On Wednesday the xxv of September. 1555. The Lxxvij Sermon which is the fourth vppon the eleuenth Chapter.
16 Beware that your heart bee not beguyled, and that yee turne not away to serue other Gods, and to bowe downe before them,
17 Least the wrath of your God bee kindled against you, and hee shut vp the heauen that it raine not, and the earth yeeld not her fruit, and least ye perish soden∣ly from of the good Land which the Lord giueth you.
18 Therefore lay vp these wordes in your heartes and in your mindes, and tye them for a token to your hands, & let thē be as frontlets written between your eys.
19 And teach thē to your childrē, talking of thē when thou art at home in thine house, & when thou goest abroad, and when thou lyest down, & when thou risest.
20 See thou write them vppon the portals and gates of thy house,
21 That your dayes & the dayes of your children, may be increased in the Land which the Lord sware to your fathers to giue you, as lōg as ye skyes are ouer ye earth.
WHen as Moses sayth here, that men must beware that they ouer∣shoote not themselues: thereby he doth vs to vnderstand, howe [ 30] frail we be, & how inclined vn∣to euill, if we be not diligently restreined by the feare of God, & by continuall minding of ye doctrine whereby he guideth and gouerneth vs. To our seeming it had bin enough to haue sayd; Keep the cōmandements of your God. Yee see what he requireth of you: sith yee know his will, holde your selues to it. But foras∣much as men are vnconstant, & a small thing or nothing will make them start out of ye right way: [ 40] he addeth yet further this warning, that they should beware; As if he should say; Syrs, keepe good watch. Why so? For wee shall be surprised by and by, if we watch not to withstand Satans temptations & wiles. Specially when ye case cō∣cerneth ye seruing of God, wee bee streightwayes turned aside, and we need none other bodie to tempt vs, for euery man shall finde continually some seede of superstition in his owne heart, and the minde of man is a warehouse of Idolatrie, so [ 50] as euen without schooling, euery of vs will forge idols, & ouerthrow the seruice of God. For ye di∣uell sleepes not, ne ceaseth to intangle vs in ma∣ny fond & wicked fancies. Hereby therefore we may iudge how needefull this warning is for vs, where we be willed to be watchfull. Yea and wee know ye frailetie of our minde to be such, yt if wee be not well fenced to wtstand Satans tēptations constantly, he wil soon haue turned vs out of the way of saluation, & from ye pure doctrine of God. [ 60] And therefore let vs vnderstand at a word, yt we haue need to stand continually vpon our garde, as long as we liue in this mortall lyfe. For why? On the one side ye diuell tempteth vs, & hath an infinite number of wiles to winde about vs euery minute of an howre: & although his tēptations were not so great as they be; yet are we so weake of our selues, yt euery thing of nothing is able to ouerthrowe vs. Sith it is so with vs, let vs watch, specially seeing yt the spirit of God warneth vs so to doe. But what? It is well seene how we be takē vnwares & vnprouided, and God punisheth our negligence in falling so asleepe, as though wee were at peace & rest here. Nay our life must bee kept occupyed here as though there were con∣tinuall warre, & the diuell faileth not to put vs to infinite assaultes & skirmishes on all sides. And therefore seeing we on our side be so sleepie, and our enemie on ye other side is so watching to cut our throates: it is good reason yt we should so be ouercome. For seeing yt God warneth vs to stand at our defence, & we voutsafe not to be mindeful of it, & to cal vpon him & to refer our selues vnto his protectiō; must he not needes shew vs by ex∣perience, yt his warning of vs is not wtout cause? Yes; & therefore let vs beare this exhortation in mind, & specially when God is to be serued (as I said afore), let vs assure our selues there needeth nothing to dazle our eies, as appeareth by expe∣rience. As soone as ye true & pure religion is sta∣blished in any place; by & by mē fal to imbacing of it; for their very nature affordeth it. And ther∣fore so much ye more behoueth it vs to hold our selues as imprisoned, and not to swarue one way nor other, yt we may hold our selues continually in ye pure simplicitie of Gods word. Againe let vs not be out of quiet though neuer so many mē do turne out of ye right way: for it is their kinde so to do. Wherfore let vs strengthē our selues against such stumbling blocks, when we see corruptions creepe in againe, & that such as were in a good trade doe disgrace themselues. Sith it is so yt men doe easily fall asleepe, & take no heede to them∣selues: let vs not maruell though euery thing of nothing do corrupt them. Thus ye see how this sentence may serue vs to dubble purpose.
And it is sayde expresly, that our heartes should