Sermons upon Deuteronomy

And that is the cause why he saith, When thy God shall have brought thee into the good land, and there have filled thee with his benefits: Look• in any wise that thou bless his name. Wherefore let us mark the order which God keepeth in exhorting us to serve him. The first point is that forasmuch as he is desirous to show himself a father towards us: his showing of himself to be such a one, should move us and make us the willinger to honour him▪ & to love him so much the more: and that seeing he handleth us so gently, we also should acknowledge it and glorify him for it all our life long: and that as he is a father towards us, so we should be as children towards him. (That say I) is the end that we must begin at. But on the contrary part, forasmuch as we be wild headed children, of nature froward, unruly, & lewd: God is fain to scourge us, and to chastise us, and tame us with beating. Sith it is so: let us learn, that if God show us an angry look & frown upon us or lift to deal roughly with us because he seeth us abuse his benefits, and that we have not honoured him as we ought to do: we must not harden our ⟨p. 361⟩hearts against him, nor take occasion to withdraw our selves from his obedience: neither must we play these unthrifts that forsake their fathers houses, and run gadding abroad at random, as though they liked better of the gallows than of their inheritance. Let us refrain from misbehaving our selves after that fashion against our God, and let us learn to submit our selves mildly under his hand, assuring our selves that if he afflict us he hath good reason to do it. And §10although we perceive not the cause why he doth it let us do him the honour to submit our selves to him, and to shut our own eyes, that he may dispose of us according to his own wisdom which is unknown to us. After this manner must we come from the acknowledgement of Gods benefits, to the subjection which we ought to yield unto him, to humble our selves under his mighty hand, whensoever he listeth to chastise us or to tame us for our stubbornness, and to §20cleanse us of our vices and wicked lusts, and of the infirmities which he knoweth to be in us.

And that is the cause why hee saith, When thy God shall haue brought thee into the good lande, and there haue filled thee with his benefites: Look in any wise that thou blesse his name. Wherefore let vs marke the order which God keepeth in exhorting vs to serue him. The first point is that forasmuch as he is desirous to shewe himselfe a father towardes vs: his shewing of himselfe to be such a one, should mooue vs and make vs the willinger to honour him & to loue him so much the more: and that seeing he handleth vs so gētly, wee also shoulde acknowledge it and glorifie him for it al our life long: and that as he is a father towards vs, so we should bee as children towardes him. (That say I) is the ende that wee must begin at. But on the contrarie part, forasmuch as we be wilde headed children, of nature froward, vnruly, & leawd: God is faine to scourge vs, and to chastisse vs, and tame vs with beating. Sith it is so: let vs learne, that if God shewe vs an angry looke & frowne vpon vs or lift to deale roughly with vs because hee seeth vs abuse his benefites, and that we haue not honored him as wee ought to doe: wee must not harden our