he maketh sin and right- eousness to be, as it were, two masters ; and addeth to each of them the hire, or reward, that they give to their servants ; the one life, the other death. Lastly, he saith generally, that we are his servants to whom we give ourselves to obey. Upon which he inferreth : " Being redeemed by the grace of God from the bondage of sin, and from death which is the reward of sin, we are translated into the bondage of right- eousness, (whose reward is life^) that thereby we may live."
[1 quin calcantur niagis cupiditates, Lat.]
[2 fcquum est, Lat. ; it is just.] [^ hue pertinent, Lat.]
[■* in cam in quam traducti estis formam doctrina?, Lat. and Eras- mus : unto the rule of the doctrine that ye be brought unto, Cranuier, 1539; whereto ye were delivered, Marg. Auth. V.er.]
[•'' whose — life, not in Lat.]
IX ] OF CHRISTIAN LIBERTY, WORKS, AND MERITS. 300
For he doth more significantly express his meaning in that which followeth, saying : " I speak after the manner of men, because of the infirmity of your flesh. As ye liave given your members servants to uncleanness and iniquity unto iniquity ; even so now give your members servants to righteousness unto hohness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things, whereof ye are now ashamed ? for the end of those things is death. But now ye, being made free from sin and made the servants of God, have your fruit unto hohness, and the end everlasting life. For the reward of sin is death ; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." All this is so plain and evident, that it needeth no larger exposition of mine.
And yet in the seventh chapter next following he doth by comparison in a parable more fully expound all that he said before. " The woman," saith he, " which is in subjection to the man, is by the law bound to the man as long as he liveth. If, while the man liveth, she go aside to another, she is counted an adulteress ; but if the man be dead, she may couple herself with another man. Even so, I say, we are dead to the law." For Christ died for us, and was in his body oftered up to be a sacrifice, or oblation, to cleanse and purge our sins, that we might thenceforth be united and coupled to him ; and that we, being conceived and made with child" with the Holy Spirit, may travail, bring forth, and be delivered of an excellent issue and holy fruit of good works : even as, while we served sin, and were subject unto it as to our master, we brought forth an ill-favoured babe of death ; I mean, iniquity and wickedness, for the punishing whereof death is appointed and ordained. But let us now hear the very words of the holy and blessed apostle, sajing : " Even so, my brethren, we also" are dead concerning the law^ by the body of Christ, that we should be coupled to another^, who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. For when we were in the flesh, the lusts of sin "', which were by the law, wrought in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. But now are we delivered from the
[*5 imprregnati, Lat.] [7 vos quoquc, Lat. ; ye also.]
[8 legi, Lat.; to the law ] [o nimirum ci, Lat. ; even to him.]
[10 efFectus peccatorum, Lat]
310 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
law, and dead unto it, whereunto we were in bondage^; that we may serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter."
That place in the eighth chapter to the Romans is un-
Bom. vui. known to no man, where he saith : " The law of the spirit of life through Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of Bin and death." The manner of this deliverance he doth im- mediately after add, saying : " For what the law could not do, that God did by sending his own Son:" and so forth as followeth : for the words are sufficiently plain, and under- stood of all men 2.
icor. vii. In the seventh chapter of the first epistle to the Corin-
thians he saith : " Ye are bought with a price ; do not ye become the servants of men." In these words the holy apostle exhorteth servants under the colour or pretence of worldly^ bondage not to commit anything for their earthly masters'* pleasure, which soundeth against sincerity and is repugnant to pure religion : to wit, although "^ they be called by the name of servants, yet they should not obey the wicked laws and ungodly ordinances of mortal men. The cause that ought to pull and draw us from it- is, because we are re- deemed and set at hberty by the price of Christ his blood. It would therefore be too too bad and unvt^orthy a thing, if we, contrary to the effect of our liberty, should obey the naughty laws and ordinances of man.
Free from This also is extended and stretcheth out to the laws of
ordinances mcn wliich are made in matters of religion. For in the fifteenth chapter of the holy gospel written by the evangelist
Matt. XV. St Matthew the Lord and Saviour saith, "In vain do they worship me, teaching doctrines the precepts of men;" and, " Let them alone : they are blind leaders of the blind." And
[Col. ii. 20- the apostle St Paul saith : " If ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as yet living in the world, are ye led^ with traditions, (Touch not; taste not; handle not ; which all do perish in abusing^,) after the commandments [1 So Cranmcr, 1539; and marginal reading of Autli. Ver., being dead to that wherein we were hckl. Bullinger adopts Erasmus' ren- dering ; mortui ei in quo detinebamur.]
[2 notissima sunt omnibus, Lat.] [3 vel civilis, liat. ; or civil.]
[4 quia, Lat. ; because.] [^ tenemini, Lat. ; are ye bound.]
[<5 quro sunt omnia in corruptionem ipso abusu, Lat., after Erasmus : •whych all perysho thorow the very abuse, Cranmer, 1539.]
IX.] OF CHRISTIAN LIBERTY, WORKS, AND MERITS. 311
and doctrines of men ? Which things have a shew of wisdom in superstition and humbleness of mind, and in neglecting of the body ; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh." First of all he shcweth, that the faithful ones of Christ Jesu have nothing to do with the decrees of man's inventions, and that they are not bound to observe men's traditions, because they are dead to traditions with Christ ; that is to say, they are by Christ Jesu' redeemed and set free from traditions; which traditions did in Christ his death finish and come to an end, while he did make us his own, and set us at liberty. Then also he doth by imitation counterfeit the words of them which make those decrees^ and say, " Oh, touch not, taste not, handle not."
These three precepts stretch very far, and comprehend many petit decrees ; all which he doth immediately con- fute with these probable arguments. First, because they appoint the worship of God to be in things that perish in the use thereof; but the kingdom of God is neither meat nor drink, but doth consist in spiritual things ; and that which cntereth in by the mouth doth not defile the man. Secondarily, because they are Qot made of God, the author of all goodness ; but have their beginning of man's inven- tions: " But in vain do they worship me," saith the Lord in [Mattxv.9.] the gospel, " teaching doctrines the precepts of men." Neither doth the holy apostle St Paul wink at and slily pass over, because he will not answer to^ the things which do most commend these traditions. First of all, they are commended For what it
'' . , is that men s
for the shew and appearance of wisdom that is in them ; for ^onj',""^/''^ they seem to have been not without great wisdom ordained of commended, wise men, in that they do so fitly serve to every person, time, and place. The earnest defenders of men's traditions cry out, and say : Our ancestors were no fools, their laws are full of wisdom. But Jeremy cricth out on the other side, saying : " They have rejected the word of God ; therefore what wisdom CJ". viii. s.j can be in them ? " Another cause why traditions are com- mended is the Greeks' iOeXoOijrjo-Ke'ia ; that is to say, a chosen
[7 per mortem Christi, Lat.]
[8 qualia sint ilia dccrcta commcmorat per Mimesim, Lat. : fjufi^- TIK03S subjungit ; Bulling. Comment, in loc] [9 because — answer to, not in Lat.]
ly.]
312 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
kind of worship', which we of our own brains have chosen, and taken ourselves to serve and do God worship withal ; for men do gladly and willingly receive the traditions of men, because they are agreeable to their inclination^. Yea, Christ
[John XV. in the holy gospel saith ; " If ye had been of the world, the world would have loved her own : now for because I have chosen you out of the world, the world doth hate you." And again he saith : " That which men set such store by, is abo- minable unto God^'." Moreover men's traditions are com- mended for humility : which is understood in two manners or respects. For first, that is said to be humility, if any man do readily obey and easily yield to that which is urged, obtruded, and thrust upon him by men of countenance and authority : secondarily, the laws of men do seem to exercise humbleness, and keep men in humility. But such obedience and humility may rather be called sacrilege, because it is not ruled and directed by the word of God, as the thing whereby alone it should be tempered and squared, but doth transfer and convey over the honour of God from God to men. Last of all, men's traditions are commended for the neglecting of the flesh : for, Oh, that discipline and chastisement of the flesh seemeth to them a goodly thing, by which the wantonness of the flesh is somewhat bridled and tamed. Finally the apostle addeth, " Not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh :" that is to say. Which things, although they have a shew of religion- and holiness, have notwithstanding in very deed no honour at all, considering that those external things are ordained of God for the ease and relief of men's necessities. Yea, Paul doth flatly find fault with those decrees, because they give the body no honour for the satisfying of the same, that is, according to the measure of the body's necessity. For a moderate care and looking to the body is not only permitted, but also commanded, lest we perhaps by too much lack and nearness* do mar the body, and make it unapt to do good works. Neither is the care of the flesh in any place forbidden^, unless it tend to
Rom. xiii. lusts and sensuality. Wherefore the apostle saith, " Cherish not the flesh unto concupiscence." Therefore God hath granted to man for his necessity the use of meat, drink,
[I Cultus electitius, Lat.] [2 ingcnio humano, Lat.]
[3 Luko xvi. 15; coram Deo, Lat.]
[4 inedia, Lat.] p simplicitcr, Lat. omitted ; in itself.]
The care of the boLly.
IX.] OF CnUISTIAN LIBERTY, WOUKS, AND MEKITS. 315
sleep, clothing, rest, allowable pleasures, ami other things necessary ''.
In the fourth chapter to the Galatians St Paul saith : " "When the fulness of the time was come, God sent his Son, Gai. iv. born of a woman, and made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive by adoption the right (or inheritance^ of children. Now because ye arc sons, God hath sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. AVherefore thou art no more a ser- vant, but a son : if thou bo a son, thou art also an heir of God through Christ." And immediately after again: "Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath delivered us, and be not again wrapped in the yoke of bondage."
In the second to the Hebrews he saith : " Christ was ucb. u. made partaker of flesh and blood with us, to the end that through death he might expel ^ him that had lordship over death, that is, the devil ; and that he might deliver them which through fear of death were all their life time in dano-er of^ bondage." Thus I hope these testimonies of scripture suffice for our purpose.
These things being well weighed and throughly consi- The estate. dered will plainly teach, what kind of liberty they have SrXty of which are made free by Christ, and what their property and arlTree by
.... . ... , Christ.
inclmation is ; to wit, most religious, and altogether given to holy things; that is to say, in all points addicted to the Spirit, without which there is no liberty, and by which all the sons of God are always governed. The Lord's freemen do most diligently beware that they do unadvisedly offend no man by their liberty, nor vainly abuse their purchased freedom ; for they have continually before their minds and eyes the weighty sayings of the holy apostles of their Lord Christ Jesu. St Peter in the second chapter of his first Epistle saith'": "As free, and not having the liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but even as the servants of God." And Paul
[8 In this exposition BuUingor has borrowed literally from Calvin's Comment. ; and both from Erasmus' Annotations, in loc. cit.]
[7 ut adoptione jus filioruni accipcrenius, Lat. and Erasmus : that we thorow elcccion myght receavc the inheritaunce tliat belongrth unto the natural! sonncs. Cranmor, 153U.]
[8 abolcret, Lat.] [^ See page 3(J7, note 10.]
[10 verso 16, pra3tcxtuin vel vchuneu habontcs malitia?, Lat ]
Tlie abuses if christian
314 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
saith : " Brethren, ye have been called unto liberty ; only let not liberty be an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For I, when I am free, have made myself servant to all, that I may win the more^"
They therefore do specially ^ abuse christian liberty, who, libert'yr""' soekiug after carnal things under the colour and pretence of the Spirit and of liberty, do make their brags, that they by the preaching of the gospel are set free from all bodily debts and duties : and therefore they do deny to their masters, creditors, magistrates, and princes, the duty that they owe them; by that means revolting and rebeUing against them^ These fellows are seditious stirrers, and not the reverencers [Bom. xiii. of the evangelical doctrine. Paul crieth : " Give to every one that which is due : tribute to whom tribute belongeth ; custom to whom custom is due ; fear to whom fear ; and honour to whom honour doth appertain. Owe nothing to any man, but this, that ye love one another."
Moreover they also do abuse christian liberty, who, when they have not* received the Spirit of liberty and of the sons of God, when they are not as yet delivered from Satan nor justified by Christ, do notwithstanding promise liberty to all men ; and think that, for the opinion which they have conceived of their liberty, they may do whatsoever it pleaseth them ; by that means gainsaying good laws and severe discipline with exclamations and outcries that liberty by laws is entrapped, betrayed, and trod under foot. Against such, and especially against the teachers of that vain and pernicious liberty, St Peter taketh stomach, and saith : ^2 Pet. ii. " These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest ; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. For when they have spoken the great swelHng words of vanity, they entice through lusts in the voluptuousness of the flesh ^ such as were clean escaped from them which are
[1 Gal. V. 13; 1 Cor. ix. 19; liber sim ab omnibus, Lat. ; when I am free from all.]
[2 primum, Lat. ; in the first place.]
[3 Sec BuUingcr, adv. Anabapt. Lib. ii. cap. 2, and Hooker, Eccles. Pol, Pref. Vol. I. p. 183, Oxf. 1820.]
[4 nondum, Lat. ; not as yet.]
[5 inescant homines per concupiscentias carnis voluptatibus, Lat. and Erasmus : they entyse thorow lustcs in the volupteousnes of the flcssh. Cranmer, 1539.]
!7-19.]
IX.] OF CHRISTIAN LIBERTY, WORKS, AND MERITS. 315
wrapped in error, while they promise them liberty ; whereas they themselves are the bond-servants of corruption : for of whom a man is overcome, into the same is he brought in bondage :" and so forth as followcth. Now when men do Licenuou*. after that manner abuse liberty, that licentious lust is not worthy to be called by the name ^ of liberty.
Last of all, they do abuse christian liberty, whosoever do abuse things indifferent, and have no regard of their weak brethren, but do offend them unadvisedly. We must there- fore in this case always have in mind this notable saying of St Paul : "All things are lawful for me, but all things [i cor.vi. 12; are not expedient : all things are lawful for me, but all ''' things do not edify." Touching this matter there is more to be seen in the fourteenth chapter of St Paul's Epistle written to the Romans.
And here by occasion, yea, rather being compelled by or offences, necessity, I will speak a little, and so much as shall be requisite for the godly-disposed to know, touching offences. Scandalum, which word the Latins borrow of the Greeks, doth signify a falling, a tripping, a stumbling-block, an offence, a let or hinderancc : such as are stones in a street that stick up higher than the rest, or gins that are of purpose subtilly set or hid to snare the feet of them that pass over them : for they which do either light on or stumble at them, do fall, or else are turned out of the straight path.
Now this kind of snare or stumbling-block is by a meta- phor transferred to the estate of religion and manners of men. For he giveth an offence, whosoever doth with over- thwart, foolish, or unseasonable words or deeds either do or say to another man anything whereby he taketh an occasion to sin. Therefore scandalum is an occasion given to sin and do wickedly, and the very impulsion or driving to a fall or to wickedness. Other there are that do define scandalum to be an offence joined with a contempt^ : for an offence doth usually draw a contempt with it ; or, as wo may say also, an offence doth rise upon a contempt. To conclude therefore, it is put for an injury offered by one man to another.
[fi sancto vocabulo, Lat. ; the sacred name.]
[7 So Zuinglc dofinos it, l)c vera ct falsa religione, Comment, p. 412, Tigur. 1525.]
316 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
How and by Now WG offcnd Other men either by our words, or else
an offence bj our dcods. Thc oflfcnce that is given by words is partly in evil, foolish, and unseasonable doctrine, and partly our daily talk or communication. The greatest offence is that which doth arise of wicked doctrine, directly contrary to the true doctrine of the holy gospel. The next to this is that offence which doth arise of foolish and unseasonable doctrine; which, though it be derived out of the word of God, is not- withstanding either unaptly uttered, or unwisely applied. For the preacher may sin either by too much suffering' or lenity ; or else by too much sharpness and overthwart waywardness^, so that the hearers being offended do wholly draw back from all hearing of the gospel. And yet, for all this, the light of the gospel must not be hidden, nor the truth slily winked at^, because men will be offended ; but preachers must with all their diligence take heed that the word of God be wisely set forth and aptly dispensed ^ What- soever things are against the laws of God, those must most constantly be accused, and without fear most diligently con- futed, howsoever the world and worldlings do storm against the same.
Now they do by their daily talk cause their brethren to stumble, whosoever let their tongues run loose to talk they care not what; and at their pleasure, without advice, to babble they care not how : of which sort are filthy speech and ribaldry, but especially such blasphemous words as are unreverently uttered against God, the holy scriptures, and articles of» our faith ; for evil words corrupt good manners. I do not here exclude the letters or writings of men which do unadvisedly offend their brethren.
Lastly, stumbling-blocks of offence are laid before many men either by promises or else by threatenings : so often, I mean, as by alluring enticements of many fair promises, or else by terrible threats and torments, they are turned from the right path of truth into byways and errors ; for Lxw'20' ^^ ^^^ Pharao lay a stone of offence before king Zedechias, by causing him to make a league with him, and by that
Kzek. xvii.
[^ licontia, Lat.]
[2 niinia niortlacitate et morositate, Lat.]
[•' dissimulanda, Lat.]
[^ recto secctur, Lat. : 2 Tim. ii. 15.]
IX.] OF CHRISTIAN LIBERTY, WORKS, AND MERITS. 317
means to trust more in tlic power of Egypt than in tlio mighty hand of God^. Tyrants do oftentimes give weak Christians causes of offence, while they by torments drive them to deny the name of their master Christ.
Now the deeds, whereby men are offended, bo of two sorts ; that is to say, they be either lawful and at our free choice, or else unlawful and utterly forbidden us. But even lawful deeds are by abuse made unlawful. For it is lawful for the faithful to eat what they lust : for to the clean all things are clean. But thy eating is made unlawful, if thou dost eat with the offence of thy weak brother : for he doth not understand that it is lawful to eat indifferently every kind of thing ; and thou knowest very well that, if thou eatest, he will be offended ; and yet notwithstanding thou dost eat and despise him : assure thyself in so doing thou givest cause of offence, and sinnest not a little against thy weak brother. To this wo add all unseasonable using of free things and indifferent.
But here we must note, that the doctors of the church do weakUncs
. . 1 ^'"^ stubborn
diligently distinguish and make a difference betwixt weak persons. brethren and stubborn persons. The weaklings are such as be utterly ignorant in some points of religion ; and yet not- withstanding are tractable enough, and fear the Lord; not erring of purpose with malicious overthwartness, but touched with a certain weakness of faith and religion, suffering them- selves nevertheless willingly to be instructed. Of such the [Rom. xiv. apostle saith : " Him that is weak in faith receive ye, not to strifes of disputations." But the stubborn and obstinate peo- ple are they which, when they know the truth and liberty of the saints, do notwithstanding harden their minds, and set themselves against the truth of libert}'' which they know; desiring to have much granted them, and every man to bear with them, not so much for that they do ever mean to give place to the truth, as to the end that by this occasion once granted them they may at last subvert the truth and chris- tian liberty, and in stead thereof set up their trifles and superstitious vanities. Of such men the Lord speakcth in ^Mj"'- ''^•• the gospel, saying: "Let them alone; they be blind leaders of the blind." And Paul in the second chapter to the Ga- '^•'''- "•
[5 potentia; et liberationi divinrc, Lat.]
[c voritati ot libcrtati, Lat.; the truth and liberty, od. 1577.]
given and an
oftenee
taken.
318 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
latians saith : "Titus, being a Greek, was not circumcised, because of incomers, being false brethren, which came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage. To whom not so much as for an hour we gave any place by subjection ; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you." An offence Moreovcr to tliis place is to be referred the difference
that some men do very wisely make betwixt the giving and the taking of an offence.
An offence is given then, when by thy fault, by thy importunity, I say, and thy lightness, thou either doest or sayest a thing for which thy brother hath a cause to be offended '. The other kind of offence is not given, but taken or picked out, not by thy fault, but by the malice or wicked- ness of another man : as for example, when thou dost sin neither in word nor deed, when thy deeds are nothing inso- lent, nor thy words unseasonable, when thou either sayest or doest the thing that is both free and lawful for thee to say and do ; and yet another taketh pepper in nose^ and is offend- ed with that liberty of thine : which is all one, as if a man that walketh in a plain path^ should hap to trip or stumble, and presently quarrel with his companion*, as though he had laid a block in his way.
Now the unlawful and forbidden deeds wherewith men are offended do tend against God and his laws, are done con- trary to all seemliness, equity, right, and reason, and stir up others to imitate the like revels and desire of ill rule^ : for such are idolatry, murder, whoredom, covetousness, pride, and luxury. So did the wicked king Jeroboam set up the golden calves to be a stumbhng-block unto all the people of Israel. And in like manner do many, with their drunken tippling and overnice bravery in gaudy apparel, not only offend others, but also make them worse, and by their ill example draw them into hke and more foolish vanities.
[1 merito, Lat.]
[2 This proverbial term for an angry person (see Ray's Proverbs, pp. 140, 197. Loud. 1817) is added by the Translator.]
[3 in quo nulla positaest offensio, Lat. omitted; where no stumbling- block has been laid.]
[•1 The mention of a companion is an addition of the Translator's.]
[6 ad paria studia et scelera, Lat.]
IX.] OF CHRISTIAN LIBERTY, WORKS, AND MERITS. 319
Finally, to give an offence is a very great sin ; as the to Rive saying^ of the Lord in the gospel affirmeth. For in Matthew greatsin. he saith: "Woe unto the world because of offences. It must «»». [xviu. needs be that offences come; but woe to the man by whom the offence cometh ! AVhosoever offcndeth one of these little ones that believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." And Paul the apostle, speaking to the brethren that give offence, doth say : "Through thy giving of offence perisheth thy brother for whom Christ died." And again : "And so ye sinning against your brethren, and wound- [icor. viiu ing their weak consciences, do sin against Christ himself." But what can be devised more heinous than to sin against Christ? Let us all therefore take heed, that by abusing christian liberty we give no occasion of offence to the 'weak, but always do the things that do belong to charity.
Last of all, we must especially contirm our minds against onences nse
, • ,. 1 11 1 M 1 • not of the
the enemies oi the gospel, who cease not daily to lay innu- Kospei, butof
, ^ ./ </ the enemies
merable heaps of offences upon the preachers and zealous of'^^^gosiiei. followers of the evangelical doctrine. "Ye," say they, "are the causes of all the broils, seditions, wars, and hurly-burlies, ■wherewith the world is at this day disquieted." Against these offensive outcries, I say, we must confirm our minds with that notable saying of Christ in the gospel : "I came not ^1^?- to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance with his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law : and a man's foes shall be they of his own household." Here we must call to remembrance, and lay before our eyes, the nota- ble examples of the prophets and apostles. King Achab said to Helias the prophet, that he was the disturber and plague of the kingdom; but the prophet replieth, that not he, but the n ^^j'"jR^ j^ ., king, was the troubler of the country. The rebellious Jews objected against Jeremy, that, since the time they began to leave the worship of their (idol) gods, and to hearken to the preaching of the word of God, they never had one jot of felicity, but that mishaps by troops fell one upon another's neck. To which objection they were answered, that those tj^^J^a']"' misfortunes did light upon them because of their sins, and especially for their rebellion and unthankfulness' sake. The [c unica sententia, Lat.]
6.]
[1 Tliess. 15, IC]
320 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
unbelieving Jews at Thessalonica cried out against Paul and [^Actsxvii. Silas, saying: "These fellows, that have troubled the whole world, are come hither also." But Paul, speaking against the Jews his enemies and persecutors, said : "They, as they have killed the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, so do they persecute us: they please not God, and are adversaries to all men ; resisting us that we should not preach the gospel unto the Gentiles to their salvation, that they may still fulfil their sins ; and so at last the endless^ anger of God may fall upon them." These sayings and such like let the faithful think upon and have in their minds, and let them persevere still with constancy and patience to spread abroad the doctrine of the gospel, howsoever the world doth fret and cast offences in the way. And thus much hitherto touching offences-, ofgomi It remaineth now, as my promise in the beginning was,
to say somewhat in the end of this sermon concerning good works. For we have learned that christian liberty is not licentiousness, but an adoption into the number of the sons of God, which do bestow all their life upon the study of godUness and virtues : we have learned that the law of God is the rule and doctrine of good works : the course of order, therefore, doth now require to have somewhat said touching good works. What works First of all, let us determine of the very true and cer-
the^smptVre. taiu signification of works, because the word is used diversly, and is of ample signification. For works are the labours and busy exercises of men, by the which they get their livings : for Paul commandeth every man to work with his own hands; the law forbiddeth us to do any work on the sabbath-day; and the Israelites were oppressed in Egypt with hard and wearisome work and toil. There are also workmen, to whom the Lord in the gospel commandeth to pay the hire that is their due. A work also is the thing which is made or expressed by the artificer or workman ; f jer. xviii. for the prophet Jeremy, speaking of a potter, saith : " He made a work upon a wheel." Moreover a work doth sig- [2Tim.iv. nify an office or duty; for Paul saith, "Do the work"
[1 in finom, Lat.]
[2 This treatise of "offences" is transferred by Bullinger from his Comment, in Matt. cap. xviii. Lib. viii. fol. 172, Tiguri. 1542. Cf. Calvin. Instit. Lib. iii. cap. 1!), § 11, 12.]
IX.] or CHRISTIAN LIBERTY, WORKS, AND MERITS. 321
(meaning the office) "of an evangelist:" and the Holy Ghost, speaking in the church at Antioch, saith, " Separate [Aiti xiii. 2.] me Paul and Barnabas for the work whercunto I have chosen them." Furthermore, the works of the Lord are^ the mighty deeds of God, whereby he doth declare his power and goodness unto men : and in that signification heaven, earth, and man himself, are said to be the works of God's hands. Works also are the benefits of God bestowed upon us men ; for in the gospel he saith : " I have shewed you many good works :" (as if he should have said, I have done tJo^n x. 32] you many good turns^.) There are also evil works, I mean works of iniquity : whereupon some men are called workers ^^°'},^,'''y' of iniquity, whose deeds are* the works of the flesh and of ^•*"] darkness. Again, there are good works, I mean sundry virtues, the fruits of faith ; of which sort are justice, temper- ance, charity, patience, hope, &c. For the Lord in the gospel said : " Let your light so shine before men, that [Matt. v. le. they may see your good works, and glorify the Father which is in heaven." The apostle saith that we are made for l^v^- "■ >fO good works, to walk in them. Those same are called the [Matt- iii s. fruits of repentance, and works worthy of repentance. They ^"O are called the works of light ^, and the fruits of the Spirit. [Gai. v. 22.] The same are the works of humanity, benevolence, and charity : such are commended in Tabitha, which is read to [Acts ix. ae.] have been full of good works. Paul saith : " Let us work [Cai. vi. 10.] good, while we have time, to all ; but especially to them of the household of faith." Such a like work of humanity and charity did Mary bestow upon Christ our Saviour, who said: rvatt. xxvi. *' She hath wrought a good work on me." This being thus declared, we will now describe good works in their colours and qualities.
Good works are deeds, or actions, wrought of those Good works, which are regenerate by the Spirit'^ of God, through faith, rre" and according to the word of God, to the glory of God, the
[3 vocantur, Lat. ; are called.]
[* This parenthesis is the Translator's.]
[5 illis respondent, Lat.]
[^' The express plirase, ivorks of I'xjht, docs not occur in Scripture; but Buliinger seems to refer to Kom. xiii. 12; for, in his exposition of that passage, he says: Ilic palam audimus — qua; (sint) opera tcnc- brarura, qu;c lucis, p. lOG, Tigur. 1537.]
["> spiritu bono, Lat. ; by the good Spirit]
[BLLI.lNGElt, II. J
322 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
honesty^ of life, and the profit of our neighbour. This brief description I will prosecute by parts, and expound so well as the Lord shall give me grace.
The original First, I wiU hj proof shew that there is none other
works. well-spring, from whence good works do flow, than God him- self, which is the author of all good things. For the prophet saith : " All men are liars ; God alone doth speak the truth^."
™att. xix. And the Lord in the gospel saith : " None is good but God alone.'" Good works therefore must have their beginning, not of man, who is a liar and corrupt, but of God himself, the well-spring of all goodness. And God doth by his Spirit and by faith in Christ Jesus renew all men, so that they, being once regenerate, do no longer their own, that is, the works of the flesh, but the works of the Spirit, of grace, and^ of God himself. For the works of them that are re- generate do grow up by the good Spirit of God that is within them ; which Spirit, even as the sap giveth strength to trees to bring forth fruit, doth in hke manner cause sundry virtues to bud and branch out of us men, as the Lord himself
[John XV. 4, doth in the gospel testify, and say : " I am the vine, ye are the branches. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine ; so cannot ye also, unless ye abide in me. Whosoever abideth in me, and I in him, he bringeth forth much fruit : for without me ye can do no- thing." To the same cause is that to be referred, where as'* we say that a good work is done by faith. For faith is the gift of God, whereby we lay hold on Christ, through which we are both justified and quickened ; as the scripture saith,
rHab. ii. 4.1 " The just shall live by his faith." And in another place saith Paul: "By faith Christ dwelleth in our hearts^." And
[Gal. ii. 20.] again : " I live ; yet now not I, but Christ liveth in me : and the life which now I live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved mc, and gave himself for me." Now he that liveth doth the works of life through him, no doubt, by whom he is quickened ; and he that is justified doth the works of righteousness through him that justified
[} ornamentum ct lionestatem, Lat.]
[2 Ps. cxvi. 11; Rom, iii. 4: where the Vulgate has, est Deus verax ; Erasmus renders, sit.]
[3 adeoque, Lat. ; and so.] ["* cum dicimus, Lat.]
[^5 Eph. iii. 17; in cordibus vcstris, Lat.]
IX.] OF CHRISTIAN LIBERTY, WORKS, AND MERITS. 323
him : that is, the righteous do through Christ work rio-ht- eousness, and righteousness containeth the whole company of virtues. So then God alone remaincth still the only well- spring and author of good works.
But let us now see the testimonies of scripture, by which we may evidently learn, that the works of them that be re- generate are attributed to God himself, who by his Spirit and by faith doth work in the hearts of the regenerate. Moses testifieth, saying: "The Lord shall bless thee, and [Deutxxx. the Lord thy God shall circumcise thy heart, and the heart ^'''■■' of thy seed, that thou may est love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live." Lo, here the cause that godly men do rightly love the Lord doth proceed of the circumcision of the heart. Now who, I pray you, doth circumcise the heart beside the Lord? The prophet Esay doth more plainly say : *' Thou, Lord, fuai. xxvi. shalt ordain peace : for even thou hast wrought all our works ^'^'-^ in us." In the gospel after St John our Saviour saith : *' He that worketh verity cometh to the light, that his works John nii. 21 ; may be seen, because they are wrought by God." And again : " Whosoever abideth in me, and I in him, he bringcth forth much fruit ; for without me ye can do nothing." Paul also to the Philippians saith: " To you it is given for Christ, CPhii.i.29.] not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him." And yet again more plainly : " It is God that worketh in you both to will and to do according to the good purpose of the mind^." Likewise also St James saith : "Every good giving [James i. 17.] and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh from the Father of lights." Moreover St Peter, ascribing all the parts of good works to God, doth say: "The God of all [1 Pet. v. 10.] grace, who hath called you to his eternal glory through Christ Jesus, restore, uphold, strengthen, and stabhsh you." For "we are not able," as Paul in another place saith, " of [-'Cor.ui.s.] ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves ; but all our ability is of God." Therefore God alone remaineth still the only well-spring of all good works, from Avhom, as from
[0 Phil. ii. 13 ; pro bono animi proposito, Lat. and Erasmus. Scnsus est, Deus operatur in nobis vello et pciTicero, idijuc facit quod propcnso in nos animo sit, quod nos amat, ct familiaritcr admodum complectitur. BuUinger, Comment, in loc]
21—2
324 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
a spriDg-head, good works' do flow into the saints, as into sundry streams and channels 2. Good works Yet horo by the way this must be added, that good
are imputed v v ^ o
to men. works, although they do in deed proceed from God, and are in very true and proper phrase of speech the fruits of the Spirit and of faith, both are notwithstanding, and are also said to be, ours ; that is to say, the works of faithful men : partly because God worketh them by us, and useth our mi- nistery in the doing of the same ; and partly because we are by faith the sons of God, and are therefore made the brethren and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ. For by this right of in- heritance all the works of God, which are in us God's gifts, do begin to be not another's, but our own and proper works. Yea, the very scripture doth attribute them to us, as unto sons and freeborn children ; for the Lord in the gospel
[John viii. saith ; " The servant abideth not in the house for ever ; the son abideth for ever." Therefore, as all things in the father's house do, by right of inheritance and title of pro- priety, come to the son, although the son hath not gotten them by his own industry, nor gathered them by his own labour, but hath received them by the liberality of his parents ; even so the works of God, which he doth work in us and by us, which are God's gifts bestowed upon us, both are, and are said to be, our own, because we are the sons . of the household, as it were, by adoption, and therefore are the lawful heirs. AVherefore it were the sign of a very un- thankful mind for an adopted son, being forgetful of his father's beneficence and liberality, to make his brags, that all those goods, which he enjoyeth by right of inheritance, were gotten and come by through his own labour and tra-
[1 Cor. iv. vail. Whereupon Paul said very religiously : " What hast thou that thou hast not received? If thou hast then re- ceived it, why dost thou yet boast as though thou receivedst it not ?" Very well thought the holy martyr of Christ, St Cyprian, who was wont to say : " We should boast of no- thing, because we have nothing of our own^." And to this
]} opera vcro bona, Lat.] [^ as — channels, is tho Translator's addition.]
[3 In nullo glorianduin, quando nostrum nihil sit. — Cypr. Tcstim. iii. ad Quiriiium 4. Op. Par. 1G33, p. 373.]
IX.] OF CHRISTIAN LIBERTY, WORKS, AND MERITS. 325
place bclongctli'* that saying of the prophet Esay : " Sliall the axe boast against him that hcwcth with it ; or shall the saw brag against him that drawcth it'' ?" We, verily, are the instruments or tools of God, by which he worketh ; for the apostle saith : "We are joint-workers with God; ye are f" (>^r. ui. God''s husbandry, ye are God's building. According to the grace which God hath given me." Therefore, according to the meaning of the apostle's writing, St Augustine, Lib. de Gratia et lihero arh., in the sixth chapter, doth say: "When grace is given, then do our merits begin to be good, and that through grace. For if grace be taken away, then man doth fall, not being set up, but cast down headlong, by free- ■will. Wherefore, when man beginncth to have good works, he must not attribute them to himself, but unto God, to whom it is said in the Psalm, Be thou my helper : 0 forsake me not. In saying. Forsake me not, he sheweth, that if he be forsaken, he is able to do no good of himself*'." So then in these words St Augustine doth plainly enough declare, that good works are ours after that sort, that yet notwithstanding they cease not to be the works of God ; yea, that they ought nevertheless to be ascribed to the grace of God that worketh in us^
Now by this which we have hitherto alleged out of the no works do
. . . , , justify.
scriptures touching the true original cause of good works, i we may easily understand how and after what manner the scripture doth attribute righteousness unto our merits. For I have in another place ^ sufficiently declared (and will again say somewhat, when I come to the treatise of the gospel) that faith, not works, doth justify us in the sight of God : which is the especial point and chief foundation of the evan- gelical and apostoUcal doctrine.
[* pertinero videtur, Lat.]
[5 Is. X. 15; qui ipsam agitat, Lat. and Calvin.]
[c Sed plane cum data fuerit (gratia), incipiunt esse etiam merita nostra bona, per illam tamen. Nam si illam subtraxcrit, cadit homo, non erectus, sed praicipitatus libero arbitrio. Qiiapropt(M- quando coeperit homo habere merita bona, non debet sibi tribuerc ilia, sod Deo, cui dicitur in Psalmo, Adjutor meusesto, nc derelinquas mo. Dicendo, no derelinquas me, ostendit quia si derolictus fuerit, nihil boni valet ipse per so. — Aug. 0pp. Par. 1531, Tom. vii. fol. 2(J8, col. 1.]
[7 Cf. Calvin. Instit. Lib. ii. cap. 5, ^ 14.]
[8 Decad. i. Serm. 0, Vol. i. p. 104 ]
326 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
All our works generally are either the works of nature
or the flesh, or else the works of the law, or else the works
of faith or grace. Now the works of nature or the flesh
2 do not justify, but condemn us ; because " that which is born
^ om.vm. ' q£ £ggjj -g flgg]j" Uut "the lust of the flesh is death, and enmity against God." What the apostle thought and said touching the works of the law, I did declare^ to you in my
[Rom. iii. former sermon: " By the works of the law," saith he, "shall no flesh be justified." But if we beat out and examine the works of grace and of faith, we shall find that they both are, and have been, done by faithful and just men.
Whereupon it is manifest, that justification did always go before the works of righteousness : for the just man doth work righteousness ; so that righteousness is the fruit that the just do bring forth. Man, verily, is justified freely by grace, and not by works, which follow after justification. What may be said to that, where the scripture saith 2, that even Abraham, the father of all that believe, was not justified by the works of grace and of faith ? He lived 430 years before^ the law ; he believed in God, and by true faith did most excellent works : and yet by those his works of faith he was not justified. For Paul doth plainly argue thus:
[Kom. iv. " If Abraham were justified by works, then hath he wherein to boast ; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? ■ Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. To him"* that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of duty ^ : but to him that worketh not, but belie veth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." Now whereas we conclude, that we also shall be justified according to the example of Abraham by faith, and not by works, we ground that con- clusion, not upon our own minds, but upon the apostle's
[Rom. iv. doctrine, who saith : " Nevertheless it was not written for liim^ only, that faith was imputed to him for righteousness;
\} copiose exposui, Lat.] [2 aperto testatur, Lat.]
[3 Gal. iii. 17. Hoc loco Apostolus 430 annos a promissione facta Abrahse ad legem usque numerat. BuUinger, Comment, in loc] [■* Ei vero, Lat. ; now to him.]
[5 See Tyndalc's Doctrinal Treatises, Park. Soc. ed. p. 103.] [c propter Abraham, Lat.]
IX.] OF CHRISTIAN LIBERTY, WORKS, AND MKRITS. 327
but it was written for us also, to whom it shall be reckoned, if we believe in Christ." Touching this matter I have already disputed in the sixth sermon of the first Decade. I verily am persuaded that this doctrine of the apostles and evangelists ought to be laid up in the bottom of every faithful heart : that we are justified by the grace of God, not by merits'''; through faith^, and not through works.
But while we urge and repeat this doctrine unto the Good work* people, we are said of many to be the patrons of all nauahti- j<^'<^«ed, but
, . '^„ ,^, ,. ° their abuse
ness, and utter enemies to all good works and virtues. But Ifocui'ne* we, by this our preaching and doctrine of faith which doth ^on^'emned. only justify, do not contemn good works, nor think them to be superfluous. We do not say that they are not good ; but do cry out upon the abuse of good works, and the corrupt doctrine of good works, which is defiled with the leaven of the Pharisees. For we teach to do good works, but we will not have them to be set to sale, and to be bought I cannot tell in what order of bargaining. We will not have any man to put confidence in them ; we will not have any man to boast of the gifts of God ; we will not have the power to justify, or to merit Hfe everlasting, to be simply attributed unto them. For by that means Christ should wax vile and contemptible^, who hath with his death alone merited for us the heavenly kingdom of God Almighty. Neither do we by this, as many think we do, separate good works from faith. Our doctrine is, that works and faith are not severed, but cleave together as closely as may be : so yet notwithstanding, that justification is properly ascribed to faith, and not to works. For works do consist in our worthiness, but faith doth cleave to the pro- mise of God, which setteth before us both righteousness and life in the only-begotten Son of God, Christ Jesus our Saviour. And Christ is sufficiently able of himself, and by his own power and virtue, to justify them that believe in his name, without any aid or help of ours at all.
I will not wink at some menu's objection, but freely con- in what fess, that the scriptures here and there do after a sort attri- scripture bute both life and justification unto good works. But the i>uteju.stifi-
" ^ o cation unto
scripture is not contrary to itself : therefore we must search s"'"* ""^''*-
[7 non meritis nostris, Lat.]
[8 per fidem in Christum, Lat.]
[9 et oppugnarctur, Lat. ; and be fought against.]
328 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
and examine, in what sense, and how, hfe and justification are ascribed to our works. St Augustine doth so answer this ob- jection, that he referreth our works ^ unto the grace of God ; for in his book De gratia et llhero arhitrio, the eighth chapter, he writeth : " If eternal hfe be of duty given to good works, as the scripture doth most plainly testify, saying, 'Because God will reward every man according to his works ;' then how is eternal life of grace, considering that grace is not given as due to works, but freely and without deserts? as the apostle Paul doth say, 'To him that worketh the reward is not reck- oned of grace, but of duty f and again, ' The remnant,' saith he, ' are saved by the election of grace :' and immediately after he addeth, 'If it be of grace, then it is not now of works ; for then grace is no more grace.' How then is eter- nal life, which is gotten by works, a gift ? Or else did not the apostle say, that everlasting life is a gift ? Yes, verily ; he said it so plainly that we cannot deny it. Neither are his words so obscure that they require a sharp understander, but an attentive hearer. For when he had said, 'The reward of sin is death ;' he addeth straightway s : 'But the gift of God is life everlasting in Jesu Christ our Lord.' Methinketh therefore, that this question can be none otherwise resolved, unless we understand, that even our good works, to which eternal life is given, must be referred to the grace and gift of God ; because the Lord Jesus saith, 'AVithout me ye can do nothing:' and the apostle, when he had said, 'Ye are saved by grace through faith,' doth presently add, ' and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God : not of works, lest any man should boast 2.'" Thus much hitherto out of St Augustine.
[1 bona opera, Lat.]
[^ Si enirn vita seterna bonis operibus redditui", sicut apcrtissime elicit scriptura, Quoniam Deus reddet unicuique secundum opera ejus ; quomodo gratia est vita ajterna, cum gratia non operibus red- datur, sed gratis detur ? ipso ai)Ostolo diccnte, Ei qui operatur mercos non imputatur secundum gratiam, sed secundum meritum ; ct iterum, RoIiquiEe, inquit, per electionem gratia; salvoc factso sunt; et mox addidit, Si autem gratia, jam non ex operibus, alioquin gratia jam non est gratia. Quomodo est ergo gratia vita reterna, qure ex operibus sumitur? An forte vitam retcrnam non dixit apostolus gratiam? Imo vero sic dixit, ut ncgari omnino non possit; nee intellectoi'em acutuni, sod tantummodo iutentum desiderat auditorom. Cum enim dixisset, Stipendium peccati mors; continue subJidit, Gratia autcni Dei vita
IX.] OF CHRISTIAN LI13ERTY, WORKS, AND MKRITS. 320
Now although this answer of St Augustine be godly and plain enough to him that simply scarchcth for the truth, yet I am sure that some there are which never will be answered with it. They will, I know, go about upon St Augustine's The caviis of words to infer that works, and not faith alone, do justify us attribute men. For thus they argue : Ave are justmed, and do obtain unto works. eternal life, by grace : good works do belong to the grace of God : therefore good works do justify us.
Now it is not amiss to close and buckle hand to hand with these disputers, that in this little ye may perceive that they be mere shifts of sophistry, which they set to sale under the name and colour of very sound arguments. And first of all, there is no man so foolish, if he hath read the doctrine of St Paul, but knoweth very well that those two propositions cannot hang together: we are justified by grace; and, we are justified by works. For that sentence of St Paul is as clear as the sun, where he saith, " If of grace, then now not [Rom. xi. o.] of works : for then grace were no grace." We do freely grant both their propositions ; to wit, that we are justified by grace, and that works belong to the grace of God, or be the gift of God : but ^ve deny their consequence, and say that it is false ; to wit, that works do justify. For if that be true, then may we in like manner truly say, A man doth see; an hand doth belong unto a man : and thereupon infer, therefore a hand doth see. But who would gather so vain a consequent ? For all do understand, that a man doth consist of sundry members, and that every member hath his effects^ and offices. Again, what is he which knoweth not, that the grace of God, which is otherwise undivided, is divided and distin- guished according to the diverse operations which it workcth? For there is in God a certain (as it were) general grace, whereby he created all mortal men, and by which he sendcth rain upon the just and unjust: but this grace doth not
Betema in Christo Jcsu Domino nostro. Ista ergo quscstio nullo modo mihi videtur posse dissolvi, nisi intolligamus ot ipsa bona opera nostra, quibus fctcrna redditur vita, ad Dei gratiam pertincrc, propter illud quod ait Dominus Jesus, Sine mo nihil potestis facero. Et ipse apostolus cum dixissot, Gratia salvi fucti estis per fidcni ; et hoc non ex vobis, sed Dei donum est, non ex operibus no forte quis oxtollatur; vidit utiquc, &c.— Aug. 0pp. Par. 1531, Tom. vir. fol. SOS, col. 3.] p suas vires, Lat.]
330 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
justify; for if it did, then should the wicked and unjust^ be justified. Again, there is that singular grace, whereby he doth, for his only-begotten Christ his sake, adopt us to be his sons : he doth not, I mean, adopt all, but the believers only, whose sins he reckoneth not, but doth impute to them the righteousness of his only-begotten Son our Saviour. This is that grace which doth alone justify us in very deed. More- over there is a grace, which, being poured into our minds, doth bring forth good works in them that are justified. This grace doth not justify, but doth engender the fruits of righte- ousness in them that are justified. Therefore we confess and grant, that good works belong to grace, but after a certain manner, order, and fashion^.
Again, they object and say : But grace or faith and works, justification also and sanctification, are so joined to- gether, that they cannot be severed one from another : there- fore the thing that agreeth to one is also appliable unto the other.
I verily neither dare nor do in any case gainsay, that faith and works do cleave together ; but I do utterly deny that they twain are all one, so that the thing which is attri- buted to the one may also be applied unto the other. For faith, although it be weak and unperfect in us, doth notwith- standing lean and stay upon Christ his perfection alone, and ^o far forth it doth justify us. But our works have in them (for I use the mildest phrase of speech) some sprinkling of vice and sparkle of error, because of the original disease that is natural in us all : but it foUoweth not therefore, that the grace of God is polluted by any vice or fault of ours ; which should of necessity follow consequently, if, by reason of the strait knot betwixt them, the properties of the one were common to the other. Although the light of the sun be not separate from the heat thereof, yet is not the light the same that the heat is. Neither is it a good consequence to say, The sun giveth light to the world ; therefore the heat of the sun giveth light to the world, because in the sun the heat and light cannot be separated. Yea rather, the sun in respect of his light doth lighten the world, not in respect of the heat that it hath. And yet the sun doth both warm and
[1 omnos impii, Lat.]
[2 scd sua ratione, sue modo, Lat.]
IX.] OF CHRISTIAN LIBERTY, WORKS, AND MERITS. 331
lighten the earth at once. In like manner we are freely justified by the merciful grace of God, for Christ his sake, our Lord and Saviour, not in respect and consideration of the works of grace, that are found in us ; although these works are engendered and brought forth by that free grace. And so we must attribute all glory wholly to the grace of God, and not part stakes with him, and take to our own share any part of his glory.
These wranglers have yet another shift, and say : Although we say that eternal life is given by God to all faithful be- lievers, not for faith only in Christ Jesus, but also for the works of faith ; all the glory nevertheless shall redound to God ; namely since we acknowledge and confess that those works are wrought in us by the power and grace of God.
To this our answer is ; that glory must so be given to God as he doth please to have it given him. If the will, purpose, and counsel of God were to receive us into his friendship for the works' sake, which his Spirit and grace doth bring forth in us ; then should he unadvisedly, without discretion, have sent his only-begotten Son into the world, and rashly have appointed him to the terrible pangs of bitter death. But God, in all that he hath created either in heaven or earth, much less in this case, which is the greatest that belongeth to man, the chief and most excellent creature that he hath made^ did never at any time do any thing rashly, without great advisement. Wherefore it is assuredly certain, that it was never the counsel and purpose of God for our own goo4 works'* and virtues to redeem us from the tyranny of Satan, and to accept us for his sons; but for the only sacrifice and satisfaction of his only-begotten Son Christ Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. For the judgment of Paul in this matter re- maineth firm and invincible, where he saith: "If righteousness [Oai. n. 21.] come of the works of the law, then did Christ die in vain." And that divine saying of St Peter remaineth for ever un- controllable : "There is salvation in none other." [Acts iv. 1-2.]
Again, they do lay certain places of scripture together, and thereupon do argue thus : Although Paul in one place doth say, "Ye are saved by grace through faith ;" yet in^WiH.^a; another place the same Paul doth say, " We are saved by " o
[3 that belongeth — hath mado, not in Lat.] [* opera fidci, Lat. ; the works of faith.]
332 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
hope." Now who knoweth not that hope is, as it were, upheld and strengthened by patience ? — Christ himself in the
[Lukexxi. gospel agreeing thereunto, and saying, " In your patience ye shall possess your souls." Therefore not faith only, but hope and patience do bring us to salvation.
To this we answer thus ; That the holy apostle doth sufficiently expound himself, if a man will take the pains to read him throughout, and weigh with himself the end and cause for which he spake every several sentence. " Ye are," saith he, " saved by grace through faith ; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God ; not of works, lest any man should boast," &c. Hath he not in these few words most evidently declared what his belief is touching grace or faith, and works ? Who would desire a plainer speech ? There is none so very a dorhead^ as that he understandeth not, that the benefit 2 of salvation is wholly and merely ascribed to grace. For he doth not divide salvation or justification partly to faith or grace, and partly to works ; neither doth he attribute the first place to faith, and the second place to works : he doth utterly exclude all boasting. " Ye are,'' saith he, " saved by grace through faith." And immediately after he addeth, "and that not of yourselves."" He annexeth the cause; " it is the gift of God." And again : " not of works." He sheweth why : " Lest any man should boast." He that under- standeth not this doth undoubtedly understand nothing at all.
Loqui contra Yle that wrcsteth or otherwise cavilleth at this doth speak
sulem .■ a ^ _ _ '■
p'^oy?'?. against the sun, and saith that the light is darkness. Now
applied to O ' O
sneSl'^gtLst """hereas the same apostle doth in another place say, "We are tie truth, gaved by hope ;" it is by the marking of the whole place to be gathered, that his meaning is as if he had said : " I told you, that they which beheve in Christ are the sons and heirs of God, and have thereby their salvation and felicity ; but I would have every one to understand it in hope and expec- tation, not in enjoying the very thing itself, and present fruition." Now who can hereupon infer. Therefore hope doth justify ? But we do rather make this argument : Pa- tience is no patience at all, unless the patient man be first justified by true faith: therefore the commendation of patience^
[1 bardus, Lat. Dor: a drone]
[2 totum bencficiuin, Lat.]
[•'' pationtia:! laus c^t virtus, Lat.]
IX.] OF CHRISTIAN LIBERTY, WORKS; AND MEUITS. 333
doth wholly depend upon faith, and not the praise of faith upon patience; although faith be declared and shewed forth by patience.
For it is a sentence utterly unworthy to come out of a christian man's mouth, to say, that faith is made perfect by good works ; that is to say, where faith doth want a piece, that there good works do patch it up. For when we name faith, we do not name simply the quality of believing which is in our minds, but we have an eye to Christ himself'*, our Lord and Saviour, together with his righteousness and hea- venly gifts ; upon whom alone, as upon a base and sure foundation, our faith doth rest and firmly stand. But to go about to supply the want of any thing in Christ Jesus, is nothing else but with devilish blasphemy to disgrace the Son of God. The faith of saints, I confess, doth declare and shew itself by works; but it followeth not thereupon, that works do therefore make perfect that which seemeth to be wanting in Christ his perfection. For there is nothing lacking in our deliverance, redemption, and justification wrought by Christ. The apostle James did say indeed, " Seest thou how faith was made perfect by works ?" But [James his meaning was none other but to say, Seest thou how faith, by the works which followed it, did declare itself to be a true and righteous faith, and not an hypocritical faith ? For before these words he said : " Seest thou how his faith was effectual through works ?"" Again, the apostle Paul said : "1 fulfil^ that which is lacking to the afHictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church."" But you may better translate the Greek rd varepyj^aTa to be that rather which is behind, than that which is lacking to ^ the afflictions of Christ : for the Greeks call to. uaTep/nxaTu not only those things that are wanting, but also the remnant (which word St Ambrose also uscd)^ I mean the remnant
[•* See Vol. I. addend, p. 112, line 32.]
[5 Col. i. 24. Supploo vel adiniplco, Lat. The former is the ren- dering of Erasmus, the latter of the Vulgate.]
[c qurc supersunt, quam qua3 desunt, Lat.]
[V — qui nunc gaudeo in passionibus pro vobis, ot suppleo relliquias prcssurarum Christi, &c. Ambros. Comment, in Ep. ad Coloss. cap. 1, V. 24, Tom. n. Append, pag. 2GG, Par. 1G90. But these commentaries arc not genuine. See James' Corruption of Scripture, Council.?, and Fathers, ed. Cox, Lond. 1S43, p. 26.]
334
THE THIRD DECADE.
[SERM.
[I Pe 21.]
Another objection. [1 Cor. xii
John [xi 21, 2:i.]
and those things that are remaining behind. And St Peter saith, that "Christ suffered for us, leaving behind him an ex- ample for us, that we might follow his trace and footsteps." Therefore the apostle afiirmeth, that he by suffering fulfilled the remnant which was behind ^
After this again they allege the words of the apostle Paul, where he saith : " If I have all faith, so that I can remove mountains out of their place, and yet have not cha- rity, I am nothing." For upon this they infer, " Therefore not faith only, but also charity, yea, rather charity than faith, doth justify."
But we say that Paul in this sentence doth neither deny that faith alone doth justify, nor yet doth attribute the jus- tification of the saints to charity. For when we aflirm that we are justified by faith, or when we make faith the cause of justification, (which thing must be by often repetition beaten into our memories,) we do not understand that faith, as it is a virtue in us, doth work, and by the quality^ that sticketh to us doth merit, righteousness in the sight of God; but so often as we make mention of faith, we understand the grace of God exhibited in Christ, which is through faith freely applied to us, and received'' as the free gift of God bestowed upon us. And in that sense doth Paul* use the name of faith, when he afiirmeth that faith doth justify. But in this place of the thirteenth chapter to the Corinthians he doth not so take the name of faith, but putteth it for the power of working miracles ; as is manifest by that which followeth, where he saith, " so that I can remove mountains," That faith doth not comprehend Christ wholly, but only the power in shewing of miracles : and therefore it may be some- time in an unjust man and an hypocrite ; as it was in Judas Iscariot, to whom the faith of miracles profited nothing, be- cause he was without the justifying faith; which faith is never without, but of itself engendereth, charity.
Again, whereas they object that saying out of the gospel of St John, " Whosoever knoAveth^ my commandments and kecpeth them, he it is that lovcth me ; and my Father will
[1 hasce relliquias, Lat.] [2 qualitate sua, Lat. ; its quality.] [3 apprehcnditur recipiturque, Lat.] [4 et Paulus, Lat. ; doth Paul also.]
[5 habct, Lat.]
IX.] OF CHRISTLVN LIBERTY, WORKS, AND MERITS. 335
love him, and we will come to him, and make our abiding in
him ;" therefore for the observation of the commandments, that
is, for our works'* sake, God is joined to us : we again allege
this saying of the same evangelist and apostle John : " By n john iv.
this we know that we abide in him, and he in us, because he
hath given us of his Spirit."" But that Spirit of God is a free
gift : therefore we are joined to God by mere and free grace.
It followeth in John : " And we have seen and do testify, that the Father hath sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world." Thou hearest, I hope, by what it is that the world is saved, and what Christ the Saviour of the world is^. Now who knoweth not that he was sent unto us of the Father by the mere and only grace of God? It followeth now, how that grace is received : " AVhosoever confesseth that Jesus is the Son of God, God abideth in him, and he in God." But in the sixth of John, instead of 'confesseth,' is put 'be- John vi. lieveth :' and no marvel, since out of a true faith a true confession doth arise. By faith therefore are we saved ^, and by faith are we joined unto God. But letting pass these wranglers, who will never be without store of such so- phistical shifts, we do again return to our purposed argument, to shew you how, and in what sense, life and justification are attributed to works.
They that are well exercised in the reading of the holy The places scriptures, that they may reconcile the places of scripture works, ^"t that seem at a blush to be at discord, do teach that faith and b'ush to
disaRree,
works in very deed are not separated one from another. For fl^^^^^^ the same Holy Spirit which giveth faith doth therewithal also regenerate the understanding and will, so that the faithful doth ardently desire, and do his endeavour in all things, to do service to God his maker. Therefore, for the unseparable knot betwixt faith and good works, which always keep com- pany and attend upon** faith, we say, that justification is sometimes^ somewhat unpropcrly attributed to works, which is somewhat more properly to be attributed to faith, but most properly of all to be ascribed to Christ apprehended by faith, who is in very deed the foundation and subject of our faith.
[c rather, and who tlic -Saviour of the world is, namely Christ.] [■^ recipimus salutcm, Lat.] [^ sequuntur, Lat.]
[9 rather, that there is attributed to works that which, &c. ; 'justifi- cation' is not in Lat.]
336 THE THIKD DECADE. [sERM.
I will yet essay to make this more manifest. In true faith there are two things to be considered, reconciUation and obe- dience : reconciliation, because by faith we understand and verily believe, that God is reconciled to us for Christ his sake, by whom we are adopted into the number of the sons of God ; and obedience, because they that are reconciled do wholly yield themselves to him to whom they be reconciled, Avith earnest desire and zeal to do his will and pleasure. So then we say that faith' is of two sorts, the justifying and the obey- ing faitli^. Of the justifying faith ^ St Paul maketh mention,
fRom. V. where he saith : "Being justified by faith, we have peace to- ward God through the Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we are reconciled." Again he maketh mention of the obeying faith ^
[Rom. vi. 16.] where he saith : "Know ye not, that to whom ye give your- selves as servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye do obey ; whether it be of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" — that is to say, which obedience maketh you to do the things that are righteous, and to be the servants of righteousness, which shall turn to you to eternal life ; and not the servants of sin, which turneth unto death. Now there- fore justification is properly attributed to the reconciling righteousness through Christ Jesus, and is improperly ascribed to the obeying righteousness, or righteousness of obedience. For the obeying righteousness is of the reconciling, and without the reconciling righteousness obedience should not be called righteousness. To which this is also to be added, that they which are justified do not put any confidence in this obedience, as that which is always spotted in this world by reason of our flesh.
To this also agreeth this other explication which I will here annex. The most proper work of faith is purification
[Acts XV. 9.] and sanctification ; for St Peter doth expressly say, that by faith our hearts are purified. But in sanctification the holy scriptures do shew to be two especial things : first, that all the faithful arc freely purified by the blood of Christ Jesus;
[I Pet. i. Ill, for again the same St Peter saith : " Ye know that you arc
^^'^ redeemed not with transitory things, as gold and silver; but
with the precious blood of Christ, as of an unspotted Lamb." St Paul saith: "Ye are sanctified^ by the will of God through
[' justitiuin, Lat. ; rightoousnoss] [2 faith, not in Lat.]
[S Ileb. X. 10, 14, sanctificati sumus, T..at.]
IX.] OF CHRISTIAN LIBEUTY, WORKS, AND MERITS. .037
the oblation of the body of Jesus Christ once made. For with that one oblation he made them perfect for ever which are sanctified." St John also saith : "The blood of Jesus [i John i. 7.] Christ the Son of God doth cleanse us from all sin." There- fore the most proper phrase of speech is to say, that we are sanctified through faith by the blood of Christ, who said : "I ^i"''"'"''' sanctify myself for them, that they also may be sanctified through the truth." The latter is, that they which are sanc- tified by the blood of Christ through faith, do day by day sanctify themselves, and give their minds to hoHness ; to the doing and study whereof the apostles do most earnestly exhort the saints. For Peter saith: "As he which called you is holy, so be ye also holy in your conversation^; because it is written. Be ye holy, for I am holy." St Taul saith : "This is the will of God, even your holiness," &c. 1 Thessal. iv. St John saith; "Xow are we the sons of God; and yet it doth not appear [uoh.i ni. what we shall be : but we know that, when he shall appear, '^' ^ -' we shall be like him ; for we shall see him as he is. And every one that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he also is pure." Now this purging or purification, which is made by our care and industry, is called by the name of sanctification, not because it is made by us as of ourselves, but because it is made of them that are sanctified by the blood of Christ, in respect of Christ his bloods For unless that sanc- tification, which is the very true and only sanctification in deed, do go before, our sanctification (I mean, that which wo work) is none at all. But if that go before, then is this of ours imputed for sanctification, although in the meanwhile the spots of sin remaining in us do defile it, and that we do put no confidence in it. Therefore, so often as thou shalt read in the holy scriptures that righteousness is attributed to our good works, thou shalt think straightways, that it is done for none other causes than those which I have hitherto already de- clared unto thee. For the apostolical Spirit cannot be repug- nant or contrary to itself.
This will yet be made a great deal more manifest, if we The ai^suca call to remembrance and do consider, that the apostles had to rijihteousni-sg
•'of works.
deal with two kmds of men : the one sort whereof did afiirm,
[•♦ 1 Pet. i. ly, IG, in omni conversatioiic, Lat.]
[5 in respect of Christ his blood, is an addition of the translator's.]
22
[bulling ER, II.]
338 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
that they were sufficiently able of their own strength to sa- tisfy or fulfil the law, and that they could by their deserts and good works merit eternal life ; yea, they affirmed that the merit of Christ was not sufficient enough ^ to the getting of salvation, unless the righteousness of men were added there- unto. Against these Paul disputed very constantly and pithily in all his epistles ; for they made Christ and the grace of Theaponies God of nono effect. The other sort of men were such as, abusers ot abusuig the doctrine of grace and faith, did wallow like swine fluh."" in all lilthy sins, because they thought that it was sufficient unto salvation if they did say that they believed ; but they never declared their faith or belief by any good works, al- though occasion thereunto were given them. Against these did St Peter very well and wisely^ dispute in the first chapter of his second epistle, and St James in the second chapter of his epistle. For he affirmeth, that Abraham was not justified by faith only, but by works : that is to say, that he was not justified by a vain opinion, but by faith which bare and was full of good works. For James doth use the names of faith and justification in one sense, and Paul in another. Paul putteth faith for an assured confidence in the merit of Christ; and he useth justification for absolution and remission of sins, for adoption into the number of the sons of God, and lastly^ for the imputing of Christ his righteousness unto us. But in James faith doth signify a vain opinion : and justifi- cation doth import, not the imputing of righteousness, but the declaring of righteousness and adoption. For it is un- doubtedly true, that the holy ^ apostles of Christ, St Peter and St James, would not by their writings make void the grace and merit of Christ, to advance the merits of mortal men ; but rather to withstand the unpureness of them which put the faith of Christ in peril of disgracing^, to the offence of all good men, living in the mean while most wickedly in detestable sins without repentance. Therefore the apostles of Christ, requiring good works at the hands of the faithful, do first of
[1 pci' se, Lat. omitted ; of itself.]
[2 constanter et acriter, Lat.]
[3 adcoque et, Lat. ; and thus also.]
[4 fidelissimos, Lat. ; the most faithful.]
[5 rather, which made a boast of faith in Christ to the oftcncc, &c.]
IX.] OK CHIilSTIAN LIBEKTY, WORKS, AND MERITS. 339
all require a true and lively faith, and do refer them both'' unto the grace of God.
Let us therefore most firmly hold, that the apostles do Faith justi- attribute justification, life, and salvation, to good works im- wof^T' properly ; to true faith properly ; but most properly to Christ, who is the subject and foundation of true faith. For although true faith '^ is not without good works, yet doth it justify without good works, by itself alone. For it is most certain, that life and salvation are bestowed on us after the same manner that health and life was given to the children of Israel, which in the wilderness were poisoned of the serpents. They had their health restored them not by any works, but by the only beholding and looking upon the brasen serpent : therefore we also are made partakers of eternal life by faith alone, which is the true beholding and looking up to Christ. " As Moses," saith our Saviour, " did lift up the serpent [John iu. u, in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up ; that every one which believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." And the apostle Paul saith : " Ye are saved by [Eph. u. s, grace through faith ; not of yourselves ; it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast," &e.
With this doctrine of the evangelists and apostles do the testimonies of certain doctors of the church agree : some of which I will recite unto you, dearly beloved, not because these testimonies of the scripture are not sufticient, but because we will not seem to be the beginners and bringers in of new doctrines : although in very deed that can not be new, which is derived out of the evangelical and apostolic doctrine, albeit that all the doctors of the church should gainsay or deny it. Now therefore give ear how some, even of the best of them, do not in words only say and write, but also by proofs shew, that faith alone doth justify.
Origen, a very ancient writer, upon the third chapter of !>igen^rj the epistle of St Paul to the llomans, doth say : " Paul saith "°'"»- that the justification of faith alone is sufiicicnt for a man ; so that every one that doth believe only is justified, although no works are once wrought by him, JN'ow if we require an example, where any was over justified by faith alone without good works ; that thief, I suppose, is example good enough,
[6 omnia, Lat. ; all.]
[■^ communi lege, Lat. omitted; by a general law.]
22 2
340 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
who, being crucified with Christ, did cry from the cross, ' Lord Jesu, remember me when thou comest into thy king- dom.' In the writings of the evangehsts there is mention made of no good work which he in his Hfe time did ; and yet,
[Luke xxiii. because of this his faith only, Jesus said unto him : ' Verily I say unto thee, this day thou shalt be with me in paradise.' Therefore this thief was through faith justified without the works of the law. For after this request and prayer of his the Lord made no inquisition what his works were all his life long ; neither did he look what works he would do after this faith and believing ; but did immediately, upon his confession, both justify, and take him as a companion to go with him to paradise. Moreover to the woman, of whom mention is made in the gospel after St Luke, not for any work of the law, but for
4»"5a]'"' ^^^^^ ^^^7 ^® ^^^^> ' Thy sins arc forgiven thee.' And again, ' Go in peace, thy faith hath made thee safe.' Further- more, in many places of the gospel we find that our Saviour used the like kind of speech, making faith always to be the cause of men's salvation. And a little while after the same
[Gal. vi. 14.] apostle saith : ' God forbid that I should glory in any thing but in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world.' Thou seest here that the apostle glorieth not of his own righteousness, or chastity, or wisdom, or other works or virtues of his own, but doth most plainly pronounce and say : ' Let him that glorieth glory in the Lord ;' and so by that means all boasting is excluded ^" And so forth, with many other sayings tending to this purpose.
[1 Dicit (Paulus) sufficere solius fidei justificationem, ita ut credens quis tantunimodo justificetur, etiamsi nihil ab eo operis fucrit expletum. Imminet igitur nobis, qui integram esse scripturam apostoli conamur asserere, et ordine suo cuncta constare, ut requiramus, quis sine ope- ribus sola fide justiftcatus sit. Quantum igitur ad exemplum pertinet, sufficere arbitror ilium latronem, qui, cum Christo crucifixus, clamavit ei de cruce, Domine Jesu, memento mei cum veneris in regnum tuum. Nee aliud quicquam describitur boni operis ejus in evangeliis, sod pro hac sola fide ait ei Jesus, Amen dice tibi, hodie mecum eris in para- dise . , . Per fidem enim justifieatus est hie latro, sine operibus legis. Quia super hoc Dominus non requisivit quid prius operatus esset, nee exspectavit quid operis cum credidissot expleret, sed sola confessiono justificatum comitem sibi eum paradisum ingressurus assumpsit. Sed et mulier ilia, de qua in evangelio secundum Lucam refertur ... ex
IX.] OF CHRISTIAN LIBERTY, WORKS, AND MERITS. 341
St Ambrose in his exposition of Paul his epistle unto the Ambro^. Romans, upon the third and fourth chapters, doth say : "They are freely justified, saith St Paul, because, when they work nothing, nor do any thing for God again, they are yet through faith only justified by the gift of God".
'"According to the purpose of God's grace,"" saith Paul: it was so ordained of God, that, laying the law aside, the grace of God should require faith only unto salvation^."
*' This doth by the example of the prophet confirm the blessedness of the man to whom tlie Lord imputeth righte- ousness without works : he calleth them blessed, with whom the Lord hath covenanted, that without labour and keeping of the law they should be justified before their Maker'."
St John Chrysostom, treating of faith, of the law of chrysost. nature, and of the Holy Ghost, doth expressly say : " I cannot prove that he which worketh the works of righteousness without faith doth enjoy eternal life : but I can by good proof shew that he which believed, without works, did both live and obtain the kingdom of heaven. No man without faith hath obtained life ; but the thief believed only, and for his faith was justified by the most merciful God. And whereas
nuUo legis opere, sed pro sola lide, ad earn (ait), Remittuntur tibi peccata tua : ct iterum. Fides tua te salvam fecit, vade in pace. Sed et in multis evangelii locis hoc sennone usum legimus Salvatorem, ut credentis fidem causam dicat esse salutis ejus. . . Audi quid dicit (apos- tolus) : Mihi auteiii absit gloriari, nisi in cruce Domini mei Jesu Cliristi, per quern mihi mundus crucifixus est, et ego mundo. Vidcs apostolum non gloriantem super justitia sua, neque super castitate, nequo super sapientia, nequo super ceteris virtutibus vel actibus suis, sed apertissime pronunciantem et dicentem, Qui gloriatur, in Domino glorietur; ct sic exclusa est Judaica gloriatio, &c. — Orig. Comment, in ep. ad Roman. Lib. iir. Tom. iv. Par. 1733— 59, pp. 51G, 17.]
[2 Justificati sunt gratis, quia nihil operantes, neque vicem red- dentes, sola fide justificati sunt dono Dei — Ambros. Comment, in ep. ad Rom. cap. ni. v. 24, Tom. ii. Append. Par. 1G90, col. 4G. But see above, page 336, note 3.]
[3 Secundum propositum gratia) Dei] Sic decrctum dicit Paul us a Deo, ut cessante lego solam fidem gratia Dei posceret ad salutem. — lb. cap. iv. V. 5, col. 48.]
[■* Sicut et David dicit.] Hoc ipsum munit excmplo prophcta; beatitudinem hominis cui Deus acccpto fert justitiam sine oporibus. Beatos dicit, de quibus hoc sanxit Deus, ut sine laboro et aliqua obscr- vationc sola fide justificcntur apud Dcuni. — lb. cap. iv. v. 6, col. 48.]
342 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
here, peradventure, tliou -wilt object, that he wanted time to live justly, and to do good works : I answer, that I do not greatly strive about that ; but this only I stick to, that faith alone did justify and save him. For if he had lived any longer, and had neglected faith and works, he had undoubtedly fallen from salvation. But the only end and argument whereat I now shoot is, that faith of itself doth bring sal- vation, and that works of themselves did never save any workers that wrought them :" as Chrysostom doth at large declare by the example of the captain^ Cornelius^.
These testimonies, I suppose, are sufficient to wits that will be answered and do not stand obstinately in quarrellings and janglings ; otherwise I could allege a great number more. But I will not be over-tedious unto you, dearly be- loved, nor seem to be endless^ in an evident matter. Of merits or I^ut now becauso to this treatise of the righteousness of
of good^"'''^'^ works there is a question annexed touching the merits of good works ; I will therefore summarily say somewhat of merits, or rather, of the hire and reward of good works: to this end specially, lest any man, thinking irreligiously of the merits of good works, do thereby win to himself not good but evil works.
The name of merits is an unacquainted term, not used in No good the scriptures. For in that signification wherein our merit- man?'" workers use it, to wit, for meritorious works; for that, I mean, whereunto both life and the grace of God is of duty given as debt that is due ; in that signification, I say, it doth obscure the grace of God, and maketh man too proud and arrogant. What, I pray you, can our works deserve, since
[1 centurionis, Lat.]
[ "Av€V iriarecos tov epya^ofievov epya 8iKaio(Tvvi]s ov Svvtj Trapaa-Trjaai ^Tjcravra, avev 8e epyav rbv niaTov dvvapai Sei^ai koI ^i^aavra koI iSacriXeias d^icodevra. Ov8e\s avev TTt'oreco? e^rjcrev' 6 8e Xr/aT^s Tntmvaas povov ihiKaiatOr). Kat pr] poi Xc'yf, ovk i'a-x^ Kaipov noiXiTfveadai' ov8e yap iym TovTo (piXoveiicco, cJXX' €Ke2vo irapia-nja-a, on fj Trlaris Kaff favrf/v fcraxTfv. Et yap eTre^rjo-e rfj ij-icTTei, Kal epyav i^peXrjatv, i^eniTTTe ttjs (ruTrjplas. T6 8e (TKoTTovpevov vvv Kai ^ijrovpevov, ort Ka\ i] Triaris Kad^ eavrf^v eaaxrev, epya Be KaO' (avTO. ov8apov tovs epyaras fSiKaicoae. Kal deXeis Idelv (iKpt/Scoy, ort i'pya avev Tria-rews ov ^(oonoiel ; MepapTvprjro KopvijXios, &c. — Chrysost. Serm. do Fide ct Lege Naturtc et Sancto Spir. 0pp. Tom. i. Pai\ 1718, p. 82G. But this treatise is not Chrysostom's.]
[3 spinosus, Lat.]
IX.] OF CHRISTIAN LIBERTY, WORKS, AND MERITS. .'MS
none of the saints durst be so bold as to plead their merits before the Lord? Job crieth : "If I "will justify myself, [Job ix. 2(i, mine own mouth shall condemn me. If I will go about to shew myself to be an innocent, he"* shall prove mo a wicked doer. If I wash myself with snow-water '\ and make my hands never so clean at the well", yet shalt thou dip me in the mire, and mine own garments shall delile^ me." David crieth: "Enter not into judgment with thy servant; for in rpsai. cxnii. thy sight shall no man living be justified." Christ our Lord in the gospel salth : " When ye have done all things that are commanded you, then say, We are unprofitable servants ; we have done that wo ought to do." But a little before our Lord said: " Doth the master thank the servant which doth [Luuexvii. the things that are commanded him to do ?" The holy apostle St Paul also crieth : " I do not despise the grace of [Oai. 11.21.] God : for if righteousness be of the law, then did Christ die in vain." Again, in the gospel after St Luke, the Pharisee j;Liike xvul is greatly blamed, which could not be content to put confidence in his own righteousness, but would needs boast of his merits also. And Nabuchodonosor felt no little plague for saying ^d^^^' that the kingdom of Babylon did come unto him by his own art, industry, power, and virtue. By how much a greater punishment, therefore, shall we think them to be worthy of which are persuaded, and make their brags, that they by their merits have deserved or earned the kingdom of heaven ?
And yet all this doth not tend to the making void of a reward u
ti ^ given to good
the stipend of good works, or to the denying of the reward *<>'''«• that is prepared for virtues : for he is true which promised, and what he promised he will perform. Now he promised rewards to them that work righteousness : even as also ac- cording to his justice and truth he hath threatened terrible punishments to wicked and impenitent sinners. But the promises of God are of two sorts ; to wit, they lay before our eyes the gifts and rewards of this present life, and of the life to come. For the Lord in the gospel after St Mark doth say : "Verily I say unto you, there is no man that [""k x. 29, hath forsaken house, or brethren, or lands, for my sake
[i So Covcrdalo, 1535.]
[5 quasi aquis nivis, Lat. ; as it wore witli.]
[6 at the well, not in Lat.]
[■^ abominahuntur me, Lat.]
344 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
and the gospel's, but he shall receive an hundreth-fold now at this present with persecutions ; and in the world to come [2Tim. iv. life everlasting." And Paul saith : "Godliness is profitable ®~^"'^ to all things, having promise of the life that is now, and of that which is to come. This is a sure saying, and by all means worthy to be received. For therefore we both labour and suffer rebuke, because we have our hope settled in the living God, &c." And here it will do well to reckon up and cite the testimonies of scripture, which do concern the reward of good works. I will therefore recite a few, but such as shall be evident and pertaining to the matter. The [rsai. iii. 10, Lord in Esay crieth : "Say to the just, that it shall go well "■■' with him ; for he shall eat the fruit of his study, or travail.
And woe to the wicked sinner ; for he shall be rewarded according to the works of his hands." In Jeremy we read : [jer. xxxi. " Leave off from weeping ; for thy labour shall be rewarded [Matt. V. 11.] thee." And in the gospel the Lord saith : " Blessed arc ye, when men speak all evil sayings against you, lying, for my sake. Rejoice ye, and be glad ; for great is your reward [Rom.ii. 10.] i'^ heaven." The apostle Paul also saith: "Glory, honour, and peace, to every one that worketh good, to the Jew first, [2 Cor. V. 10.] and also to the Gentile." Again : " We must all appear be- fore the judgment-seat of Christ, that every one may bear the deeds of his body, according to that which he hath done, whether it be good or bad." And again : " Every one shall receive a reward according to his labour ^" To whom the Now Ict US remember, that the reward is promised and promued."^* great gifts are prepared for them that labour manfully. To sluggards and slow-backs are imminent the evils of this present life, and also of the life to come. To them that strive lawfully the garland is due. But if it happen that the reward be deferred, and that they which strive receive not the promises by and by out of hand ; yet let the afflicted think that their afflictions tend to their commodity, and that they are laid upon them by their heavenly Father. Let not their courage therefore fail them, but let them shew them- selves men in the fight, and call to God for aid ; for [Matt. xxiv. " whosoever persevereth unto the end, he shall be saved." ^-' Let every one call to his remembrance the old examples of
the holy fathers, to whom many promises were made, the [1 1 Cor. iii. 8 ; suam mcrcedcm, Lat.]
IX.] OF CHRISTIAN LII5ERTY, VVOIIKS, AND MERITS. 345
fruit whereof they did not reap till many a day were come and gone, wherein they strove against and did overcome full many a sharp temptation. The apostle Paul crieth : "I u'Tim. iv. have fought a good fight, I have fulfilled my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me in that day : not to me only, but to them also that have loved his appearing." They must lay before their eyes the truth of God, who saith : " Heaven and earth shall [Matt. xxiv. pass, but my word shall not pass." The Israelites, verily, were a long time holdcn captive in Egypt : but the Lord did not forget his promise ; for in a fit and convenient time he set them out at liberty with abundant joy and glory for the triumph gotten over their oppressors. The Ainale- chites and Chanaanites did a great while, I confess, exalt themselves in sin and wickedness ; but when the measure of their iniquity was fully filled, then were they throughly recompensed for their pains by him that is the severe re- venger of unrepented wickedness. The scripture therefore exhorteth all men to have sure hope, persevering patience, and constancy invincible : of which I spake in the third sermon of this third Decade. To this place do belong, as I suppose, those excellent words of St Paul, where he saith : " It is a faithful saying : for if wo be dead with him, we [^ xim. ii. shall also live with him ; if we be patient, we shall also reign ""^^^ with him : if we deny him, he also shall deny us : if we be unfaithful, he abideth faithful ; he cannot deny himself." And again : " Cast not away your confidence, which hath great rccompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye may receive the promise. For yet a very little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. And the just shall live by faith : and if he withdraw himself, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them that withdraw ourselves unto perdition ; but wc pertain to faith, to the winning of the soul 2."
Yet for all this wc must not abuse these and such like ^e must not testimonies touching the reward of works, nor the very name ",1
must wc wrest it against the doctrine of mere grace and ^' [•■i Heb. X. 35 — 39. So Cranmcr, 1530.]
reward of g<x)d works.
346 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
Hire is due, the meHts of Christ our Saviour. We must think that the proceedetr kiucrdom of heaveii and the other special gifts of God are
oflheparents' ,,. ,., ii.i.
good-will, not as the hire that is due to servants, but as the inheritance of the sons of God. For although in the last day of judg- ment the judge shall reckon up many works, for which he shall seem as it were to recompense the elect with eternal life ; yet, before that recital of good works, he shall say :
[Matt. XXV. " Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom pre- pared for you since the beginning of the world." Now if thou demandest, why he shall in the day of judgment make mention rather of works than of faith ; mine answer is, that it is a point or usual custom in the law for judgment not only to be just, but also by the judge's pronunciation to have the cause made manifest to all men wherefore it is just. And God doth deal with us after the order of men : wherefore he doth not only give just judgment, but will also be known of all men to be a just and upright judge. But we are not able to look into the faith of other men, which doth consist in the mind ; and therefore we judge by their words and deeds. Honest words and works bear witness of a faithful heart; whereas unhonest pranks and speeches do bewray a kind of unbelief. The works of charity and humanity do declare that we have faith in deed : whereas the lack of them do argue the contrary. And therefore the scripture admonisheth us, that the judgment shall be according to our works. To this sense agreeth that in the twelfth of Matthew, where it is said, " By thy deeds^ thou shalt be justified, and by the same thou shalt be condemned.'" To Abraham, after
[Gen. xxii. ^0 had determined to offer his son Isaac, it was said : "Be-
^^''^■^ cause thou hast done this thing, and hast not spared thine only-begotten son, I will bless thee, and multiply thee ex- ceedingly, &c." But it is manifest that God made that promise to Abraham before Isaac was born ; yea, he made it as soon as Abraham was brought out of his country : there- fore the promise was not now first of all annexed as a reward unto the works of Abraham, &c.
How or in Therefoi'G God examineth our works according to his
what sense o
^'give^a''^ own favourable mercy, and not with the extremity and rigour ouTaolid"*'' of law ; and doth reward them with infinite benefits, because works. ^j^^y proceed from faith in Christ, albeit that, for the sin [1 verse 37 ; but BuUingor's Latin is ex dictis tuis, by thy words.]
IX.] OF CHRISTIAN LIBERTY, WORKS, AND MERITS. 347
which abideth in us, they be unpure and nothing meritorious. Now he doth hereby give us a proof that he hath a regard of us and our works ; because, in testifying the greatness of his love toward us, he doth vouchsafe so to honour not only us, but also his own gifts in us, which he of his great good- ness hath graciously bestowed upon us. Our bountiful God doth herein imitate the manner of dealing which fleshly fathers use in this world toward their children : for they bestow gifts upon their children as rewards of their well- doing, thereby provoking them to greater virtues, when as in very deed all things belong to the children by right of inheritance; and the true and proper cause of this reward, which the father giveth to the child, is not the obedience of the son, but the mere good-will and favour of the father. Moreover herein are two things to be observed. First, although God doth after the manner of men allure us with rewards, draw us on with gifts, and keep us in good works with manifold recompences ; yet must not the reward or re- compence be the mark whereat the worker ought to look, respecting rather his own glory and commodity than the love and honour that he oweth to God, God will be worshipped for love's sake only ; and he will be loved of mere good-will, and not for the hope of any reward. For as he requireth a cheerful giver, so doth he look for such an uncoacted'' affection, voluntary love, and free good-will, as children do naturally bear to their parents. The last is, that our works, which some call merits, are nothing else but the mere gifts of God. Now he were a very unthankful person, which, when of another man's liberality he hath licence given to occupy his land to his best commodity, will at length go about to translate the right thereof from the true owner, which lent it him, unto himself. But because I would be loath, by drawing out this treatise too far, to detain you longer than reason would, I will recite unto you, dearly beloved, a notable conference of places in the scripture made by St Au- gustine, whereby ye may evidently understand and infer a conclusion, that the rewards of good work?, or merits of the saints, are the very free and mere grace of God.
Therefore in the seventh chapter of his book, De Gratia st Augustine et Libero Arhitrio, thus he saith : "John the forerunner of tou?hing"the [2 uncoactcd: uncompellofl.]
348 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
merits of the our Lord doth say, 'A man can receive nothing, unless it
[John hi. 270 be givcn him from heaven.' If therefore thy good works be
the gifts of God, then God crowneth thy merits, not as thy
merits, but as his own gifts. Let us therefore consider the
merits of the apostle Paul, (that is to say, the merits which
he saith are in himself,) whether they be the gifts of God or
[2 Tim. iv. rio- ' I have,' saith he, ' fought a good fight, I have ful-
' -• filled my course, I have kept the faith.' First of all, these
good works had been no good works, unless good thoughts
had gone before them. Give ear, therefore, what he sayeth
[2 Cor. iii. 5.] of those good thoughts : ' not because we can think anything
of ourselves, as of ourselves, but our ability is of God.'
Then also let us consider every several particularity. * I have
fought,** saith he, ' a good fight.' 1 demand, by what power
he fought ? whether by that which he had of himself, or
by that which was given him from above ? It is unlikely
that so great a teacher of the Gentiles as the holy apostle
St Paul was should be ignorant of the law, which in Deu-
[Dcut viii. teronomy is heard to say: 'Say not thou in thy heart,
17. 18.] Mine own strength and the power of mine own hand hath
done this wonderful thing : but thou shalt remember the Lord
thy God, because he giveth thee strength and power to do
it.' But what doth it avail to fight well, unless the victory
do ensue ? And who, I pray you, giveth the victory, but
[1 Cor. XV. he of whom St Paul himself doth say, ' Thanks be to God,
*'^-' which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ?'
And in another place, when he had cited the place out of
the Psalms, where it is said, ' Because for thy sake we are
killed all day, and are counted as sheep appointed to the
[Ho.n viii. slaughter,' he did immediately add, and say : ' But in all
"*'' '^'^ -' these things we overcome, or have the victory, through him
which loved us.' We have the victory, therefore, not
through ourselves, but through him that loved us. After
that again he said : ' I have fulfilled my course.' But as
Mom. ix. he said this, so in another place also he saith : ' It is not
of the wilier, nor of the runner, but of God which taketh
mercy.' Which sentence cannot be by any means so
inverted, that wc may say. It is not of God which taketh
mercy, but of the wilier, and of the runner. For whosoever
dare take upon him so to invert that sentence of the holy
apostle, he doth openly shew that he flatly gainsayeth the
IX. J OF CHRISTIAN LIBERTY, WORKS, AND MKRITS. 349
words of St Paul. Last of all he said ; ' I have kept the faith :' but in another place again he confesseth, saying, *I have obtained mercy that I might be faithful.' He said [i cor. vu. not, I have obtained mercy because I am faithful ; but, ' that I might be faithful i"" declaring thereby that faith itself can- not be obtained without the mercy of God ; and that faith is the gift of God, as he doth most evidently teach where he saith, 'Ye are saved by grace through faith; and that not of [Epi.. iio] yourselves, it is the gift of God.' For they might say, We have therefore received grace, because we have believed ; by that means attributing, as it were, faith to themselves, and grace to God : but, to prevent that insinuation, the holy apostle St Paul, when he had said, ' By faith,' doth straight- ways add, 'And that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.' Again, lest they should say that they by their works did meritoriously deserve such a gift, he doth presently annex, * Not of works, lest any man should boast.' Not because he did deny or make void good works, considering that he saith, that God doth reward every man according to his works ; but for because works are of faith, and not faith of works. And so by this means our works of righteousness proceed from him, from whom that faith doth also come, touching which it is said, ' The just doth live by faith*.'"
[1 Dicit et Joannes, prajcursor Domini nostri, Non potest homo accipere quicquam, nisi fuerit ei datum de ccelo ... Si ergo Dei dona sunt bona merita tua, non Deus coronat merita tua tanquam merita tua, sed tanquam dona sua. Proinde consideremus ipsa merita apostoli Pauli, — et videamuB, utrum merita ipsius, tanquam ipsius, id est, ex ipso ci comparata, an dona sint Dei. Bonuni, inquit, certamen certavi, cursum consummavi, fidem scrvavi. Primo, ista bona opera, si non ca pra;- cessissent cogitationes bona?, nulla essent. Attendite itaquo quid do ipsis cogitationibus dicat ; ait enim scribens ad Corinthios, Non quia idonei sumus cogitaro aliquid a nobis, tanquam a nobismetipsis, sed Bufficicntia nostra ex Deo est. Deindc singula inspiciamus : Bonum, inquit, certamen certavi. Qua;ro qua virtuto certaverit, utrum qure illi ex scmetipso fuerit, an qua; desuper data sit ? Sed absit ut tantus doctor gentium ignoraverit legem Dei, cujus vox est in Dcutcronomio : Ne dicas in corde tuo, Fortitude mea et potontia manus meoc fecit mihi virtutem magnam banc; sed memorabcris Domini Dei tui: quia ipse tibi dat fortitudinem faccre virtutom. Quid autem prodest bonum certamen, ni.si sequatur victoria? Et (juis dat victoriam, nisi illo do quo dicit ipse, Gratias Deo qui dat nobis victoriam per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum? Et alio loco, cum commemorasset test!-
350 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
All this have I hitherto word for word recited out of St Augustine : wherein all that may be said concerning the merits of good works are sufficiently well contained, and so soundly confirmed by proofs of scripture, that I mean not to add any thing unto them : for I see it sufficiently manifest for all to understand what and how the ancient fathers thought and taught of the merits of sinful men. For what can be said more briefly, sincerely, and fully, than that a reward is pre- pared for the good works of men ? but yet that that reward is nothing else but the grace, and that the merits or good works of the saints are the gift^ of God ; which merits while he crowneth, he crowneth his own gifts. In all this therefore the ecclesiastical and apostolic doctrine remaineth still immu- table and unreprovable ; that we are justified and saved by the grace of God^ through faith, and not through our own good works or merits. Good works We do now again return to good works, and are come to S^cording'tS^ expound the description or definition of good works which we gie^word of did set down in the beginning of this treatise. Now therefore,
monium cle psalmo, Quoniam propter te mortificamur tota die, depu- tati sumus ut eves occisionis ; subjecit atque ait, Sed in his omnibus supervincimus per eum qui dilexit nos. Non ergo per nos, sed per eum qui dilexit nos. Deinde dixit, Cursum consummavi. Sed ille hoc dixit, qui alio loco dicit, Non volentis, neque currentis, sed mise- rentis est Dei. Quse sententia nuUo modo potest etiam sic converti ut dlcatur, Non miserentis Dei, sed volentis atque currentis est hominis. Quisquis enim hoc ausus fuerit dicere, aperte se ostendit Apostolo con- tradicere. Postremo dixit, Fidem servavi, Sed ille hoc dixit qui alibi ait, Misericordiam consecutus sum ut fidelis essem. Non enim dixit, Misericordiam consecutus sum, quia fidelis eram ; sed, ut fidelis essem: hinc ostendens etiam ipsam fidem haberi nisi Deo miserante non posse, et esse donura Dei : quod apertissime docct dicens. Gratia salvi facti estis per fidem; et hoc non ex vobis, sed Dei donum est. Posscnt enim dicere, Ideo accepimus gratiam quia credidimus, tan- quam sibi fidem tribuentes, gratiam Deo : propter hoc Apostolus cum dixisset, per fidem, et hoc, inquit, non ex vobis, sed Dei donum est. Rursus, no dicercnt se suis operibus donum talc meruisse, continuo subjecit, Non ex operibus, no forte quis extoUatur: non quia negavit aut evacuavit opera bona, cum dicat Deum unicuique reddere secundum opera ejus ; sed quia opera sunt ex fide, non ex operibus fides ; ac per hoc ab illo sunt nobis opera justitia?, a quo est ipsa fides de qua dictum est, Justus ex fide vivit. — Augustin. do Grat. et Lib. Arb. ad Valentin. 0pp. Par. 1631, Tom. vii. p. 268, coll. 2, 3, capp. 6, 7.]
[1 gratiam, Lat.] [- sola gratia Dei, Lat.]
IX.] OF CHRISTIAN LIUBRTY, WOUKS, AND MEKITS. 351
unless our works do spring in us from God through faith, they cannot have the name of good works : but contrarily, if they do proceed from God through faith, then are they also framed according to the rule of the word of God. And for that cause did I in the definition of good works significantly say, that they are done of them which are regenerate by the good Spirit of God, through faith, according to the word of God. For God is not pleased with the works which we of ourselves do of our own brains and authority^, without war- rantise of his word, imagine and devise. For the thing that he doth most of all like and look for in us is faith and obedience, which is most evident to be seen in the very example of our grandfather Adam ; and contrarily, he doth misliko and ut- terly reject the works of our own choice and our good mtents, which spring in and rise upon our own minds and judgments ; as I will by these testimonies of scripture declare unto you.
In the twelfth of Deuteronomy we read: " Every man Deut.xn shall not do that which is righteous in his own eyes. "What- soever I command you, that shall ye observe to do it : neither shalt thou add anything to it, nor take anything from it." Moreover in the liistory of Samuel there is a notable example of this matter to be seen. For Saul, the king of Israel, received a commandment to kill all the Amalekites, with all their beasts and cattle : but ho, contrary to the precept, through a good intent (as he thought) of his own, and for a religious zeal's sake of his own choosing, reserved the fattest oxen for to be sacrificed : and for that cause the prophet came and said unto him, '* Is a sacrifice so pleasant and acceptable to the r, ^,„ Lord as obedience is ? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice ; ^' ^^ and to hearken is better than the iat of rams. For rebellion* is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness^ is as the vanity of idolatry." Lo, here in these few words thou hast the goodly praise and commendation of the religion of our own inventing, and of our own good works which do arise of our own good intents and purposes, ^hey which do neglect the precepts of the Lord to follow their own good intents and forecasts are flatly called^ witches, apostates, and wicked idolaters. They
[3 et intentione bona, Lat. omitted ; and good intention.]
[* apostasia sivc rcbcllio, Lat.]
[5 vel nolle obscqui, Lat. omitted ; or unwillingness to be obedient.]
[0 a veritato divina, Lat. omitted; by the truth of God.]
13, 14.]
352 THE THIRD DECADE, [SERM.
seem in their own eyes verily to be jolly fellows, and true worshippers of God, and zealous followers of the traditions of the holy fathers, bishops, kings, and princes : but God, which cannot lie, doth flatly pronounce that their works do differ nothing from witchcraft, apostasy, and blasphemous idolatry, than which there can be nothing more heinous by any means devised. Therefore the Lord in the gospel, citing that place out of Esay's prophecy, doth plainly condemn, reject, and tread under foot all those works which we choose to ourselves, having their beginning of our own good intents and purposes, where he saith : "In vain do they worship me, teaching doc- trines the precepts of men. Every planting, which my Fa- ther hath not planted, shall be plucked up by the roots. Let them alone ; they be blind leaders of the blind." And there- [Tit. i. 14.J upon it is that St Paul did so boldly affirm, that the precepts of men are contrary to the truth, and are mere hes. The [Rom. xiv. same Paul in one place saith, " Whatsoever is not of faith is 23; X. 1/.] ^.^ „ ^^^ .^ another place, " Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
Whereupon we may gather, that the works which are not framed by the express word of God, or by a sure conse- quence derived from it, are so far from being good works, that they are plainly called sins. Enforce thou, I pray thee, never so great a good turn upon a man against his will, and see what favour thou shalt win at his hand, and how thou shalt please him with that enforced benefit. Therefore good works do first of all require the precise and express observing of God's will, to which alone they ought to tend^ In his epistle to the Colossians the same apostle doth openly condemn the Greek iOe'XoOprjcrKeiav, that is, the voluntary religion which they of their own choice and mind brought in to be observed. And what need have we, I pray you, to invent to ourselves other new kinds of good works, considering that we have not yet done those works which God himself^ prescribeth, and doth in express words require at our hands ? By this now our adversaries may perceive, that we do not altogether simply condemn good works, but those alone which we, by rejecting the word of God, do first set abroach by .our own imaginations and fantastical inventions : of which sort are many
[1 to which — tend, not in Lat.]
[2 jure, Lat. omitted; of good right.]
IX.] or CIIUISTIAK LIBEIITV, WOUKS, AND MliKlTS. 353
upstart works of our holy monks and sacrificing shavelings^. But to conclude : the works that are repugnant to the word of God are by no means worthy of any place or honour.
And that we may more rightly perceive the sense or r;ood works meaning of good works, we must in mine opinion diligently observe these words of the apostle : " We arc created in Christ [^i'^- •>■ i"] Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." He maketh here two notes con- cerning those that are good works indeed. The first is, "We are," saith he, " created in Christ Jesus unto good works." It doth therefore necessarily follow, that good works are wrought of him which is by true faith graffed in Christ Jesu : for unless the branch abide in the vine, it cannot bring forth fruit. All the works therefore of the unfaithful, howsoever they shine with the title of righteousness, are notwithstanding not good works in very deed. The latter is, " Which God hath before ordained, that we should walk in them." We must not therefore make account, that all the works which men may do are to be counted good works indeed ; but those only which God hath ordained of old that we should walk in them. Now what works those be, the Lord in his law (which is the eternal will of God) hath very plainly expressed. And thereupon it is that the Lord in the gospel, being demanded questions concerning eternal life and the very true virtues, sendeth the demander unto the law, and saith: "What is [Lukex.se.] written in the law?" And again; "If thou wilt enter into ^i'^tt. xix. life, keep the commandments." Therefore the ten command- ments are a most sure and absolute platform of good works : The ten com- which that ye may the better understand, I will briefly re- a"c'a i^ia"
. , "^ , •'. . . 1 • , P form of good
capitulate, and as it were in a picture lay it before your «"''^s- eyes.
To the first precept thou shalt refer the fear, the faith, and love of God, with assured hope, persevering patience, and constancy invincible in trouble and afHictions. To the second belongeth the true and sincere worship wherewith God is pleased, with the utter refusal of all superstition and perverse religion. Upon the third doth depend the reverence of God's majesty, the free confession of his might, the holy ■* invocation of his name, and the sanctification of the same. In the fourth
[3 monachoruin ct sacrificoruni, Lat.]
[* ct persevcrautcm, Lat. omitted; and enduring.]
1 ^^^
[nULLINGEK, 11. J
354 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
is comprehended the moderate conservation of tlie ecclesiastical ceremonies, the preaching of God's word, public prayers, and ■whatsoever else doth belong to the outward service or external worship due to God. To the fifth thou mayest annex the natural love of children toward their parents, of men toward their country and kinsfolks, the due obedience that we owe to the magistrates and all in authority, and lastly, the offices of civil humanity. To the sixth thou shalt join justice and judg- ment, the protection of widows and orphans, the dehvering of the oppressed and afflicted, well-doing to all men, and doing hurt to no man. To the seventh thou shalt add the faith of wedded couples, the offices of marriage, the honest and godly bringing up of children, with the study of chastity, temper- ance, and sobriety. To the eighth is to be reckoned upright dealing in contracts, liberality, bountifulness, and hospitality. Under the ninth is couched the study of truth through all our life-time, faith in words and deeds, with decent, honest, and profitable speech. In the tenth and last thou mayest re- member good affections, holy wishes, with all holy and honest thoughts. And so this is the compendious platform of good works. Now if thou desire to have it more briefly expressed than this that thou seest, then turn thyself, and hearken to the words of Christ our Lord, who gathereth these ten into two [Matt. xxii. principal points, and saith : " Thou shalt love the Lord thy vii.^fz'./'"' . God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind ; and thy neighbour as thyself. Whatsoever therefore ye would that men should do to you, even so do ye to them." What be Upou thcse prccopts of the Lord all the faithful, which
fn very*deed, dcsire to do good works, must surely fix their eyes and
according to . , ,, ,.,. ,,
the testi- mmds, and that too so much the more diligently and con-
mnnips of o «/
stantly as they do more surely and evidently perceive and see, that God in the law and the prophets doth require nothing else nor any other works at the hand of his elect and chosen servants. Go to now therefore, let us hear out of the holy prophets some such evident testimonies touching good works as do consent and wholly agree with the law of the Lord. Moses in Deuteronomy crietli : " And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, and to walk in all his ways, to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul ; that thou keep the commandments of the Lord, and his ordi-
monies of the ancient prophets.
Deut. X. [3.]
IX.] OF CHRISTIAN LIBERTY, WORKS, AND MERITS. 355
nances, which I command thee this day?" And the kint^ly prophet David in the fifteenth Psalm asketh this question: "Lord, who shall dwell in thy tabernacle?" and presently answereth it himself, saying : " Even he that walketh up- rightly, and doth the thing that is just and right ;" and so forth, as it is contained in the ten commandments, Esay also, in his thirty-third chapter, moveth the same question, and answercth it even so as David had done before him. Jeremy, in the twenty-second chapter, doth urge and reiterate these words to the Jews : " Thus the Lord commandeth : keep equity and righteousness, deliver the oppressed from the power of the violent, do not grieve nor oppress the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, and shed no innocent blood in this place." And Ezechiel, in his eighteenth chapter, knitteth up a beadrow^ of good works, in no point unlike to these, saving only that it is somewhat more largely amplified. In Osee the Lord saith : " I desire mercy ^ more than sacrifice, [Hoseavi. e.] and the knowledo;e of God more than whole burnt-ofi'erings." Micheas doth diligently inquire what the worshipper of God C^'c- vi. a.] should do to please him witlial, and what works he should do to delight the Lord ; and immediately, by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, he maketh answer, saying : " I will shew thee^, 0 man, what is good ; and what the Lord requireth of thee : namely, to do justly, to love mercy, and with reverence to walk before thy God." In like manner the prophet Zachary, to them that demanded of him certain questions touching virtues and such good works as please the Lord, gave this answer, sayinji: : "Thus saith the Lord of hosts ; rzech. vu. 9,
^ . ? 1 1 • 1 • 1 lo; andvUi.
Execute true judgment, shew mercy and lovmg-kmdness every 17.] man to his brother : do the widow, the fatherless, the stranger and the poor, no wrong : let no man imagine evil in his heart against his brother : neither be ye lovers of false oaths : for these are the things which I do hate, saith the Lord."
With this doctrine of the prophets doth the preaching of the evangelists and apostles fully agree, teaching in every place that charity, righteousness, and innocency are the scope and sum of all good works. The apostle James saith : "Pure rehgion and undefiled before God and the Father is [J""!*"- 27.1
[1 catalogum, Lat.]
[2 bcneficentiani, pictatem scu iniscricordiam, Lat.]
[3 So Coverdale's Bible, 1535, and the Vulgate]
23—2
356 THE THIRD DECADE. [sEKM.
this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their adversity, and to keep himself unspotted of the world."
To what end It remainetli now for me to draw to an end, and in the
fmi'stbe' ' rest that is yet behind to be spoken touching the description of good works to confer places of the scripture for the confir- mation and plain exposition of the same. Now therefore we said, that good works indeed are wrought by them that are regenerate, to the glory of God, the ornament of our life, and the profit of our neighbour. For the Lord in the gospel
[Matt. V. 10.] prescribeth this end to good works, where he saith : " Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." The apostle Paul also oftener than once, exhorting us to good works, doth, as a most effectual cause to set them forward,
[Tit. ii. 10.] add : " That by those works of ours we may adorn the doc- trine of our Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus." And even as a comely and cleanly garment adorneth a man, so do good works indeed set forth the life of christian people. For hereupon it riseth, that the apostles of Christ did so often
[Eph. iv. 23 persuade us to put off the old man, and put on the new which
9. ii>] is created in the similitude and likeness of God. For thereby
we obtain both honour and glory ; we both are, and are called, the servants, yea, and the sons of our Lord God, whose property and virtue shineth in us, to the glory and praise of his holy name. And as he doth require good works at our hands, so, if we do them, we on the one side do please and delight him, and he on the other doth honour us again : as may be proved by many testimonies of the holy scripture. But the thing itself is so plain and without all controversy, that it needeth no business to prove it at all. He, verily, doth every minute augment in us his gifts, while we are intentive to do
nun. XXV. good works ; for in the gospel he saith : " To every one that hath shall be given, and he shall abound; and from him that hath not shall be taken even that which he hath, and shall be given to him that hath." To this also may be added, that God is favourable to them that work righteousness, and doth enrich them even with many temporal gifts, and at the last bring them to life everlasting. For the apostle Paul doth
Bom. ii. expressly say : " God shall reward every man according to his deeds ; to them which, by continuing in well-doing, seek for glory, and honour, and immortality, eternal life;" and
IX.] OF CHRISTIAN LIBERTY, WORKS, AND MERITS. .3')7
again, " Glory, and honour, and peace, to every one that worketh well:" although the godly in all their good works do not (as I told you before) respect so much the recompence and reward at God''s hand, as the advancement of God's glory, the fulfilling of his will, and the profit of our neighbour. For Paul saith : " Do all things to the glory of God :" and again, " Let no man seek his own, but every one another's profit : [i even as I do in all things please all men, not seeking mine own commodity, but the profit of many, that they may be saved." Therefore all the godly do so direct and temper their works, that they may please, delight, and honour God, and profit many men ; for in so doing they express, or re- present, the nature of God, whose sons they both are, and are also called ; for he doth liberally pour out his benefits upon all creatures ; and therefore his sons are beneficial and bent to do good to all men.
Thus much had I hitherto to say touching the nature or property, cause, end, and effect, that is, the very true and right meaning ^ of good works : by which I hope it*^ is evident to be perceived, how and in what sense the Lord in the scriptures is said to attribute the name of righteousness and justification^ unto the good works of the saints his servants : and that true principle'' of our rehgion remaineth^ firm and unreproveable, wherein we confess and hold that " we are justified by the grace of God for Christ his sake through faith, and not for works." Now therefore there is nothing more behind but this only; for us to make our humble petition to God for true fiiith in Christ our Lord, and that by his grace he will so guide us, that we may now in works put that in practice which hitherto we have been taught in the words of this treatise'' ; that is to say, that we may in good works indeed express the faith which we in words profess that wc have in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen'.
[1 ratione, Lat.] [2 etiam illud, Lat.]
[3 mercedemque reddere, Lat. omitted; and to render a reward.] [•* ortliodoxum et primarium dogma, Lat.] [5 nihilominus, Lat. omitted; notwithstandin<r.] [6 dc l)onis opcrihus, Lat. omitted; concerning good works.] [7 The greater part of this ninth Sermon is extracted from Bul- Unger's treatise, De vera liominis Christiani justificationc, wliich, dated at Zurich, August 1543, forms the preface to his Commentary on tho Gospel of St John.]
33.]
358 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
OF SIN, AND OF THE KINDS THEREOF; TO WIT, OF ORIGINAL AND ACTUAL SIN, AND OF SIN AGAINST THE HOLY GHOST: AND LASTLY, OF THE MOST SURE AND JUST PUNISH- MENT OF SINS.
THE TENTH SERMON.
We have lastly now to discourse of sin, whlcb, as I told you, is to be referred to the treatise of the law. Of which that I may lawfully, religiously, rightly, and profitably speak to the edifying of you all, I shall desire you to make your humble prayers with me to God the Father, in the name of Christ his Son, our gracious Lord and Mediator ^ The name of Siu is of most men taken for error ; for that, I mean, uponV^" whereby we do not only err from the thing which is true, right, just and good, but do also follow and decline to that which is naught. The Latins derive their word peccatum, sin, of pellicatus, whore-hunting ; which is a fault of wedded people that are corrupted with the spirit of fornication, as when men prefer harlots before their lawful wives. And this definition, verily, doth wonderfully agree to this present treatise. For all we that do believe are by faith hand-fasted to our God, as to our spouse and husband : if therefore we prefer other gods before him, or choose rather to serve them ; if, I say, we let pass the true goods in deed, to follow the shadow of goods, vain hopes, and the pernicious pleasures of this world ; then do we sin indeed, and commit fornication against our spouse and husband'. But the learned sort do for the most part put a difference betwixt peccatum and delictum, which both, in effect, do signify sins^ : but they call that delictum, when the thing is not done that should be done ; and that they call p>eccatum, when that is done that should be left undone. St Hierome seemeth to have taken delictum for the first fall to sin'*.
[1 The Father — Mediator, added by the translator.]
[2 and — husband, an addition of the translatoi-'s.]
[3 ■which — sins, the translator's.]
[* — quBcrimus quid significent (delicta), quovc distent apcccatis., . Aiunt enim quod TrapmrToinaTa (delicta) quasi initia peccatorum sint : cum cogitatio tacita subrepit, et ex aliqua parte conniventibus nobis, necdum tamen noa impulit ad ruinam . . . Peccatum vero esse, quum
IX.] OF SIN', AND OF THE KINDS THEREOF. 359
St Augustine sayeth that peccatum is committed of liim that sinneth -wittingly, and delictum of him that sinnneth of ignorance^. I sec that those words are in some places con- founded, and that the one is used for the other. In some places the error, or delicttim, is used as the milder term ; peccatum, in a more grievous sense ; and an heinous crime, a mischief, a revolting or wickedness, for the greatest of all^. For St Augustine saith : "Neither is avev^ peccatum crimen"* , because every crimen is peccatum." Therefore we say, that , the life of a man^ living in this transitory world may be found to be without that heinous offence, crimen, for which all the world doth cry out upon and accuse him^: but "if we say we have nullum peccatum, no sin," (as the apostle saith,) [Uohni. 8.] " we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." Among the Hebrews sin is called by sundry names, which do import and signify overthwartness, perverseness, a fault, an error, a revolting, infirmity, vice, ignorance, and transgression. For to transgress doth signify to depart from the truth ^^ from our duty or office, not to keep the right path, but to turn away from the prescript rule of the law of God. Now that rule, or law of God, is of the Hebrews called Thora, that is to say, a direction, or a leading by the hand'^ ; for it doth direct a man in the ways that are acceptable to the Lord : and therefore the Greeks call sin by the names of ai'o/jLia Kal irapavo^ua. Again, in the Hebrew tongue, sin is as much to say as a turning away from good to evil ; also a revolting, as when thou drawest thy neck from out of the yoke of his power to whom thou art a servant : finally, it signifieth the crime or guilt whereby we endanger our- selves to the rod of punishment.
quid opere consummatum porvenit ad fincm. — Ilieron. Comment, in Ep. ad Ephes. cap. 2, Tom. iv. col. 338, Par. 1706.]
[* Potest ctiam vidcri illud esse delictum quod imprudenter, id est, ignoranter; illud peccatum quod ab sciento committitur. — Aug. Quacst. sup. Levit. cap. 20, 0pp. Tom. iv. fol. 43, col. 2, Par. 1531.]
[6 Crimen vero, scelus, defectionem et impictatem multo gravis- eimam, Lat. ; but crimen for heinous wickedness, &c.]
[7 Nequo enim quia peccatum est omno crimen, idco crimen est etiam omno peccatum. — Aug. Enchir. ad Laurent, cap. 64, 0pp. Tom, in. fol. 37, col. 4.]
[8 sanctorum hominum, Lat. ; of saints.]
[9 for which — accuse him, added by the translator.]
[!•> a recto, Lat.] [!• See Decade i. Serm. i. p. 49.]
S60 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
Verily St Augustine taketh much pains to find out a proper definition of sin. In his second book De Consensu Evangelistarum he saith : " Sin is the transgression of the law\" Ad SimpHcianum, Lib. i. : "Sin is an inordinateness or perverseness of man ; that is, a turning from the more excellent Creator, and a turning to the inferior creatures-." De Fide contra Manichceos, cap. 8, he saith : " What is it else to sin, but to err in the precepts of truth, or in the truth itself 3?" Again, Contra Faustum Manichceum, Lib. XXII. cap. 27 : " Sin is a deed, a word, or a wish, against the law of God^." The same Augustine, De duahus ani- mahus contra 3Ianichceos, cap. 11, saith : " Sin is a will to retain or obtain that which justice forbiddeth, and is not free to abstain^." And In Retract. Lib. i. cap. 15, he saith : " That will is a motion of the mind, without compulsion, either not to lose or else to obtain some one thing or others."
All which definitions as I do not utterly reject, so do I wish this to be considered and thought of with the rest : Sin is the natural corruption of mankind, and the action which ariseth of it contrary to the law of God, whose wrath, that is, both death and sundry punishments, it bringeth upon us. Thou hearest how well this definition doth consist upon his parts. Thou hearest in it of our natural corrup- tion ; in the naming whereof appeareth, how this definition
[1 Porro peccatum est legis transgressio. — Aug. de Consens. Evang. Lib. II. cap. 4, Tom. iv. fol. 85, col. 4.]
[2 Est autem peccatum hominis inordinatio atque perversitas ; id est, a praistantiore conditore aversio, et ad condita inferiora conversio. —Id. ad Simplic. Lib. i. Tom. iv. fol. 135, col. 3.]
[3 Peccare enim quid aliud est, nisi in veritatis prseeeptis, vel in ipsa errare veritate ? — Id. de Fide con. Manich. cap. 8, Tom. vi. fol. 117, col. 4.]
\} Ergo peccatum est factum, vel dictum, vel concupitum aliquid contra ajternam legem. — Id. cont. Faust. Manicli. Lib. xxn. cap. 27, Tom. VI. fol. 84. col. 1.]
[5 Ergo peccatum est voluntas retinendi vel consequendi quod jus- titia vetat, et unde (Bullinger reads, et non, probably by mistaking the abbreviation in old copies et un.) liberum est abstinere — Id. de duab. anim. cont. Manich. cap. 11, Tom. vi. fol. 32, col. 2.]
[c Ipsam voluntatem definivi dicens: Voluntas est animi motup, cogente nuUo, ad aliquid vel non amittendum vel adipiscendum. — Id. Retract. Lib. I. cap. 15, Tom. I. fol. 5, col. 3.]
X.] OF SIN, AND OF THE KINDS THEREOF. 3G1
doth not agree to the sin of our first parents, in whom there vras no natural corruption : of which I mean to speak in place convenient. Thou hcarest the action named, which ariseth of the natural corruption, and is repugnant to the law of God. Thou hearest that sin doth bring upon us the wrath of God, that is, death and sundry sorts of punish- ments appointed by the mouth of God to plague us for our sins. Of whicli I will speak in order as they lie, so far forth as the Lord shall give me grace and ability.
Now therefore it seemeth that this treatise may most ti.c cause or aptly be begun at the discussing of the original cause and sin*'.'""'"^ " beginning" of sin. Some there be that do derive the original cause of evil or sin from the influence of the planets, say- ing, " I sinned, because I was born under an unlucky planet." Other there are, which, when they sin and are rebuked for it, do make this answer : " Not I, but the devil is in fiiult, that I have committed this grievous crime." And sometime, laying aside all excuses, they*^ do directly cast the blame upon God, and say : " Why, God would that it should be so ; for if he would not have had it so, I had not sinned." Another saith ; " Since God could have letted it, and would not, he is the cause and author of my sin." But it is no new thing now that men do whet their blas- phemous tongues against God, the maker and ruler of all things ; for our first parents, when they had sinned and were accused of it by God himself, found a shift for to translate the sin, which they committed, from themselves to other, and would not confess the truth as it was in very deed. Such is the abominable wickedness of man. For Adam, as it were, answering God overthwartly, castcth the fault of his offence, not only^ upon his wife which God had coupled unto him, but also upon God himself. " The woman," [oen. iii u] saith he, " whom thou gavest to be with me, gave me of the tree'", and I did eat." As if he should have said : If thou liadst not given me the woman, I had not sinned. But the Lord coupled him to a wife, not to the end that slio should be an occasion of evil, but that the man miglit be in
[7 et auctoro, Lat. omitted ; anil author.]
[8 homines, Lat. ; men.]
['J non tarn — quam, Lat.; not so much upon hi.s wife, as upon God.]
[10 dedit mihi pomum, Lat. ; gave mc the apple.]
362 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
tl e better case and condition. Again, the woman doth simply impute the cause of that evil unto the devil, saying : " The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat." Lo, these are most corrupt, false, wicked, and detestable opinions touching the original cause of sin, wherewith the justice and truth of of man^s'^not ^rod is mightily offended. Neither is the nature of man ^he.cau^e ^y^Q cause of sin. For God, -which created all things, did also create the nature of man, and made it good, even as all things else which he created were also good^ Therefore the nature of man was good. For it is an accidental qua- lity that happened to man either in, or immediately after, his fall, and not a substantial property, to have his nature so spotted with corruption as now it is^ Now we, being born in sin of sinful progenitors, have sin by descent as our natural property ; for St Augustine, writing, De Fide contra Manichceos, cap. 9, saith : " And if we say that any men are evil by nature, we mean, that they are so because of the original descent of our first parents' sin, wherein we mortal men are wholly born^." But this now requireth a more exact and ample declaration. The devil That the devil alone is not the author of sin, so that,
thecause whcu WO sin, the blame thereof should redound to him, and
oism.
we that sinned escape without fault, this doth greatly argue ; because it is in his power to egg and persuade, but not to enforce a man to do evil. For God by his power restrain- eth the devil from being able to do the thing that he would do : he can do no more than God permitteth him to do. For if he had no power over an herd of filthy swine, how much less authority hath he over the excellent souls of God's most excel- lent creatures ! He hath, I confess, great subtilties, and more than rhetorical force, Avherewith to persuade us : but God is stronger, and never ceaseth to prompt good and wholesome counsels unto the souls of his faithful servants. Neither doth he permit more to Satan than is for our commodity : as is to be seen in the example of that holy man, the patient Job ; and
[1 vaklo bona, Lat. ; very good.]
[2 mox ab initio talis qualis nunc est indita, Lat. ; which is even from tho first imparted so as it now is.]
[3 Scd et si aliquos naturalitor dicimus malos, propter originem veteris peccati dicimus, in quo jam nostra mortalitas nascitur. — August. de Fide cent. Manich. cap. 9, 0pp. Tom. vi. fol. 117, col. 4.]
X.] OF SIN, AND OF THE KINDS THEUEOF. 3G3
also in the example of Paul, 2 Cor. xii., and in his words, say- ing, " God is faithful, which will not suffer us to be tempted above that wo are able to bear^" They therefore are vainly seduced, which cast the fault of their sin upon the devil's shoulders.
To proceed: if thou demandest of them which lay the That dotiny blame of their sin upon their evil destiny, what destiny is? cause of iin. they will answer, either that it is a course knit together by eternity and linked to itself, as it were a certain chain and continual row of counsels and works necessarily following one upon another's neck according to the disposition and ordi- nance of God ; or else that it is the evil stars or planets. Kow, if thou demandest again, who made the stars ? they have none other answer but God : it followeth therefore, conse- quently, that they enforce the cause of their sin upon God himself. But all the ancient and best philosophers did never pretend or allege destiny, much less such Christians as did freely confess the mighty power of their God and INIaker^. And even among our men, I mean, among them that would seem to be Christians, they which stood in the opinion of destiny and constellations, were such kind of fellows as wise men would be ashamed to follow them as authors. Bardesanes^ imputed to destiny the conversations of mortal men. And the Priscillianists, who were condemned in the first council held at Toledo, thought and taught that man is tied to fatal stars, and hath his body compact according to the twelve signs in heaven, placing Aries in the head, Taurus in the neck, and so consequently to every sign his several limbs ^ St
[* 1 Cor. X. 13, vos— potestis, Lat.]
[5 as did — maker, not in Lat.]
[<5 Bardcsancs was a Syrian, of Edessa, and lived in the second century of the Christian era. Euseb. Hist. Eccles. Lib. iv. cap. 30. Mosheim, Eccles. Hist. Book i. cent. 2, part 2, chap. 5, ^^ 8.]
[" Astruunt ctiam (Priscillianistoe) fatalibus stoUis homines colli- gatos, ipsumque corpus nostrum secundum duodecim sijrna cceli esse compositum,sicut hi qui mathomatici vulgo appellantur: constituentes in capite arietem, taurum in cervice, geminos in humeris, cancnmi in pcctoro; ct cetera nominatim signa percurrcntes, ad plantas usquo pervcniunf, &c. — August, do IFocrel cap. 70, 0pp. Tom. vi. fol. Ci, col. 4. Priscillian lived in the middle of the fourth century, in Spain. Mosheim, Eccles. Hist. Book n. Cent. 4, part 2, chap. 5, §§ 21, 22. — The first council of Toledo was held A.n. 40r> 1
364: THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
Augustine, In opuscido lxxxiii, qucestionum, Qucest. 45, con- futing soundly the destinies of planets, among other his reasons Against saith : " The conceivino; of twins in the mother's womb, because
destiny. . . , , °
it IS made m one and the same act, as the physicians testify (whose discipline is far more certain and manifest than that of the astrologers), doth happen in so small a moment of time, that there is not so much time as two minutes of a minute betwixt the conceiving of the one and the other. How there- fore Cometh it, that in twins of one burden there is so great a diversity of deeds, wills, and chances, considering that they of necessity must needs have one and the same planet in their conception, aud that the mathematicals do give the constella- tion of them both as if it were but of one man' ? " To these ■words of St Augustine great light may be added, if you annex to them and examine narrowly the example of Esau and Jacob's birth and sundry dispositions. The same Augustine, writing to Boniface against two epistles of the Pelagians, Lib. II. cap. 6, saith : " They which affirm that destiny doth rule, ■will have not only our deeds and events, but also our very ■wills, to depend upon the placing of the stars at the time ■wherein every man is either conceived or born, which placing they are wont to call constellations. But the grace of God doth not only go above all stars and heavens, but also above the very angels themselves. Moreover these disputers for destiny do attribute to destiny both the good and evil that happen to men. But God, in the evils that fall upon men, doth duly and worthily recompense them for their ill deserts : but the good, which they have, he doth bestow upon them not for their merits, but of his own favour and merciful goodness through grace, that cannot be looked for of duty ; laying both good and evil upon us men not through the temporal course of planets, but by the deed and eternal counsel of his severity and goodness. So then we see that neither the falling out of
[1 Conceptus autem geminorum, quoniam uno concubitu effieitur attcstantibus medicis, quorum disciplina multo est certior atque mani- festior, tarn parvo puncto temporis contingit, ut in duas minutas nii- nutarum non tendatur. Undo ergo in geminis tanta diversitas actionum et eventuum ot voluntatum, quos nccesse est eandeni constellationeiu conceptionalem habere, et amborum unam constellationem dare mathe- maticos, tanquam unius bominis? — Lib. do divers, qucest. 83. quoest. 45, Tom. IV. fob IIG, cob 4.]
X.] OF SIN, AND OF THE KINDS THEKEOF. 305
good or evil hath any relation unto the planets-." Therefore this place may be concluded with the words of the Lord in the prophet Jeremy, saying: "Thus saith the Lord, Ye shallfJ"- »• 2, 3. not learn after the manner of the heathen, and ye shall not be afraid for the tokens of heaven ; for the heathen are afraid of such. Yea, all the observations of the Gentiles arc vanity 3." For the planets have no force to do either good or evil. And therefore the blame of sins is not to be imputed thereunto. I have now to prove unto you, that God is not the cause of sin, or the author of evil. " God," say they, " would have it "^io'i i»not
•^ "^ the author
SO. For if he would not have had it so, I had not sinned ; for "^ evu. who may resist his power?" Again, "Since he could have letted it, and would not, he is the author of my sin and wickedness." As though we knew not the crafty quarrels and subtle shifts of mortal men. Who, I pray you, knoweth not, that God doth not deal with us by his absolute power, but by an appointed law and ordinance ; I mean, by commo- dious means and a probable order*? God could, I know, by his absolute power keep off all evil ; but yet he neither can nor will either corrupt or mar his creature and excellent order. He dealeth with us men therefore after the manner of men : he appointeth us laws, and layeth before us rewards and punishments : he commandeth to embrace the good and eschew the evil ; to the performing whereof he doth neither deny us his grace, without which we can do nothing ; neither
[2 Fatum quippe qui affirmant, de siderum positiono ad tempus quo concipitur quisque vel nascitur, quas constellationes vocant, non solum actus et eventa, verum etiam ipsas nostras voluntates, pendero con- tendunt. iJei vero gratia non solum omnia sidcra et omnes coelos, verum etiam omnes angelos supergrcditur. Deiiide fati assertores et bona et mala hominum fato tribuunt: Deus autem in malis homlnum merita corum debita retributione pcrsequitur, bona vero perindcbitam gratiam miscricordi voliintatc largitur ; utrumque faciens non per stellarum temporalc consortium, sed per suaj sevcritatis et bonitatis a'ternum altumque consilium. Neutrum ergo pertinero videmus ad fatum. — Id. cont. duas cpist. Pelag. ad Bonifac. Lib. 11. cap. G, Tom. VII. fol. 182, col. 2.]
[3 Ergo (juod sidus Saturni inclemcns ct aspcrum vel crudele, Ve- neris bcnignum ct mite ab astrologis appellatur, vanitas est vanitatum, omitted ; tberefore, that the star of Saturn is called by astrologers unkind and harsh or cruel, and the star of Venus kindly and mild, is vanity of vanities.]
[•* legitirao, Lat.]
things good which f created.
366 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
doth he despise our diligent good-will and earnest travail. Herein if man be slack, the negligence and fault is imputed to man himself, and not to God, although he could have kept off the sin^ and did not; for it was not his duty to keep it off, lest peradventure he should disturb the order and destroy the work which he himself had made and ordained. There- fore God is not the author of sin or naughtiness. Touching . which matter I will first add some '^ testimonies of the holy scripture ; then answer to sundry objections of the adversaries of this doctrine ; and lastly declare the original cause or head- spring of sin and wickedness. God being The testimonies which teach that God is not the author
created all of siu or naug-htiuess are many in number: but among the
thinorc anni\ O </ O _
rest this is an argument of greatest force and probability, because God is said to be good naturally ; and that all which he created were made good^ in their creation. Whereupon it [wisd. i. 13 is that Solomon* saith : " God hath not made death ; neither
— lo.J
hath he delight in the destruction of the living : for he created all things, that they might have their being ; and the begin- nings of the world were healthful ; and there is no poison of destruction in them, nor the kingdom of hell upon the earth : for righteousness is immortal, (but unrighteousness bringeth death^:) and the ungodly call it to them both with words and works, and thereby come to nought :" and so forth, as is to be seen in the first chapter of the book of Wisdom ; which words do passingly agree with the first chapter^ of that most excellent prophet Moses.
In the fifth psalm David saith : " Thou art the God that hast no pleasure in wickedness : neither shall any evil dwell with thee. The unjust shall not stand in thy sight : for thou hatest all them that work iniquity. Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing : the Lord doth abhor both the bloodthirsty and deceitful man." Lo, thou canst devise nothing more contrary to the nature of God than sin and naughtiness : as
\} potentia sua, Lat. omitted ; by his power.]
[2 clara, Lat. omitted ; clear,] [^ valde bona, Lat.]
[4 sapiens ille, Lat. ; the wise man. Bullinger says not Solomon.
Cf. Vol. I. p. 225, note 12.]
[5 This parenthesis is not in BuUingcr's Latin, nor in the Septua-
gint, nor Vulgate, nor Auth. Ver. ; but it is in Coverdale's Bible, 1635.] [6 cum primis capitibus, Lat.]
X.] OF SIN, AND OF THE KINDS THEREOF. 3()7
thou maycst more at large perceive in the thirty-fourth chap- ter of the book of Job.
The wise man saith : " God created man good ; but thej rEcdw. %■ sought out many inventions of their own." And therefore the ' apostle PauF dcriveth sin, damnation, and death, not from God, but from Adam ; and from God he fetcheth grace, for- giveness, and life, through the mediator Jesus Christ. That place of Paul is far more manifest than that it necdcth any large exposition : let it not only be considered and^ diligently weighed of the readers and hearers; whom I would wish always to bear in mouth and mind the very words and meaning of this notable sentence^ : " Even as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin:" and so forth as followeth.
The same apostle in the seventh to the Ilomans doth evidently declare that the law is holy, the commandment good and just ; and thereby he doth insinuate, that in God or in his will there is not, and in his law, which is the will of God, there springeth not, any spot or blur of sin or naughti- ness. In our flesh, saith he, the evil lurketh, and out of us iniquity ariseth. " I know," saith he, " that in me, that is in my flesh, there is no good." In that chapter there are many sentences to be found which do wonderfully confirm this argument.
Again, in the third to the Romans the same apostle saith : " If our unrisrhteousness setteth forth the righteousness of Rom. iii. God, what shall we say ? Is God unrighteous which taketh vengeance? (I speak after the manner of men;" that is, I use the words of wicked people;) " God forbid : for how then shall God judge the world ? For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory ; why am I as yet judged as a sinner ?"" &c. Yerily, if God were the author of sin and all evil, and that he would have the wicked to be such as in very deed they arc, then why, I pray you, should he judge or punish them as transgressors, since they by sin- ning fulfilled his will ?
[*" ad Roma. 5 cap., Lat.]
[8 rather, but:— But cd. 1577 has, let it only be considered and diligently, &c.]
[9 The translator has hero paraphrased Bullinger's one word. Fecita.l
ri Jnhni 15-17.]
368 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
To this place also doth belong that testimony of the blessed evangelist and apostle John, in his canonical epistle, where he saith : " If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, as the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that fulfilleth the will of the Father ^ abideth for ever." Lo here, God is utterly free from all evil : evil, saith he, is not of the Father, but of the world. And he which doeth the will of the Father ^ doeth not what the world will, but what God will. Therefore these two, good and evil, sin and the will of God, are directly opposed and repugnant the one against the other. These testimonies, though few in number, are notwithstanding, in my judgment, sufficiently significant and able to persuade a godly-disposed hearer.
Now upon this we do first infer a conclusion, and boldly warrant that point of Catholic doctrine, which hath ever since the apostles' time always been defended with much diligence against the unpure philosophy of some, (although yet I do not utterly condemn all the parts of philosophy, knowing very well that some points thereof are very neces- sary and profitable to the zealous lovers of God and godli- ness,) that God is not the author of evil, or cause of sin. The true Then out of the same testimonies we gather, that the original cause of sin or evil is derived of man himself, and his sug- gester and provoker, the devil : so yet that we say, that the devil, being first himself corrupted, did corrupt man, being nevertheless not able of himself to have done anything, had not man of his own accord consented unto evil.
And here we must set before our eyes the fall of our first father Adam, that by the consideration thereof we may be the better able to judge of the original cause of sin and iniquity.
God created Adam, the first father of us all, according to his own similitude and hkeness ; that is to say, he made him good, most pure, most holy, most just, and immortal, and adorned him with every excellent gift and faculty, so that there was nothing wanting to him in God, which was available to perfect felicity. Touching this similitude or [I Dei, Lat.]
cause of sin or e
X.] or SIN, AND THE KINDS THEHKOF. 3G9
likeness to God I shall take occasion upon the words of Paul to speak hereafter. So then he was endued Avitli a very divine, pure, and sharp understanding. His will was free, without constraint, and absolutely holy : he liad power to do cither good or evil. Moreover God gave liiin a law, which might instruct him what to do and what to leave undone. For God in saying, "Thou shalt not cat of the ['=fn. ul 3.] fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil," did simply requii-e at his hands faith and obedience, and that ho should wholly depend upon God : all which he had to do, not by compulsion or necessity, but of his own accord and free good-will. For very truly and holily writ the wise man in the fifteenth of Ecclesiasticus^, saying: "God made man in the beginning, and left him in the hand of his counsel. He gave him his commandments and precepts : if thou wilt, thou shalt keep my commandments, and they shall preserve thee." Therefore, when the serpent tempted the mind of man, and did persuade him to taste of the forbidden tree, man knew well enough what peril was laid before him, and how the serpent's counsel was flatly repugnant to the Lord's com- mandment. In the mean time neither did God compel him, nor Satan in the serpent enforce him to sin, while he resisted and did withstand him. For God had said : "Ye shall not cat of that tree, nor touch it : if ye do, ye shall die for it." Therefore he was at his own free choice, and in the hand of his own counsel, either to cat or not to cat : yea, God de- clared his mind unto him in giving precise commandment, that he should not eat; and to the commandment he annexed the danger of the breach thereof, withdrawins: him thercbv from the eating of the fruit, and saying, " Lest perhaps thou die." And as Satan could not, so also he did not, shew any violence, but used such probable words to counsel him as he could, and did indeed at length persuade him. For when the woman's will gave ear to the word of ihe devil, her mind departed from the word of God ; whereby she rejected the good law of God, did of her own perverse will commit that sin, and drew her husband that yielded of liis own accord into the fellowship of the same offence : as the scripture doth most significantly express in these words :
[- verses 14 — 16, according to the Viilgato. Our Authorised Version
is a little different, following the Greek LXX]
24 [bulling ER, 1l]
370 THE THIHD DECADE. [sERM
" And the woman, seeing that the tree was good to cat of, and pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise^ took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave to her husband with her, and he did eat also." Lo, here thou hast the beginning of evil, the devil : thou hast heard what it was that moved the mind or will of man unto that evil, to wit, the false persuasion of the devil, or his subtle praise of the fruit of the tree, and so consequently a mere lie ; and the pleasant shew of the delicate tree. But that which our first parents did, they did of their own accord and free good will, being led by hope to obtain a more ex- cellent life and profounder wisdom, which the seducer had falsely promised them. We do therefore conclude, that sin doth spring not of God, which hateth and doth prohibit all evil, but of the devil ; the^ free election of our grand-parents and their corrupted will, which was depraved by the devil's lie, and the false shew of feigned good. So then the devil and the yielding or corrupted mind^ of man are the very causes of sin and naughtiness.
of the devil's T<^ proceed now : this evil doth by descent flow from our first parents into all their posterity, so that at this day sin doth not spring from elsewhere but of ourselves, that is to say, of our corrupt judgment, depraved will, and the sug- gestion of the devil. For the root of evil is yet remaining . in our flesh by reason of that first corruption : which root bringeth forth a corrupt branch in nature like unto itself: which branch Satan even now, as he hath done always, doth by his sleights, subtilties, and lies, cherish, tend, and tender, as an imp of his own planting ; and yet notwith- standing he laboureth in vain, unless we yield ourselves to his hands to be framed as he listeth.
Now therefore, that there may herein appear less doubt or darkness, I will, for confirmation's^ sake, add two most evident testimonies ; the one out of the writings of the evan- gelists, the other out of the doctrine of the apostles.
johnviii. The Lord in the gospel saith : "The devil was a mur-
derer from the beginning, and stood not in the truth, be- cause the truth is not in him. When he spcaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own ; because he is a liar, and the father
[1 concupiscibile atl contomplandum, Lat.] [2 and the, Lat.]
[3 voluntas, Lat.] [1 ct dcclarandi, Lat.]
Sin springeth of thede ■" suggestio and our < rupt will.
X.] OF SIN, AND THE KINDS TIIEUEOl'. 371
of lies." By thesc^ -svords of the Lord vro gather, that evil is to be referred to the devil, who, being created in truth and goodness, did not stand fast in truth and goodness, but degenerated from his nature wherein he was made good, and fell'' into another nature corrupt and wicked, and hath out of himself dispersed all evil (as it appeared by the history of our first parents) into the world ; to wit, murder and lies (under which two are comprehended all other evils), of which he is expressly said to be the father, that is, the cause, the author, the well-spring, and beginning: not because he was made such an one of God, but because he stood not fast in the trutli. To them therefore that do demand^, of what beginning Satan came, and whether God made liira or no ? our answer is, That God indeed made all the angels, and those also which afterward did become re- probates and wicked devils: but we do not therefore say that the cause of evil doth redound to God. For we know that God in the beginning made all the angels good ; for all things which he made were good. Furthermore it is said that the devil stood not in the trutli ; that is, that he revolted from the truth : from which he could not have re- volted, if he had never stood in it. Therefore God in the beginning did place all his angels in the truth. He required of them truth, faith or fidelity, and the duty that they ought ^ him: which they were able to have done, if they themselves would. But they did disloyally fall from their allegiance, and sinned, as the apostle Peter testifieth, against [2 pet. ii. 4] the Lord ; and therefore the fault of their falsehood and of all their naughtiness was not in God, but in the rebellious and revolting angel. For since the time of his fall there is no truth, no fidelity, no integrity, no fear of God, no light or goodness to be found in him. Therefore truly said St John in the canonical epistle : " He that committeth [i John .11. sin is of the devil ; for the devil sinncth from the beginning." For he is the first sinner, and the beginning of sin. To this also may this note be added", that of Peter and John the devil is said to sin. For sin is repugnant to the will of
[8 discrtissimis, Lnt. ; most express.]
[* sua culpa, Lat. omitted ; by his own fault.]
[7 ohjicicntibus, Lat.] [8 i. c. owed.]
[3 in his omnibus illud obscrval»ilc, Lat.]
24 2
372 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERW.
God: therefore God would not have had hun perish: where- upon, since he perished, it folio weth that he perished, not by the fault of God, but by his own fault.
Let us now hear the other testimony concerning the cor- rupt will of man, which is in very deed the cause of sin.
[James i. St Jamos the apostle saith : " Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God : for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away and enticed of his own concupiscence. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin ; and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." In these words St James, I hope, doth evidently enough make God to be free from all fault of sin, and doth derive it of us ourselves, shewing by the way the beginning and proceeding of sin. Neither doth James in this place gainsay
[Gen. xxii. the placo in Genesis, where Moses said, " God tempted
'■^ Abraham." For in Moses to tempt doth signify to make
a trial or a proof: but in this argument of ours it signifieth to stir or draw to evil, and so to corrupt us. Therefore God, as he cannot, saith he, be tempted of evil ; that is to say, as God is by nature good and uncorrupt ; so doth he not corrupt, deprave, or defile^ any man with evil ; for that is contrary to the nature of God. From whence then hath sin his beginning ? The holy apostle answereth, saying : . " Yea, every one is tempted, corrupted, and drawn into evil, while he is withdrawn and enticed with his own concupi- scence." Lo here, sin taketh beginning of our concupiscence, and is accomplished and finished by our own work and labour. Note here, by the way, what a weight and emphasis every one of the apostle's words doth carry with it. For
^y first, he maketh concupiscence our own, or proper to us all,
even as the Lord before did say of Satan, " When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own." Now because concupiscence is our own, therefore sin is our own also. For concupiscence doth withdraw us from that that is true, just, and good, to that which is false, unjust, and evil. The same concupiscence enticeth us, that is, by making a shew of false hope it doth deceive us : as fowlers are wont with meat to entice birds into their nets, which, when they have deceived them, they catch up and kill. What, I pray you, could be
\} immergit, Lat.]
X.] OF SIN, AND THi; KINDS TMEIlEOr. 373
S])okcn more plainly ? AVe arc by our own concupiscence cast into evil ; this concupiscence draweth us from God ; it doth entice, and utterly deceive us. And then, having laid the foundation of sin and opened the well-spring from whence it floweth, he doth very properly allude and by an allegory shew us the genealogy, that is, the beginning and proceeding of sin. That concupiscence, saith he, which is proper unto us all, doth, as it were a matrix, conceive sin in us ; and immediately after doth bring it forth ; to wit, when our lust bursteth out into the act, when we do greedily prosecute that which we lusted after, and, being once ob- tained, we do enjoy it against the law of God : upon the neck whereof death doth follow without intermission ; " for tlie reward of sin is death."
I have, I trust, by these evident proofs of scripture plainly declared that God is not the cause of evil ; but our corruptible- will or concupiscence, and the devil, which stirreth, provoketh, and inflameth our depraved nature to sin and wickedness, as he which is the tempter and utter enemy to mankind and his salvation^.
It will not be amiss here to hear the objections of certain objections
«' are answered.
cavillers against this doctrine, and to learn how to answer them according to the truth. Some there are which, when they see that we derive sin not of the nature of God but of the corruptible will of man and false suggestion of the devil, do presently object, that God created Adam, and so consequently created sin in Adam'*. To this we answer; that sin is the corruption of the good nature made by God, and not a creature created by God either in or with man. God created man good : but man, being left to his own counsel, did through the persuasion of Satan, by his own action and depraved will, corrupt the goodness that God created in him : so now that sin is proper to man^, I mean, man's corrupt action against the law of God, and not a creature created in him of God. To this they reply : But the will and abi- lity that was in Adam, was it from elsewhere than from God himself? Undoubtedly, no; it was from God. There- fore, say they, sin is of God. I deny it ; for God gave not to Adam will and power of working, to the end that ho [2 comiptam, Lat.] P omnis boni, Lat.]
I* in Adam, not in Lat.] [^ proprium hominis, Lat.]
374 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
should work evil ; for by express commandment he forbad him to do wickedness. Therefore Adam himself did naugh- tily apply the will and power, which he received of God, by using them untowardly. The prodigal son received money at his father's hand ; whose meaning was, not that he should waste it prodigally with riotous living, but that he might have whereupon to live and supply the want of his necessities. Wherefore when he had lavishly lasht it out, and utterly undone himself, the fault was in himself for abusing it, and not in his father for giving it unto him^ Fur- thermore, to have the power to do good and evil, as Adam had of God, is of itself a thing without fault : even as also to have poison, to bear a weapon, or wear a sword, is a thing that no man can worthily blame. They have in them a force to do good or harm ; they are not naught unless they be abused : and he that giveth thee them doth leave to thee the use thereof. If he be a just man, he putteth them into thy hand not to abuse, but to use as equity and right requireth. Wherefore, if thou abusest them, the fault is imputed to thyself, and not to him that gave thee them. Now since God, which gave Adam that will and power, is of himself most absolutely just, it followeth consequently, that he gave them to Adam not to do evil but good : why then is the most just God blamed in such a case as sinful man is without all blame in ? We do therefore conclude : because affection in Adam, being moved by sense and egged on by the serpent, did persuade him to eat of the forbidden fruit, when nevertheless his understanding did yet hold the word of God which forbad him to eat; and that his will was at free choice and liberty to incline to whether part it pleased him ; he did notwithstanding^ will and choose that which God had forbidden him ; we do therefore, I say, con- clude, that sin is properly to be imputed to man which willingly transgressed, and not to God^ which charged him that he should not sin.
Here again the adversaries ask this question. Why God
[1 sua, non patris, culpa pcrit, tamotsi pocuniam acceperit a patre, Lat.]
[2 in pejorcm incliiiavit, Lat. omitted ; incline to the worso part, and.]
[3 legislatoris, Lat. ; not to the lawgiver.]
X.] OF SIX, AND THE KINDS THEREOF. 375
did create man so frail, that he of his own will might incline to why ood evil : why did he not rather confirm in him the goodness and "^fil*kie"that perfect soundness of nature, that he could not have fallen or fan! sinned? To this the scripture answcrcth, saying; "What art thou that disputcst with God? Woe to him that striveth with his Maker ! AVoe to him that saith to the father. Why bcgot- test thou? and to the mother, AVhy broughtcst thou forth*?" Unless God had made man filllable^ there had been no praise of his works or virtue ; for he could neither have willed nor choosed but of necessity have been good. Yea, what if man ought altogether to be made fallable? For so did the counsel of God require him to be. God giveth not his own glory to any creature. Adam was a man, and not a God. But to be good of necessity is the proper glory of God, and of none but God**. And as God is bountiful and liberal, so also is he just : he doth good to men ; but will therewithal that men acknowledge him and his benefits, and that they obey him, and be thankful for the same, lie had bestowed innumerable benefits upon Adam : there lacked nothing there- fore but to give him an occasion to declare and shew his thankfulness and obedience to his good God and benefactor ; which occasion he offered him by the m.aking of that law, or giving his commandment. We see therefore that God or- dained not that law to be a stumbhng-block in Adam's way, but rather to be a staff to stay him from falling : for in the law he declareth what he would have him to do. He sheweth, that he wishcth not the death or destruction of Adam ; he teachcth him what to do, that he may escape death and live in felicity and perfect happiness. For which cause also he xo wiia^end provided that tlie law should be a plain and easy command- '^^ to Adam, ment : "Of the tree of knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat," saith the Lord ; " for if thou docst, thou shalt die the death : but of any other tree in the garden thou shalt eat." What else was this, than as if he should have said, Thou shalt in all things have an eye to me ; thou shalt stick to me, obey me, be subject unto me, and serve me : neither shalt thou from elsewhere fetch the forms of good and evil than of mc ; and
[* Rom. ix. 20. Isai. xlv. 0, 10. Coverdalc's Ciblo, 1535, also has Why. IJullingci-'s Latin is Quid.] [6 i. e. liable to fall ; labilis, Lat.] [C But to be— but God, the translator's addition.]
376 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
in SO doing thou shalt shew thyself obedient and thankful unto me thy Maker? Did God in this desire any unjust thing, or more than he should, at the hands of Adam ? He shewed him the tree as a sacrament or ^ sign of that which he enjoined him by the giving of the law ; to wit, that the tree might be a token to put him in memory that he ought to obey the Lord alone, as a wise, bountiful, excellent, and greatest God and Maker, And what difficulty, I pray you, or darkness was there herein ? St Augustine is of the same opinion with us, who in his book De Natura Boni adversus Manicliixos, cap. 35, saith : " He did therefore forbid it, that he might shew that the nature of the reasonable soul ought to be, not in man's own power, but in subjection unto God ; and that by obedience it keepeth the order of her salvation, which by disobedience it doth corrupt and mar. And here- upon it cometh, that he called the tree, which he forbad, by the name of the tree of knowledge of good and evil ; because Adam, if he touched it against the Lord's commandment, should by trial feel the punishment of his sin, and by that means know what difference there was betwixt the good that followeth obedience and the evil wliich ensueth the sin of disobedience^." Now therefore, when the serpent was crept in and began to tell man of other forms of good and evil directly contrary to the law of God, and that man had once received them as things both true and credible^, he did dis- loyally revolt from God, and by his own fault through diso- bedience he wrought his own destruction. Therefore God did always deal justly with him ; and man contrarily dealt too too unjustly, and was utterly unthankful, howsoever men will go about to cloak or not to hear of his unthankful stubborn-
[1 a sacrament or, not in Lat.]
[2 Ad hoc enim prohibuerat, ut ostcnderet naturam aniraao ratio- nalis, non in sua potestate, sed Deo subditam esse debere, et ordlnem 6UEC salutis per obedientiam custodire, per inobedientiam corrumpcrc. Hinc et arborem quam tangi vetuit sic appcllavit, dignosccntiaj boni ct mali : qui, cum eam contra vetitum tetigisset, cxperiretur poenam pec- cati, et eo modo dignosceret, quid intcresset inter obedientire bonum ct inter inobedientia; malum. — August, do Nat. Boni adv. Manicli. 0pp. Tom. VI. fol. 115, col. 4, Par. 1531.]
[3 as — credible, not in Lat.]
[4 howsoever — stubbornness: utcunque rem astimcs, Lat ]
X.] OF SIX, AND THE KINDS TIIKHEOF. 377
But whereas we say that man was made fallable, wc will There wa, no
1 11 iiii'i "'miption or
not have it to be so understood, that any man should think 'nfirmity in
[ ^ , . 1 . Adam before
that there was in Adam any one jot or prick of infirmity be-'"^'^*"- fore his fall ; for as ho was in all points most absolutely perfect, so was he in no point created so frail that he should sin or perish by death. . For God, which is one in substance and three in persons, said : " Let us make man in our image, after our own likeness." Note here, that Zcela'iii doth signify the picture or counterfeit of another thing, and that Deinuth importeth the very pattern whereby any picture is drawn or image portrayed^ Therefore in God is the example or pat- tern, to the resemblance whereof there w^as a picture or simi- litude framed : but that representing likeness cannot be this xiic image
... . . of God.
body of ours ; for God is a Spirit, in no point like to the nature of dust and ashes ^ : we must of necessity therefore resemble the image of God to spiritual things, as to immor- tality, truth, justice, and holiness. For so hath the apostle Paul taught us, where he saith, " Be ye renewed in the spirit of your mind; and put on that new man, which after God is shapen in righteousness and holiness of truth '^." Wherefore there was no want in our grandfather Adam of any thing that was available to absolute perfectness : so that even a blind man may perceive, that man was not created to death and destruction, but unto life, felicity, and absolute blessedness.
But, say they, God did foreknow the fall of man, which, ooddid if he would, he could have withstood : now, since he could and thrfiurof would not, God is to be blamed because Adam sinned. It is a goodly matter indeed'^, when, all fear of God being laid aside, men will at their pleasure fall flatly on railing against the majesty of God almighty. I answered in the beginning of this discourse to this objection ; and yet this I add here moreover, that upon God's foreknowledge there followeth no • necessity, so that Adam did of necessity sin because God did foreknow that he would sin. A prudent father doth foresee, by some untoward tokens, that his son will one day
[6 T^iQl is more than □'i'^ : this expresses the general Jorm or de- lineation ; that, the confurmity or resemblance of the parts. Parkhurst, Heb. Lex. in voc. nDT]
[8 luti, is Bullingor's one word.]
{- Eph. iv. 23, 24. Marg. Auth. Vcr.]
[8 cgrogia ccnsebitur disputatio, Lat]
378 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
come to an ill ending ^ : neither is he deceived in his fore- sight ; for he is slain, being taken in adultery. But he is not therefore slain, because his father foresaw that he would be slain ; but because he was an adulterer. And therefore St Ambrose, or whosoever it is that was author of the second book De Gentium Vocatione, cap. 4) speaking of the murder which Cain committed, saith : " God verily did foreknow to what end the fury of the mad man would come. And yet, because God's foreknowledge could not be deceived, it doth not thereupon follow, that necessity of sinning did urge the crime upon him 2," &c. And St Augustine,' Z)e Lihero Arhitrio, Lib. XIII. cap. 4, saith : " As thou by thy memory dost not compel those things to be done that are gone and past, so God by his foreknowledge doth not compel those things to be done which are to come. And as thou rememberest some things that thou hast done, and yet hast not done all things which thou rememberest ; so God foreknowcth all things which he doth, and yet doth not all which he foreknoweth. But God is a just revenger of that whereof he is no evil author^." And so forth.
An objection. Like uuto tliis is auothcr objection, which they make that say : God did before all beginnings determine with himself to deliver mankind from bondage : therefore it could not other- wise be, but that we should first be tangled in bondage : therefore it behoved us to be drowned in sin, that by that means the glory of God might shine more clearly ; as the
[Rom. V. 20.] apostle said, "Where sin was plenteous, there was grace more plenteous." But it is marvel that these cavillers do not better consider, that God of himself, without us, is sufficient to him- self unto absolute blessedness and most perfect felicity ; and that his glory could (as it doth) of itself reach above all
[^ pevimendum gladio, Lat.]
[2 Et utique proesciebat Deus ad qucm finctn insanientis esset pro- gressura conceptio. Neque ex co, quod falli scientia divina non poterat, necessitate pcccandi urgebatur facinus voluntatis. — De Vocat. Gent. Lib. 11. cap. 4, col. 540, Ambros. 0pp. Tom. iv. Par. 1614.]
[3 Sicut enim tu in memoria tua non cogis facta esse, qusc prrc- terierunt ; sic Deus prtescientia sua non cogit facienda qurc futura sunt. Et sicut tu qufcdam qua) fecisti memiuisti, noc tamen qurc meministi omnia fecisti ; ita Deus omnia quorum ipse auctor est pra'scit, nee tamen omnium quo) prrescit ipse auctor est. Quorum autcm non est malus auctor, Justus est ultor. — August, de Lib. Arbit. Lib. 111. cap. 4, Tom. I. fol. 141, col. 3, Par. 1631.]
X.] OF SIN, AND THE KINDS THEREOF. 370
heavens, altliough there had never been any creature brouglit into Hght. Is not God without beginning? But we his creatures had a beginning. God is glorious from before all beginnings : therefore he is glorious -without us : and his " glory -would be as great as it is, though -we were not*. But what dullard is so foolish as to think, that that eternal light of God doth draw any brightness of glory at our darkness, or out of the stinking dungeon^ of our sin and wickedness? Should God's glory be no glory, if it were not for our sins ? The wise man in Ecclesiasticus saith : " Say not thou, It is [f^l"^^ the Lord's fault that I have sinned : for thou shalt not do the thing that God hateth. Say not thou, lie hath caused me to do wrong ; for he hath no need of the sinner : " or, ifor the wicked are not needful unto him. " God hateth all abomina- tion of error ; and they that worship God will love none such." Why therefore do we not change our manner of reasoning, and so consider of the matter as it is in very deed ? God, of his eternal goodness and liberality, whereby he wisheth himself to be parted*' among us all to our felicity, did from everlasting determine to create man to his own similitude and likeness : but for because he did foresee that he would fall headlong into a filthy and miserable bondage, he did therefore by the same his grace and goodness ordain a deliverer to bring us out of thraldom ; to the end that so he might communicate himself unto us, that we might praise his gracious favour, and render thanks to his fatherly ~ goodness. And so, whatsoever we men have sinned and turned to our own destruction, that same doth God convert again to our commodity and salvation : even as he is read to have done in the case of Joseph and his brethren ; which is, as it were, a certain type of spiritual things^ and cases of salvation. And we must wholly endeavour ourselves to do what we may in reasoning of this argument so to turn it, that all glory may be given to God alone, and to us nothing else but silence in the sight of God^
[' and his gloiy — were not, the translator's addition.] p a putore illo, Lat.] [c distrahi quasi, Lat. ; as it were parted.] [7 fatherly, not in Lat.]
[8 haruiu reium, Lat. ; of tlicso things. Tho rest is the translator's paraphrase.]
[9 confusio faciei, Lat. Dan. ix. ft. in — God, not in Lat. J
380 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
Now last of all, there are yet behind some places of scripture, which must by the way be run through and ex- h'oTgo/^-' Po^'^'i^^- The apostle^ verily, saith : " God gave them up to oV'/Zt'oT" ^ reprobate sense." But this kind of giving over is, as seS^!**'^ Augustine also saith^, a work of judgment and justice ; for they were worthy to be given up unto a reprobate sense. The cause is prefixed in the words of the apostle : for God had made himself manifest unto them ; but they were not only unthankful towards him, but waxed wise also in their own con- ceits, and went about to obtrude unto him I wot not what manner of religion and worship. Therefore, that they might by proof see that they were fools and ungodly, God gave them up unto filthy lusts. In hke manner king Amazias would not give ear and hearken to the Lord, because God had de- termined to punish his iniquities ; as is to be read in the fourth book of Kings, the fourteenth chapter, and second Paralipom. twenty-fifth chapter. Likewise did the Lord put the spirit of error into the mouths of the false prophets, and they seduced Egypt : Esay nineteen. So also did a seducing spirit^ go out from the Lord of judgment, and was a lying spirit in the mouth of all the prophets : as is to be seen in the last chapter of the third book of Kings. Now the Lord doth all these things with just and holy judgment. God is said Agrain, God is said to blind men's eves, so often as he doth
to make men o ' " , .
blind. revoke, or take away, the contemned light of his truth and
sincerity, leaving them that delight in darkness to walk and stick in their darkness still. For then the Lord permitteth his words to be preached to the unthankful and ungodly receivers unto their judgment or condemnation ; for so, verily, doth the evangelical and apostolical doctrine teach us
[John iii. 19.1 to think. "This," saith the Lord, "is condemnation," or, this is judgment, "that" the Son of God, the very true "light, came into the world, and the world loved darkness more
r2Cor. iv. 3, than light." And Paul said: "If yet the gospel* be hid, it is hid in them that perish : in whom the God of this world hath blinded the senses of the unbehevers," &c.
[1 Taulus, Lat. omitted.]
[2 Augustine treats of those words of St Paul in Psalm Ivii. cnarr. 0pp. Tom. VIII. fol. 121, col. 2, and argues that these sins of the heathen are just punishments from God.]
[3 vel cacodremon, Lat.]
[•* cvangelium nostrum, Lat.]
X.] OF SIX, AND THE KINDS TIIEKEOF. 381
111 the same sense God is said to harden man. For when to harden, the Lord ealleth man and he resistcth, making himself un- worthy of the kingdom of heaven, he doth then permit him unto himself: that is, he Icaveth man unto his own corrupt nature, according unto which the heart of man is stony, Avhich is mollified and made tractable by the only grace of God : therefore the withdrawing of God's grace is the hardening of man's heart ; and when wo arc left unto ourselves, then are we hardened. Fharao, king of Egypt, did by his murdering of the Israelitish infants, by his tyranny, and many other vices horribly committed against the law of nature, oftend the eyes of God's most just and heavenly majesty : therefore it is no marvel that he hardened his heart. But if any man will not admit or receive this exposition, yet can he not deny that God in the scriptures doth use our kinds of phrases and manner of speeches. Now we are wont to say. This father doth by too much cockering or over gentle dealing mar or harden his son'\ he maketh him stubborn and stiff-necked; and yet the father doth not tender*' him to destroy, but to save him : the son indeed by the abuse of his father's clemency doth both destroy and harden himself. Therefore whereas the son is hardened, that cometh by his own and not his father's fault, although the father bear the name to have hardened him, or made him past grace". And verily, if thou dost diligently consider the history of Pharao^ thou shalt oftener than once find this sentence repeated there : " And God harden. God hardened Pharao's heart," namely, when some benefit or heart, delivery from evil was wrought before : as though the scrip- ture should have said, ]>y this benefit of delivering him from evil did God harden the heart of Pharao, while he abused the goodness of God, and supposed that all things would be after- wards out of peril and danger, because God had taken away this present punishment and did begin to do him good. And yet I confess, that God, before he had benefited, or laid any punishments upon, Egypt, did immediately upon the calling of I\Ioses say : " I know that the king of Egypt will not let you rpxod. m. depart;" and again: " See that thou do all these signs and
[5 Macht in halsztarck, omitted, but interpreted, l)y tlic translator.]
[c non idoo indulgct, Lat.]
[" or — grace, the translator'.? addition.]
[8 in E.todo, Lat. omitted.]
382 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
wonders, which I have put in thy hand, before Pharao : but I will harden Pharao's heart, that he shall not let the people go." But these sayings do not tend hereunto, that we should make God the author of all Pharao's falsehood, re- bellion, and stubborn dealing against the Lord; but rather they were spoken to the comfort and confirmation of Moses, who is therefore so premonished, that, when he dealeth earn- estly with the king and yet cannot obtain his suit, he should notwithstanding know that he had God's business in hand, and that God by his long suiferance is the cause of that delay ^ when as notwithstanding at the last he would temper all things to his own honour and glory. The case, by a simili- tude, is all one as if an householder should send his servant to his debtors, saying: Go thy way, and demand my debts; but yet I know that thou shalt receive none of them ; for I by my sufferance and gentle dealing will cause them to be the slacker to pay it : but yet do thou thy duty ; and I in the meanwhile will see what is needful to be done.
To this may be added, that even in those very chapters where it is so often said, "God hardened Pharao's heart," this also is afterward annexed, which layeth the hardening of Pharao's heart upon Pharao's own head, saying, " He hard- ened his heart, and hearkened not unto them." In the ninth of Exodus, when Pharao was well whipped, he crieth : " I have now sinned ; the Lord is just, but I and my people are unjust or wicked:" and immediately after again: "But when Pharao saw that it ceased raining, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, and it was hardened." So then these and such like places must be conferred with these words, " I have hardened Pharao's heart ; " and out of them must be gathered a godly sense; such a sense, I mean, as maketh not God^ the author of evil.
Now also the prophet Amos doth very plainly say : "There is no evil in a city, but the Lord doth it." But Augustine, contra Adimantum, cap. 26, did very religiously^ write: " Evil in this place is not to be taken for sin, but for punish- *''" ment ; for the word (evil) is used in two significations : the one
is the evil which a man doeth ; the other evil is the pain which he suffereth. Now the prophet in this place speaketh
\} pcrtinacire illius, Lat. ; of that stubborn dealing.] [2 Dcum justissimum, Lat.] [^ orthodoxo, Lat.]
How God is said to do
X.] or SIN, AND THE KINDS 'IIIEIIEOF. 383
of that evil which is the punishment that men do suffer. For Note here, by the providence of God, which ruleth and governeth all jj,^''j^.^^';j;}: things, man doth so commit the evil which he will, that he .nem"."' JtJe may suffer the evil which he would not. Therefore the evil ''''''''*''■ that God doth is not evil in respect of God, but is evil to them upon whom his vengeance lightcth. So then ho, in respect of himself, doth good ; because every just thing is good : that vengeance of his is just, and so consequently it is good^." The place of Esay also must be none otherwise understood in his forty-fifth chapter, saying: " I am the Lord, and there is else none. It is 1 that created light and dark- ness : I make peace and evil : yea, I, even I the Lord, do all these things." For here ho taketh evil for war, and maketh it tlie contrary to peace.
Again St Augustine, De Natura Boni contra Manicha'os chap. 28, saith : "When we hear that all things are of him, AUthinRs and by him, and in him, we must understand it to be spoken by^ooa!"^' of all the natures that arc naturally. For sins are not of ^" him, because they do not keep, but defile, nature ; which sins the holy scriptures do diversly testify to be of the will of them which commit them^." Thus much St Augustine.
Neither is it a matter of any great difticulty to answer to that sentence of Salomon's, where he saith, " God created all things for his own sake; yea, the ungodly against the evil day." Proverbs xvi. For we believe that the most just God hath appointed a day^ of affliction, judgment, or punishment^, which shall come upon them in due time and season.
[■* Malum hoc loco non peccatum, sc«l poena intelligonda est. Du- plicitcr cnim appcllatur malum; unum quod homo facit, altcrum quod patitur poena. Dc poenis ergo loquebatur Prophcta, cum hoc dicorct. Divina cnim provldentia cuiicta moderanto et gubernantc, ita homo malo fecit quod vult, ut male patiatur quod non vult. — Ita ergo Deua malum facit, quorl non ipsi Deo malum est, sod cis in quos vindicat. Itaque ipso, quantum ad so pertinot, bonum facit; quia omiio justum l)onum est, et justa est ilia vindicta. — August. 0pp. Tom. vi. fol. 43, col. 3. Par. 1531.]
[5 Cum autena audimus. Omnia ex ipso, et per ipsum, et in ipso; omnes utiquc naturas intelligcre debcmus quoe naturalitcr sunt. Ncquo cnim ex ipso sunt peccata, qua) naturam non servant scd vitiant; qua> peccata ex voluntato esse pcccantium multis modis sancta scriptura testatur.— Id. Tom. vi. fol. 115, col. 2.]
[•5 ccrtum diem, Lat.]
[" impiis, Lat. omitted; for the ungodly.]
384 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
[Rom. ix. But whereas the apostle saith, "He hath mercy on whom
he will, and whom he will he hardeneth ;" we must not so wrest it to say, that God doth oF necessity drive any man to sin, and that therefore he is the cause of sin. For the will of God is good and just, and willeth nothing but what is expedient, and not repugnant to nature and the word of God. And therefore it is that the prophet crieth : " The Lord is just in all his ways, and holy in all his works." Psal. cxlv.
Thus have I out of much that may be said picked out a little, and laid it before your eyes, dearly beloved, for you to consider, of the cause of sin.
The differ- We are now come to demonstrate the first parts which
encesofsin. .,,.. „.. ti
were set down m the description of sm immediately upon the beginning of this sermon. They are in number two : the first is, "Sin is the natural corruption of mankind;" the latter is, "And the action that riseth of it contrary to the law of God." Some verily, in setting down the kinds or differences of sins, do very well and advisedly say, "Of sins, one is original, and another actual," I mean in order to speak of both, so far as God shall give me grace : and first, of the same natural corruption in mankind ; that is, of original sin. Original sin. Now therefore it is called original sin, because it cometh from the first beginning, being derived from our first parents into us all by lineal descent and continual course from one to another ; for we bring it with us in our nature from our mother's womb into this life.
Of this sin there are many definitions made, which as they do not disagree among themselves, so yet is one of them more full and evident than another of them is. Some say. Original sin is the corruption of nature from the first perfect- ness. Other some say. It is the corruption of man's nature, which maketh that we do not truly obey the law of God, and are not without sin. Again ; some call it a want, or defect ; other call it concupiscence ; which might better seem to be the fruit of original sin, that is, of our corruption. Other call it an inordinatcness of appetites, which is left in nature^ An- selmus, a late writer, saith : " Original sin is the want of
{} The various definitions of original sin from the fathers and schoolmen, &c., are collected in Jod. Coccii Thesaur. Cathol. p. 100, &c. Colon. 1620.J
X.] OF SIN, AND THE KINDS THEREOF. ,385
original righteousness^." But this is thouglit to have been spoken somewhat too briefly ; for the force of sin secmeth to be not sufficiently expressed : for our nature is not only void and barren of goodness, but also most abundant and fruitful of all evils and naughtiness. Therefore the definition of Hugo is taken for the better, wlio saith : "Original sin is ignorance in the mind, and concupiscence in the flesh-'." But yet this seemeth to be a far fuller and better definition : " Original ■ sin is the vice or depravation of the whole man, whereby ho cannot understand* God and his will; but of a perverse judgment of things doth overthwartly, and perverteth all things^."
And now among all these definitions I wish you, dearly beloved, to consider of this also: Original sin is the inheritably descending naughtiness or corruption of our nature, which doth first make us endangered to the wrath of God, and then bringeth forth in us those works which the scripture calleth the works of the flesh. Therefore this original sin is neither a deed, nor a word, nor a thought ; but a disease, a vicc^, a depravation, I say, of judgment and concupiscence ; or a corruption of the whole man^, that is, of the understanding, will, and all the power of man ; out of which at last do flow all evil thoughts, naughty words, and wicked deeds.
This sin taketh beginning at and of Adam ; and for that Thebegin- cause it is called the inheritably descending naughtiness and original sin. corruption of our nature. Concerning the corruption and sin of Adam, out of whom we arc all born sinners, I have already sufficiently spoken, where I treated of the cause of sin*^ ; and by and by hereafter shall follow somewhat more of the same
[- Hoc poccatum, quod originale dice, aliud intclligcro ncquoo in cisdcm (al. ipsis) infaiitibus, nisi ipsam, quam supra posui, faotani per inobedientiam Ada) justitia) nuditatcni. — Ansolmi 0pp. do Concept. Virg. et Orig. Tec. cap. 27. p. lOG. Lutct. Par. 1675.]
[3 Hoc autcm vitium originis humana; duplici corruptiono naturam inficit : ignorantia scilicet mcntcm, ct concupisccntia camem. — Hugo de S. Victorc do Sacr. Fid. Lib. i. par. 7. Tom. iii. p. 3'J7. col. 2. Mogunt. 1G17.]
[« ncc aniino pcrscqui, Lat. omitted ; nor follow after with his mind.]
[5 Vid. Burer. do A'ora Ecclcs. &c. compos, p. 105. cd. 1543.]
[" morbus sive vitium, Lat.]
[■? totius humance naturae, Lat.] f^ Seo above, page 371.]
r T ^ 25
|_nri,i,iNGER, II. J
386 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
argument ; so that I have no need to repeat anything here : I will therefore now pass forth to the rest. ThePeia- The Pelaoians denied that this evil of orio-inal sin was
gians. . "^ ~ . .
hereditary ; for these are the very words of Pelagius him- self: "As without virtue, so are we also born without vice; and before the action of our own will, that alone is in man which God created'." These words of his are somewhat obscure ; but Ccelestius, the partner of Pelagius, did more openly spue out this poison, and say : " We did not therefore say that infants are to be baptized into the remission of sins, to the end that we should seem thereby to affirm that sin is ex traduce, or hereditary ; which is utterly contrary to the catholic sense : because sin is not born with man, but is afterward put in ure by man ; because it is declared to be, not the fault of the nature, but of the will^." Again Pelagius said, "That that first sin did not hurt the first man only, but all mankind also, his issue and offspring:" but he doth immediately add, "not by propagation, but by example;" that is to say, not that "they which came of him drew any vice of him, but because they that sinned afterward did in sinning imitate him that sinned first and before them^." This is to be seen in Aurelius Augustinus De peccato originali contra Pelarjium et Ccelestium, Lib. ii. cap. 6, 13, and 15. Thatheredi- Wo therefore must prove by the testimonies of holy
inland i?' scHpturc, that tho evil is hereditary in man; and that ori-
bom together . , , . , . , i • i n
with man. gmal sm IS born together with us, that is, that all men are born sinners into the world. The prophet therefore doth plainly cry, Psalm li., " Behold, I was born in wickedness,
[} Ut sine virtute, ita et sine vitio procreamur : atqiie ante actionem pvoprise voluntatis id solum in homine est, quod Deus condidit. — August, de Pec. Orig. contra Pelag. et Celcst. Lib. ii. cap. 13. 0pp. Tom. VII. fol. 163. col. 2.]
[2 In remissionem autem peccatorum baptizandos infantes, non idcirco diximus, ut peccatum ex traduce firmare videamur: quod longe a catholico sensu alicnum est ; quia peccatum non cum homine nascitur, quod postmodum exercetur ab homine; quia non naturtc delictum, sed voluntatis esse demonstratur. — Ibid. Tom. vii. fol. 162. col. 3.]
[3 Dicit (Pelagius) non tantum primo homini, sed etiam humano generi primum illud obfuissc peccatum, non propagino sed cxemplo : id est, non quod ex illo traxerint aliquod vitium, (jui ex illo propagati sunt; sod quod cum primum pcccantem imitati sunt omnes, qui postca peccaverunt — Ibid. fol. 163. col. 2.]
X.] OF SIN, AND THE KINDS THEREOF. 387
and in sin hath my mother conceived me"* ;" or, as another translation out of the Hebrew saith : " Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin ray mother cherished or warmed mc^ :" that is to say, sin did then immediately cleave unto mo, when I was once conceived and nourished in my mother's womb. Xow that happened, undoubtedly, not by any vice of matrimony, (for the wedlock-bed is holy and undefiled ;) but ex traduce, and by propagation. For Job in his four- teenth chapter saith manifestly: "Who can make or bring forth a pure or clean thing of that which is unclean^? no body undoubtedly is able to do it." Of that sort also there are many other sayings in the fifteenth and five and twen- tieth chapters of the same book. And Paul, the holy apostle of Christ, in the fifth to the liomans, doth most evidently say : " As by one man sin entered into the world, and death' by sin ; even so death entered into all men, insomuch as all have sinned. For unto the law was sin in the world : but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam unto JMoses, over them also that had not sinned with like transgression as did Adam," &c. Doth not the apostle in these words manifestly shew the propagation of sin, saying, " Sin entered by one man into the world ; death entered into all men, insomuch as they have all sinned;" to wit, insomuch as they are all subject to corruption ? And, that no men either before or after Moses might be excepted, he addcth : " Death reigned from Adam unto Moses over them also which had not sinned with the like transgression as did Adam ;" that is to say, over them which had not'^ sinned of their own will, as Adam had, but drew from him original sin by propagation. St Augustine doth more fully excuss and handle this argument in his first book De p^ccatorimi meritls ct remissione, in the ninth, tenth, and eleventh chapter, and the rest as they follow in order ^. Again, Paul in the seventh to the Romans calleth this evil the sin that dwcllcth in us, that is to say, tlie sin
[■* Vulg. Vers. Ps. 1. 7.] [° Calvin, in loc. cit.]
[0 ex immunda (nimirum massa) Lat.; out of an unclean (ho means) lump.]
[7 nondum, Lat. ; not yet.]
[8 Hoc autem apostolicum testimonium in quo ait, Pcrunum homi- nem, &c.— Aug. 0pp. Tom. vn. fol. 135. col. 1.]
388 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
that is begotten and born with us ; for he addeth, " I am carnal, sold under sin ;" and, " I know that in me (that is, my flesh) there dwelleth no good." And therefore the
[ijohni. 8.] blessed apostle and evangelist John tellcth us, that "if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." He saith very significantly, ' we have,"* and not, * we have had,' or, ' we shall have;' for by our corrupt nature we have that proper unto us. Therefore it is manifest that the fiction of the Pelagians is false, whereby they affirm that we are born without vice : it is false, that the voluntary action only, and not the corruption or depravation which is not yet burst forth to the deed\ is sin.
Voluntary Aud Augustiuo doth in one place call even that voluntary
sin original sin ; and that two sundry ways : first, not simply of itself, but in respect of Adam; because it, being committed by the naughty will of Adam, is drawn and made hereditary in us : secondly, because a naughty lust may be named a will^. For Lib. Retract, i. cap. 15, he saith : " If any man doth say, that even the very lust is nothing else but will, such a will yet as is vicious and subject to sin, he needeth not to be gainsaid : for where the thing is manifest, we must not strive about terms and words. For so it is proved, that without will there is no sin either in deed or in pro- pagation^;" that is, either actual or original'*. Thus much Augustine, who doth also allege other sayings like to this in his third book Contra Jidianum Pelagianum, chap. 5.^ It shall be sufficient to us even without them to learn by the testimonies of the holy scriptures, that sin is not only
[1 in opus pravum, Lat. ; to the evil deed.]
[2 Et illud quod in pavvulis dicitur originale peccatum . . . non ab- surdo vocatur etiara voluntarium, quia ex primi hominis mala voluntato contractum, factum est quodammodo hrereditarium. — Aug. Retract. Lib. I. cap. 13. 0pp. Tom. i. fol. 4. col. 3.]
[3 Quod si quisquam dicit etiam ipsam cupiditatem nihil esse aliud quam voluntatem, sed vitiosam peccatoque servientcm, non resistendum est, nee do verbis, cum res constat, controrcrsia facienda est. Sic enim ostenditur sine voluntato nullum esse peccatum, sive in opero sivo in origine. — Id. ibid. cap. 15. Tom. i, fol. 5. col. 4.]
[■* that is — original; the translator's addition.]
[5 Frustra itaquo putas ideo in parvulis non esse delictum, quia sine voluntato, qua) in eis nulla est, esse non potest, &c. — Id. contr. Jul. Pelag. Lib. in. cap. 5. Tom. vii. fol. 204. col. 4.]
X] OF SIN, AND THE KINDS TIIlMiEOr. 389
a voluntary action, but also an hereditary corruption or de- pravation that conieth by inheritance.
Not unlike to all this" is that sentence in Ezechiel, where xheson.haii the Lord saith : " The son shall not bear the iniquity of the i"niquity of*
/. ,, , , 1 11 T • . . . the father.
lather, but every man shall die in his ovrn sin." For iJ^"'^- »'''''• Adam's fall should do us no harm, if it were not so that even from him there is sprung up in us such a pervcrseness as is worthy of God's just judgment. But now, since all the inclination, disposition, and desire of our nature, even in a child but one day old, is repugnant to the pureness and will of God, which is only good ; no man therefore is punished for his father, but every one for his own iniquity : and ca- lamities fall even on the youngest babes, whom we see to be touched with many afflictions by the holy and just judgment of the most just God.
Neither is their objection any whit stronger which say, to be bom that the children of holy parents cannot draw or take any liu"!L spot of their parents ; for they have their lineal descent of the fleshly generation, and not of the spiritual regene- ration. And whereas the apostle said, " The unbeUeving n cor. vu. husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife ^'"' is sanctified by the husband : else were your children un- clean ; but now arc they clean :" it is not repugnant to our former allegations. For they are called holy, not by the prerogative of their birth or generation, as though children were born "^ holy without any spot or vice at all ; but for because they, being born by nature corrupt, are by the virtue of the covenant and grace made pure, and uncleanncss is not imputed to them, for Christ his sake, or the remission of sins which is pronounced in these words : " I will be thy God, and the God of thy seed after thee." For of old, even those children which of the seed of Abraham were holy and blessed received notwithstanding the sign of cir- cumcision. Now what need, I pray you, had they had of circumcision, or purging, if by their birth they had had no uncleanncss in them ?
That therefore is utterly false which yc heard even now The catholic
,. iii'Ti •! 1 doctrine of
that Ca-lcstius, the 1 clagian, did utter in these words: " "\Ve ""8'n*i »»". did not therefore say that infants are to be baptized into
l" His omnibus nihil rcpugnat, Lat.]
[" sic, Lat. omitted ; under these circumstances.]
390 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM^
the remission of sins, to the end that we should thereby seem to affirm that sin is ex traduce, or hereditary ; which is utterly contrary to the cathoUc sense." For it is catholic and true doctrine, that the children of the Jews were circumcised, not so much only because they were partakers of the divine covenant, as for because that all the antiquity of holy fathers did so confess, that in infants there was somewhat which had need of cutting, that is, which had need to be remitted by the grace of God, and not be imputed to them unto death. It is catholic and true doctrine, that the infants of Christians are baptized, not so much because they are the children of God and freely received into the covenant ; as for because there is in them, even from their birth, somewhat which the Lord by his grace doth wash away, lest it should bring upon them death and damnation. Yea, that cannot be catholic, which doth so manifestly repugn so many evident places of scripture, which prove that in infants there is sin by propagation. To confirm this we may add, that St Augustine in his first book Contra Julia^iwn Pelagianiim, cap. 2, gathereth together the testimonies of the most excellent learned bishops and doctors in the primitive^ church, by which he proveth that all the ministers of the churches, even from the apostles' time, did All the an- both acknowlcdgo and openly teach original sin. In that place o/ fa\h?rs ol he citeth the testimonies of Irengeus, Cyprian, Reticius, Olym- confess(with pius, Hilary, and Ambrose, his father and master in christian
one asseut) ■*■ *'
original sin. doctriue^, lunoceut, Gregory, Basil, and John Chrysostom; and at length he inferreth : " Wilt thou now call so great a consent of catholic priests a conspiracy of naughty men ? Neither think thou that St Hierorae is to be contemned, because he was but a priest only, and no bishop ; who, being skilful in the Greek, Latin, and Hebrew tongues, and passing from the west unto the east church, lived in holy places and the study of the sacred scripture, even to his crone^ and The east crooked age. He read all, or in a manner all, the works of churches, them which in both parts of the world did write of ecclesias- tical doctrine ; and yet he neither held nor taught any other- wise of this point of doctrine^" And again the same Augustine,
[1 primitive, not in Lat.] [2 in Christo, Lat.]
[3 crones: old ewes who have lost their teeth. Grose's Provincial Glossary, in voc]
[4 An tantam consensionem sacerdotiim catliolicorum conspira-
X.] OF SIN, AND THE KINDS THEUEOF. 391
in his third book De Peccatorum Merit Is ct liemlssione, cap. G, saith : " Ilicromc, expounding the prophecy of Jonas, when That u. he he came to that place -n'hcre mention is made tliat even the h'"i5 orTglnai Httlc children were chastened >Yith fasting, saith: 'It began with the eldest, and came even to the youngest. For there is none without sin; no, not he which is but one day old, nor he whoso grey head hath seen many years. For if the stars are not clean in the sight of God, how much more unclean arc dust^ and putrefying earth, and those which are in subjection to the sin of Adam's transgression 1' " To these words of Hierome doth Augustine himself annex this that followeth : "If it were so that we might easily ask it of this most learned man, how many teachers of the holy scriptures in both the tongues, and how many writers of christian treatises would he reckon up, which, since the time that Christ his church was first planted, have themselves neither thought, of their prede- cessors learned, nor taught their successors, any other than this doctrine touchino; original sin ! I verily, though I have read nothing so much as he, do not remember that I have read any other doctrine of Christians which admit or receive both the testaments, whether they were in the unity of the catholic church, or otherwise in schisms and heresies : I do not remember that I have read any other thing in them, whose writings touching this matter I could come by to read them, if either they did follow, or thought that they did follow, or would have men believe that they did follow, the canonical scriptures^" Thus far hath Augustine ; teaching, in
tionem dicturus es porditorum? Nee sanctum Hieronymum, quia presbyter fuit, contcmncnduni arbitrcris ; qui Grrcco ct Latino, insupcr et Ilebrreo eruditus eloquio, ex occidcntali ad oricntalem transicns ec- clesiam, in locis Sanctis atquc in Uteris sacris usque ad decropitam vixit cetatem. Ilic omncs vel pcno omnes, qui ante ilium ex utraquo parte orbis de doctrina ecclcsiastica scripserant, legit, nee aliam do hac re tenuit prompsitquo sentcntiam. — Aug. 0pp. Tom. vii. fol. 11)7. col. 1.]
[5 vermis, Lat. ; a worm.]
[0 Nam in co quod in Jonam proplictam scripsit (Hicronymus), cum ad cum vcnissct locum, ubi oommcmorantur otiam parvuli jojunio castigati : Major, inquit, ictas incipit, ct usque ad niinorom p<>rvonit. Nulius cnim absque pcccato, nee si unius quidcm diei fuorit vita ejus, et innumcrabilcs anni vita3 illius. Si cnim stcll.T: munda) non sunt in conspcctu Dei, quanto magis vermis ct ])utrcdo, ct ii qui pcccato of- fendcntis Adam tcncMitvn- obnoxii! Ilunc docti.'^simuin viruru si I'aoilo
392 THE THIRD DECADE. [sER.M.
the very beginning, that all the saints did by a full consent and agreement in doctrine most expressly grant and confess, that original sin is even in new-born infants. Methinketh that St Hierome did not only in Jonas, but also much more evidently in Ezechiel, confess and affirm original sin. His words are to be seen, Comment, lib. xiv. in cap, 47, ad Ezechielem, and are verbatim as followeth : " What man can make his boast that he hath a chaste heart, or to whose mind by the windows of the eyes the death of concupiscence, or (to use a milder term) the tickling of the mind, doth not enter in ? For the world is set in wickedness ; and even from his childhood the heart of man is set to naughtiness ; so that not the very first day of a man's nativity his nature is free from sin and naughtiness. Whereupon David in the Psalm saith : ' For behold I was conceived in iniquity, and in sin my mother con- ceived me.' Not in the iniquities of my mother, or in mine own sins ; but in the iniquities of our mortal state. And therefore the apostle saith, 'Death reigned from Adam to Moses, over them also which had not sinned with the like transgression as did Adam^'" Thus much hath Hierome. And we have hitherto alleged all these sayings, to the end
interrogare possemus, quam multas utrius(iue linguae divinarum scrip- turarum tractatores et Christianarum disputationum scriptores con^- memoraret, qui non aliud ex quo Cliristi ecclesia est constituta senserunt, non aliud a majoi'ibus acceperunt, non aliud posteris tra- diderunt ! Ego quidem, quamvis longe paucioi'a legerim, non memini me aliud audisse a Christianis, qui utrumque accipiunt testamentum, non solum in catholica ecclesia, verum etiani in qualibet liseresi vel schismate constitutis ; non memini me aliud legisse apud eos, quos de his rebus aliquid scribentes legere potui, qui scripturas canonicas sequerentur, vel sequi se crederent credivo voluissent. — August. 0pp. Tom. VII. fol. 148. col. 4.]
\} Quis enim hominum gloriari potest castum se habere cor ? vol ad cujus mentom per oculorum fenestras mors concupiscentine non introivit, et, ut parum dicam, animi titillatio ? Mundus enim in ma- ligno positus est ; et a pueritia appositum est cor hominis ad ma- lum : ut ne unius quidem dioi a nativitatis suaj exordio sine pcccato sit humana conditio. Undo et David confitetur in Psalnio, Ecce enim in iniquitatibus conceptus sum, et in peccatis concepit mo mater mca. Non in iniquitatibus matris meaj, vel certe meis ; sed in iniquitatibus humanoo conditionis. Undo et apostolus dicit, Regnavit mors ab Adam usque ad Moysen, etiam super eos qui non pcccavcrunt in similitudiiiem prscA'aricationis Adro. — Hieron. 0pp. Tom. ni. col. 1055. Par. 1704.]
X.] OF SIN, ANH THE KINDS TIIEUEOI-. 393
wc might prove that original sin is the natural or hereditary corruption of man's nature.
Let us now see what and how great the hereditary what and
o ^ how great
naughtiness or corruption of our nature is, and what power it IJjfn"^/^'^ hath to work^ in man. Our nature verily, as I shewed you "*'"'*'*• above, was before the fall most excellent and pure in our father Adam : but after the fall it did by God's just judg- ment become corrupt and utterly naught, which is in that naughtiness by propagation, or e.v traduce, derived into all us which are the posterity and offspring of Adam ; as both experience and the thing itself do evidently declare, as wx'll in sucklings or infants as those of riper years. For even very babes give manifest tokens of evident depravation so soon as they once begin to be able to do anything; yea, before they can perfectly sound any one syllable of a whole word. All our understanding is dull, blunt, gross, and altogether blind in heavenly things. Our judgment in divine matters is perverse and frivolous. For there arise in us most horrible and absurd thoughts and opinions touching God, his judgments, and won- derful works. Yea, our whole mind is apt and ready to errors, to fables, and our own destruction : and when as our judgments are nothing but mere folly, yet do we prefer them far above God's wisdom, which we esteem but foolishness in comparison of our own conceits and corrupt imaginations ; for he lied not which said : " The natural man perceiveth not the [i cor. a. things of the Spirit of God ; for they are foohshness unto him ; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." Now Paul calleth him the natural man^, which liveth naturally by the vital spirit, and is not regenerate by the Holy Ghost : and since we all are such, we are therefore wholly overcome and governed of phikmtia, that is, too great a self-love and delight in ourselves, whereby all things that we ourselves do work do highly please us ; looking still very busily to our own selves and our commodity, when in tho meantime we neglect all others, yea, rather do afflict them. Neither did Plato unadvisedly esteem that vice of self-love to be the very root of every evil'. Furthermore, our whole will is
[2 quid cfliciat, Lat.] [3 animalcm Iiomineni, Lat.]
[« Stokci Floril. Tit. xxiii, Tom. i. p. 427. cd. Gaisfurd. 0.\on. 1822.]
39-1: THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
led captive by concupiscence, which, as a root envenomed with poison, infecteth all that is in man, and doth incline, draw on, and drive men to things carnal, forbidden, and contrary to God, to the end that he may greedily pursue them, put all his delight in them, and content himself with them. ]\Iore- - over there is in us no power or ability to do any good : for we are slow, sluggish, and heavy to goodness; but lively, quick, and ready enough to any evil or naughtiness. And, that I may at last conclude, and briefly express the whole force and signification of our hereditary depravation and cor- ruption ; I say, that this depravation of our nature is nothing Our deprava- olso but the blottiug of God's image in us. There was in our biouingout father Adam before his fall the very image and likeness of
of the image . , • , i i i •
of God in us. Qod ; which image, as the apostle expoundeth it, was a con- formity and participation of God's wisdom, justice, hohness, truth, integrity, innocency, immortality, and eternal fehcity. Therefore what else can the blotting or wiping out of this image be but original -sin ; that is, the hatred of God, the ignorance of God, foolishness, distrustfulness, desperation, self- ' love, unrighteousness, uncleanness, lying, hypocrisy, vanity, corruption, violent injury, wickedness, mortality, and eternal infelicity ? This corrupt image and likeness is by propagation derived into us all, according to that saying in the fifth of Genesis : " Adam begat a son in his own similitude and likeness." Therefore as our father Adam was himself cor- rupted, depraved, and full of calamities, so hath he begotten us his sons corrupt, depraved, and full of miseries^: so that all we which do descend of his unpure seed are born infected with the contagious poison of sin. For of a rotten root do spring as rotten branches, which in like manner put over their rottenness into the little twigs that shoot out and grow upon them.
Original sin And this cvil verily, this corruption and this sin, although
con emneti. .^ ^.^ ^^^.^ .^ infanfcs, and by reason of their tender age doth not break forth into any deed-doing, yet notwithstanding it is a sin; and such a sin verily as maketh them endangered unto God's wrath, and separateth them from the fellowship of God. For with the most holy God, who " is a consuming fire," no man can abide but he that is unspotted and clean
[Roin. iii. from the filthincss of sins. And Paul saith ; " All have sinned,
23.J
[1 corrupt — miseries, the translator's addition. 1
X.] OF SIN, AND THE KINDS THEREOF. 395
and are destitute, or have need, of the glory of God." This glory of God is the very imago of God : whereof because they are destitute, they being corrupted with original sin are worthify excluded from the fellowship of God. To this place doth belong the whole treatise of concupiscence in the fourth sermon of this third Decade : where I taught you, that bare concupiscence, which is not yet burst forth to the deed-doing, is a sin ; and that too such a sin as maketh all men subject to the curse of God. For it is written: " Cursed [neut xxvn. be every one which abideth not in all things that are written 'o-i in the book of this law." Therefore the first effect of ori- ginal sin is this, that it bringeth wrath, death, and damnation upon very infants, and so consequently upon all mankind : whereof, that it may the more firmly be settled in every man's mind without all scruple of doubting, I will by some store of testimonies out of the scripture make manifest proof unto you, not by repeating those places again which I have already cited in this sermon, and in the fourth sermon of this third Decade.
The Lord in the gospel saith to Nicodemus : " Verily, I say unto thee, unless a man be born from above^ he cannot see the kingdom of God." And again^ : " Unless a man be rjohniii.3. born of water and of the Holy Ghost"*, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh ; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." In these words are comprehended two things worthy to be re- membered, and very consonant to our present argument. First, none enter into the kingdom of heaven but those tliat be regenerate from above ^ by the Holy Ghost : therefore our first birth tendcth to death, and not to life ; for in our first nativity we are born to death. The latter is, "That which is born of flesh is flesh :" therefore in our first nativity we are all born flesh. But touching the disposition of the flesh and the force thereof, the apostle saith : " The fleshly mind is [itom.viii.?.] enmity against God : for it is not obedient to tlie law of God, neither can be." Therefore that fleshly birth engcndcreth us, not the friends and sons, but the enemies, of God ; and so consequently doth make us endangered to the wrath of God.
[2 So margin of Autb. Vcr.]
[3 Amen dice tibi, Lat. omitted ; Verily, I say unto thcc]
[< et spiritu, Lat.] [^ c cceio, Lat.]
396 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
Paul in his second chapter to the Ephesians saith : " We were by nature the sons of wrath, even as other." In which words he pronounceth that all men are damned. For all those that are damned, or are worthy of eternal death, and all such with whom God hath good cause to be offended, he calleth the sons of wrath, after the proper phrase of the Hebrew speech. For the wrath of God doth signify the punishment which is by the just judgment of God laid upon us men. And he is called the child of death, which is adjudged or appointed to be killed. So is also the son of perdition, &c. Now mark, that he calleth us all the sons of wrath, that is, the subjects of pain and damnation, even by nature, in birth, from our mother's womb. But whatsoever is naturally in all men, that is original : there- fore original sin maketh us the sons of wrath ; that is, we are all for our original corruption made subject to death and utter damnation. This place of Paul for the proof of this argument is worthy to be remembered \
The same apostle in the first to the Colossians saith : " God hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son." Now if we be translated into the kingdom of the Son of God, then were we once in the kingdom of the devil. And to this place belong very many testimonies of the same apostle in the fifth chapter of his Epistle to the Romans : " By one man's sin many are dead.'^ Again; "By one that sinned came death ; for judgment came by one unto condemnation." Again ; " For the sin of one death reigned by the means of one." And again ; " By the sin of one sin came upon all men^ unto condemnation." Finally, original sin is by David ' and Paul expressly called sin : therefore death is due to original sin ; for " the reward of sin is death." Original sin "Wc do therefore conclude, that infants do bring dam-
toaii.' nation with them into this world even from their mothers'
wombs ; because they bring with them a corrupt nature : and therefore they perish not by any others', but by their own, fault and naughtiness. For although St Augustine doth in one place seem to call this sin Peccatum alienum, that is, another's sin, (that thereby he may shew how it is by
[1 vakle est insignis, Lat.]
['■^ propagatum est nialiun, Lat. aiul Erasmus.]
X.] OF SIN, AND THK KINDS TIIEIltor. 307
propagation derived from other into us,) yet doth lie confess that it is in very deed and truly proper to all and every several one of us^. And although it he so, that for lack of ago in a new-horn habe this disease hath not already brought forth the fruit of his iniquity ; yet notwithstanding the very whole nature of the babe is nothing but filthy corruption, and a certain seed of sin and wickedness, which cannot choose but be abominable unto the Lord : for God doth hate all manner of uncleanncss'*.
With this agreeth'' that sentence of Paul, where he saith : where there " Where no law is, there is no transgression." For the apos- there is no
, , . transgression.
tie doth not absolutely say that the sm or transgression !,««">• '^•• (which is sin in very deed in the sight of God) is no sin ; but he respcctcth the estimation of men, how they do repute it. For men, before sin doth appear and is opened unto them by the law, do not so repute or think of sin as it ought in very deed to be esteemed. The same Paul in ano- ther place saith : " Sin without the law was once dead:" and, Rom. vii. " I once lived without law ; but when the law came, sin revived." If so be now that sin revived, then did it live before the law, afore it was stirred up by the law, although it did not so rifely then, as now, shew forth the strength and force of itself. To this also is to be added that saying of Paul : " Sin was in the world even to the law ; but sin is not [Rom. v. 13 ] imputed when there is no law." Lo here, sin was in the world before the law, but it was not imputed ; not because God did not impute it, but because men do not impute it to themselves. Under cinders doth fire lie hid ; which is very fire indeed, but, because it casteth out no flame or light of itself, it is not thought to bo fire. And for that cause the learned and godly man of famous memory, Ulderick Zuinglius'', uiderick
original sin.
[3 Ncc sic dicuntur ista allena peccata, tanquam omnino ad parvulos noil pcrtineant . . . Sed dicuntur alicmt, quia iiondum ipsi agcbant vitas proprias, sed quicquid crat in futura propagine vita unius hominis contincbat. — Augijst. Marccllino do Bai)tisin. Parv. Epist. 1<». Upp. Tom. II. fol. 180. col. 3. Par. 1531.]
[■* This paragraph is borrowed ahnost literally from Calvin, Instit. Lib. II. cap. 1. § 8.]
[5 Ilis niliil rcpugnat, Lat.]
[" I'cccatum bifariam in cvangclica doctrina accipitur: j)rimuni, pro morbo isto, quem ex generis auctorc contrahimus, quo amori nostri addictis suum . . . Bum morbum intelligit Paulus lioin. vii. quum dicit,
398 THE THIRD DECADE. [SERM.
did diligently distinguish betwixt sin and disease or infirmity, when once he had occasion to dispute of original sin, which he chose rather to call a disease than sin: because by the name of sin all men do understand the naughty act committed by our own consent and will against the law of God ; but by the name of disease or sickness they understand a certain corrup- tion and depravation of the nature that was created good, and the miserable condition of bondage whereinto it is brought : even as also we read^ before, that Augustine did call this original sin j^eccatwn alienum, another's sin, that thereby he might give us to understand that it is hereditary, and doth descend from others into us; and yet he denied not but it is proper to every several one of us. In hke manner Zuinglius denied not original sin, as some did falsely slander him: he thought not that by itself it is unhurtful to infants, but so far forth as it is by the grace of God, through the blood of Jesus Christ, in the virtue of God's promise and covenant, made harmless unto them 2, His mind was to make an exquisite difference betwixt the actual and original sins 3. For in rendering an account of his faith in the council held at
Jam non ego operor illud, sed inhabitans in me peccatmii . . . Secundo loco accipitm* peccatum pro eo quod contra legem fit ; ut, per legem cognitio peccati. Rom. vii. Actio ergo qusecunque tandem, quae contra legem fit, peccatum appellatur. — Zuingl. de "Vera et Falsa Relig. Com- ment, p. 116. Tiguri. 1525,]
[1 audivimus, Lat. ; heard, ed. 1577.]
[2 Vitium hoc et morbus liomini, quoad bonum et malum non discernit, pro peccato et culpa imputari nequit, utcunque gravis sit et pestifer. Unde coUigimus peccatum originale morbum quidoni esse, qui tamen per se culpabilis non est, nee damnationis pcenam infcrre potest, . . . donee homo contagione hac corruptus legem Domini trans- greditur ; quod tum demum fieri consuevit, cum legem sibi positam videt et intelligit . . . Peccatum ergo originale damnationem non me- rotur, si modo quis parentcs fideles nactus fuerit. Qurocunquo enim hoc loco de originali infantium vel parvulorum peccato loquimur, ad fidelium duntaxat infantes referri debent, et do solis illis intelligi. — Id. De Baptismo. Tom. 11. pp. 90, 89.]
[3 Diximus originalem contagionem morbum esse, non peccatum, quod peccatum cum culpa conjunctum est ; culpa vero ex commisso vol admisso ejus nascitur qui facinus dcsignavit . . . Morbus ergo iste ac vitium, primi parentis culjia inllictus, infecit sobolcm, non soboles seipsam. Cum ergo peccatum appellatur in scripturis, per denomina- tionem hoc fieri constaro jam satis arbitror. — Id. De Pecc. Orig. ad Urban. Rheg. Tom. 11. p. IIG.]
X ] OF SIN, AND THE KINKS THEUliOr. 390
Augusta'*, the year of our Lord 15o0, he said : "I acknowledge that original sin is by condition and contagion born in and with all them that arc begotten by the act of a man and a vroman : and I know that we are the sons of wrath. Neither am I any- thing against it, that this disease and condition should, as Paul termeth it, be called sin : yea, it is such a sin, as that they, whosoever arc born in it, arc the enemies and adversaries of God Almighty. For hither doth the condition of their birth draw them, and not the committing of wickedness, except it be so fiir forth as our fii*st parent committed it. The very true cause therefore of our disloyalty and death is the crime and wickedness which Adam committed ; and that in very deed is sin : and this sin which clcaveth to us is in very deed a disease and condition, yea, it is a necessity of dying ^" And so forth as foUoweth ; for hitherto I have rehearsed his very words.
There is now remaining the other effect of original sin for original sm me to expound. It breaketh out and bringcth forth in us fonifthl those works that the scriptures call the works of the flesh; thefle»h. even like as when an oven set on fire doth cast out flames and sparkles ; or as a fountain that ever springeth doth pour out water in great abundance^. There is no quietness in the nature of man : for covetousness with filthy lust ariseth in it, ambition clcaveth to it, anger invadeth it, pride puftcth it up and causeth it to swell, drunkenness delighteth it, and envy torments both thyself and others. Therefore the Lord in the gospel saith : " Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, [Matt.xv.i:>.] murders, adulteries, whoredoms, thefts, false-witncss-bearings, and evil speakings." Again, Paul in the fifth chapter to the
[^ Augsburg. See Slcidan. Comment, dc Statu Rolig. Lib. vii.] [5 Originalo poccatuin per conditioncni et oontagionein agnasci omnibus, qui ex adfectu maris ct fcemintc gignuntur, aguosco, ct nos
esse natura filios irsc scio Quanquam nihil moror hunc niorbum ct
conditionem, juxta Pauli morem, appellari peccatum. Imo talo est pcccatum, ut quicunquc in eo nascuntur hostes et adversarii Dei sunt. Hue enim traliit illos nativitatis conditio, non scclcris perpctratio, nisi quantum hoc Bcmel perpetravit primus parens. Vera igitur pcrdu- ellionis ct mortis causa est perjictratum ab Adam crimen ac ncfas ; atquc hoc vere est pcccatum : at peccatum istud,<|uod nobis adha-rescit, et vere morbus ot conditio, imo nccessitas est moricndi. — Id. ad Carol. Rom. Imp. Fidei ratio. Tom. ii. p. 539.]
[6 aut scaturigo aquara pcronnitcr pro fund it, Lat]
400 THE THIRD decade. [serm.
Galatians doth reckon up no small number of the works of the flesh ; even as ho doth the like also in the first and third chapters of his epistle to the Romans. In the fourth to the Ephesians he doth very properly ^ describe those works of the flesh, which spring out of the natural corruption of all them^ which are not regenerate by the Holy Ghost. " This I say," saith he, " and testify unto you^, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in vanity of their mind ; darkened in cogitation, being ahenated from the life of God by the igno- rance that is in them, by the blindness of their hearts : which being past feeling have given themselves over unto wanton- ness, to work all uncleanness with greediness." This, though it be but little, shall suffice for this place ; for I will more largely prosecute it in the treatise of actual sin : to the hand- ling whereof I will presently pass, so soon as I have by the way admonished you, that I have not without good cause thus far in many words spoken of the cause of original sin, that is, of man's depravation and the corruption of all his strength. On these For as in these are opened the veins of pure doctrine, so
foundations in them are placed the foundations of our faith and whole
ot our faith ./.i ••
are laid. belicf. For if there be no origmal sin, then is there no grace : or if there be any, yet shall it have nothing to work in us. If our own strength is whole and sound, then have we no need of any physician. In vain therefore came the Son of God into the world''; for then shall men be saved by their own strength and ability : and so shall the foundation of our faith be quite turned upside down. Therefore St Augustine is very vehement in this cause ; whose golden words I will recite unto you, dearly beloved, out of his second book De Originali Peccato contra Pelagium et Coelestium. In the twenty-third and twenty-fourth chapters I find written as fol- io weth : "There is great diversity in these questions, which are thought to be beside the articles of faith, and those wherein (keeping sound the faith whereby we are Christians) it is either not known what is true, and so the sentence defini- tive is suspended ; or else it is otherwise guessed at by human and unassured suspicion than the thing itself in very deed is : as for example, when it is demanded of what sort and where
[} graphice, Lat.] [^ in omnibus, Lat.]
[3 per Dominum, Lat. omitted ; by the Lord.] [4 missus, Lat. omitted; being sent.]
X.] OF SIX, AND THE KINDS THEUEOF. 401
paradise is, where God placed man whom he liad made of tlie dust of the earth, when as notwithstanding cliristian faitli doubteth not but that there is a paradise." And after the recital of a few more such questions, at last he saitli : "Who may not perceive in these and such like sundry and innumer- able questions, appertaining either to the most secret works of God, or the most dark and intricate places of the holy scriptures, which it is hard to comprehend or define in any certain order, both that many things are unknown without the peril of christian faith, and also that in some points men do err without any crime of heretical doctrine ? But concern- ing the two men ; by the one of whom we are sold under sin, by the other redeemed from sin ; by one wo are cast headlong into death, by the other we are made free unto life ; because that man did in himself destroy us by doing his own will and not the will of him that made him, but this man hath in him- self saved us by doing not his own will but the will of him that sent him; therefore, in the consideration of these two christian men christian faith doth properly consist. For there is one eth in the
^ ^ *' /~ii • T consideration
God and one Mediator of God and man, the man Christ Jesus ; of two men. because there is none other name under heaven given unto men in which they must be saved ; and in him hath God ap- pointed all men to trust, raising him up from death to life. Therefore christian verity doubteth not but that without this faith, that is, without the faith of the only Mediator of God and man, the man Christ Jesus ; without the belief, I say, of his resurrection, which God hath prescribed to men, which cannot be truly believed without the belief of his incarnation and death ; without the faith therefore of the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Christ, none of the ancient just men could be cleansed and justified of God from their sins : whether they were in the number of those just men whom the holy scripture mcntloneth ; or in the number of those just men whom the scripture nameth [not], and yet are to be believed to have been cither before the deluge, or betwixt the deluge and the law, or in the very time of the law ; not only among the children of Israel, as the prophets were, but also without that people, as Job was. For even their hearts were cleansed by s.,mc»crc
„.,^,,, ,. ... ,.. sjivol be»iilc
the same faith of the Mediator, and charity was poured into israci but them by the same Holy Spirit, which brcatheth where he listcth, chmu not following after merits, but oven working the very merits
[UULLINGER, II. J
402 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
themselves. For God's grace will not be by any means, unless it be free by all means. Although therefore death reigned from Adam unto Moses, because the law given by Moses could not overcome it ; for there was no such law given as could quicken, but such a law as whose office was to shew, that the dead, to the quickening of whom grace was necessary, were not only overthrown by the propagation and dominion of sin, but were also condemned by the hidden^ transgression of the very law itself ; not that every one should perish that did then under- stand it in the mercy of God, but that every one, being through the dominion of death appointed unto punishment and detected to himself by the transgression of the law, should seek for the help of God; that where sin abounded, grace might more abound, which alone doth deliver from the body of this death. Although therefore the law given by Moses could not rid any man from the kingdom of death, yet in the very time of the law were the men of God not under the terrifying, convincing, and punishing law, but under the delectable, saving, and delivering grace. There were among them some which said, 'In iniquity was I conceived, and in sin hath my mother fed me in her womb ^.' " And so forth ; for hitherto I have cited the very words of St Augustine.
{} The translator read ahdlta for addita.']
[2 Longe aliter se habent qufestiones istse, quas esse prteter fidem ai'bitratur, quam sunt illse, in quibus, salva fide qua Christian! sumus, aut ignoratur quid verum sit et sententia definitiva suspenditur, aut aliter quam est humana et infirma suspicione conjicitur : veluti cum quceritur qualis vel ubi sit paradisus, ubi constituit Deus hoininem quern formavit ex pulvere, cum tamcn esse ilium paradisum fides
Christiana non dubitet Quis enim non sentiat in his atque hujus-
modi variis et innumerabilibus quoestionibus, sive ad obscurissima opera Dei sive ad scripturarum abditissimas latebras pertinentibus, quas certo aliquo genere complecti ac definire difficile est, et multa ignorari salva Christiana fide, et alicubi errari sine aliquo hreretici dogmatis criraine ? Sed in causa duorum hominum, quorum per unum venundati sumus sub peccato, per alteram redimimur a pec- catis ; per unum prcecipitati sumus in mortem, per alterum liberamur ad vitam ; quoniam illc nos in so perdidit facicndo voluntatem suam, non ejus a quo factus est, iste nos in se salvos fecit non facicndo vo- luntatem suam, sed ejus a quo missus est; in horum ergo duorum hominum causa proprie fides Christiana consistit. Unus est enim Deus, et unus mediator Dei et hominum, homo Christus Jesus: quo- niam non est allud nomen sub ccelo datum hominibus, in quo oportcat
X.] OF SIX, AND THE KINDS TIILUEOF. 403
I have thus far spoken of original sin, of the native and hereditary corruption of our nature, which is the first part in the definition of sin. Uere followeth now the latter part; to wit, the very action which ariseth of that corruption, the actual sin, I say, which is so called ab acta, that is, an act or a deed- doing. For insomuch as that corruption which is born to- gether with and is hereditary in us doth not always He hid, but workcth outwardly and shcweth forth itself, and doth at last bring forth an imp of her own kind and nature, whicli imp is actual sin ; therefore we define actual sin to be an action, or work, or fruit, of our corrupt and naughty nature, expressing itself in thoughts, Avords, and works against the law of God, and thereby deserving the wrath of God. nos salvos fieri, et in illo definivit Deus fidcm omnibus, suscitans ilium a mortuis. Itaque sine ista fide, hoc est, sine fide unius mediatoris Doiet liominum, hominis Christi Josu; sine fide, inquam, rosurrectionis ejus, quam Deus liominibus definivit, quaj utique sine incarnatione ejus ac morto non potest veraciter credi; sine fide ergo incarnationis et mortis et resurrectionis Christi, nee antiquos justos, ut justi cssent a peccatis, potuisso mundari et Dei gratia justificari, Veritas Christiana non dubitat; sive in eis justis quos sancta scriptura commemorat, sive in eis justis quos quidem ilia non commemorat, sed tamen fuisse credendi sunt vel ante diluvium, vel inde usque ad datam legem, vel ipsius legis tempore, non solum in filiis Israel, sicut fuerunt propheta?, sod etiam extra cundcm populum, sicut fuit Job. Et ipsorum cnim ccrda eadem mundabantur mediatoris fide, et difFundebatur in eis caritas per Spiritum sanctum, qui ubi vult spirat, non merita sequens, sed etiam ipsa merita faciens. Non enim Dei gratia gratia erit ullo modo, nisi gratuita fuerit omni modo. Quamvis ergo mors regnaverit ab Adam usque ad Moysen, quia non earn potuit vincere nee lex data per Moysen, non enim data est quro posset vivificarc, sed qua? mortuos, quibus vivificandis csset gratia iicccssaria, non solum poccati propa- gationc ct dominationc prostratos, verum etiam ipsius legis additapra:- varicatione convictos, deberet ostendere, non ut periret quisquis hoc in Dei misericordia etiam tunc intelligeret, sed ut per regnum mortis ad supplicium destinatus etiam sibi ipsi per prrcvaricationcm legis manifostatus Dei qurcreret adjutorium, ut ubi abundavit peccatum su- perabundaret gratia, qua; sola liberat a corpore mortis hujus. Quamvis ergo ncc lex per Moysen data potuerit a quoquam homino regnum mortis aufcrre, erant tamen ct legis tempore liomines Dei, non sub lege terrentc, convincente, puniente, sod sub gratia delectanto, sanante, liborante : crant qui dicerent, Kgo in iidquitatibus conceptus sum, et in peccatis mater niea in utoro me aluit. — August. Oi)p. Tar. 1531. Tom. VII. fol. 1G4. C(d. 2. 3. de Peoc. Orig. contra Pelag. ct Celost. Lib. II. <-ai.p. 23, 24, 2.".]
26—2
404 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
very corruption of mankind, which sheweth forth itself through concupiscence and evil affections : affections entice the will; and will, being helped with the other faculties in man that work together with it, doth finish actual sin. And that ye may more clearly perceive that which I say, I wish you to note, that our mind hath two parts : the understanding, or reason, or judgment ; and the will or appetite. In the reason are the laws of nature, whereunto must be added the preaching, or reading, or knowledge of God's word. And now, as of good works in man there are two especial causes, to wit, sound judgment well framed by the word of God, and a will consenting and obeying thereunto, (and yet notwithstanding there is principally to be required the coming to of the Holy Ghost from heaven \ to illuminate the mind and move forward the will ;) even so we may most properly say that actual sin is finished, when any thing is of set purpose, with advised judgment and the consent of our will, committed against the law of God. And yet to these there do many times happen other outward causes both visible and invisible ; for evil spirits move men, and evil men^ move men, and other infinite examples of corruption that are in the world. Hope, fear, and weakness, do also move men. Augustine, Qucest. in Exodum xxix. saith: "The beginning of vice is in the will of man : but the hearts of men are moved by sundry accidental causes, now this, now that ; sometimes the causes are all one ; the difference is in the manner and order, according to every one's proper qualities, which do arise of every several wilP." Again in the seventy-ninth psalm he saith : "Two things there are that work all sins in mortal men, desire and fear. Consider, ex- amine, and ask your hearts, search your consciences, and see, ^ if any sins can be but by desiring, or else by fearing. Thou art promised, if thou wilt sin, to have such a reward given thee as thou dost delight in ; and for desire of the gift thou crackest thy conscience, and dost commit sin. And again on
\} extrinsccus aut ccelitus accedcns, Lat.]
[2 homines, Lat. ; not evil men.]
p In voluntate qnippc hominis est origo vitiorum ; movcntur au- tem causis corda honiinum, alia sic, alia voro sic ; ctiam non diversis causis, s;cpo diverse modo secundum proprias qualitatcs quaj ex vo- liintatibus veniunt. — Auf^ust. 0pp. Tom. iv. fol. 29. col. 2.]
X.] OF SIN, AND THE KINDS TIIEKliOF. 405
tlie other side, thougli pcradventure tliou wilt not be seduced with gifts, vet being terrified with threatenings thou dost, for dread of tliat which thou fearest, commit the inicjuity that otlierwise thou wouklcst not. As for example, some one man or otlier would with gifts corrupt thee to bear false witness. Thou presently hast turned thyself to God, and hast said in thy heart, 'What doth it advantage a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his own soul ?' I will not be hired with gifts to lose my soul for the gain of money. Thereupon he, which before enticed thee, doth now turn him- self to terrify thee ; and for because his gifts did fail to hire thee, he beginneth to threaten unto thee damage, banishment, wounds, and death. In such a case now if greediness could not, yet fear perhaps might cause thee to sin*." The same Augustine again, in his book De Sermone Domini in Monte, saith : " Three things there be by which sin is accomplished, suggestion, delectation, and consent. Suggestion, whether it be wrought by the memory, or senses of the body ; as when we see, hear, smell, taste, or touch any thing. Now if we bo delighted to have it, that unlawful delight must be restrained : as for example, when we fast, if at the sight of meat our appetite do arise, it is not done without delectation : but wo must not give our consent to that delectation, but suppress it with the power of reason ; for if the consent be given, then is the sin accomplished. These three things are correspondent to the circumstances of the history that is written in Genesis : so that of the serpent was made that suggestion ; in the carnal appetite, as in Eva, was the delectation ; and in reason, as in Adam, did the full consent appear : which being finished,
[■* Omnia pcccata dure res faciunt in liomino, cupiditas et tinior. Cogitate, discutite, interrogate corda vGstra, porscrutamini conscientias ; videte utrutn possint esse pcccata, nisi aut capiendo aut timcndo. Proponitur tih)i prccmium, ut pecces ; id est, quod to dolcctct : facis propter quod cupis. Scd forte non induceris doiiis, terrcris minis : facis propter quod times. Corrumpere to vult aliijuis ut dicas, verbi gratia, falsum testimonium. . . Attendisti tu Deuin, et di.\isti in aniino tuo. Quill i)rodest liomini, si totum mundum lucrctur, aiiima; autem Eua; detrimentumpatiatur? Xon adducor pra-mio ut perdam animam meam pro lucro pecunia;. Convertit illc sc ad incutiendum metum, qui praimio corrumpere non valuit; incii»it minari damnum, et expul- sionem, cajdes, fortassis mortem. Ibi jam si cupiditas non valuit, forte timor valebit ut pecces. — Id. Tom. viii. fol. 185. col. 4. J
406 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
man is expelled as it were out of paradise, that is, out of the blessed light of righteousness into death and damnation ^" Thus much saith Augustine touching the cause of sin. sinisrepug. But horo WO must especially note in the definition of
la'wofGod. actual siu the very property or difference, whereby this action is discerned from all other actions, and whereby the most proper note of sin is made manifest. This action there- fore, even as all sins else do, doth directly tend against God's law. But what the law of God is, I have in my former sermons at large declared. Verily, it is none other but the very will of God. Now the will of God is, that man should be like unto his^ image, that is, that he should be holy, inno- cent, and so consequently saved.
This will of his did God express, first by the law of nature, then by the law which he writ in two tables of stone, and lastly by the preaching of the holy gospel. Now those three tend all to one end, to wit, that man should be holy, innocent, and so consequently saved. And whatsoever things are done of men, either in thought, word, or deed, against that holy law of God, they both are, and are called, actual sins. Therefore in the judging or esteeming of men's sins, the law of God must be only looked unto ; for the things that are not contrary to God's law are not sins : neither hath any man authority to make new^' laws, for the transgressing . whereof men should be counted sinners. That glory belong- [Psai. ii.4.] eth to God alone, to whom David crieth: "To thee alone have I sinned, and against thee have I wrought wickedness." Neither is it any part of our office to take upon us by our own
[1 Nam tria sunt quibus impletur peccatum ; suggestione, delec- tatione, et consensione. Suggestio, sive per memoriam fit, sivo per corporis sensus, cum aliquid videmus aut audimus, vel olfacimus, vel wustamus, vel tangimus. Quo si fiui delcctaverit, delectatio illicita refrccnaiida est : velut cum jejuiiamus, et, visis cibis, palati appetitus assurgit, non fit nisi delcctatione ; sed huic tamen non conscntimus, si earn dominantis rationis jure cohibemus. Si autcm consensio facta fuerit, plenum peccatum erit...Tria ergo htec, ut dicere coepcram, Bimilia sunt illi gestae rei, qua; in Genesi scripta est, ut quasi a serpente fiat suggestio et qusedam suasio; in appetitu autera carnali, tanquam in Eva, delectatio ; in ratione vero, tanquam in viro, consensio : quibus peractis, tanquam de paradiso, hoc est, de beatissima luce justiticc in mortem homo cxpellitur. — Id. Tom. iv. fol. 248. col. 3, 4.]
[2 id est divina;, Lat. omitted ; that is, to the divine.]
[3 new, not in Lat.]
X.] OF SIX, AND THE KINDS THEREOF. 407
judgments to determine which be the smallest and which the greatest sins. For which of us would think, that it were sin to say to his brother, "Thou fool?" And yet the Lord in the gospel pronounccth it to be sin : who in the same gospel also affirmeth, that we "shall give account for every idle word atC^'"" ^"^
. ~ . " and xli. 36. )
the latter day of judgment." Very rightly therefore saith St Augustine in his second book De Bapt. contra Donatistas, capit, 6 : "In esteeming of sins let us not bring in deceit- ful balances, wherein to weigh both what we list and as we list, after our own mind and phantasy, saying, This is heavy, and that is light : but let us bring in the weights of God's holy scriptures, as out of the secret treasuries of the Lord, and thereby let us weigh what is heavy, and what is liglit ; nay rather, let not us weigh them, but acknowledge and so accept them as they are weighed by the Lord\"
And although this might seem to be sufficient, as that The kind*
, and sorti of
which hath sufficiently declared the nature of actual sin ; yet *'"*• will we more at large consider the sundry sorts or kinds and ditferences of sins. The Stoics were of opinion that all sins were equal : whom perhaps Jovinian following (as the patri- archs of heresies are by Tertullian said to be philosophers"') is written to have affirmed the very same with them, as is extant in St Augustine's catalogue of heretics''. The holy Thai aii sms scripture teacheth us that God is just: whereupon we do ^on- "^"°' *''"*■ elude, that all sins therefore are not equal ; for we sec that God, as he is a just judge, doth punish some sins more sharply than other some. For in his gospel the Lord saith :
[} Non afFeraiuus statcras dolosas, ubi appendaiuus quod volumus et quomodo volumus, pro arbitrio nostro dicentes, Hoc grave, hoc Icve est : scd affcramus stateram divinam de sciipturis Sanctis, tanquaiii do thesauris Dominicis, et in ilia quid sit gravius appendaiuus; imo non appendamus, sed a Domino appensa rccognoscamus — August. 0pp. Tom. vn. fol. 80. col. 3. Par. 1531.]
[5 Sane et sibi prsestitit aliquid Materia, ut et ipsa cum Deo possit agnosci, cojcqualis Deo, imo et adjutri.\ : nisi quod solus cam Iler- niogenes cognovit, et hajreticoruin patriarcha; pbilosoplii. — Tertull. adv. Ilcrmog. cap. 8. Tom. n. p. G8. ed. Semlor. Hal. Mag. 1828. Also de Anim. cap. 3. Tom. iv. p. 185.]
[G A Joviniano (juodam monacho ista ha^resis orta est a;tato nostra, cum adhuc juvencs esscnius. Hie omnia peccata, sicut Stoici philo- sophi, paria esse diccbat, &c. — Aug. de Ha;res. No. 82. Tom. vr. fol. 7. col. 1.1
408 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
[Matt, xxiii. " Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! which devour widows' houses under the pretence of long prayer ; therefore shall you receive the greater damnation." And
[Matt. X. 15.] again ; " It shall be easier," saith the Lord, " for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for the city" that reject- eth the preaching of the gospel. Likewise in the eleventh of Matthew he saith : " It shall be easier for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment, than for you." To Pilate also he
[John xix. said : " The man that delivered me to thee hath the more
[Lukexii. sin." Again : " The servant that knew his master's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes."
Sins increase To proceod uow, sins do arise by steps, and increase by ' circumstances. For first, there is a hidden sin, contained in
the very affection or desire of man. But I have already told you, that affections and desires are of two sorts ; to wit, natural affections, which are not repugnant to the law of God ; of which sort are the love of children, parents, and wife, and the desire of meat, drink, and sleep : although I know and do not deny but that sometimes those affections are defiled with the original spot. Again, there are carnal desires or affections in men, directly contrary to the will of God. Those affections are nourished and do increase by vain thoughts and carnal delights increasing in thy bosom ; and at last they break out into the sin of the mouth, yea, after that, to the deed-doing, or actual sin itself. As for example : Thou lustest after another man's wife, and settlest the lust in the bottom of thy heart, still delighting thyself with vain cogitations, while thou callcst to mind her passing beauty and lineaments of body, and dost by thy often and vehement imagination both dehght and set thyself on fire ; and not being content here- withal alone, thou ceasest not to lie at^ her, whom thou lovest, with words and writings to spot her chastity ; and, if occasion serve thee, thou dost by thy deed-doing defile her, and also dost reiterate the sin which thou hast once committed ; and lastly, laying aside the fear of God's plague and the shame of the world, thou dost daily frequent it, and openly use it. Secst thou here, by this example, how one and the same sin [1 solicitas, Lat.]
X.] OF SIN, AND THE KINDS THEREOF. 409
dotli increase by degrees, and doth still require a sharper punish- ment, according to the greatness and enormity of the crime ? Verily, the Lord in the gospel after St Matthew contirmeth this, and saith : " Ye have heard how it was said to them of old, [««». v. 21, Thou shalt not kill : Whosoever killeth shall be in danger of judgment. But I say unto you, That whoso is angry with his brother unadvisedly- shall be in danger of judgment: and whosoever shall say unto his brother, Haclia, shall be in danger of a council : but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell-tire." In these words of the Lord's thou hearest first the differences of sins, as anger, the tokens of angry minds, and open scoldings, which do for the most part end in open fightings ; and then thou hearest that, as the sin increaseth, so the greatness and sharpness of the punish- ment is still augmented. It was therefore no unapt or silly dis- tinction that they made in actual sin which said, that there is one sin of the thought, another of the mouth, and another of the deed ; which they did again divide into certain kinds and sorts : reducing them again partly into Scelera, and partly sroicra and mto Delicta.
S cetera are those heinous crimes which arc conceived and committed of set purpose and pretended malice : of which sort are those especially which are called the crying sins, as rcccata murder, usury, oppression of the fatherless and widows, *""''" "*' sodomy, and the withheld hire of the needy labourer. For touching murder, the voice of the Lord in Genesis saith : " The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto mo." And in [Ccn. iv. lo.] the twenty-second of Exodus he saith : " If ye vex the father- less and widows, and they cry to me, I will hear them and slay you." The word of God doth with bitter quips bate usury and utterly condemn it. The sin of the Sodomites ascended up to heaven, requiring vengeance to hght upon the villanous beasts^. And James the apostle saith: " Behold, fJ^"!*^^ *•■♦•] the hire of the labourers which have reaped down your fields, which hire of you is kept back by fraud, crieth ; and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of tho Lord of sabaoth." To these sins other men do also annex thc «vcn
, .... . , . , I-rincipal
those seven prmcipal vices, pride or vain-glory, anger, envy, ^,',^,",\.'^,„, sloth, covetousness, gluttony, and lechery. Yea, they make ,',c^||y^i"n*. these the seeds and first beginnings of all sins and wickedness, [2 unadvisedly, not in Lat.j [3 to light — beasts, not in Lat.]
410
THE THIRD DECADE.
[SERM.
Feccatum
alienum, , . , n • ^■,
another's sin, kjnd 01 idiG sluEsishness
IS when
another is hprPfl tVlP
made to sin "^^^^ ''"^
hereafter perceive.
The sin of ignorance.
and therefore do they call them the principal sins ; as is to be seen in the Sentences of Peter Lombard '.
Moreover they call those sins delicta, which are com- mitted of infirmity or unwittingly ; to wit, when the good is forsaken, and duty to God or man neglected, by a certain where peradventure are to be num- sin of ignorance, the sin called alienum, and the al°"sh^fr"^' sin of unwillingness : although even they also are oftentimes made both heinous crimes and detestable offences.
Ignorance is said to be of two sorts : the one is natural and very ignorance, which springeth of original sin ; the other is affected or counterfeit, which riseth of a set purpose and pretended malice. The natural ignorance is a disease, a fault, and a sin; because it springeth of a poisoned original, and is a work of darkness, as it appeared above by the testimony of the apostle St Paul^. Verily St Augustine in his third book De Libera Arhitrio, cap. 19, saith: "That which every one by ignorance doth not rightly, and that which he cannot do though he willeth rightly, are therefore called sins, because they have their beginning of the sin of free-will. For that precedent did deserve to have such consequents. For as we give the name of tongue, not to that member only which moveth in the mouth while we speak ; but even to that also which followeth upon the moving of that member, to wit, the form and tenour of words which the tongue doth utter ; ac- cording to which phrase of speech we say, that in one man there are divers tongues, meaning the Greek and the Latin tongues ; even so we do not only call that sin which is pro- perly called sin (for it is committed of a free will wittingly), but that also which followeth upon the punishment of the same^ ;" of which I have said somewhat before.
\} Pra3tcrea sciendum estseptem esse vitiacapitaliavel principalia, ut Greg, super Exod. ait : scilicet, Inanem gloriani, Irani, Invidiam, Acidiam vel Tristitiam, Avaritiam, Gastrimargiam, Luxuriam. — Lom- bard, lib. Sent. Lib. li. distinct. 42. fol. 221. Par. 1575.]
[2 See page 394.]
[3 Nam illud quod ignorans quisque non recte fiicit, et quod i-ecte volens facere non potest, ideo dicuntur peccata, quia de peccato illo liberce voluntatis origincm ducunt. Illud cnim prajccdens meruit ista sequentia. Nam sicut linguam dicimus non solum mcmbrum, (juod niovemus in ore duin loquimur, sed etiam illud quod hujus membri motum conscquitur, id est, formam tenoremquo verborum, secundum
X.] OF SIN, AND THE KINDS TIIEKEOF. 411
Other do cloak their ignorance with that saying of tlie Lord in the gospel : " If I had not come and spoken unto [John them, they had wherewithal to cloak their sin," or they should have had no sin. For hereupon they infer : Therefore tliey to whom nothing hath been preached are free from blame and accusation of sin. But the Lord said not so. For first, ho spake of their pretended colour*, and not of their innocency ; and every pretence is not just and lawful. He said, I con- fess, "they should have had no sin:" but he addeth pre- sently, " Xow have they nothing to cloak their sin witlial." Secondarily, he doth not universally acquit the ignorant from all kind of sin, but from the sin of rebellion only : for St Augustine upon John saith : " They have an excuse not for every sin ; but for this only, that they believed not in Christ, because he came not unto them. For all, which neither have heard nor do hear, may have this excuse, but they cannot escape condemnation. For they that have sinned without law, shall perish without law^" And Paul also, in the first to Timothy, the first chapter, saith : " I thank him because he hath counted mc faithful, putting me into the ministery ; who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and an oppressor : but yet I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly, in un- belief." Lo, here the apostle saith that he obtained mercy because he sinned through ignorance : this ignorance he de- riveth of unbelief, and attributcth to it most filthy fruits.
Furthermore we call that false and counterfeit ignorance, which is of very maUcc feigned by obstinate and stubborn
quern moJum dicltur alia lingua Grajca, alia Latina; sic non solum pcccatum illud dicimus, quod propric vocatur peccatuin, libera eniin voluntate et ab scicrito committitur ; sed ctiam illud quod jam do liujus supplicio consequatur ueccsso est. — August. 0pp. Tom. i. fol. 145. col. 3. Par. 1531.]
[•» pra3te.\tu, Lat.]
[5 Domino donante rcspondoo, Habere illos cxcusationcm, non do oinni peccato suo, sed de hoc pcccato, quo in Christum non credido- runt, ad quos non venit, etquibus non est locutus . . . Restat inquirero, utrum hi qui priusfjuam Chri.stus venirct in ccclesiam ad gentcs, ot j)riusquain cvaiigeliuni ejus audirout, vita; hujus fiiio prrcventi sunt seu prteveniuiitur, jjossunt habere banc cxcusationcm? Possunt piano, sed non ideo possunt cflugere daninationem. Quicunque enim sine lege peccavcrunt, sine lc_'0 pcribunt. — Id. E.xpos. in Evang. Joan. Tract. Lxxxi.x. Tuui. ix. fol. 94. col. 3, 4.]
412 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
people: as if tliou, when a thing displeaseth thee^ shouldest say, that thou dost not understand it; or if, when thou may est, thou wilt not understand it. Such is the ignorance that was in the Jews, the professed enemies of God's grace in Christ^.
[Rom. X. 2, For Paul saith : "I bear them witness that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to set up their own, they were not subject to the righteousness of God." For the Lord in the gospel said to the Pharisees, when they demanded if
[John ix. 40, they were bhnded also ; " If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say. We see; therefore your sin abideth."
rccrata The sins called aliena are not those which we ourselves
others' sins, commit, but those which other men do, yet not without us ; to wit, while we allow, help forward, persuade, command, wink at, give occasion, or do not resist or gainsay them, when we
[1 Tim. V. may. The apostle Paul forbiddeth Timothy to lay hands on any man hastily, nor to communicate with other men's sins. Therefore to give an unfit man orders, and to place him in the ecclesiastical ministery, is that kind of sin which we do call another's sin : for to thee is worthily imputed what un- seemliness soever is committed against God and his church by the ignorance of the man whom thou hast so ordained. They
Both these sin another's sin, which offer violence, and do by torments and
sins are . i i i
Referred to threatoumgs compel men to deny the truth, or to commit in'rel'pecr ^^me hoinous offence. For the denial of the truth is peccatum compeue^d" alienum, another's sin, to him which compelleth the denier to respect oVthe reuounco it ; and therewithal to the same man his own sin, in hhSf.^"^ respect of himself, is impiety, tyranny, sacrilege, and murder,
for causing the other to renounce the truth.
Where, by the way, we are well admonished, that of sins
some are wilful, and some unwilful or enforced. Peccatum They call that the unwilful sin, which is committed either
voliintarium , ,, .
by another man s eniorcmg, or else by our own ignorance. Therefore that which is done neither by compulsion, nor by ignorance, is concluded to be the voluntary or wilful sin.
Again, of enforced sin they make two sorts ; whereof they call one absolute, the other conditional. Now they think that the absolute violent sin is, when it lieth not in us either to do or not to do, but when it cometh from some other man,
\} thee, not in Lat.] [2 iu Christ, not in Lat.]
el involitn tarium.
X.] OF SIX, AND THE KINDS THEREOF. 413
without the consent of him to whom the violence is offered : even as if the wind should drive us to any place unlooked for ; or if the king's officers do perforce compel thy hands to offer incense to idols, while thou to thy power resistcst, and dost deny it so far as thou canst. In such a case they acquit the man, so compelled, from all blame, punishment, and reproach'. Now touching the second kind of violent sin, which they call conditional, they think that it riseth upon sundry causes. But that we may not stick too long upon this point, we do simply say : the unwilful or violent sin either hath, or hath not, the consent of him which is compelled. If he give his consent, as for example, either to the renouncing of the evangelical truth which he hath hitherto professed, or to the committing of other grievous and horrible crimes, then is not the man compelled void of blame. For neither can the fear of death, nor sce Augus- torments, be an excuse for him. Choose death rather than to Mendacioad
Conseniium,
deny the truth, to commit any heinous crime, or to be com- ^j; '•"""* '"• polled to consent to a wicked and horrible sin*. If thou shalt rather choose to die than to do a filthy deed, the tyrant shall not enforce or compel thee against thy will. He may indeed kill thee : but to compel thee to do evil against thy will he is not able ; for by dying thou confessest the truth, and by dying thou declarest that thou wilt not do that which, while thou livest, they do exact of thee. And by that means they neither overcome nor compel thee ; but are themselves over- come and compelled to see and have trial of that which grieveth them full sore. Antiochus Epiphancs did what he might to have polluted the holy bodies of the Maccabees with the use of unclean and forbidden meat : but they, choosing rather to die than by living to be defiled, did by dying over- [^Macvu.] come the tyrant, and could not be compelled. And verily it is a thing received and approved among all professors of sound religion, that death and all extremities whatsoever must sooner be tasted than any thing committed which is by nature filthy and repugnant to religion.
To proceed now ; if consent be not given, but mere and unavoidable violence is offered to a godly man, (for here we make a difference betwixt him that upon compulsion doth
P laude ct vitupcrationo, Lat. ; j)iaisc and blanio.] [* Aug. dc Mend, ad Consciitiuni, !i. ami 10. Tom. iv. fol. 3. col. 4. and fol. 4. col. 1, 2.]
414 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERiM.
yield to do wickedness, and him which by compulsion cannot be brought unto it^ ;) that violence spotteth not his uncorrupt and holy mind. As for example ; if a godly man, having his feet bound and arms fast pinioned, be perforce brought into an idol temple, and there compelled to be present at their de- testable sacrifice ; or if an unspotted virgin or honest matron be in the wars or barbarous broils villanously abused, without their consent to the deed-doing, and cannot have leave rather to die untouched than so to be undecently handled, she is, assure yourselves, unspotted before the face of God. For very wisely said St Augustine : " Not to suffer unjustly, but to do - unjustly, is sin before GodV Lib. de Libero Arbitrio, in. cap. 16. Again, De Mendacio ad Consentium, cap. 7, he saith : " That which the body, where lust went not before, doth violently suffer ought rather to be called vexation than corruption. Or if all vexation be corruption, yet all corrup- tion is not filthy ; but that corruption only which lust hath procured, or whereunto lust hath consented^." Again, in his first book De Civitate Dei, capit. 18, he saith : "Where the purpose of the mind remaineth constant, by which the body is sanc- tified, there the offered violence of another's lust taketh not from the body the purposed holiness, which the constant perse- verance of the party's own chastity doth still retain*." Much more like to this hath he in the same place, and also in the sixteenth, nineteenth, and twenty-eighth chapters of the same book, &c, Madmen-s -, go also we must think the best of the unwilful death of
death is un-
therefo?"?o "^^"^ bosido their wits, that in their madness kill themselves.
t'otCbe™!'' Fo^ otherwise it cannot be found in the canonical books of
No man holv scripturo, that God did either give leave or command- must hasten , 1 .,, 1 ,11 de'at'h''" ment to us mortal men to kill ourselves, thereby the sooner
[1 discernimus hie inter cum qui coactus malum facit, et qui patitur, Lat.]
[2 Non onim injusto aliquid pati, sed injusto aliquid facere, pecca- tum est.— August. 0pp. Tom. i. fol. 144. col. 4. Par. 1531.]
[3 Quod enim violcnter non prsccedente libidine patitur corpus, vcxatio potius quam corruptio nominanda est. Aut si omnis vexatio corruptio est, non omnis corruptio turpis est, sed quam libido procu- raverit, aut cui libido conscnscrit. — Id. Tom. iv. fol. 3. col. 3.]
[•« Proposito animi permancnto, per quod etiam corpus sanctificari meruit, nee ipsi corpori aufort sanctitatem violentia libidinis alienre, quam servat perscverantia contincntifc suoc. — Id. Tom. v. fol. 8. col. 4.]
X.] OF SIN, AND THE KINDS THEREOF. 415
to obtain immortality, or to avoid imminent evil. For it must be understood that wo are forbidden so to do by tlie law which saith, " Thou shalt not kill:" namely since he addcth not, "thy neighbour;" as ho did in another precept, where he forbiddeth to bear false witness. (For because he nameth not thy neighbour, ho doth in that precept include thyself also^.) Therefore is the doctrine of Seneca to be utterly con- demned, which counscllcth men in misery to despatch them- selves, that by death their misery may be ended". And St Augustine, disputing against them that do therefore murder themselves because they will not be subject to other men's filthy lusts'^, doth say : " If it be a detestable crime and a damnable sin for a man to murder himself, as the truth doth manifestly cry that it is ; who is so mad to say, Let us sin now, lest peradventurc hereafter we happen to sin ; let us now commit murder, lest hereafter perhaps we fJiU into adultery ? If iniquity have so far the upper hand, that not innocency but mischief is most set by, is it not better by living to hazard the chance of an uncertain dcfloweration in time to come, than by dying to commit a certain murder in the time present? Is it not far better in such extreme times of calamity to commit such a fault as by repentance may be forgiven, than to do such a sin whereby no time is left to repent in ? This have I said because of those wilful men and women, which, to avoid not others' but their own sin, lest perhaps under another's lust they should consent to their own being stirred up, do think that they ought to rid themselves from it by shortening their lives. But far be it from a christian mind, which trusteth in our God and with a settled hope doth stay on him as on his surest aid ; far be it, I say, from such a mind to yield to any pleasures of the flesh unto the consenting to filthiness. But if the concupiscential disobedience, which dwelleth yet in our mortal members, is against the law of our will stirred up or moved by a law of lier own ; how much rather is it without blame in tlie body of him that consentcth not, if it be without blame in the body of him that
[* Tliis oxi)lanation is tlic translator's.]
[" Si jmo^narc non vultis, licot fu^joro. — Scnor. do Proridcnt. rap. G. In his Coniinont. in Muttli. cliap. xvi. 2,'.. Lib. vii. p. 013, Hnl- lingcr's rcfcronco on this topic is to Sonoc. ad Lucil. Kp. 71]
[■ ct poi'font, Lat. omittrd ; and commit sin.]
416 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
sleepeth' !" T^hus much out of Augustine : now do we return to our purpose again.
To proceed therefore : they divide actual sins into hidden or private, and into manifest or pubhc sins. Those hidden sins are not such as are hidden from men, being known to none but God alone ; of which sort is hypocrisy and the depravation of man's disposition ; but such as are not utterly without witnesses, although they be not openly known and made manifest to all men. For on the other side the manifest and public sins are committed with the knowledge and offence of the whole church. And these verily are of both the greater, and those the lighter, because they touch the church and procure the offence of many men^ : touching which the apostle speaketh in the fifth chapter of the first epistle to Timothy.
But the most vulgar and apt distinction of actual sin, which doth in a manner contain in itself all the other kinds and parts thereof, is that wherein it is called either mortal or venial sin^. They think that mortal sin is every sin which is committed of an unfaithful person ; and that venial sin is [^ Veruntamen si detestabile facinus et damnabile scelus est etiam seipsum hominem occidere, sicut Veritas manifesta proclamat ; quis ita desipiat, ut dicat, Jam nunc peccomus ne postea forte peccemus ; jam nunc perpetremus homicidium, no forte postea incidamus in adul- terium? Nonne, si tantum dominatur iniquitas, ut non innocentia sad potius peccata eligantur, satius est incertum de futuro adulterium quam certum de prajsenti homicidium ? Nonne satius est flagitium committere, quod poenitendo sanetui-, quam tale facinus ubi locus sa- lubris poenitentiaj non relinquitur? Hrec dixi propter eos vel eas, qua3 non alieni sed proprii peccati devitandi causa, ne sub alterius libidine etiam excitatse sure forte consentiant, vim sibi qua moriantur inferendam putant. Ceterum absit a mente Christiana, quJB in Deo suo fidit, in eoque spe posita ejus adjutorio nititur ; absit, inquam, ut mens talis quibuslil)et carnis voluptatibus ad cousensum turjtitudinis cedat. Quod si ilia concupiscentialis inobedicntia, qus; adhuc in membris moribundis habitat, prajtcr nostrre voluntatis legem, quasi lege sua, movctur ; quanto magis absque culpa est in corpore non con- sentientis, si absque culjia est in corpore dormientis! — August, de Civ. Dei, Lib. i. cap. 25. 0pp. Tom. v. fol.ll. col. 2, 3.]
[2 Et hsec (i.e. publica) (juidem sunt graviora, ilia autem (i. e. pri- vata) loviora,quod videlicet attinct homines et multorum oftonsionem, Lat.]
[3 Aquinat. prim. sec. par. Sunnnjc. (j[ua!st. 88. fol. 148, &c. Par, 1615.1
X.] OF SIN, AND THE KINDS THEREOF. 417
every sin that is done of a fiiithful man. I do simply and ^ according to the scriptures supj)Osc, tliat all the sins of men are mortal ; for they are done against the law or will of God. But death is due to sins ; for the prophet cricth : "The soul that [emk. xvui. sinneth shall die itself;" and the apostle saith : " The reward [Hom.vi.sa.] of sin is death." Yea, and deadly sins do take the name of death. To this now do belong these testimonies of the apostle : "This ye know, that every fornicator, or unclean person, orrEnh. v. 5; covetous person, which is a worshipper of idols, hath none uiViVr. v. inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God." The same sentence, being again rehearsed'* in the fifth to the Ephesians, is again to be found in the fifth to the Galatians, and the fifth and sixth chapters of the first to the Corinthians.
But the sins which are of their own nature mortal are throu2:h grace in the fiiith of Jesus Christ made venial ; because they are through Christ forgiven by God's great favour and mercy. And therefore the apostle in the sixth cliaptcr to the Romans did not say, " Let not sin be in your mortal body :" rRom.%n.i2:
" , , "^ "^ viii. I, 12, 13.]
but, " Let not sin reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey to it through the lusts thereof." And again ; " There is therefore no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, which walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit." And again ; " Brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to walk after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die : but if by the spirit ye shall mortify the deeds of the flesh, ye shall live," Therefore there is sin in our body always so long as we live; but by grace it is not imputed unto death: and they to whom it is not imputed, do by all means en- deavour to walk after the spirit, and not after the flesh : and yet they do very oftentimes slip and fall ; which falls and slippings nevertheless, together with that infirmity ^ of mortal men, are counted sins, — I mean sins pardonable and not to be punished eternally.
Now to mortal sins is that sin especially to be referred, which is called the sin against the Holy Ghost ; which some do not without a cause suppose to be most properly called mortal sin : of which I will speak, when first I liave some- what briefly answered to certain questions that do depend upon this argument.
First of all here is demanded, AVhcthcr that sin or dis- }J'''«''''"
that the iin
ease, which after bapti.sm remaineth in infants, be sin in very fcmainingm [< edita, Lat. ; licinij rclicarscd.] p cum morbo illo snntico, Lat.]
[bullingeu.. H.J
418 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
infants after dced ? Now it IS manifest, that concupiscence remainetli in sin or no. them that are baptized ; and that concupiscence is sin ; and therefore that sin remaineth in them that are baptized : which sin, notwithstanding, is through the grace of God in the merit of Jesus Christ not imputed unto them. So did St Augustine resolve this knot in the first book De Peccatorum Meritis et Remissione, cap. 39, where he saith : " In infants verily it is so wrought by the grace of God, through the baptism of him that came in the likeness of sinful flesh, that the flesh of sin should be made void. And yet it is made void so, not that the concupiscence which is spread and bred in the flesh, while it liveth, should of a sudden be consumed, vanish away, and not be; but that it should not hurt him now being dead, in whom it was even at his birth. For it is not given in baptism to them of more years, that the law of sin which is in their members contrary to the law of their mind should utterly be extinguished and not be at all ; but that all the evil, whatsoever is said, done, or thought of man, when with his captive mind he served that concupiscence, should be utterly wiped out, and so reputed as though it never had been done^" Thus much hath Augustine, t^l'virtuous Another question is, Whether those works, that the Gen-
when^are^ tllcs do, wliicli havc a shew of virtue and goodness, are sins, or else good works? It is assuredly true, that God even among the Gentiles also had his elect. Now so many such as were among them were not without the Holy Ghost and faith. Therefore their works which were wrought by faith were good works, and not sins. For in the Acts of the Apos- [Aetsx. 2,4.] ties mention is made, that the prayers and alms-deeds of Cornelius the centurion were had in remembrance before God ; and the same Cornelius is said to have been a devout man and fearing God : whereupon I infer that he was faithful ; whose faith afterward is made fully perfect, and upon whom
\} In parvulis certe, gratia Dei, per baptismum ejus qui venit in similitudine carnis peccati, id agitur, ut evacuctur caro poccati. Eva- cuatur autem, non ut in ipsa vivente carne concupiscentia conspcrsa et inuata reponte absumatur et non sit ; sed no obsit mortuo qure in- erat nato . . . Nam nee grandibus hoc prrostatur in baptismo . . . ut lex peccati qua3 inest in membris, ropugnans legi mentis, penitus extin- guatur et non sit ; sed ut quicquid mali ab homine factum, dictum, cogitatum est, cum cidem concupiscentifx) subjecta mento serviret, totum aboleatur, ac velut factum non fucrit habcatur. — August. 0pp. Tom. VII. fol. 141. col. 3.]
sins, or no .'
X.] OF SIN, AND THE KINDS THEREOF. 419
the gift of the Holy Ghost is more plentcously bestowed. ]Morcover the worthy deeds of the heathens arc not to bo - despised nor utterly contcnmed ; for as they were not al- together done without God, so did they much avail to tho preserving and restoring of tho tranquillity of kingdoms and commonweals. And therefore did the most just Lord enrich certain excellent men and commonweals with many and ample temporal gifts; for upon the Greeks and many lloman princes he bestowed riches, victories, and abundant glory : and verily, civil justice and public tranquillity was in great estimation among many of them. Other received inlinitc rewards, because they did constantly and manfully execute the just judgments of God upon the wicked rebels and enemies to God. Neither is it to be doubted but that the Lord granted that invincible power to the Roman empire under Octavius Augustus and other lloman princes, to the end that by their strength he might break and bring down the invin- cible malice of the Jewish people, and so by the Romans revenge the blood of his Son, his holy prophets, and blessed apostles, which had been shed by those furious and blasphe- mous beasts. Note here, that- immediately after tho subver- sion of llierusalem the Roman empire began to decline. Now let us return to the matter again.
Lastly they do demand, AVhether the good works of the whether the
J tl ' o good works
saints and faithful ones be sins or no ? Verily, if thou re- °Je sfnfo?'* spectest our corruption and infirmity, then all our works are ""' sins, because they be the works of us which are ourselves not •without filthy spots ; and therefore the works which be ■wrought by us cannot be so perfect as otherwise they ought to be in the sight of God. And yet the very same works, for the faith's sake in us and because we are received into tho grace of God, and that therefore they are wrought of us which are now by grace the sons of God, both are indeed and also called good^. For to this end tcndeth that saying of the apostle : " AVith the mind the same I, or even I, do serve riiom. vn. the law of God ; but with the flesh the law of sin." Lo here, one and the same apostle, even being regenerate, doth retain in himself two sundry dispositions ; so that his very work, working in divers respects, is both sin and a good work also. For inasmuch as in mind he scrvcth God, so far forth ho doth a good work ; but insomuch as ho again did serve the law of [2 Ccrto, Lat. ; unquestionably.] [^ anrl also called, not in Lat.]
27—2
420 THE THIRD DECADE, [sERM.
the flesh, therein his work is not without a spot. For he himself a Httle before in the same seventh chapter said: "I find, when I would do good, that evil {irapaKeirai, that is to say) is present with, bj, and in me^:" which evil undoubtedly, making always a shew of itself in all our words, works, and thoughts, doth cause that the work which is done of us, when we are regenerate, cannot be so pure as God's justice doth look that it should be. By the grace therefore and the mercy of God it is reputed and esteemed as pure.
Hereunto now doth that sentence of our Lord in the gos-
[johnxiii. pel after St John belong, where he saith : " He that is washed hath no need save to wash his feet, but he is clean every whit." For if he be clean every whit, what need hath the clean to wash his feet ? But if his feet must be washed, how then is he clean every whit? And yet these sayings are not repugnant betwixt themselves ; even as also that saying is not, where we say that good works^ are sins. For according to the plentifiilness and imputation of God's grace and mercy we are clean every whit, being throughly purged from all our sins, so that they shall not condemn us ; and yet, for because there is always in us the law of sin which sheweth itself in us^ so long as we live, therefore our feet, that is, those evil motions and naughty lusts of ours, must be resisted and to our power repressed. Finally, we must acknowledge that we ourselves'* and our very works are never without an imper- fection ; and therefore consequently, that all our works and " we do stand in need of the grace of God. These questions being thus resolved, we are now come to expound the sin against the Holy Ghost.
Of the sin , The sin against the Holy Ghost is a perpetual blaspheminoj
against the - * ^ ^ . ^ ^ . ^
Holy Ghost. 01 the rovcaled and known^ truth; to wit, when we agamst our conscience falsely revolting from the known truth do without intermission both inveigh and rail against it. For blasphemy is the evil speech or despiteful taunts wherewith we inveigh against or slander any man, by casting forth wicked and detestable speeches against him, whereby his credit and estimation is either cracked or utterly disgraced. We do therefore blaspheme the magistrates, our elders", and other good men, when we do not only withdraw our obedience
[1 insideat, vel adjaceat, aut inhoereat ac insitum sit, Lat.]
[2 opera fidelium bona, Lat.] [3 in membris nostris, Lat.]
[* ex nobis ipsis, Lat.] [c agnitse, Lat.] [c parentes, Lat.]
X.] OF SIX, AND THE KINDS TIIEKEOF. 421
and tlio honour duo unto them, but do also with reproachful words bait them, not ceasing to call them tyrants, blood- suckers, wicked heads, and odible guides^: but wc do especially blaspheme God, when wc detract his glory, gainsay his grace, and of set purpose do stubbornly contemn and dispraise his truth revealed unto us and his evident works declared to all the world.
Every sin verily is not blasphemy, but all blasphemy is what bia«. sin ; for because it tendeth against God and his will, it is jVopwiy' sin : but therewithal this property more and singularity it liath, that it doth also despise God and speak reproachfully against his works. Many do sin against the doctrine of the truth, because they do either neglect and not receive the truth ; or else because, when they have received it, they do not reverence and set it forth^: but these kind of men, though they be sinners, do yet not deserve to be called blasphemers. But if they begin once with taunts and quips to mock the doctrine which they neglect, calling it heretical, schismatical, seditious, and devilish, then may they rightly be termed blasphemers.
Wherefore the property of the sin against the Holy Ghost is, not only to revolt from the truth, but also against all conscience to speak against the truth, and with flouts inces- santly to overwhelm both the very work and most evident revelation of the Lord. For the conscience, being by the evidence of the revelation or work of the Holy Ghost convinced, suggcsteth or telleth them that they ought not only to temper themselves from reproachful speeches, but that they ought to do another thing too, that is, that they ought to yield to the truth and give to God his due honour and glory. But now, to exclude this inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to reject and overwhelm it with stubborn falsehood, flat apostasy, wicked contradiction, and perpetual contempt, is flatly to commit sin against the Holy Ghost. And this verily taketh beginning The b<j.ni- of orijiinal sin, and is nourished and set forward by devilish Mnacainu
°. _ . ,.,..*' the Holy
suggestions, our perverse aticctions, by indignations, envy, "host, hope or fear, by stubborn and self-wilful malice, and lastly by contumacy and rebellion.
But now the course of the matter rcquireth to hear what the Lord said in the gospel concerning this sin. In the twelfth
[7 cxccramlos, Lat. ; 'juidcs is tbo translator's addition.]
[8 omant, Lat.j
422 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
of Matthew he saith : "Every sin and blasphemy shall be for- given unto men ; but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him ; but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in the world to come." The same sentence of our Saviour is thus expressed in the third chapter of St Mark's gospel:^ "All sins shall be forgiven unto the children of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme : but he that speaketh blasphemy against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation." In the twelfth chapter after St Luke these words in a manner are uttered thus: "Whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him ; but unto him that blasphemeth the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven." In these words of the Lord we have here mention made of blasphemy against the Son of man, and of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost : of which that against the Holy Ghost is utterly unpardonable, but that against the Son Blasphemy of man is altogether venial. Blasphemy acjainst the Son of
against the , - i /. i • , • i
Son of man. man IS Committed ot the ignorant, which are not yet en- lightened ; and doth tend against Christ, whom the blasphemer doth think to be a seducer, because he knoweth him not. Such blasphemers the word of the Lord doth manifestly testify that Paul himself before his conversion and a great part of the Jews were ; for upon the cross the Lord prayed, [Lukexxiii. crying : " Father, forgive them ; for they wot not what they [icor. ii. 8.] do;" and the apostle Paul saith: "If they had known the Lord of glory, they would not have crucified him." Where- upon St Peter in the Acts, speaking to the Jews, saith: "I know that ye did it through ignorance ; now therefore turn you, and repent, that your sins may be wiped out." Acts iii. Thebiasphe- But the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost is said to be a GhosP*' continual fault-finding or reproach against the Holy Spirit of God ; that is, against the inspiration, illumination, and works of the Spirit, For when he doth so evidently work in the minds of men that they can ncitlier gainsay it nor yet pre- tend ignorance, and that for all this they do resist, mock, despise, and continually snap at the truth^, which they in their
[1 Amen, dico vobis, Lat. omitted. Verily, I say unto you.] [2 revclationem aut operationcm illam Spiritus, Lat. ; that revela- tion or working of tlio Spirit.]
X.] OF SIN, AND TlIK KINDS TIIKHEOF. 423
consciences do know to be-* most Avliolcsoino and truc^; in so doing they do blaspheme tho Holy Spirit and power^ of God. As for example: the Tharisecs, being by most evident reasons and unreprovable miracles convinced in their own minds, could not deny but that the doctrine and works of our Lord Jesus Christ were the truth and miracles of the very God*^; and yet, against the testimony of their own consciences, they did of mere envy, rebellious doggedness, and fixlse apostasy, con- tinually cavil that Christ did all by the means and inspiration of Beelzebub'', the devil. And little or nothing better than the Pharisees arc those which, when they have in these days once understood^ that the very truth and assured salvation arc most simply and purely set forth in Christ, do notwith- standing forsake it, and allow of the contrary doctrine, con- demning and with mocks ^ railing upon the sound and manifest truth ; yea, and that more is, they cease not to clap their hands and hiss at it, as a damnable heresy.
As this sin is of all other the filthiest, so is it not venial, f^m a^ains but utterly unpardonable ; for in the gospel the Lord hath ^^^"fj'J^^;" expressly said : " It shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in the world to come." Which sentence in St ^lark is thus pronounced : " He hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation." The cause is manifest. For it is unpossible without faith to please God ; without faith there is no remission of sins ; without faith there is no entrance into the kingdom of God. But tho sin against the Holy Ghost is mere apostasy and flat'" rebellion against the true faith which the Holy Ghost by his illumination doth pour into our hearts : which illumination these untoward apostates do incessantly call darkness ; they name it a mere seduction, and do with taunts blaspheme it openly. Therefore this sin is never for- given them ; for they tread under foot the grace of God, and do despise and make a mock of the way which Icadeth to
[^ optimam, Lat. oniittod ; tlic best.]
[' contra conscicntiam propriam, Lat. omitted : apainst tlicir own rnnscicnce.]
[j and power, not in Latin.]
[•> divina esse, Lat.; wero divine] [" Bcolzcl)ul>, not in Latin.]
[8 cvangclica doctrina, Lat. omitted ; by tlio piea( liing of the gospel.]
[9 contra animi sui sentcntiam, Lat. omitted; again.st the judgment of their mind.]
[10 pcrstans, Lat. ; obstinate.]
f I John \ 1(J-18 ]
424 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
salvation ^ Wherefore St Paul in the tenth to the Hebrews saith : "If we sin willingly after we have received the know- ledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a fearful looking for of judgment and violent fire, which shall devour the adversaries." Now, I pray you, what is it to sin willingly ? Forsooth, to sin willingly is not to sin through infirmity, or oftentimes to fall into one and the same sin : but to sin willingly is with a most stubborn contempt to sin ; as they are wont to do, which wittingly and willingly do reject and spurn at the grace of God, not ceasing to make a mock of the cross and death of Christ, as though it were foolish and not sufficiently effectual to the purging of all our sins : for to such there is prepared none other sacrifice for sins. And such the apostle calleth the adversaries, that is, the contemners and enemies of God. And therefore the same apostle in the sixth chapter of the same epistle saith: "It cannot be that they which were once lighted, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were become partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted of the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, and they fall away, should be renewed again into repentance ; crucifying to themselves the Son of God afresh, and making a mock of him." He speaketh not here of every fall of the faithful ; but of wilful and stubborn apostasy. For Peter fell and was restored again through repentance : which happeneth to more than Peter alone ; for all sinners are through repentance daily restored. But unrepentant Judas is not restored, because he was a wilful^ apostate. Mockers and blaspemers are not restored through repentance, because they do obstinately stand against the known verity, and cease not to blaspheme the way by which alone they are to be led unto eter- nal life. Therefore those places of St Paul do make never a whit for the Novatians^, but do expound to us the nature and envenomed force of the sin against the Holy Ghost.
St John the apostle and evangehst, disputing of this sin in his canonical epistle, saith : "If any man sec his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin
[1 ad gratiam, Lat.] p pertinax, Lat.]
[3 Their peculiarity was, that they would not receive into the church persons who after being baptized fell into the greater sins. They did not, however, exclude them from all hopes of eternal sal- vation.— Moshcim, Ecclcs. Hist. Book i. Cent. 3. Part 2. ch. 5. $ 18.]
X.] OF SIN, AND THE KINDS THEKEOF. 425
unto death ; I say not that thou shouldest pray for if. All unrighteousness is sin : and there is a sin not unto death. Wo know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God kecpcth himself, and that evil toucheth him not." St John hero maketh mention of two sorts of sins : the one unto death, that is, mortal and unpardonable, for which we must not pray, that is to say, prayers cannot obtain pardon for it. That sin is contumelious reproach against the Holy Ghost, revolting apostasy, and incessant mocking of the gospel of Christ ; for in the gospel after St John we read: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, if a man r/ohn via keep my sayings, he shall not see death for ever ;" and again: "' '^*'' "If ye believe not that I am, ye shall die in your sins." And apostasy in very deed is iniquity, and a purposed and perpe- tual sin ; for what is more sinful or unjust than to strive against^ and make a mock of' the known verity? The other sin is venial, not unto death ; the which, of what sort it is, St John declareth when he addeth : "We know that every one which is born of God sinneth not." Now that saying must not be so absolutely taken, as though he sinned not at all : but we must understand, that he sinned not to death ; for otherwise the very saints are sinners, as it is evident by the first chapter of this epistle. Furthermore, that which doth immediately follow in John maketh manifest that Avhich went before: "He that is begotten of God," saith he, "keepeth himself;" that is, he standeth stedfastly in the known truth, and taketh heed to himself, that that eviF touch liira not ; that is, that he entrap him not, stir him up against God, nor retain him in rebellion. Thus much have I hitherto said touching the sin against the Holy Ghost^ which Augus- tine did in one place call final impcnitcncy, which doth follow orendie«s upon apostasy, blasphemy, and contempt of the Holy Ghost, ancc. or of the word of truth revealed by the Holy Ghost.
[■♦ ut rogcs, Lat. ; and Erasmus.]
[5 indcsinenter, Lat. oinittcil : without ceasing.]
[6 medium ostcndcrc digitum, is the proverb which Bullinger uses.]
[7 malus illo, Lat.]
[8 Peccatum in Spiritum Sanctum est finalis impoenitcntia: do qua dicit Aug. — Oratian. Dccret. Par. ii. caus. 1. qurcst. 1. cap. 81. p. G73. Par. 1583. The treatise Do Ver. et Fals. Pa?nitent. in which occur the words, — Soli peccant in Sjjiritum Sanctum, qui impcvnitontcs o.\istunt usque ad mortem, — is considered to be spurious.]
426 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
orthejust And although I have ah-eady, in the handlino- of oriirmal
and certain '=> '' O O
of r/nnSs"' ^"^ ^"^^ ^'"^ against the Holy Ghost, partly touched the effects of sin ; yet to conclude this treatise \vithal, I will briefly shew you somewhat touching the just and assured punishment that shall be laid upon sinners. For in the definition of sin I said, that sin brought upon us the wrath of God with death and sundry- punishments : of which in this place I mean to speak. It is as manifest, as what is most manifest, bj the scriptures, that God doth punish the sins of men, yea, that he punisheth sin- ners for their sins. For many places in the scriptures declare, that God is angry and grievously offended at the sins of
[Psaiinxi. mortal men. David crieth : "The Lord loveth the just; as for the wicked and violent, his soul doth hate them. Upon the ungodly he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, storm and tempest ; this shall be their portion to drink. For the right- eous Lord loveth righteousness : with his countenance he doth behold the thing that is just.'* In like mannner Paul saith :
[Rom. i. If?.] "The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all un- godliness and uncleanness of men, which withhold^ the truth in unrighteousness." And what may be thought of that more- over, that the wrath of God for the sins of us men would be by no means appeased^ but by the death of the Son of God ? Wherein verily the excellency of the great price of our re- demption doth argue the greatness and filthiness of our sin. To all which we may add, that the good Lord, who loveth mankind so well, would not have overwhelmed us^ with so many pains and exceeding calamities, had not our sin been passing horrible in the sight of his eyes. For who* can make
The plague a full boadrow of all the calamities of miserable sinners^?
of sins.
The Lord for our sins absenteth himself from us^. But if the sun be out of the earth, how great are the mists and cloudy darkness in it? If God be away from us, how great is the horror in minds of men? Here therefore, as punishments due to sinners, are reckoned the tyranny of Satan, a thousand torments of conscience, the death of the soul, dreadful fear, utter desperation^, innumerable calamities of body and of our
[I detinent, Lat. ; witlihokl, Tyndale 1525, and Cranmcr 1539.]
[^ peccata mortalium non potuerunt expiari, Lat.]
[3 genus humanum, Lat.]
[•* paucis ct in transcursu, Lat. omitted ; in few \Yords and by the way.]
[5 peccatorum poenas, Lat.] ["^ alienatur, Lat.]
p ct infandi dolorcs, Lat. omitted; and griefs not to be described.]
X.] OF SIN, AND THE KINDS THEUKOF. -127
other faculties, which Moses the servant of God doth at large rehearse in the twenty-sixth of Leviticus and the twenty- eighth chapter of Deuteronomy. And now, since new sins are daily scourged with new kinds of punishments, what end, I pray, is any man ahlc to make, if he should go about to reckon them all^ ?
It is not to be doubted, verily, but that the Lord doth The Lrr<i punish sinners justly ; for he is liiniself a most just Judge, sinnere""" And for because it is a mad man's par^to doubt of the justice, oniiiipotency, and wisdom of God ; it followcth therefore con- sequently, that all religious and godly men do hold for a certainty^ that the punishments, which God doth lay upon men, arc laid upon them by most just judgment.
But how great and what kind of punishment is duo to every fault and several transgression, belongeth rather to God's judgment to determine, than for mortal men too curi- ously to inquire. Whereupon St Augustine, Tracta. in Joan. 89, saith : " There is a great diversity of punishments, as of sins; which how it is ordained, the wisdom of God doth more deeply declare, than man's conjectures can possibly seek out, or utter in words'"." He verily which in his law given to men gave this for a rule, "According to the measure of the sin, so shall the measure of the punishment be'^ ;" being himself most equal and just, doth not in judgment exceed measure. Abraham, in the notable communication had with God which is reported in the eighteenth of Genesis, doth among other things say: " AVilt thou destroy the just with the wicked ? That be far from thee, that thou shouldest do such a thing, and slay the righteous with the wicked, and that the righteous should be as the wicked. That is not thy part, that judgest all the earth ; thou shalt not make such judgment '2_" Hereunto also belongeth that notable demon- stration, which the Lord usetli toward'^ Jonas being angry
[8 quis,oro,poonarumfini.'5,autquisircncra omnia commomoict? Lat.]
P imo compcrtissimo, Lat. omitted ; yea, for a most assured cer- tainty.]
['" Tanta est autcm suppliciorum, quanta divci-sitas pcccatorum; qiuc quomodo SC80 hahcat, altius indicat sapiontia divina quam con- jectura scrutatur aut effatur humana. — August. 0pp. Tom. ix. fol. !)4. col. 4. Par. 1531.]
[11 Dcut. XXV. 2. cf. Vol. I. page 35G, note 4.]
[12 Gen. xviii. 23, 25. Vulgat.]
[13 prophotam, Lat. omitted ; the prophet.]
428 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
with the Lord because of his judgments: for he sheweth that he hath justly a care of the infants, yea, and of the cattle in Ninive. The place is extant ^ in the fourth chapter of the prophecy of Jonas. Let us therefore stedfastly hold, that the Lord, when he punisheth, doth injury to no creature which he hath made. Here therefore the disputations and questions come to an end, wherein men are wont to demand. Why the Lord doth sometimes use so sharp torments towards infants or sucklings? ^r why he rewardeth temporal offences
[Psalm cxiv. -with eternal punishments ? " For the Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works." As David did most truly witness, where as in another place he saith : " Thou art
[Psalm exix. just, 0 Lord, and thy judgment is right." Blessed is he that stumbleth not here, and doth not murmur against the Lord.
God^unish- But if it so happen that the Lord at any time do some-
sharpiy. what loug defer the judgment and punishment, we must not therefore think that he is unjust, because he spareth the wicked, and sharply correcteth^ his friends and their vices. Let us rather lay before our eyes the evangelical parable of the rich glutton and poor silly Lazarus : for Lazarus, though he was the friend of God, did notwithstanding die for want of food : the other, though he was God's enemy, did spend his life in dainty fare and pleasures, and felt none ill. But hearken after this life what their judgment was. Abraham
[Lukexvi. saith to tlio rich glutton: "My son, remember that thou in thy hfetime receivedst thy good, and Lazarus hkewise re- ceived evil : but now he rejoiceth, and thou art tormented.'* Therefore if the godly be at any time afflicted in this present life, they shall be abundantly rewarded for it in the life to come : but if the wicked be spared in this world, they are more grievously punished in the world to come : for God is just, and^ rewardeth every man according to his merit.
If hereafter therefore thou shalt chance to see the wicked live in prosperity, think not thou by and by that God is unjust: suppose not that his power is abated'*; and say not that he sleepeth, and seeth them not. For that say- ing of the prophet, which is also used by the apostle Peter,
[1 notus est, Lat. ; is well known.] [2 interim, Lat. omitted ; in the mean season,] [3 ergo, Lat. ; and therefore.]
[* Noli putare Deum esse ficulneum,Lat. See Erasmi Adag. Chi- liad, p. 95. col. 2. auxilium injirmum.]
X.] OF Siy, AND THE KINDS THEREOF. 429
is assuredly true : " Tlic eyes of the Lord are upon the just, (Psai.xxxiv. and Ills cars open unto their prayers ;" again : " Tlie eyes lii! I'i.'] of the Lord arc upon them that do wickedness." We must in such a case fortify our minds with the just examples of God's judgments, gathered together out of the holy scriptures. Let us consider that the world was destroyed with the ge- Example* of neral deluge, when God had in vain a long time looked after puniihing. repentance. Let us remember that Sodom, Gomorrha, and the cities adjacent thereabout, were burnt with fire sent down from heaven. Let us think upon Egypt, how it was stricken with divers plagues^ and the inhabitants drowned in the lied sea. Let us call to mind the things that happened by the holy and just judgment of God to the Amorhites, the Cha- naanites, the Amalechitcs, and the very Israelites, first under their judges, then under their kings. Their measure at last was fully filled. Neither did they at any time despise God and his word, but were at the last paid home for their labour. They never sinned and went scot-free long^. The history of Paulus Orosius, yea, the universal history of all the world, do minister unto us innumerable examples like unto these, declaring the certainty of God"'s judgment'. Let us think^ that God doth not therefore allow of sins, because he is slack in punishing them ; but let us persuade ourselves, that ood-s long he by the prolonging of punishment doth of his unmeasurablc ^"'^""'^• goodness both look and stay for the repentance and conver- sion of miserable sinners. For in the gospel the Lord biddeth [i.ukexiii. not to cut down the barren fig-tree, because he looked to sec if it would bring any fruit the next year following. The apostle Paul saith : " Despisest thou the riches of his good- [Rom. h. 4- ness and patience and long-suifcrance ; not knowing that the * goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance ? But thou, after thy stubbornness and heart that cannot repent, hcapest unto thyself wi-ath against the day of wrath and declaration of the righteous judgment of God, which will reward every man according to his deeds : to them which by continuing in well-doing seek for glory, and honour, and immortality, eternal life ; but unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness, shall come indig-
[5 primum — dcindc, Lat. omitttMl ; first, and tlicn.] [« Cf. above, pages 0—1.3.]
[7 justi judicii, Lat. ; tho justice of God's ju<I,<;;mciit.] [8 prccterca, Lat. omitted; besides.]
' grace God
13, 10.]
430 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM.
nation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doth evil." This, I say, let us firmly hold, and with this let us content ourselves, not grudging to see^ the wicked live long in prosperity without pain or punishment. The holy, just, wise, and mighty God knoweth best what to do, how to do, why and when to do everything conveniently. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Why sins are To this belonocth also, that God doth as well afflict the
plagued with iii i • t • ^ t
temporal good as the Dad ; touching which 1 spake at laro-e in the
punishments, o ' o r o
thatthey"a1-e ^^^^^^ scrmon of this third Decade ^ Now here therefore some [hSrace'df ^^^^^^'^ are which demand, why God doth with divers punish- ments persecute those sins which he hath already forgiven to men? For he forgave Adam his sin, and yet he laid on him both death and innumerable calamities of this life beside. [2Sam. xii. To David we read that the prophet Nathan said, "The Lord hath taken thy sin away : " and yet immediately after the same prophet addeth : " The sword shall not depart from thy house." To this we answer simply, that these plagues, which are laid on us before the remission of our sins, are the punishments due to our sins ; but that after the remission of our sins they are conflicts and exercises, wherewith the faith- ful do not make satisfaction for their sins, which are already remitted by grace in the death of the Son of God; but where- with they are humbled and kept in their duty, having an occasion given of the greater glory.
And here I will not stick to recite unto you, dearly beloved, St Augustine's judgment touching this matter in his second book De Peccatorum Meritis et Remissions, chap. 33, and 34, where he saith : " Things, the guilt whereof God absolveth or remitteth, to the end that after this life they should do no harm, and yet he suffereth them to abide unto the conflict of faith, that by them men may be instructed and exercised, profiting in the conflict of righteousness," &c. And presently after : "Before forgiveness, they are the punishments of sinners ; but after remission, they are the conflicts and exercises of just men." And again, after a few words more he saith : " The flesh which was first made was not the flesh of sin, wherein man would not keep righteousness among the pleasures of paradise. Wherefore God ordained that, after his sin, the flesh of sin being increased should endeavour with pains and labours
[^ Rather, however the wiclceil may, &c. utciinquo, Lat.] [2 Sec above, page 75.]
X.] OF SIN. AND THE KINDS THEREOF. 431
to recover riglitcousncss again. And for that cause Adam being cast out of paradise dwelt over against Eden, that is, against the place of pleasures; which was a sign that with labours, which are contrary to pleasure, the flesh of sin was then to be inured, which, being in pleasures, kept not obedi- ence before it was the flesh of sin. Therefore even as those our first parents, by living justly afterward, whereby they are rightly thought to be by the blood of Christ delivered from utter punishment, deserved not yet in that life to bo called back again into paradise; so also the flesh of sin, although when sins are forgiven a man live righteously in it, doth not presently deserve not to sufter that death which it drew from the propagation of sin. Such a like thing is insi- nuated to us in the book of the Kings concerning the patriarch David ; to whom when the prophet was sent, and had threat- ened unto him the evils that should come upon him through the anger of God because of the sin which he had committed, by the confession of the sin he deserved forgiveness, according to the answer of the prophet who told him that that sin and Absoion crime was forgiven unto him ; and yet those things betided ^^'^^f^^^t^i' him which God had threatened unto him. to wit, that he should so be humbled by the incest of liis son, &c, what is the cause that they demand not, If God for sin did threaten that scourge, why then, when he had pardoned the sin, did he fulfil that which he threatened ? but for because they know (if they demand that question) that they shall rightly be answered. That the remission of the sin was granted to the end the man should not be by his sin hindered to obtain eternal life : but the effect of God's threatening did follow after the remission of the sin, to the end that the godliness of the man might be tried and exercised in that humility. In like manner God hath for sins laid bodily death as a punish- ment upon the body of man ; and after the forgiveness of sins hath not taken it away, but left it in the body to be a mean to the exercise of righteousness^" Thus far hath Augustine.
[3 _res, quarum rcatuni, no post hanc vitam obsiiit, Dous solvit, tameu cas ad ccrtamcn n<lci sinit inanorc, ut per illas crudiaiitur ct exercoantur proficiontes in agonc Justitiic . . . respoiidemus dicentes, ante romissioiicm esse ilia supplicia i)occatorum ; post remissioncm autcm ccrtaniiiia excrcitationcsquo justoruin . . . Caro cnim, qurc jiriino facta est, non crat caro poccati, etc. — August. 0pp. Tom. vu. fol. 147. col. 1. 2. 3.]
saith that
Daviil was
AT humbled.
432 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERM. X.]
How the Now as Concerning the punishments of the wicked, (if the
punished, most just God do in this world touch them with any,) let us know that thej be the arguments^ of God''s just judgment, who in this world beginneth to punish them temporally, and in the world to come doth not cease to plague them everlast- ingly. The wicked, verily, perish through their own default ; for God beginneth to whip them in this life, to the end that they, being chastened, may begin to be wise, and turn to the Lord: but they 2, by his chastisement, are the more indurate, and murmur at the judgments of God, converting that to their own destruction which was ordained to have been to their health. For as to them that love God all things work to the best, so to them that hate the Lord all things do work to their utter destruction. This argument might be extended further yet ; but for because I have already spoken a great deal to this effect in the third sermon of this third Decade, that which is here left out may there be found ; and therefore I refer you to the looking upon that^. And so now hitherto touching sin. I have with somewhat too long a sermon, dearly beloved, by more than the space of two whole hours detained you here. That therefore I may now make an end, let us humbly acknowledge our sins, and meekly cry with prayers unto the Lord, which sitteth in the throne of grace, saying : Have mercy upon us, O Lord, for against thee have we sinned, and do confess our oifences. Thy debtors are we ; forgive thou us our debts, as we forgive our debtors : and lead us not into temptation : but deliver us from evil. Amen.
The End of the Third Decade of Sermons.
[1 i. e. proofs, evidences.]
[2 non convevtuntur ad se percutientem, scd, Lat. omitted ; are not turned to him that smiteth them, but, &c.] [3 See above, page 79.]
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