Sermons upon Deuteronomy

32 For inquire thou now of the days past, which have been before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and from the one end of heaven unto the other, if ever there were done so great a thing as this, or if ever the like thing have been heard of. 33 Was there ever any Nation that hath heard the voice of God speaking out of the midst of fire, as thou hast heard and yet continuest alive? 34 Or was there ever any God, that assayed to go and take him a people from the midst of another people, by temptations, signs, and wonders, by wars and strong hand, by stretched out arm and great terribleness, as the Lord your God hath done in Egypt before your eyes? 35 He hath made thee to see them, to the intent thou shouldest know that the Lord is God, and that there is none other but only he.

32 For inquire thou nowe of the daies past, which haue beene before thee, since the day that God created man vpon the earth, and from the one end of heauen vnto the other, if euer there were done so great a thing as this, or if euer the like thing haue beene heard of. 33 Was there euer anie Nation that hath heard the voice of God speaking out of the middes of fire, as thou hast heard and yet continuest aliue? 34 Or was there euer anie God, that assaied to goe and take him a people from the middes of another people, by temptations, signes, and wonders, by warres and strong hand, by stretched out arme and great terriblenesse, as the Lord your God hath done in Egypt before your eies? 35 He hath made thee to see them, to the intent thou shouldest knowe that the Lord is God, and that there is none other but onelie he.

Although that all the things that ever God did, ought to serve for our learning, & we §50know not any thing but by ancient stories: yet the later that things were done, so much the better ought they to touch us. And although we ought to profit our selves by Gods works when we behold them a far of: yet ought they to move us much more, when they touch ourselves and concern our own persons. If a thing be told us, which we never saw: yet ought the story to serve to §60waken us. But if we be able to bear witness of it ourselves, so as our eyes have seen it, and we have not had it by other mens report, but every of us is able to avow it by his own experience: ought we not be much better and much more assuredly taught by it? In like case is it when any of us shall have seen or perceived any work of God: for he ought to be touched so much the more to the quick. In the selfsame respect doth Moses now speak unto the people, Look about thee, inquire of the ancient times, see whether thou canst find that ever there have bin any such wonders wrought since the creation of the world, as God hath done in thy sight. Seeing it is so, thine unthankfulness shall be the more unexcusable, if thou acknowledge not so great a benefit, by persuading thy self fully, that there is none other God than the same that hath uttered himself to thee, & hath given thee so evident and infallible tokens of his majesty. Therefore have a regard to serve the God that hath purchased thee: for thou canst not henceforth allege any cause of ignorance. Now by the way we have to mark, that the intent of Moses is, to put a difference here between the God of Israel, & all