Sermons upon Deuteronomy

And here we be taught, that it ought to suffice §50us when our Lord taketh us to mercy, to reserve us to be of his people. When we have offended him, so as we deserve to be cast off, & to be utterly disclaimed at his hand: it ought well to suffice us if we may but have a place still in his Church, & be taken & admitted for his children. Moreover, if we be chastised for our faults, let us take it in good worth & bear it patiently, & let us not do as they do which grudge & §60grind their teeth when God chastiseth them, & think they have great wrong if they be not dandled, when they have more need to be handled roughly. Let us then bear all the temporal corrections which God sendeth us, with such mildness & meekness, as it may suffice us to be comforted, in that he doth not raze us out of the register of life, but are accounted still among his children. Doth God then smite some with sickness, some with poverty, and some after some other sorts, so as they pine away in this world, & wot not where to become? Well let all this be easy for us to bear, so long as we have still wherewith to sweeten our sorrow: that is, when God showeth us that notwithstanding our imperfections & miseries, yet he ceaseth not to be our father still. So long as we have that; let us overgo all the temptations in the world. Well, I must be hear as a wretched creature, scorned, an outcast of the world, shamed & despised; I shall see no end nor measure of miseries: but what for all this? Yet is it enough for me so I be avowed for the child of God. Thus ye see what we have to gather upon this place, when God doth continually put us in mind of our deserts, and toucheth us with them, & maketh us to feel them by proof and experience: For whereas he saith: Let Reuben live and not dye: it is to show them what he were worthy of, & that it was needful in deed that God should have pity upon him; insomuch that if he had listed to have used rigour, he deserved to have bin utterly rooted out. That then is the first point which we have to remember upon this place.

And here we be taught, that it ought to suffice §50vs when our Lord taketh vs to mercie, to reserue vs to be of his people. When we haue offended him, so as we deserue to be cast off, & to be vtterly disclaymed at his hand: it ought well to suffice vs if wee may but haue a place still in his Church, & be taken & admitted for his childrē. Moreouer, if we be chastized for our faults, let vs take it in good worth & beare it patiently, & let vs not doe as they doe which grudge &