e began yesterday to see howe hard
it is to abstaine from sinning when a man is in evil companie, specially if hee
have the charge of government. For seeing it was Moses hap to be shaken downe:
Howe shall they do which are farre weaker than he was? Wee knowe that God
had made him to excell all men, we see
also how he served his turne by him, and what record hee hath given of him. And
yet for all that, behold here a fal which God mislyketh of so greatly, that he
disappointeth him of entring into the lande for it: and such dishonour and
reproch was done unto him, that hee might not possesse the inheritance that had
beene promised, as well to him as to all the people. Therefore we had neede to
call upon God when we be mingled with such as are able to corrupt us and to
thrust us out of the way, so as we be hemmed it rounde about with evill
examples. But yet they which have the charge of governement, ought to stande in
greater feare and dreade, and to call uppon God to strengthen them, and to give
them such constancie as they may not swarve any whit at all.
But Before we goe any further, we must mark that
where as Moses reporteth that God was angrie with him for the peoples sakes:
hee doth it not to excuse himselfe that he had not done amisse: for then should
he replie against God who had given sentence upon him. In the twentith Chapter
of the booke of Numbers[1]
it is sayde expresly, thou shalt not enter into the lande, because that thou
and Aaron have not glorified the Lord before the people of
True it is that wee have the lawe, whereby wee may
assuredly say, this is good and that is evill: and our yeelding unto that which
is shewed us there, is not to make us judges: for wee take no authoritie to our
selves, but onely yelde to the things that God setteth forth. And besides this,
wee must not onely judge our neighbours doings by the lawe, but also examine
our owne lives by it. And when wee finde our selves to have swarved from Gods
commaundementes, we must willingly condemne our selves, and allowe no further
of our owne doings, that they agree with Gods will. Although they seeme good to
our selves, yet let us not stande uppon that. For our eyes are so troubled and
weake, that oftentimes one sinne escapeth us and a humdred followe out after
it: and that is because we be not sharpesighted ynough, to spie out the thinges
that God perceiveth, and which are hid from us. And that is the cause why
Furthermore, proceeding still herewith, let us not
be hastie in judging, to acquite one and to condemne another: but let us
reserve unto God that which is his, for as I have said afore, if God had not
pronounced that sentence uppon Moses, every man would canonize him, and say hee
did the best that coulde be devised. But what for that?
Seeing hee is condemned by the heavenly judge, we must bridle our selves, and
not fall to incountering against God.
For wee shall winne nothing by it. And for the same
cause also S. Paul intending to exhort us to modestie in the 14. to the
Romanes[8],
alledgeth that wee must all come before the judgement seate of our Lorde Jesus
Christ, where we shall not allowe what we thinke good, nor reject what we
mislike in our own fancie: for that authoritie belongeth to the onely son of
God. Seeing it is so my brethren (saith he) wee must absteine from foolish
overweening. Thus much concerning that which is reported of
the sinne of Moses.
Nowe let us come againe to the matter that wee were
in hande with: Which is, that Moses meaneth not to excuse himselfe: he seeketh
no startinghole to lessen his fault: but the thing that he alledgeth is
reasonable, he setteth foorth the heynousnesse of the peoples offence, shewing
that their sedition was so forcible, that even he himselfe also was overthrowen
with it. The meaning then of Moses was as if he should have said thus: Beholde
yee wretches, God hath chosen me to supply his place among you, and he hath
governed me in such wise by his holy spirit, that I have had as it were his
image printed in me: and yet notwithstanding I have done amisse, I have
offended. And what is the cause of it? I excuse not myselfe: but yet are you
giltie before God, of corrupting me, your murmuring hath overthrowen me, for by
reason thereof I have forgotten my duetie, and not yeelded God such glorie as
was due unto him. Seeing it is so: [I may well say] it is not long of you, that
you bereft mee not of all the grace that I had received at Gods hande: for
where as he made me your heade to guide you: you have done ynough to carie mee away to Satan through your naughtinesse and
rebellion.
Nowe then acknowledge the sinne that you have
committed, for God hath brought me low, and it is his will to shewe you in my
person, that you bee well worthie to perish everiechone of you. Therefore
besides the thing that I have touched alreadie, (which is, that we must not
like the better of ourselves when our faults are unknowen [to our selves,] or
when we can cover them, for Gods eies are not blendfolded for al that, and the
thinges that scape men are inrolled before him): wee must marke moreover, that
if we give anie man an occasion [of stumbling or offending], although hee on
his parte is not thereby discharged, yet must our offence needs be the more
grievous and heavie, according as it is in very deede. Wherefore let every man
so behave himselfe, as hee give not his neighbours any occasion of stumbling.
For if any man sinne under pretence of mee, if hee be misseled by my lewde
conversation, if he take ill example by my vices: all the shole mischiefe
shalbe laide in my necke before God, I shalbe discharged, wo shalbe unto mee as
saith our Lord Jesus Christ[9],
and it were better for mee that I were cast into the middes of the sea with a
milstone about my necke, than to have given my neighbour any cause of
misbehaviour. And therefore let us live in such sorte, as it may not bee cast
in our teeth before GOD, that wee have beene the cause of other mens ruine and
destruction. For it will cost us very deare, if the sillie soules
whom God hath created after his owne image, and whom Jesus Christ hath so
deerely redeemed, be lost through our fault and wickednesse. Thus we see in
effect what we have to note upon this sentence, where Moses saith, that GOD was
angrie with him by meanes of the people.
And furthermore we have to mark here, that Gods
laying of his temporall chastisementes uppon his faithfull ones, is not to
drive them to despayre, but to humble them for a time: for in the ende all
turneth to their benefite, and therefore they must not bee out of heart for it.
It was a verie harde and bitter punishment unto Moses, to bee banished out of
the lande that had beene promised him.
The time is come that the people shoulde bee
delivered out of the thraldome of Egypte, to bee conveyed into the Lande of
promise: Moses is chosen to bee their guide, so as hee supplyeth Gods office in
delivering them: and yet notwithstanding this shame is done unto him, that GOD
shutteth the gappe against him and saieth, thou shalt not come there. Yee see
then howe Moses is (as yee woulde say) bronded with a
marke of reproch before God. Nowe had hee taken it in despyte: it had beene
ynough to have plunged him into some blasphemie. But hee bare this correction
patiently, knowing that it shoulde bee to his benefite, because it was but
temporall. And therefore let us marke this saying of
But heerewithall let us marke, that Moses ceased
not to bee an heire still of the heavenly kingdome,
though hee were bereft of the outwarde signe of it. And thereby wee be warned,
that if God make us not to feele his favour and love in this worlde so fully as
wee woulde wish, it must not make us to bee out of patience. For it may happe
that we shall take our selves to bee miserable, yea and that when wee looke
uppon our owne state, we shall deeme it had bin much better for us to have gone
astray with the world: But what for that? Of al that time we have a life that
lyeth hid in God[12].
Therefore it is no hurt at all to us, though God cut off the blessings of this
present life from us. For he knoweth to what end he
doeth it: and it is good for us to be so exercised. Thus yee see that the thing which wee have to
beare in minde, is that God doeth divers times hide the signes
of his love from us, as in respect of the worlde: but hee loveth us never a
whit the lesse, as we see how it happened unto Moses.
As touching that ehich is saide of Josua: it is one
notable point more. For beholde, hee is appointed to succeede in Moses roome,
yea, and yet was he but his servaunt. And afterward Moses is commaunded to
incourage him. Heere we see that God will take the thinges that are not greatly
esteemed among men, yea and exalt them above our opinion, as we see he hath
used to doe at all times: and not without cause: for thereby he intendeth to
pull downe all pride according to this saying of Saint Paul[13],
that hee chooseth the weake thinges, yea even to the end that men shoulde not
glorie in their owne strength: and hee chooseth the foolish thinges, to the
ende that men shoulde not glorie in their wisedome: and when he taketh the
things that are despised, it is to the end that men should not trust in their
owne credit, nor bee puffed up with their owne worthinesse. And it is verie
requisite that it shoulde be so: for we see howe every
man seekes to advaunce himselfe, and wee leave nothing to God as neere as we
can. Nay rather if wee doe but yeelde him the tytles that belong unto him, it
is but in way of daliance: and in the meane while we would that all shoulde be
in our own persons. Now forasmuch as men have this pride rooted in them: God
must be fain to shew them by experience, that all of it is but vanitie: and so
doth hee, by choosing the things that are not regarded, and by serving his
turne with such as are not esteemed to be of any great renowne. If we looke howe God chooseth men somtimes, to set them in preheminence:
wee will say, who woulde have looked for this? And God worketh after that
manner, to the intent that those by whom he serveth his turne, shoulde learne
to acknowledge themselves beholden to him for their dignitie wherein he hath
set them, and understande that they obteined it not by their own power and
policie, but that it is God which hath placed them in that degree. For if they
thinke they have ought of their owne purchasing: God
will shewe them the contrarie. That then is the thing which we have to marke,
when it is heere declared that God preferred Josua before Moses insomuch that
although Moses had now of long time beene cladde with the grace of the holy
Ghost: although hee had beene chosen to bee the Redeemer [or Ransommer] of the
people: although God had set his mark uppon him: although that in executing his
office, it was well seene that hee was a newe creature, and there appeared in
him a majestie surmounting the nature of man: and there withall although hee
had done so many deedes worthy of memorie, as might astonishe all them that
hearde speaking of them: yet notwithstanding, in the ende God ordeyned his
servaunt insteede, to leade the people into the lande of Chanaan, and to put
them in possession of their promised heritage, and Moses himselfe is not worthy
to come there. So far off is hee from coming there even as a common member shuffeled
in among the rest of the body: that God driveth him from it: and behold, God
reacheth his hand to Josua, who had never looked for it.
But now besides that which I have said, (that is to
wit, that we be warned to forbeare all presumption, and to lay downe all
pride): let us bee wel assured, that it belongeth to God to advance us and to
make us of estimation, through his mere grace: and that when we shal have
heaped up al that ever we can together, all is nothing. Then, besides that we
have a good warning to humble our selves: it is shewed us therewithall, that
wee must not envie those by whom God serveth his turne. And that is another
good lesson. For wee see howe every of us repyneth,
when God hath advanced any man, specially beyonde all worldly hope. Where as we
should consider thus, beholde God serveth his turne by such a one, everie man
commendeth him, and there appeare manifest gifts of grace in him: when we see
those things, we be so malicious, that we grudge and
repine at it. But contrariwise wee ought to marke, that shen we be so pricked
with spite and envie, it is an advancing of our selves against God and not
against mortall creatures. Therefore let us learne to honour God wheresoever
hee sheweth himself, and to be glad when he vouchsafeth to extend his grace to
our neighbours: for if we do so, all shall fall out to our welfare. If another
man have mo gracious gifts than I: I am rich in his
person. For when we confesse the communion of saints: it is to shew, that
whatsoever God giveth to one man or to another, the same redoundeth to the
benefite of all. True it is that we perceive it not at the first push: but yet
doth such diversitie serve for the whole bodie of the Church. The members of a
bodie have not all one operation[14]:
the eyes execute not the office of the legges, nor the
hands the office of the feete: and yet notwithstanding the body is so knit
together in one, that whatsoever is given to any one member, doeth benefite al
the rest. Now the let us understand, that when God bestoweth the gifts of his
holie spirit more largely upon some one man than upon others, he ceaseth not
therefore to have pitie upon us: For we also must be edified therby. Yea
surely, so we be not unthankfull, and that we take no pritch at it whe hee
listeth to holde us lowe and to exalt our neighbours.
To bee short, wee make warre against God when we cannot abide that he shoulde
keepe the order which hee hath determined: that is to wit, to pul down the
things that are great to the worldward, and to advance and exalt the things
that are base and despised.
Moreover we see that Moses is commaunded to
strengthen Josua. So little ought Moses to be greeved at the preferring of his
servaunt before himselfe, that hee must instruct him and harten him. As if hee
shoulde say, I see nowe it is Gods will to honour thee by dishonoring mee. I am
worthie of it, and I must be faine to beare it, and therewithall also to
prepare thee to thine office. Although thou take my place: yet will I not set
my selfe against thee, but (which more is) I will helpe thee to the uttermost
of my power. Nowe am I become thy servaunt. Whereas God had erst advaunced mee:
I must nowe give up this prehiminence, and thou must take my roome: and I must
indever as much as I can, that the benefite which Gods will is to bestow upon
thee, may avayle in thee. So then, if it please God to take any man to serve
him, let us streyne our selves to helpe him, and let us not bee ashamed to put
our shoulders under him to heave him up. Let us not have any of these wicked
respects, to say, O ho, truely as for mee, if God were so gratious to mee as to
advance me as wel as such a one, I woulde bestirre mee. But forasmuch as hee
holdeth mee downe to the grounde, I will not meddle with other men. Let us
beware of such churlishinesse. Nay rather when we see that God hath chosen a
man: [let us reason thus with our selves.] I see that God hath chosen such a
man, indeede hee is not the ablest that coulde bee devised, but yet is it Gods
will to bee served by him, and wee see hee hath a good will: therefore let us
helpe him, let everie of us reach him his hande, and let everie of us consider
wherin hee may succour him to his furtherance. Yee see then that the thing
which wee have to marke heere, is that although our working beare no great
outwarde shewe, and that the thinges which we doe have no great glosse to
commend them to the worlde: yet wee must not therefore cease to serve God
according to our power, and to linke in with those by whom it is Gods will to
bee served, and not to imagine any thing that may foreslowe us, or make s say,
At whose whose hande shall I bee recompensed? That which I have done is as good
as lost, men make none account of it. It shall well ynough come in account before
God. And therefore let it suffice us to be allowed at his hand. These are the
things that we have to note upon this, that Moses was commaunded to strengthen
Josua.
Nowe finally it is saide, that
the people perceiving their sinne, answered: Wee have offended the Lorde, and therefore wee bee nowe readie to goe
up. And they not onely used those wordes: but also everie man prepared and armed
himselfe, and so they went up to encounter with their enemies. Heere wee see the nature of men. When GOD biddeth them be
stil, they be too too forward, and they be as hot as
fire to doe the thing that is forbidden them. But when they were bidden goe,
then their legges were broken. And yet notwithstanding it is saide, that the
people acknowledged their sinne, when they had beene so disobedient against
GOD. Whereby it appeareth that there is such a corruptnesse in our nature, that
even in minding to doe good we doe evill, and offende God, and overshoote our
selves without reason or measure. Heere is then a faire lookingglasse for us to
discerne our owne vices by: yea verily, so wee consider in the person of the
Jewes, that not only they themselves are condemned, but also that God purposeth
to give a generall lesson, whereby all men may fare the better. Nowe I tolde
you first of all, that when God soundeth his trumpet and commaundeth us to
march, we stir not a whit: and that although wee have some good liking of the
matter, yet we bee so colde and slowe, as is pitie to see. And on the contrarie
part, that if hee say, Tary still, wee bee lustie, and moreover so hot and hastie, that wee desire nothing but to occupie both our
armes and our legs too. When it was saide to the people, Go, for your God is
among you, bee not afraide so long as yee have such a power to defende you: the
people replyed againe on the other side, nay marie, howe shall wee goe up? They
bee Gyants, they wil devour us with their lookes, wee shalbe undone at the
first chop, it were better yet to returne into
Howbeit, for the better understanding of this
matter, let us marke that this people offended in preacing forwarde without
promise. For as I have saide afore, we must not be hardie any
further than God biddeth us. Therefore when wee have but a worde of his mouth, we must take courage, and put all lettes
under foote that may turne us away. For the thing wherein God will bee
glorified, is that hee commaunde us nothing in vaine. And speciallie when hee
promiseth us good successe to our matters, and to prosper our doings: then must
we rest therupon, assuring our selves that hee will give us good dispatch.
Neverthelesse when God had sworne, that the people should not come there: then
woulde they needes goe up against their enemies, not considering that in so
doing they resisted GOD, and avaunced themselves against him. True it is that
if a man had asked them, whether they minded to resist God or no, and to doe
cleane contrarie to his will, or whether they minded to have him to bee their
adversarie: they woulde have aunswered, No: Wee beleeve that God will helpe us.
For why? Hee hath delivered us out of
Furthermore let us beare in minde, that (as I have
sayde alreadie) if GOD list to chastice us as in repect of the fleshe, we must
not bee too much grieved thereat: for it is for our benefite and welfare. If
this people had beene well advised, they woulde have thought thus: bicause wee
have offended God by our disobedience, hee will not have us to enter into the
land: but yet for all that he bereaveth us not of the hope of salvation, let us
content our selves with that, and wander foorth in this worlde till he take us
hence. So likewise let us learne to wander on, if wee minde to come to the
heavenly life. And if God doe nowe and then cast us downe, let us consider that
that casting downe, will make us to go much more swiftlie towardes the marke of
the heavenly kingdome that is set before us, than if we had runned never so
fast, and had never left galloping all the way. Thus ye see what we had to
mnarke more, uppon this saying, that the people would needes goe up to
discomfit their enemies.
Now Moses addeth, that They made themselves readie with their armour and weapons. Yea
forsooth, but it is all one as if ye shoulde put an armour uppon a scarecrowes
backe, and take him a sworde in his fiste: surely he were
substantially well armed: but in deede all were to no purpose. Even so is it
with us: If wee were furnished with all the helpes of man and with al inferiour
meanes, and in the meane whyle were not strengthened in our heartes, but were
full of foolishe selfeweening, and as it were drunkennesse, by presuming uppon
our owne power: all the braverie that wee can make, is but winde and smoke,
bicause wee have not an eye unto God, but are rebellious against him. Wherefore
let us learne to leave the arming of our selves, and to seeke strength and courage
at Gods hand, and then let us take armour and weapon as at his appointment. If
we go that way to worke, God will prosper the helpes that he hath given us: for
he will blesse them, bicause we sought them at his
hand. Besides this, he himself will stand
by us though all other meanes faile us. For divers times he wil perchaunce
suffer us to bee made naked, and let the world mock us, as though we were
undone aforehand: but yet will he provide wel ynough for all, at leastwise so
that afore all things wee be furnished with his inward vertue. This is the
thing that we had to marke, yet further upon this text.
And here Moses sheweth that God meant not to
destroy the people, when he commaunded them to turne backe. Turne ye backe againe saieth he.
Here wee see Gods wonderfull goodnesse, and that the threate which he spake off
yesterday, was not to the end that God woulde pursue the iniquitie of the
people without having any pitie upon them: but to make them feele their owne
evill. For notwithstanding all that, yet doeth he use compassion and kindnesse
towardes them in forbidding them to incounter with their enemies. For although
that at the first sight a man would say that God rejected them, and cursed
them: yet notwithstanding, in so dooing he sheweth them a signe
of his mercie. For had he said never a worde, what a
thing had that bin? In deede the people increased their offence yet more by
being disobedient to the warning that he gave them. But whatsoever they did,
wee must consider what God intended when he saide, Goe not up: for I will not bee with you, neither will I helpe you.
Wee see that when the people had once bin brought
lowe, they perceived and acknowledged a wonderfull goodnesse in God, and
therewithall became the better diposed to profit themnselves by the correction
that was sent them. Let us marke well therefore, that when our Lord uttereth
any token of his grace and goodnesse towardes us: therein he sheweth more
apparantly howe much he loveth us, than if he made no countenance of any thing,
but helde his mouth shut, and suffered us to do what we listed. Why? For alas, we should but throwe our selves headlong into
destruction, if we followed every man his owne fansie. Seeing it is so
then, whensoever God setteth himselfe against us, whensoever he rebuketh us,
and whensoever he sheweth us our follie, yea though it be with such roughnesse
as it amaseth us: yet is it to our benefite, and therefore let us learne to
beare his yoke.
Moreover let this bee our rule to discerne good and
evill by: namely to depend wholly upon Gods mouth, and not to bee wise in our
owne conceits, but to suffer him to be our guide, and not to fall to gambolding
at our owne pleasure and fansie, but to followe the way quietly which he
sheweth us. And then will he give us armes and legs, and guide all our steppes
in such sort, as he will make us to goe still forwarde, and cause us to arrive
at the good haven. But on the contrarie part, if wee will needes bee
fantasticall, and doe thinges uppon our owne head and uppon our owne liking, and
thereupon fall also to foolish practises: God must needes bee against us: And
then albeit that all thinges goe well forewarde with us to our seeming, and
fall out according to our minde: yet will God turne all upside downe, and
overthrowe us when we be at the highest. Those are the things which wee have to
note. And therefore let us set all our whole mindes to obey God: And for the
bringing thereof to passe, let us beseech him to give us the true understanding
of his worde, and to keepe us from being froward and stubborne against him, as
wee see by the example that is shewed us here, which I pray God wee may eschew.
And now let us kneele downe in the presence of our
good God with acknowledgement of our faultes, praying him so to touche us with
them, as wee may profite more and more in faith and repentaunce, even untill he
have utterly chaunged us: and not suffer us to stand against his holy
commaundementes, nor to dubble our misdoings when wee have offended him: but to
reforme us in such sort, that being rid of all fleshly glory, wee may seeke
nothing but to bee mortified by him, to the end that he may so frame us to his
righteousnesse, as our whole indevour may be to rule all our thoughtes wordes
and deedes thereby. That it may please him to graunt this grace, not onely to
us, but also, etc.