A briefe exposition of such chapters of the olde testament as vsually are redde in the church at common praier on the Sondayes set forth for the better helpe and instruction of the vnlearned. By Thomas Cooper Bishop of Lincolne.
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Title
A briefe exposition of such chapters of the olde testament as vsually are redde in the church at common praier on the Sondayes set forth for the better helpe and instruction of the vnlearned. By Thomas Cooper Bishop of Lincolne.
Author
Cooper, Thomas, 1517?-1594.
Publication
Imprinted at London :: By H[enrie] D[enham] for Rafe Newbery dwelling in Fleetestreete,
[1573]
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Subject terms
Church of England. -- Book of common prayer -- Early works to 1800.
Bible. -- O.T -- Commentaries -- Early works to 1800.
Cite this Item
"A briefe exposition of such chapters of the olde testament as vsually are redde in the church at common praier on the Sondayes set forth for the better helpe and instruction of the vnlearned. By Thomas Cooper Bishop of Lincolne." In the digital collection Early English Books Online Collections. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A19271.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 9, 2024.
Pages
descriptionPage 236
The Exposition vpon the .xiij.
Chapter of Deuteronomie.
If there arise among you aprophete or
a dreamer of dreames. &c.
IN the later end of the former chapter,
Moyses had willed the people in any
wise to beware of the strange worship
of heathen Gods: Now he willeth thē
to take heed of false teachers rising amōg them∣selues,
& seking to ••educe them frō the true wor∣ship
of God, that in any wise they do not herken
or giue credit vnto thē, The Deuil enuying the
true honor of God, doth not only seke to blemish
& ouerthrow the same by forain enimies, but al∣so
euē at * howe in the house of God he rayseth
False Doctours and teachers▪ that vnder faire
titles and goodly pretenses of holinesse, maye
draw the people of God from his known truth.
Wherefore Moyses here noteth the coloures
wherewith the Deuill by his ministers in this
case vseth to deceiue mē, They wil take on them
the name of Prophetes, or such as haue reuelati∣on
from God by dreames, yea and sometime he
will help thē by Gods sufferance to *work some
straunge and miraculous thing, that by such a
Sy••ne or wonder, they maye gather the grea∣ter
credite in their false doctrine. Wherfore
God, here fore warneth, his faythful people to
take heede of suche gaye tales, and to suspecte
descriptionPage [unnumbered]
such faire pretences, and to cleaue only to hys
word, and hearken to *his voice, from whyche,
if their teachers do swarue, and wil them to do
that is contrary thereto, they must not beleeue
them, but accompt them as wicked Seducers
and deceiuers. This lesson is so giuen to the Is∣raelites,
that it may bee also an instruction to all
the faithfull in the Church of God at all times,
and especially in these latter dayes, wherin the
Holy Ghost hath giuen warning before hand,
that Antichrist and his ministers should vse the
same meanes, and that so mightely, that if it
were possible he should Seduce* euen the elect
of God. When Moyses sayeth, The Lorde your
God proueth you. &c. we must vnderstande that
God doth not tempt or proue, of purpose to lead
or induce to that whiche is euill, or to lay stum∣bling
blocks, at which his people may take of∣fence
& fall, but only by such meanes to examine
and ••rie them & to make that knowne openly to
the World, which he knoweth to be inwardly
in their hearts whether it be good or euill. So
did God tempt Abraham Gen 22. that his faith
might be ••nown ••o al mē. So did Christ tempt
the womā of Chanaā, whē he called hir dogge,
and refused to heare her praier. And for this and
doth S. Paule saye, 1. Cor. 11. that There must be
••••ctes in the church, that they that be proued may
be knowne. For this cause then God suffereth
suche Soducers to be in his Churche, that by
them the Hypocrites and dissimulers may be
descriptionPage 237
tryed from the faythfull and electe Children of
God. The good man may some times, by suche
meanes, fall into errour, and be intrapped of the
wicked, but it is onely in some parte, and for a
time, and after returneth againe by repentance,
which god suffereth in him to punish his Neg∣ligence,
that did not bestowe sufficient diligence
in studiyng and meditating in the word of God,
or did not Liue seuerely according to his profes∣sion
and calling. When in the. 5. verse, Moises
saith, And the Prophete or dreamer of dreames shal
die.&c. He declareth that we must not only *dis∣cerne
false teachers from other, and beware of
them, but that they muste by the Magistrate be
seuerelie punished to the example of other, least
the infectiō of their corrupt Doctrine do destroy
the soules of many, and disturbe the Churche of
God. In that he appointeth the punishment of
Death, we haue to note these circumstaunces:
That it must not be executed by euery Priuate
mā, but by the Magistrate, who hath *Auctho∣ritie
giuen of God to punishe the wicked. That
not euery one that hath dispersed some errour
to the offence of the godly, is by and by to be ta∣ken
and put to Death, but such onely as be prin∣cipall
Ringleaders, & seeke by all meanes they
can to drawe the people of God to Apostasie and
forsaking of his fettled and knowen truth, and
vtterlye to subuert the same.
And lastly, that the Crime must be euidently
knowē and tried, and the partie fully conuicted.
descriptionPage [unnumbered]
It semeth to many, that it is Extremitie & tru∣eltie
in matter of Religion & conscience to vse the
punishment of Death, and they saye that Christ
was milde and mercifull, & required his Disci∣ples
to folow his steppes. In so much that whē
they desired fire to come from heauen to punishe
euill persons he said,They knew not of what spirit
they vveare, But let those men consider, that it
was the Lord of al Mercy, that appointed here
this order of punishment, and also let them re∣member
what extreme crueltie it is for a Magi∣strate
to whose charge God hath committed hys
people, to se the Soules of a number of his peo∣ple
by wicked Doctrine or other like indeuor to
be pulled from God & hys true worship, and la∣mentablie
drawen to Hel & perpetual Damnati∣on,
& yet not to cause the Roots & workers ther∣of
to be taken awaye, that their poyson may not
so largely be spred to the great daunger of other
and the decaie of Gods glory and truth.
IF thy brother the sonne of thy mother, or
thine owne sonne. &c.
The same that was before spoken of false
Prophets & teachers only, is here applied euen
to euery one of ye people: whose offence although
it may seme somewhat the lesse, bicause of their
Ignoraunce, & that they haue not the Office of
teaching, yet the Forsaking of God & his truth,
and the seking to misleade other with them, is
to God alwayes and in all persons vntollerable.
descriptionPage 238
But this is to be obserued bothe in this place &
before, that such punishmēt is not to be vsed, but
where Gods true Religion is throughly knowē
and Settled, as it was at this time among the
Ievves. This is to be considered how Earnestly
God requireth this punishment to be done. For
he willeth vs not to regarde eyther brother or
syster, or childe, or wife, or any* persons whatso∣euer
thoughe he be vnto vs as oure owne life.
Wherby he declareth how earnest our studie and
endeuour should be to maintayn his True wor∣ship.
Al natural affections be they otherwise ne∣uer
so cōmendable, yet ought they to *giue place
to the zeale of Gods glory & to the affection that
we shoulde haue to the establishing of the same
among his people. For in gods cause to be *slack
and colde in consideratiō of these persons, what
els is it, than to set our affections against Gods
commaundements, and to shewe that we more
esteeme oure Naturall friends than we do God
and his Glory. Wherfore sayth God, Thou shalt
not obey him, thine eye, which commonly is the
instrument of pitie, shall not spare him, nor take
mercye vpon him, no, nor thou shalt not hide him
or kepe him secrete, but cause him to be slaine: and
yet to make the charge more vehemēt he addeth
Thine hande shall be firste vpon him to kill him.
This he speaketh bicause the maner* was, that
in stoning of persons condemned the witnesses
shold cast the first stones at them, to declare that
in their conscience, the witnesse was true.
descriptionPage [unnumbered]
The cause and ende of this seueritye added in
the .11. verse, is diligentlie to be marked, And all
Israell shall heare and feare, and shall doe no more
any such vvickednesse. The good and godly are
stayed from euill throughe the loue of God and
reuerence of his worde: but the other, which are
alwaye the more parte, will not be brideled but
with* Seueritie & feare of punishment, whereby
we may learne howe necessary sharpe correction
and punishment is in Christian cōmon weales.
For such is the corruption of mans nature, that
where they see hope of impunitie, they runne on
headlong to the greatest mischiefes. But by ex∣ample
of punishment and feare of Iustice they
be somewhat stayed and kept in order.
If thou shalt heare say in one of thy Ci∣ties,
which the Lorde. &c.
If the infection of Apostasie and falling from
God, doe growe from the false Prophete to the
people, and from some of the people to a whole
Citie, God willeth the whole Citie not to be
spared, but to be put to punishmente and vtter
desolation. For better it were that a fewe dyd
perishe * than Gods true worship should be ouer∣throwen
and his glory decaye. But in this place
especially, as in the other also, before Men pro∣ceede
to punishment, God woulde haue them
enquire and searche out the matter diligently,
that they dyd not vpon light report rashly con∣demne
descriptionPage 239
men. But if it were founde for a suertie,
then that they should smite them with the edge
of the sworde, and to declare Gods iuste wrathe
against the Reuolters from his knowen truth
and right worship, and not to spare so muche as
their Cattell.
And gather all the spoile into the middes
of the streete thereof. &c.
God willeth the whole furniture and Imple∣ments
of the Citie to be gathered into one place,
and burned with fire, and * not to turne any ther∣of
vnto their owne vse. It maye be, God some∣what
herein respected their couetousnes, that
they might not couer a corrupt affectiō of coue∣tousnes
with a pretensed zeale of Gods iustice.
But the principall cause, that Moises here vt∣tereth,
that is, that the people by this might be
more accustomed to the hating and Detestation
of that whiche they saw God so greuously dyd
abhorre.