Sermons upon Deuteronomy

The greater then that our sins be, the more let us cast down and humble our selves, to crave pardon of our God by confessing wherein we have offended him. After that manner must we deal. And it is certain, that if every of us consider well his own life without flattery, he shall find himself exceedingly endangered unto God, and we shall always have good cause to be ashamed of our selves. And therefore when we pray, let us bear these two things §50in remembrance: namely, that although we be never so wretched, yet notwithstanding forasmuch as God hath chosen us for his people, we must come to him familiarly and without doubting, for he guideth us thither and openeth us the gate by his promise, & that must be our ground to stand upon. Again, we must be think us of our sins, so as we may feel them & be deadly wounded by them, to the end we may be sorry for them before God, & beseech him (notwithstanding §60our unworthiness) to apply his promises to our salvation, when it shall have pleased him to bury our sins & to receive us to mercy. Yea & let us mark well the words that are set down here, the stubbornness of the people, their wickedness, and their sin. For Moses here maketh not a ceremonious confession as these shameless sort do: that is to say, in manner the greater part, when they have done amiss, do bear themselves in hand, that it is enough to have said in one word, I grant it is a fault: but ye must consider I am a man, I am not as a timber log. It is enough for them (say I) that they excuse not themselves altogether. But we must come after another fashion, as we see by example here. For first of all Moses setteth down Stubbornness: showing thereby that there was a horrible rebelliousness in that people. Next he addeth wickedness: wherein he betokeneth that the people were stark naught: for the word that he useth, importeth such a lewdness, that they which are so termed are disordered in their whole life. And lastly he addeth Sin, that is to say the particular fault which they had committed, namely their offence in making themselves an idol. And so we see that he acknowledgeth the peoples offences in good earnest, to condemn them.

The greater then that our sinnes bee, the more let vs cast downe and humble our selues, to craue pardon of our God by confessing wherin we haue offended him. After that manner must we deale. And it is certaine, that if euerie of vs consider well his owne life without flatterie, he shall finde himself exceedingly indaungered vnto God, and we shall always haue good cause to be ashamed of our selues. And therefore when we pray, let vs beare these two things