Sermons upon Deuteronomy

Now he cometh to the second and saith, If thou turn away, and rebel, and beest carried to serve strange Gods: I tell thee, that thou shalt perish, (saith he) and thou shalt not escape the hand of the Lord thy God. Look not to prolong thy days when you shall have so despised him which hath all goodness in his own power, and will in the end revenge himself of the despisers of his word. Now we see the meaning of §30Moses in general. It remaineth for us to mark the manner of speech which he useth. He saith, If thy heart look back not to obey, and that thou beest moved to obey strange Gods and to serve them. When he saith, If thy heart turn back, his intent is to express here the malice of men, which covet nothing but to flee from God. For if we were not carried away by our wicked affections, it is certain that every of us would follow this Principle, and the seed which is in us; namely,§40 That forasmuch as there is but one God, therefore we ought to worship and serve him. Let men be as wicked as they list, and let them strive as much as they can to extinguish all manner of light, that they may have no more reason in them: (as we see many do, whose whole delight and endeavour is to make themselves very beasts); yet doeth this remain still engraven in them, That there is a God which ought to be served. What shall become of us then, if we seek §50him not as we ought to do? Again, see we not the world how it is so far out of course, that there is nothing but confusion throughout all, and that thereupon every man goeth astray? Whereof cometh it (say I) that we be so witless, as to follow the wicked trade of other men, and yet be compelled to condemn the same? Even of this, that we turn away our hearts back; that is to say, that every of us wrappeth himself in wilful blindness, and every of us §60setteth himself back, notwithstanding that we have been taught the contrary. For albeit that it is true without exception, that all they which turn away from the truth, do it of a certain wickedness: ye• notwithstanding, we be double fold the less excusable, when we have bin taught by the word, so as God hath showed himself unto us familiarly. Therefore when we hear this saying of Moses, we must apply it to our use.

Nowe he commeth to the seconde and saith, If thou turne away, and rebell, and beest caried to serue straunge Gods: I tell thee, that thou shalt perish, (saith hee) and thou shalt not escape the hande of the Lorde thy God. Looke not to prolong thy dayes when you shall haue so despised him which hath all goodnesse in his owne power, and will in the end reuenge himselfe of the dispisers of his worde. Nowe wee see the meaning of