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On Tewsday the xxvij. of August. 1555. The Lxij. Sermon, which is the first vpon the ninth Chapter.
HEarken O Israel, This day shalt thou goe ouer Iordan, to enter possession v∣pon Nations greater and mightier than thy selfe, and vpon Cities that are houge and walled vp to heauen,
2 A people greate and tall, euen the children of the Enakims whome thou hast knowen, and of whom thou hast heard say, who is hee that can stand against the children of Enacke?
3 Knowe thou therefore this day, that the Lord thy God goeth before thee as a burning fire: he will destroy them and subdue them before thy face, he will driue them out and rid them away, as the Lord hath said to thee.
4 And when the Lord thy God shall haue cast them out before thy face: say not thou in thy heart, The Lord hath brought mee into this lande to possesse it, for my righteousnesse sake: for the Lorde hath driuen out these Nations before thy face for their wickednesse.
5 It is not through thine owne righteousnesse or for the rightnesse of thy heart, that thou art come to the possession of their Land. But for the wickednesse of those nations, hath the Lord thy God driuen them out before thy face: and to performe the word which the Lord thy God sware to thy fathers Abraham, Isaak, and Iacob.
6 Knowe thou therefore that it is not for thine owne righteousnesse that the Lorde thy God hath giuen thee this good land to possesse: for thou art a stifnec∣ked people.
WE haue two extreme vi∣ces in vs. The one is that if God [ 40] promise vs any thing, and we find it hard: we bee vtterly dismayed, & to our see∣ming there is no way for God to performe the thing that he hath spoken: wherein we deface his power, and [ 50] yeelde him not his due honor. For as soone as God hath sayd the worde: although the thing seeme vtterly vnpossible: yet ought wee to con∣clude, that hee will finde meanes wel ynough to bring it to passe. And why? For his power is in∣finite and ought not to bee measured after our imagination. Therefore wee must glorify the Lorde, saying: Alas my God: in deed I am at my wits end in this case: but I leaue ye matter in thy hand, thou canst worke after such a fashion as I [ 60] cannot now comprehend. But in stead of hono∣ring the Lord after that maner, wee bee full of douting and vnbeleefe, and fal to skanning whe∣ther God wil be as good as his worde or no. And if any let come in our way, wee thinke wee be disappointed of our hope▪
Also there is another extremitie on the con∣trarie part: which is, yt when God hath brought thinges to passe, and matters are dispatched, we father the doing of them vppon our selues, as though God were no body, and forgetting the perplexitie wherein wee were before, we besotte our selues with fond ouerweening, to set out our owne prayse. Thus is God robbed of his honor two wayes: and it is our maner of dealing in all cases.
For as I sayd, if wee thinke the thing to bee hard: wee perswade our selues that it shall neuer come to passe: And when it is done, wee deface his working, and indeuour to take the prayse of it to our selues, and we be so vnthank∣full to him, that wee would haue him plucked out of his seate. For this cause Moses maketh such an exhortation here, as wherein hee re∣proueth both partes. For on the one side hee sayth, Hearken, yee bee now at the point to enter into the lande that was promised you. Nowe I am sure you will bee afraid: for ye must fight against great and strong Nations, which doe farre surmount you euery way. It may bee therefore that yee will be dismayed and out of hart, and thereupon turne head, so as ye shall be disappointed of the heritage that God hath promised you. But plucke you vp a good courage in him, and assure your selues that it is through his power that you must conquere ye land of Chanaan, your God will be your guide: