On Fryday the x. day of May. 1555. The xviij. Sermon which is the fourth vpon the third Chapter.
26 And the Lord God was angrie with mee for your sakes, and heard mee not, but said vnto mee, be contented, speake no more to mee of this matter.
27 Get thee vp to the top of Phasga, and lift vp thine eyes towardes the West, the North, the South and the East: and beholde with thine eyes: for thou shalt not go ouer this Iordan.
28 But charge Iosua, and strengthen him, and imbolden him: for hee shall goe ouer before the people, & put them in possession of the land which thou shalt see.
29 And so we abode in the valley against Beth-phogor.
I Told you yesterday, how it was not any fleshly lust that moued Moses to desire to goe into the promised land, but a holy zeale, to the ende that ye people might haue bene the better confirmed in the grace of God. And that it is so, a man may gather by this speache, where he desireth ex∣pressely to see the good Mountaine and the Li∣banus. For it is verie certaine, that Ierusalem & [ 10] the Countrie about it, were neither the best, nor the fairest nor the fruitfullest of all Iurie. There were other soyles, which were both richer and pleasanter also. And yet doeth Moses preferre Libanus and the good Mountaine before all the rest. And no doubt but he meaneth the Moun∣taine Morea. Wee see then that he rested whol∣ly vpon the thinges that were spirituall, bicause God had reuealed vnto him that the Temple should bee builded there, & that it was the place [ 20] which God had chosen to bee worshipped and called vpon there. That was the cause why he set all his minde vpon it. And therefore let vs marke, that Moses desired not to enter into that land, to fill his belly there, or to liue in delight and pleasure there: but onely to stirre vp him∣selfe the more to knowe Gods grace, which he had tasted alreadie in spirit, and likewise to help the people by his example. Yet for all this, he is refused, howbeit not in such wise as if God had [ 30] vtterly reiected him: but as in respect that hee intended to chastise him by depriuing him of a temporall benefite. And thereby we be yet more confirmed in the thing that was treated of ye∣sterday: that is to wit, that albeit our affections be not alwaies wicked, yet they shall not alwaies be graunted vs, when God intendeth to humble vs, For sometimes we may haue offended him: and he must be faine to cut vs off from his bene∣fites. True it is that our saluation abydeth al∣waies certaine: but as for our present state, it ap∣paireth so farre as wee can see, insomuch that whereas God made vs to feele his fauour most abundantly and in verie large measure: we haue but a small peece of it. If this befell to Moses: let not vs thinke it straunge if God deale after the same maner with vs.
Nowe whereas Moses saieth That he was not heard: it is to be referred to this speciall sute of his. For God doeth neuer quite shake off his faithfull ones when they call vpon him, at least∣wise generally: for he is alwayes mercifull to them,* 1.1 and their praying to him is not in vaine. But yet for all that, he graunteth them not euery particular thing that they aske of him. It may so happe that a faithfull man, shall make some re∣quest in his prayer vnto God, (yea, for as was said yesterday, there is not a harder thing than to bridle our selues in such sort, as wee passe not our boundes:) there may some such request (I say) slip from a faithfull man, as shall bee good in it selfe, and yet notwithstanding, God shall not vouchsafe to graunt it. Then is he not heard in that behalfe: but yet shall not his prayer bee vaine and vnprofitable. For though he obteine not in that point: yet ceasseth he not to bee in Gods fauour, neither doeth God faile to regarde his necessities. So then let vs note, that all the prayer of Moses was not reiected at Gods hand, as though he had obtained nothing at al of him: but onely as touching that point, wherein it be∣houed him to haue deniall at Gods hand. That is the thing which he meant here.
But it is said expressely, That the Lord was an∣grie with him for the peoples sake,* 1.2 as we haue seene alreadie heretofore. Wherein he meaneth not