The Second Part of the Sermon of Good Works. OF are that F three things which were in the former Sermon efpecially noted of lively faith, to be declared unto you, the firft was, that faith is never idle, without good works when occafion ferveth: the fecond, that good works acceptable to God cannot be done without faith. Now What to go forward to the third part, that is, what manner of works they works they be which fpring out of true faith, and lead fpring out faithful men unto everlatting life. This cannot be known of faith. fo well as by our Saviour Chrift himself, who was asked of a certain great man the fame question; What works fhall I Matt. xix. do, faid a Prince, to come to everlasting life? To whom Jefus anfwered, If thou quilt come to everlasting life, keep the commandments. But the Prince, not fatisfied herewith, asked farther, Which commandments? The Scribes and Pharifees had made fo many of their own laws and traditions, to bring men to heaven, befides God's commandments, that this man was in doubt whether he should come to heaven by thofe laws and traditions, or by the Law of God; and therefore he asked Chrift, which commandments he meant. Whereunto Chrift made him a plain answer, rehearsing the commandments of God, faying, Thou shalt not kill, Thou Matt. xix. fbalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not fleal, Thou shalt not bear falfe witnefs, Honour thy father and thy mother, and, Love thy neighbour as tbyjelf. By which words Chrift declared, The works that the laws of God be the very way that doth lead to that lead to everlafting life, and not the traditions and laws of men. heaven, be So that this is to be taken for a most true leffon taught by God's com Chrift's own mouth, that the works of the moral com- mandmandments of God be the very true works of faith, which ments. lead to the bleffed life to come. But the blindness and malice of man, even from the beginning, hath ever been ready to fall from God's commandments: as Adam the Man from firft man, having but one commandment, that he fhould his firft fallnot eat of the fruit forbidden; notwithstanding God's coming from mandment, he gave credit unto the woman, feduced by mandthe fubtile perfuafion of the ferpent, and fo followed his ments hath own will, and left God's commandment. And ever fince ever been that time, all that came of him have been fo blinded ready to do through original fin, that they have been ever ready to and doth defall from God and his Law, and to invent a new way unto vife works falvation by works of their own device; fo much, that al- of his own fantafy to most all the world, forfaking the true honour of the only pleafe God eternal withal. works of God's com the like, 'try of the Gentiles. eternal living God, wandered about their own fantafies, The devices worshipping fome the fun, the moon, the stars; fome Juand idola- piter, Juno, Diana, Saturnus, Apollo, Neptunus, Ceres, Bacchus, and other dead men and women: fome, thereThe devices with not fatisfied, worthipping divers kinds of beafts, birds, and idola- fish, fowl, and ferpents; every country, town, and houfe, tries of the in a manner being divided, and fetting up images of fuch Exod.xxxii. things as they liked, and worshipping the fame. Such was Ifraelites. the rudeness of the people after they fell to their own fantafies, and left the eternal living God and his commandments, that they devifed innumerable images and gods. In which error and blindness they did remain, until such time as Almighty God, pitying the blindness of man, sent his true Prophet Mofes into the world, to reprove and rebuke this extreme madnefs, and to teach the people to know the only living God, and his true honour and worfhip. But the corrupt inclination of man was so much given to follow his own fantafy, and, as you would fay, to favour his own bird that he brought up himfelf, that all the admonitions, exhortations, benefits, and threatenings of God could not keep him from fuch his inventions. For notwithstanding all the benefits of God fhewed unto the people of Ifrael, yet when Mofes went up into the mountain to fpeak with Almighty God, he had tarried there but a few days, when the people began to invent new gods: and, as it came into their heads, they made a calf of gold, and kneeled down and worshipped it. And after that they followed the Moabites, and worshipped Beelphegor, the Moabites God. Read the book of Judges, the book of the Kings, and the Prophets; and there you fhall find how unfteadfaft the people were, how full of inventions, and more ready to run after their own fantafies, than God's moft holy commandments. There fhall you read of Baal, Moloch, Chamos, Melchom, Baalpeor, Aftaroth, Bell, the Dragon, Priapus, the brazen Serpent, the twelve Signs, and many others, unto whofe images the people, with great devotion, invented pilgrimages, precious decking and cenfing them, kneeling down and offering to them, thinking that an high merit before God, and to be efteemed above the precepts and commandments of God. And where, at that time, God commanded no facrifice to be made but in Jerufalem only, they did clean contrary, making altars and facrifices every where, in hills, in woods, and in houfes, not regarding God's commandments, but efteeming their own fantafies. and devotions to be better than they. And the error hereof was was fo fpread abroad, that not only the unlearned people, but also the priests and teachers of the people, partly by Fain-glory and covetoufnefs were corrupted, and partly by ignorance blindly deceived with the fame abominations: fo much, that King Achab having but only Helias a true teacher and minifter of God, there were four hundred and fifty priests that perfuaded him to honour Baal, and to do facrifice in the woods or groves. And fo continued that horrible error, until the three noble kings, as Jofaphat, Ezechias, and Jofias, God's chofen minifters, deftroyed the fame clearly, and brought again the people from fuch their feigned inventions, unto the very commandments of God: for the which thing their immortal reward and glory doth and fhall remain with God for among the Jews. And befide the forefaid inventions, the inclination Religions of man to have his own holy devotions devifed new fects and fects and religions, called Pharifees, Sadducees, and Scribes, with many holy and godly traditions and ordinances, (as) it feemed by the outward appearance and goodly gliftering of the works) but in very deed all tending to idolatry, fuperftition, and hypocrify; their hearts within being full of malice, pride, covetoufnefs, and all wickedness. Against which fects and their pretended holinefs Chrift cried out. more vehemently than he did against any other perfons, faying, and often rehearfing thefe words, Woe be to you, Matt. Scribes and Pharifees, ye bypocrites! for you make clean the xxi. veffel without, but within ye be full of ravine and filthiness : Thou blind Pharifee and bypocrite! first make the inward part clean. For notwithstanding all the goodly traditions and outward fhews of good works devifed of their own imagination, whereby they appeared to the world most religious and holy of all men; yet Chrift, who faw their hearts, knew that they were inwardly, in the fight of God, most unholy, most abominable, and fartheft from God of all men. Therefore faid he unto them, Hypocrites, the Prophet Ifaiah spake full truly of you, when he said, This people bonour me with their lips, but their heart is far Matt. xv. from me. They worship me in vain that teach doctrines and Ifai. xix, commandments of men: for you leave the commandments of God to keep your own traditions. ferved and And though Chrift faid, They worship God in vain that teach doctrines and commandments of men; yet he meant not Man's laws thereby to overthrow all men's commandments; for he must be ob himself was ever obedient to the princes and their laws, kept, but made for good order and governance of the people: but not as God's he reproved the laws and traditions made by the Scribes laws. and and Pharifees, which were not made only for good order of the people, (as the civil laws were) but they were fet up fo high, that they were made to be right and pure worshipping of God, as they had been equal with God's laws, or above them for many of God's laws could not be kept, but were fain to give place unto them. This arrogancy God detefted, that man fhould fo advance his laws to make them equal with God's laws, wherein the true honouring and right worthipping of God ftandeth, and to make his laws for them to be left off. God hath appointed his laws, whereby his pleasure is to be honoured. His pleafure is alfo, that all men's laws, not being contrary unto his laws, fhall be obeyed and kept, as good and neceffary for every commonweal, but not as things wherein principally his honour refteth: and all civil and man's laws either be, or should be made, to bring men the better to keep God's laws, that confequently, or followingly, God fhould be the better honoured by them. Howbeit, the Scribes and Pharifees were not content that their laws fhould be no higher efteemed than other positive and civil laws; nor would they have them called by the name of other temporal laws; but called them holy and Holy tradi- godly traditions, and would have them efteemed, not only tions were for a right and true worshipping of God, as God's laws be God's laws. indeed, but alfo for the most high honouring of God, to the which the commandments of God fhould give place. efteemed as And for this caufe did Christ so vehemently speak against them, faying, Your traditions, which men esteem fo high, Holiness of be abomination before God: for commonly of fuch tradiman's de- tions, followeth the tranfgreffion or breaking of God's commonly commandments, and a more devotion in keeping of fuch occafion things, and a greater confcience in breaking of them, than that God is of the commandments of God. As the Scribes and PhaMatt. xii. rifees fo fuperftitioufly and fcrupulously kept the fabbath, vice is offended. that they were offended with Chrift because he healed fick men; and with his Apoftles, because they, being fore a hungry, gathered the ears of corn to eat upon that day; and because his difciples wafhed not their hands fo often as the traditions required, the Scribes and Pharifees quarMatt. xv. relled with Chrift, faying, Why do thy difciples break the traditions of the feigniors? But Chrift laid to their charge, that they, for to keep their own traditions, did teach men to break the very commandments of God: for they taught the people fuch a devotion, that they offered their goods into the treasure-houfe of the Temple, under the pretence of God's honour, leaving their fathers and mothers, to whom whom they were chiefly bound, unholpen; and fo they brake the commandments of God, to keep their own traditions. They esteemed more an oath made by the gold or oblation in the Temple, than an oath made in the name of God himself, or of the Temple. They were more ftudious to pay their tithes of fmall things, than to do the greater things commanded of God, as works of mercy, or to do juftice, or to deal fincerely, uprightly, and faithfully with God and man: Thefe, faith Chrift, ought to be done, Matt. xxiífà and the other not left undone. And, to be fhort, they ere of fo blind judgment, that they stumbled at a straw, and leaped over a block; they would, as it were, nicely take a fly out of their cup, and drink down a whole camel; and therefore Chrift called them blind guides, warning his difciples from time to time to efchew their doctrine. For although they feemed to the world to be most perfect men, both in living and teaching, yet was their life but hypocrify, and their doctrine but four leaven, mingled with fuperftition, idolatry, and overthwart judgment, fetting up the traditions and ordinances of man, instead of God's commandments. The Third Part of the Sermon of Good Works. Thath been declared in the lecond part of this Sermon, what kind of good works they be that God would have or |