Sermons upon Deuteronomy

Our salvation is named a gage, so as God bindeth himself like a man that receiveth money or some other thing that he is put in trust with to keep. Now if a man have taken a thing to keep, it behooveth him to show his honesty and trueth. And think we that God will deceive us, having promised us to be the keeper of salvation? Seeing then that he hath vouchsafed to take it into his hands, and to undertake the safe custody thereof; let us be bold to trust unto him, and let us go yield our selves into his hands whensoever he shall call us. Thus ye see how we be to put this text in ure.

Our saluation is named a gage, so as God byndeth himselfe lyke a man that receyueth money or some other thing that hee is put in trust with to keepe. Nowe if a man haue taken a thing to keepe, it behooueth him to shewe his honestie and trueth. And thinke we that God will deceyue vs, hauing promysed vs to be the keeper of saluation? Seeyng then that hee hath vouchsafed to take it into his handes, and to vndertake the safe custodie thereof; let vs bee bold to trust vnto him, and let vs goe yeelde our selues into his handes whensoeuer hee shall call vs. Thus yee see howe wee bee to put this text in vre.

Yet must we note further, that there is less excuse for us nowadays, than there was for Moses, or for all the fathers that lived under the Law. For had they the promises that are made unto us at this day in the Gospel? They did but see them a far off, and under very dark shadows. Or did they see Jesus Christ raised from the dead? In deed they knew it, howbeit but by hope, as whereby they comprehended in a figure the things that were absent. But nowadays, forasmuch as we have the Gospel, which openeth to us the gates of heaven: GOD allureth us to him as familiarly as can be, we be already entered into it in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ: in so much that his going up on high, is to draw us thither to him. For in as much as he is our head; he will draw us up to him into the glory whereinto he himself is entered already, so we be not separated from him. Let us beware then that we disappoint not that grace of GOD. But let us be so stablished in the faith, that whensoever GOD shall call us out of the world; we may not stick to go willingly unto him, and to do that which we see here in Moses, When GOD told him that he should dye, he strained not courtesy to go up into the Mountain, although that place were appointed unto him, as it were to offer up himself in sacrifice to GOD. Moreover, his sin was laid afore him again: and yet did not that discomfort him neither. And that is a point more which we ought to mark well, for it importeth a very good lesson. See here, Moses is at deaths door: it may seem that at that time he ought to have had some comfort wherewith to assuage his sorrow. And yet for all that, God reneweth the remembrance of the fault which he had committed: and he telleth him again, that he must take in good worth the punishment which he had heard spoken of afore. We see then that Gods threatenings whereby he layeth our sins before us, ought not to trouble us so much, but that we ought to take occasion and matter to rejoice in them;