of God in this place where God is woorshipped preached there be not to hasty to speak that is become not a teacher but suffer thy selfe to be taught The wicked after they haue heard the woorde doo by by barke and murmure at it some on the left hand other some on the right both of thē being swift to speake before God while they will place their doctrines in steede of Gods. Therfore follow not y neither thine owne nor their woordes but harkē what the Lord sayth as Iames teacheth thee Be not many maisters The meaning is be not a master of thy selfe or of other neyther harken to thy selfe or to other but onely to the woord of god For one is your Maister and teacher which is Christ who is in heauen heare him Dreaming commeth through multitude of cares THese be two prouerbes which he applyeth to his saying for it cometh to passe that where many cares and cogitations go before in the daye that dyuers dreames follow in the night euen by the iudgement of the Phisitions This generall prouerbe thus he applyeth If thou reason be carefully busied in thy minde how to order thinges and wilt take care for all matters there will ensue nothing but dreames which will delude thee when thou art waked that is at length thou shalt conclude but vayne matters 1. Timoth. Knowing not what they say nor whereof they affirme So where we others appoint many ways yet none of thē is followed much more when we preferre our cogitations and counselles before the word of God. And multitude of wordes bewrayeth a foole THat is to dispute of dyuers matters to be to wise in our owne opinions to teach and prescribe all men argueth a foole Therby is a foole to be knowen when he will seeme to be wise Ouer-hasty wysedome and righteousnes commeth neuer to perfection as one sayd I hate that boy that is wise to soone This therfore is his counsell that we should not be so ready to dispute and reason as to harken and doo And this text might haue bene cōcluded in two words Heare and holde thy peace For he that can geue good eare we say in our Dutch prouerbe he will be a wise man And he that with many wordes much disputing wil séeme to redresse matters is a foole and setteth thinges the more backeward These are therefore notable prouerbes for manners and which may be spoken agaynst those which through their owne deuises will get their lyuing or which through their workes will prescribe God a rule c. Euen as Iudas calleth them dreamers which will order appoint the Church without the worde of God. For God is in heauen but thou art on the earth THat is remember thy state or condition The greate maiestie of God is in heauen thou art but a worme on the earth Thou must not talke of Goddes workes after thine owne iudgement let God rather speake dispute not of Gods Counselles nor goe not about to bringe thine own matters to passe through thine owne counsels It is God alone that can dispose and bring all matters to passe for he is in heauen All this we thus expresse in the Germaine toung fewe wordes holde thy toung Thou shalt appoint God no rule These men therfore offend on the left hand which will not heare the word of God but they will helpe matters to goe forward and teach God what he hath to doe These men he thus beateth downe Heare and holde your peace and doe that which God commaundeth appointeth you which if you will not doe you shall offende and so become a dreamer and a foole When thou hast vowed a vowe vnto God differre not to pay it for he delighteth not in fooles Paye therfore that thou hast vowed It is better that thou vowest not thē to vow and not perfourme THis place is greatly tossed in the Church and kyngdome of the Pope as the onely foundation whereon they buylde and set vp their Monkish vowes We dispute not whether vowes are to be perfourmed or not but whether the vowes which they vaunte of be vowes yea or no. Hierome and Lyra agrée both in this that a vow ought to be such as is possible for vs to perfourme and concerneth the glory of god This they call a foolishe vowe to gather vp strawes from the grounde and to claw the head wyth one finger And Moses reciteth diuers kyndes of vowes and what thyngs may be vowed namely a fielde an house meate cloth our owne bodye all which are in our power Thus the Iewes vowed their lyfe and body to the Priestes to serue them for a certain time appointed Furthermore Moses hath no perpetuall vowe but one which he calleth Anathema namely a vowe of death in the last of Leuit. that that must be slayne whether it were man or beast that was vowed as did Iepthe in the eleuenth of Iudges Wherfore if Monkes will bragge of their perpetuall vowes they must by by be killed if they will defende theyr vowes by Moses authoritie Otherwyse all vowes be possible and for a tyme so that thou mayst vow thy bodye to God also thy fielde thy medow thy garment for a certain tyme c. that the Leuite or Priest may haue the vse of it This kinde of vow was very profitable for the Leuits for their better maintenaunce finding And God appointed this for their prouision Our vowes are vtterly foolishe if I say not impious For we vow poueruertie and obedience which are cōmaunded in the Gospell to all Christians To vow virginitie is impossible Ergo by Hierome and Lyra his iudgement they are no vowes Howbeit this place of Salomon séemeth to me to pertain to those that are on the right hand who hearyng that their owne wayes profit them not will afterward doe nothing at all For thus the foole disputeth if by mine owne care and deuise I can not bryng that I will to passe then will I not perfourme that I haue vowed c. Against these contemners he sayth Doe that that God commaundeth I quit thée not from labouring but I appoint thée to doe that the God hath commaunded He commaundeth thée to pay or perfourme that thou hast vowed Conclude all these sayinges thus Harken holde thy peace and doe that thou hast to doe that is that God commaundeth thee For he is not delighted in fooles NOw confirmeth he his saying with a threatening from God he speaketh of such fooles after the manner of Scripture as contemne and regarde not the worde of God Be not reachles make not light of it for you shall not escape vnpunished but abyde such payne as is ordained for them whom God forsaketh and is angry with Suffer not thy mouth to make thy fleshe to sinne neyther say before the Angel that this is ignoraunce least god be angry with thy saying and destroy the woorkes of thyne handes Many wordes are but dreames and
fifth Chapiter for it is a new place By reading this booke it happeneth to the vnwise as vnto the vngodly through the preaching of the Gospell For when these men heare the righteousnes of fayth and Christian libertie preached and the righteousnes of workes denyed by and by they reply let vs then doe no workes but let vs sinne on still for faith is sufficient Contrariwyse if workes be preached as fruits of fayth straightway they attribute iustification to them séeke saluation in them So alway these two thinges follow the worde of God presumption and desperation so that it is an hard matter to holde the right way The lyke falleth out by this booke The vnwyse when they heare this doctrine that we ought to be quyet in hart and mynde and to committe all vnto God inferre thus If all thinges be in Gods hand and power then will we not labour at all Euen as the other offende on the other side in being too carefull while they will moderate and rule all things after their owne measure deuise But we must all holde the strayght way to doe our diligence and what we are able according to the worde of God but not to measure our doinges after our owne deuise but to commit all the successe of our doinges to Gods wisdome It seemeth to me therefore that Salomon in this place vseth a kynde of preuention and wholesome exhortation to them that walke not in the right way but either are too remisse slacke of theyr labour or els too carefull counselling them to be ruled by the worde of God and yet in the meane season to take paines and doe their endeuour diligently Take heede to thy foote whē thou entrest into the house of God. THe temple or house of God was ordeined not so much for sacrificyng as for preachyng that the people of God might méete together to heare the word of god As a Prince calleth his house together not onely to eate and drinke but to heare his word c. Therefore where the word of God is not heard there is no assembly of Gods people or house He commaūdeth them to take héede to their féete rather then their hart to the ende they should not be offended when they heare this doctrine as Dauid saith in the Psalme My feete were almost gone For after the worde of God whether it treate of peace of conscience or outward peace followeth offence For it is that signe that shall be spoken against for the fall and rising agayne of many Euen as Christ saith Blessed is hee whiche is not offended at me To be short the word of God is offence and foolishnes to the flesh Thus he saith therfore Thou hearest when I teach thée but take héede thou be not offended or make my teachyng a stumblyng blocke to thée that when thou hearest a man should quyet his mynde and that his deuises be in vayne thou say not then will not I labour at all or thinke then thou hast nothing to doe Or contrarywise that thou be not ouer carefull and wouldest gouerne and rule all thyng after thine own reason Mans cares disputations and counsels are as vneffectual as Plato his policie or common weale But if thou wilt auoyde all offences geue thy selfe to the word of God and to his workyng and cast thyne owne deuises and cogitations away Open thine eares and bee persuaded Draw neare to harken For in no wayes neither of Gods nor mans can we be in safetie onles we giue ouer our selues wholly to the word and workyng of God and stay vs therupon without any waueryng of mynde For this is better then the sacrifices of fooles THis is added by way of a Prouerbe to confirme this sentence It is better to harken to the worde of God then all the sacrifices and worshippings of fooles This he saith because he would extoll hearing and obeyeng of the word aboue all workes For it is méetest of all that we should harken to the counsell of our God as often as we come into the house of god The wicked tyre and werye thē selues in their workes forsakyng the counsell of God. And here mayst thou sée what a foole signifieth with the Hebrewes not him that we call a dysarde but him that harkeneth not to the worde of God or beleueth it not with his hart although otherwise he be neuer so prudēt because such men know not God neither the thinges belongyng to God much lesse care they for them but are vexed and caryed about with cares caryng for that is not worthy to be cared for Their care is how to doe sacrifice But lay thou holde on the best part harken to the worde of God and beware thou be not offended at it For they know not how much hurt they doe BY these wordes he expoundeth what fooles are For surely there is no mā so euill which would commit euill if he knew it were euill in Gods sight Therfore he calleth those fooles ignorauntes and blinde which doe many thynges as though they were good and with great earnestnes but yet are ignoraunt that these sacrifices which they so busily make are vtterly impious Thus Christ calleth the Phariseis blinde which vsed to offer many sacrifices and to weary them selues in workes but neglected faith and charitie yea knew them not calling that good that was euill and so contraryly Truly therfore doth Salomon call them fooles Here thou séest that the highest and chiefest pointe in religion is called euill For he speaketh of sacrifice whiche they made with great good intent and earnestnes because they did it and regarded not the word of god Abyde therfore in the worde least thou neglect the same and follow thine owne wayes and fall into the sacrifices of fooles as they did which vowed chastitie pouertie obedience and such lyke neglecting the worde of god All these in this doing were offended and their féete slipped Be not rashe with thy mouth nor let thyne hart be hastye to vtter a thing before God for God is in heauen and thou art on the earth Therefore let thy wordes be fewe for many cares breede dreames and multitude of wordes declareth a foole THis is one parte of them which are offēded and decline to the right hand which to much weary them selues and reason of goddes counselles Euen as other say if we should doo nothing but only beleue then let vs doo no workes so these men say if our counselles be of no force then what shall we doo wherfore did God make vs on this wise wherfore geueth he one man good successe and another none Salomon therefore counselleth vs in this place not to yelde to such cogitations or to follow such disputers but to abyde in the woorde and to doo that God prescribeth vs Neither to regarde the ones ouermuch carefulnes nor the others ouer greate negligēce but to hold on in the straight and high waye Before God. THat is in the house
vanities but feare thou the Lord. THis is a confirmation of the same sētence admonishing vs that we be not obstinate in refusing to doe that we ought as he taught vs before not to be too carefull to doe all according to our phāsie deuise Speake not sayth he so carnally so rashely so foolishely to harken to thyne owne fleshe but speake accordyng to the wrode of god And say not this is ignoraunce or a trifling fault if I labour not or perfourme not that I haue promised as men of light consciences make light of sinne and thinke that God regardeth not sinnes or requireth not our good deedes See thou excuse thee not or neglecte if thou offēde him For hereof spring heresies when they set the word of God at naught and shamefully defende it standing so highly in their owne conceit that they thinke they haue no neede of Gods worde This securitie or negligence the Hebrew word Sigaion declareth which is vsed also in the title of the seuenth Psal. in the title of the song of Habacuc For it signifieth ignoraunce but not that that we call foolishnes or lacke of knowledge but rather that which more truely we may call lacke of conscience or inconscience if that were a Latine word that is when one doth not know a thing or maketh no conscience of it so that thou mayst referre it not to the Angell but vnto him that saith I know no fault by my selfe God will not reprooue me Before the Angell BEcause God gouerned this people by the meane of Angels as is sayde in the epistle to the Galathyans The law was ordayned by Angels in the hand of a mediatour And Moyses sayth to the people The Angell shall go before you commending to them the Angell that gouerned them after this maner Salomon sayth say not before the angell c. whom the Lord hath appoynted to be our gouernour Before the Angell is all one as if he should say before God Least God be angry with the same c. that is See thou contemne not thy vow so become infortunate in all thy waies and doinges Afterward he cōcludeth all this place after the same sort with the same sentēce almost that went before Dreames only vanities c. For where many cares are there be many dreames and where are many counsels and disputations there be many vanities Therefore feare thou God be content with his worde suffer him to rule at his pleasure For he is in heauen and thou on the earth as afore is sayd Labour thou but let hym gouerne thy labour geue successe For what gettest thou by all thy wordes coūsulting and disputing but trouble For where many wordes are there are many dreames c. This is the vniuersall proposition simply conuerted Where are many cogitations disputations there are many dreames where are many dreames there are many wordes disputations The summe therfore of all is to feare God and in thyne harte to reuerence worship him So Paule commaundeth the wife to feare her husband that is so to reuerence him that shée committe nothing that may offend him Euen so shall we feare God that is we shall reuerence him and doe or commit nothing that shall offend him This he meaneth Neyther consent thou to them that are too carefull nor to those that are too careles Be thou neyther impious Despiser nor presumptuous Counseller Searcher Here now is the ende of this place and admonitiō not to be offended at the course of this lyfe Neyther fayth he dispute nor contemne but reuerence God and think that it is Gods doing c. For god thus doth all thinges to confound our deuises and our flesh and to declare that he is god c. For the flesh is eyther to carefull or to contemptuous Thus Salomon in the myddle of his oration taketh care to put away offence least any should be offended at his doctrine and eyther neglect his busines or presume to much of him selfe Therefore he counselleth vs to performe our vowe that is to feare God and keepe his commaundement The Scripture vnderstandeth by a vowe not onely Ceremoniales but the whole seruing of god as Dauid sayth psalme 49. Pay thy vowes to the highhest Likewise that the Iewes cried out All the thinges that God hath commaunded we will doo This was a very great vowe Euē so thou the hast promysed to perfourme his will stand to this vow letting passe all other thinges which God will not haue the to searche or care for Now returneth he to the rehearsall of mens affayres If in a countrey thou seest the oppression of the poore and the defrauding of iudgment and iustice be not astonied at the matter For he that is higher then the highest regardeth and there be higher then they and the King is ouer all the earth so se the ground tylled AFter this treatye of godlynes he returneth agayne trymly to his Roll of vanities where he repeteth one thinge oftentimes as is vsed in Sermones This he sayth I bad you feare God or els you shuld do no good yea you would say there is no God onlesse you were armed with the feare of God and knowledge of the truth For when you sée the poore oppressed and iudgment subuerted here you will murmure what vnrighteousnes will you say is this where is god become why suffereth he these thinges against these cogitations and offences Salomon confirmeth vs feare thou God sayth he and thinke there is a iudge appoynted for it he shall redresse it If thou canst not amend the Iudge thinke this is the course of this world and howe no man is able to cause all Iudges to be iust this onely is in Gods power the high Kinge None vnderstand these thinges but those that haue beene in office I haue seene and prooued in the Monastery how many vniust mē haue béene put in office which thing yet coulde not be remedyed So Doctour Sulpitius beyng very wylling and desirous to put good men in euery office and yet could not was wont to say men must goe to the plough with such horsses as they haue he that hath no horsse must goe to plough with Oxen according to the prouerbe So it fareth in worldly affayres Sometyme there is a good Prince but he is not able to sée that all Presidentes and Iudges be good and iust men and yet he is compelled to haue officers So wise men haue great care to make good lawes for the commons that they should be obediēt but yet they murmure and complaine of the force and vnrighteousnes of the Iudges c. When thou séest such thinges thinke these be the vanities of this worlde and flye not out of the worlde as the Monkes doe into the wildernes For they fare like the husbandman that hath fierce horsses and will geue them vp where rather he should vse all kinde of diligence to tame and breake thē So