Gen. xi.

1 Sam. xvii.

in the chase. The proud enterprise in building the tower of Babel was stopped by confounding their language, that one could not understand another. David, a young man with a sling and a stone, kills Golias so strongly harnessed. A bishop of Mentz', being persecuted with rats from house to house, fled into a tower he had standing in the midst of the river, lying a mile from any land: but the rats followed him and swam over; neither doors nor stone walls could keep them out, but they worried him for his unmercifulness to the people in a year of dearth. Thus our God may well be called the Lord of hosts, which hath so many weapons and divers to punish us withal, as fire, water, earth, darkness, frogs, lice, grasshoppers, caterpillars, pestilence, hail, drought, &c.; so that there is no help to be disobedient and strive against him, for he will have the victory. There is ways above and beneath us, within us and without us, to throw us down at his pleasure: there is no remedy but to obey him, either willingly and be rewarded, or else against our wills and be punished. His power is not yet minished, but he fights still with his enemies, that all glory may be his. He hath foughten sore of late with his utter enemy, the pope and with what weapons? with a goosefeather and old clouts, (whereof be made pen and paper); and such simple men hath he used to do this feat, as the world hates and despises. But he hath so shaken his seat, that his fall is begun; and every man which is not wilfully blind sees it. His abominations and his wickedness is opened Nahum iii. to the world, as the prophet saith: "I will shew thy filthy parts in thy face, and will set forth thy nakedness to people.

These be the ordinances?, great guns, and bulwarks, that he will set up his church with and pull down antichrist; that all victory may be his, which by such small and weak things throws down the glory of the world. And although unthankful their faults were grievous, yet our good God is content with a little rebuking of them, and doeth no more but cast in their teeth their unthankfulness, and saith: "This people

To be rebuked of

ness is the greatest grief to a loving

heart.

A popular legend of that day. See the wonderful tale in Jo. Wolfii Lect. Memorab. Tom. 1. p. 343. Lauingæ, 1600. ED.] [Ordinances: i. e. ordnance. ED.]

says, It is not yet time to build the house of God:" as though he should say, This people whom I chose amongst all the world, and in respect of whom I seem to regard no other people but them, bestowing on them only or chiefly my blessings; whose fathers I brought out of slavery in Egypt, and made them lords of this plenteous land, destroying the dwellers of it, and subduing their enemies round about them; to whom I send my prophets in all ages to teach them my will and pleasure; and whom now of late, when they were led prisoners to Babylon, I brought home again, and restored to them their land, and willed nothing of them but to build my house and keep my laws; this unkind people, I say, says, It is not yet time to build God's house. This stiffnecked people, that will neither be overcome and moved with gentleness to do their duties, nor yet fear my plagues and threatenings, will not diligently go about to do that which I willed them so straitly to do. The rod is sharp to the flesh, when we be beaten; but to a gentle heart there can be no sharper rebuke than to have his unkindness cast in his teeth. "My people," says God by his prophet, “in what Mic. vi. thing have I offended thee, that thou dost so disobey me? or what have I done to thee? tell me." And that we should better consider our unthankfulness, he compares us to beasts, and says: "The ox knows his master, and the ass knows Isai. i. his master's stable and manger; but my people will not know me." So saith Jeremy: "The turtle, swallow, and the stork Jer. viii. know their times of the year to come; but my people know not the judgment of the Lord." If a king should marry a poor woman, and make her queen, and when she displeased him, should say unto her, "When thou wast but a poor woman, and never looked to have been married to me, I forsook all other women for thy sake, and made thee my wife and fellow; hath it becomen thee to do this fault against me?"-if she have any honest heart in her, it will make her burst out into tears, and ask forgiveness: so will it move any christian heart that fears God, when he hears his unthankful disobedience laid to his charge; and specially if he consider what goodness and how often he hath received at God's hands, and how forgetful he hath been again to so loving a Lord God. The Lord for his mercies' sake grant us

our negli

gence be vain.

Ezra iv.

such tender hearts, that we may burst out into tears, when we consider his goodness and our wickedness, his undeserved mercy, and our great unthankfulness! What a bitter grief shall this be, to hear him lay our unkindness to our charge! 'I gave you a good king, many true preachers, my word plenteously, my sacraments purely, rooted out idolatry, delivered you from strangers, with all wealth; and yet you would not fear me.' What can we say for shame, but condemn ourselves? God grant we may ! for then he will not condemn us.

I do not doubt but many of them had great excuses to lay for themselves, if they had been asked why they did not build God's house, as well as we have for our negligence in Excuses of the same doing. Some would say, We are forbidden by the king and his officers, (and so they were indeed, as appears in Esdras). Some, We must first provide a house for ourselves to dwell in, for our wives and children: other, We are unlearned, we know not how to do it: other, We be poor, and not able to take in hand such a costly work: other, Let the rulers begin, and we will help other, We shall lose our life and goods, if we disobey the king's commandment. But God would allow no such excuse, but casts in all their teeths their disobedient unkindness, and says, "This people say, It is not yet time to build God's house." The priests would say, It is not our duty to build, but to offer sacrifices. and sing psalms, as we be appointed. The rulers might say, their office was to see the commonwealth well ruled, and not to meddle in such matters. The people might say, it belonged not to them, being such a costly thing, that required wisdom, learning, riches, and power; but they must apply their husbandry, merchandise, &c. Even as they said in the gospel: "I have bought a farm, or, five yoke of oxen, that I will not come; hold me excused. Or, I have married a wife, that I cannot come." So none could or would take God's work in hand. Therefore, that one sort should not think themselves blameless, and the other to be in fault; or that one should not despise another, because that they were more holy than the rest, and would have builded God's house more gladly than other, the prophet is sent to rebuke them all, for all were guilty in not building. And he says

1 Chron. xxiii. [30, 31.]

Luke xiv.

not, The rulers say, it is not yet time to build God's house; or, The priests say so, or the merchants, or husbandmen : but generally, All this people of all degrees say, It is not yet time to build God's house. And so, because the rebuke is general to all sorts, young and old, poor and rich, learned and unlearned, they may understand that it is their duties to build God's house, what manner of men soever they be.

and requires

of the sim

What a comfort is this for the poor unlearned man, when God accepts he heareth that God refuses not, but requires and takes in the service good worth, that little service which he can do, and wills plest. him to build his house as well as the rich; that he should not think God loves not poor men, nor we are not able to serve him, but he loves only the rich and learned, and they must serve him! Nor again, he must not think, I may do what I will, God cares not for me, nor he hath no work for me to do in his house.

:

It is in building God's spiritual house, as it is here with us in our buildings. In buildings there be master-masons and carpenters, which do devise the work, draw out the fashion of it, and set their men on work: there be also some that fell trees, carry stones, bring mortar, and make clean the place, &c. So in building God's house there be rich and learned, there be poor and meaner learned; but the lowest and meanest of all, as he is the creature of God, and made not himself, so God hath some work for him to do and requires his service. If he be not a ruler or a preacher, yet he hath wife and children whom he must see live in the fear of God, and that God will require of his hand and though he be not married, but both lame and blind, yet he hath a body and soul which Christ died for; and they be the house of God and temple of the Holy Ghost, which we should build, and of that thou shalt make account. He that hath received greater gifts hath a greater charge, and more work shall be looked for of him: but if he have no more but life in him, and be not able to stir any part of him, neither hand nor foot, yet God will look that his mind shall be continually occupied in prayer for himself and others, that he be no drunkard, glutton, &c.; and think not but this is the highest service that the best man living can do to God. Such a loving God is our God even to the poorest man

[PILKINGTON.]

3

to salvation

differently

to the poor

and rich.

All things living, that he gives him as well as the rich all things inare given in- differently, which should bring him to heaven; as baptism, faith, hope and charity, repentance, prayer, fasting, avoiding whoredom, theft, murder, anger, &c., all are as common and as easy to come by, or rather more easy, for the poor than the rich. He disdains not, but thankfully takes, the poorest service that the least creature he hath can do, so that he do it diligently and willingly; and will reward that little so done as liberally as he doth the greater. He that hath received much shall make account of much; and he that hath but little, yet shall make account of that little.

But this is marvellous, that where all sorts of the people were in fault, the prophet is sent by commission from God namely to Zerubabel the chief ruler in the commonwealth, and to Josua the high priest; as though they had only sinned, or they could or should remedy this matter.

What reason seems this, that when many do offend, a few shall be rebuked; and when all the people be negligent, the chief rulers, both in civil matters of the commonwealth, and the chief priests and highest in matters of religion, are blamed? This is the high wisdom of God, that man's wit cannot attain unto: and there is great reason, if it be well considered, why it should be so. God our heavenly Father, knowing the crookedness of man's heart and how ready we be all to evil, hath appointed rulers in the commonwealth to minister justice, punish sin, defend the right, and cause men to do their duties and in his church he hath placed preachers to teach his law, to pull down superstition and idolatry, and to stir up the slothful and negligent to serve and fear him. If either the one or both of these rulers be negligent in their office, the people (which be always ready to seek their own ease and pleasures) fall from God: but if the people God will punish the rulers for their negligence, that neither they did their duties themselves nor see the people do theirs; gence. For and they shall be guilty of the sins of the people, and parthey must takers of their wickedness, because it was done through their negligence in not punishing and seeing the people do their duties, both to God and man.

The rulers

and minis

ters are to

be blamed,

offend

through their negli

as brethren

agree to

promote

God's glory.

Exod. iv.

When God gathered his church first, he appointed Moses [Namely: expressly, by name. ED.]