The Twenty-Ninth Sermon, Which is the ninth upon the Fourth Chapter - Ephesians 4:20-24
Gospel, with the intent also to be filled with His gracious gifts, which are the true fruits of that root.
May it please Him to grant this grace not only to us, but also to all people and nations. Amen.
The Twenty Ninth Sermon, which is the Ninth Upon the Fourth Chapter 20. But you have not learned Christ so:<
21. At leastwise if you have heard him, and been taught in him, even as the truth is in Jesus:
22. That is to say, that you put off the old man after the former conversation, which is corrupt after the lusts of error:<
23. And be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24. And put on the new man which is created after God in righteousness and holiness of truth.
Saint Paul shows us by the example of the heathen men and unbelievers how wretched man's life is when he suffers himself to be led by his own affections and lusts. For we are so blinded by the sin of Adam that we do not discern between good and evil. However, that is not perceived at the first glance; but if you look into the whole
course of man's life, you shall find that they do not hold to any certain way, but that they wander to and fro, and in the end become stark beasts, so as they have no heart grief nor scruple of conscience at all.
Now, he shows what diversity there ought to be between the life of Christians who have been trained in the Gospel, and the life of the ignorant and blind wretches who never knew what God or His will is.
That is the reason why he adds that we ought to keep a far different path, we (I say) that are trained up in Jesus Christ. As if he said that such as have not the light of God stray here and there, and no wonder though they do so, for they are blind and wander in darkness. But seeing that God has enlightened us, and we have Jesus
Christ, the "dayspring from on high" shining upon us (Luke 1:78), what a shame is it if we are mingled with those that have no direction at all?
Therefore, there is no excuse for us if we allege the heathen. For so little can their example serve to lessen our sin that it shall double our condemnation. And why? God sets them before our eyes as looking glasses, wherein to behold what we ourselves are and what our nature is, all the while that we are unguided by the Holy Ghost. On the contrary part, we have our Lord Jesus Christ to show us the way of life. And it is not for naught that He has said that He is the light of the world (John 8:12), and that whoever walks in Him cannot stray; and again, that He is also the way, wherein a man cannot go amiss
(John 14:6).
That, then, is the cause in effect why Saint Paul adds that it is not so with us, for we have learned Jesus Christ. And how? "You have heard him," says he. And his setting down of those words is of purpose to cut off all occasion of making a shroud of ignorance. For men are
loath to be counted fools, except it be when they should come to accounting with God. But then they would fain escape by saying, "I am a silly idiot, I am not able to busy myself in so many matters, it is impossible for me to set my mind unto that."
You see then how we can well enough acknowledge our ignorance when we are called and cited to make our reckoning before God.
Again, another sort will say that the Gospel is too high and deep a thing for them. Saint Paul answers unto all this in one word, saying that we have heard Jesus Christ. As if he should say, it is long of none but ourselves that we have not been well and duly instructed, seeing that the Gospel has been preached unto us. For why? There God shows Himself so far forth as is expedient for us. Therefore, there is sufficient learning in the Gospel, and it is not for us to allege our own rawness, no more than our darkness; for God does the duty of a good and faithful schoolmaster.
To be short, if we continue still in our beastliness after we have heard the doctrine of the Gospel, we must blame ourselves for it. Surely, it is not on account of God, who knows what is meet for us. And that is also why Saint Paul protests, "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not" (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). There is no veil in his preaching, but men might see Jesus Christ if they were not blinded by Satan with unbelief, leading them away into destruction.
However the case stands, we could not fail on God's behalf to be guided and governed as is meet for us if we gave diligent ear to the things that He shows us in the Gospel.
He further aggravates the lewdness of those who do not profit in God's school when he adds that they have been taught, not as though it had been shown to them who Jesus Christ is for once and away,
and that they had only had some small taste of it. For then, it might seem that their ignorance were excusable. But seeing that our ears are continually beaten with it from day to day, and we have been confirmed and furthered in the faith, and yet we still abide in our beastliness, that is utterly inexcusable.
For he has shown heretofore that if all this does not benefit us, but that, notwithstanding men's stirring us up early and late to come unto God, and their offering of the food of life unto us to feed us withal, so that we have been confirmed in it from day to day, to the intent we should not lack anything, we remain at our ABCs like young beginners, not knowing what the rule of good life is. We can blame none but ourselves. Neither can we say that we are silly, ignorant souls, or that God speaks to us in too dark a language, or that we have not been trained up in the knowledge of the truth.
All this is settled by what Saint Paul tells us here: that God has not ceased with the preaching of His truth to us once or twice, but that He has ordained the Gospel to be preached continually, so that we might be confirmed in it all the time of our lives. The things which we did not conceive or understand at first are repeated to us and laid forth more familiarly in a known tongue, to the end that we might have greater confirmation of it. If we do not profit despite His calling us to Him without ceasing, we see our ingratitude too apparent in that we do not know Jesus Christ after our ears have been beaten so long with the Gospel.
This is spoken unto us; therefore, let us learn to reckon the time well.
When those who have known God's truth from their childhood come to an adult state, let them think thus with themselves: "I ought to be a great teacher" (as the Apostle also shows in the Epistle to the Hebrews: "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have
need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God" (Hebrews 5:12)). "It is now fifteen or twenty years since I came to the age of discretion, so as a number of men are still behind me, and it is God Himself who calls me. For the preaching of the Gospel unto me is not by chance, but thereby God shows the care that He has for my salvation and the love that He bears towards me.
Seeing then that I have heard the Gospel for so long a time without ceasing, or might have done if the fault were not in myself, must I not need look for a terrible condemnation when I continue still in my beastliness?"
Again, let those who have been sometime in darkness and afterward are enlightened think thus: "It is now a year, five, ten, or more since
God opened my eyes by His Word and drew me out of the dungeon wherein I was, in which if He had left me still, I had been a wretched, forlorn creature. Now that He has vouchsafed to enlighten me with the knowledge of His truth, which is so precious a thing, should I be reckless in the hearing and receiving thereof? Again, on the other side, God, pitying my rudeness, applies Himself as much as can be to my capacity, insomuch that He does even lisp (as you would say) to show me His secrets after a sweet and loving fashion, as if one should feed a little babe, and chew his meat to him, to the end he should have no more to do but to swallow it down. And shall I, notwithstanding, continue a dullard still?"
Then let us mark well all these things, and bear well in mind these words of St. Paul, where he says, not only that we have heard of Jesus Christ, but also that we have been taught by Him, because through God's goodness the Gospel was not preached unto us for one day and no more, but has rung a long time already in our ears.
We have to mark that St. Paul, speaking of the doctrine of the Gospel, matches Jesus Christ with it, according as it has been told us heretofore, that the thing which God shows us in His Word is the knowledge of Jesus Christ, who is also the end and substance thereof. Therefore, let us mark it, "to the intent that we wander not when we would fain profit in God's Word, but may have always a certain mark to aim at" (Romans 10:4). For we see a number who have turned over the Scripture leaf by leaf and are able to make a great report of it. But in the meantime, they do not know what the effect or pith of it is, for their aim is not at our Lord Jesus Christ.
So much the more behoves it us to mark well all the texts wherein it is shown to us that when we once know the benefits brought unto us by the Son of God, what power He has, and what treasures He offers towards us, then we have the true understanding of the Gospel. But without Jesus Christ, we have nothing.
Verily, we ought to be more provoked thereto by the example of those who name themselves Christians and yet do not know to which saint to vow themselves, as they say. For example, see how the Papists gad up and down without any certainty and are as reeds that bend with every wind. And why? Because there is no steadfastness but in our Lord Jesus Christ, and they are justly punished for not seeking Him. For although they are never so stout in their own imaginations, yet they must be fain to know in the end that the things they have built and forged in their own heads are nothing.
Therefore (as I have touched already), let us understand that Jesus Christ is the anchor whereunto God the Father calls us, and that we must not be drawn from Him for anything but apply all that we have unto Him. And that is the reason why St. Paul, in God's name and
authority, exhorts and warns those again who have heard Jesus Christ and been taught of Him by the doctrine of His Gospel.
Furthermore, he saith, "If ye have learned him well, according as the truth is in our Lord Jesus Christ." This is set down on purpose because there are a number of fickle-headed folk and fantastical fellows who make great protestation with full mouths that they are
Christians, as though they had devoured the whole Gospel; and yet they have neither wisdom nor discretion in them. And would God that examples thereof were not so rife nowadays in the world.
But if a man should demand of every one of them whether they would not have the Gospel, "Yes, what else?" say they. That runs roundly with them without any stop, for saying is good cheap. But let a man examine the most part of them on how they have profited, and he shall scarce find one among a hundred of them who knows in good earnest what belongs to Jesus Christ. To say that men may lawfully eat flesh upon Fridays and to mock at all the superstitions of popery, and to say that they are but gewgaws and trifling things— that they can do with ease.
But in the meantime, if a man asks them what it is to be regenerated, what patience is, what newness of life is, and what it is to be fashioned again after the image of God, the most part of them will show that they never tasted of the truth of the Gospel but only quibbled about the bark of it and never came to the very substance of it. And this is not nowadays only, for St. Paul shows well that even in his time many folks abused the name of Christ and would need to be taken for great Christians, and yet never knew what the Son of God was.
Wherefore, let us mark well what is said here. For it is as if St. Paul should find fault with himself—not that the things which he had
spoken needed any amendment, but to give a sharper check or rebuke to such as did so falsify Christ's name and wickedly abuse His
Gospel by making it a cloak for their wickedness. St. Paul then, making a countenance as it were to bethink himself better, says,
"Yea, forsooth, but I pray God ye have learned him." As if he should say, "I speak indifferently to all such as have heard the pure doctrine of God. Howbeit, forasmuch as a great many will wrest and wring the things that are told them and take but only some patch of matter, I know not what: therefore, have they not any good foundation to build upon. To be short, they have no root of faith. And yet, for all that, have they once but fiddled over, I know not what; by and by, they are great clerks, to their own seeming."
And therefore, look well to it (says he), that ye make not a vain protestation, lest ye be convicted of falsehood before God and His angels; and that the name of Jesus Christ, which ought to be holy to you, be not taken in vain; and that whereas every one of you boasteth himself to be a Christian, yet notwithstanding ye know not to what end Jesus Christ was given of God His Father, nor how we are made partakers of Him, nor what our redemption is, nor how we may enjoy all His benefits. For if ye know not these things, it is certain that all this bragging of yours shall cost you right dear, for that you have with full mouths protested yourselves to be Christians, and yet notwithstanding know not which are the qualities of your
Christendom, nor to what end to apply them. This, in effect, is the thing that we have to remember upon that strain.
Behold, St. Paul tells us here that if we have been trained in the Gospel, it behooves us to differ from the ignorant and the unbelievers. For God's selecting us and His setting of us in array alone by ourselves after that fashion, and His enlightening of us, is to the end that we should no more be as wanderers at random, nor as
silly blind wretches groping in the dark, but that we should know the right way of salvation. And especially, seeing we are daily exhorted to come unto Him, and He gives us means to further us more and more in the faith, let us be very wary that we do not profane so holy a thing as is the truth of the Gospel and the pure doctrine of God.
But we profane it if we know not to what end God has given it to us, and that we must bear in mind. For I have told you already that many fantastical persons will pretend Christianity well enough, but yet for all that, there is no substance nor root in them. Therefore, let us look well that we know whereunto we are called, and that God be not disappointed of His intent when He does the office of a schoolmaster towards us, but that we consider how He shows us the way of life and salvation; and like as He is a good and faithful teacher, so let us be like scholars unto Him.
But let us come now to the truth whereof Saint Paul speaks, which is (says he) that you put off the old man, which is corrupted with earthly lusts, even according to the conversation that you have led heretofore. He expresses yet better that all they who vaunt themselves to be the disciples of Jesus Christ, and yet nonetheless lead a lawless life, and do but give occasion of offense in the Church, are falsifiers, as if a man should bring forth a counterfeit deed.
Wherefore, let us mark that it is a cursed treachery when we say we intend to be Christians,* and profess it also with our mouths, and yet nonetheless go from the thing in our works which we protest in our words, as says Saint Paul in another place. For he that takes leave to do all evil, and yet will be taken to be of the number of God's children, it is certain that he denies Jesus Christ in his whole life, however much he confesses Him in words. Therefore, let us bethink
ourselves and consider that if we mean to be allowed of God, we must learn to rid away our old man.
By that word, the Scripture means all that we have of nature. For we know there are (as you would say) two wellsprings of mankind, that is to wit, Adam and our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, as in respect of our first birth, we come all out of the wellspring of Adam, and are corrupted with sinfulness, so as there is nothing but frowardness and cursedness in our souls. It stands us then on hand to be renewed in Jesus Christ and to be made new creatures.
For that cause, the "old man" betokens all that we have by birthright from our fathers. Now then, if a man be let alone in his first state, surely he shall be but a blind wretch, full of rebelliousness and spite against God. To be short, he shall tend all wholly unto evil, for we are altogether steeped in it. That is the thing that is meant by the old man, lest we should think that Saint Paul's intent was to rebuke only the vices that are apparent before men, like as when men will rebuke one that has played the wastrel for a time, they will say he must cast his old skin.
But here Saint Paul passes yet further, which is, that our likings are utterly untoward, that there is not one drop of goodness and uprightness in us, that all our thoughts are wicked, and that all our desires and affections are rebellious against God and against His will and justice.
Furthermore, whereas he speaks of unclothing or putting off, it is a common enough similitude, whereby it is meant that we must give over all that is our own and cast it quite away, that we may be clothed again with other ornaments, as he will add anon after. Here we see that there are two parts in ruling our life and in coming unto God.
The one is the forsaking of ourselves, and the other is that we be governed by God's Spirit. For needs must all that is our own be laid down before God takes in hand the guiding of us. And why? For our thoughts and God's doctrine, our affections and the commandments whereby God will have us to be ruled, are as fire and water.
Therefore, all that is of our own nature must be cut off before God does govern us. That is the cause why we must begin at the forsaking of ourselves: which also is the very order that Saint Paul has followed in this text. "We must," says he, "put off the old man."
And secondly, we have to mark that Jesus Christ was sent to us to the end that we should be repaired after the image of God. It is true that He has reconciled us to God His Father by His death and passion, and that the shedding of His blood washes us from all our filthiness, and sets us free from damnation and endless death, and that His offering of Himself has made full satisfaction for us. Insomuch that if we resort to Jesus Christ for remission of our sins, God, of His own free goodness, accepts us as righteous, because He passes not what we are, but buries all our faults, and ceases not to favor us as His children, notwithstanding that we are wretched sinners. This benefit we receive by Jesus Christ.
But yet we must not separate the second point from it: which is, that we must be sanctified by His Holy Spirit, according to this saying, that He has received the fullness of all grace, to the end that all of us should draw out of Him. And Isaiah declares that the spirit of wisdom, the spirit of judgment, the spirit of uprightness, and the spirit of the fear of God rested upon Him (Isaiah 11:2). And was that for any need that He Himself had? No, but to the intent that we should receive that which we want, according to the measure that it pleases Him to deal unto us, as we have seen heretofore.
And that is the cause why Saint Paul, in the second to the Corinthians, says, "He became poor to the intent to fill us with His riches" (2 Corinthians 8:9). Then, if we desire to be received to mercy at God's hand, by the death and passion of His only Son, and to have our sins un-imputed to us because He has made discharge and payment for them: let us learn also that He is given to us to make us holy, to the end we should be governed by His Holy Spirit.
So then, if we intend to begin to rule our life well, we must forsake ourselves and fight against our own nature. And again, we must note also that there is no Christianity in us, neither can we have any knowledge of the Son of God, or of His power, or of His office, until we know that we ought to be repaired by Him according to the image of God. Those are the two things which we ought to mark well. It is true that this deserves well to be laid forth more at large: howbeit to the intent that the whole may be knit together in one link, let us note briefly, that we can never be allowed of God, nor do Him any service that He may like of, unless we enter into the said battle of offering force and violence unto all our thoughts and affections, to subdue them as prisoners to the obeying of God, and to kill them quite and clean. So much concerning the first point.
Now, to the end, this doctrine might not seem more than needed:
Saint Paul puts the Ephesians in mind of what they had been. For we know that men are not willing to be rebuked, that is to say, they are loath to abide it and would rather be spared. Insomuch that when any warning is given them, they could find in their hearts to put it far from them. On the other side, we are so newfangled, that if a man tickles us not in the ear with some new thing, we do as it were despise and disdain it.
As, for example, if a man speaks to us of walking in the fear of God:
"Who knows not that?" say we. "Let him go preach that to little children," will many a man say. And why? Because it seems to them to be but lost time to speak of things that are so well known to them.
But does it therefore follow that they are familiar and in use with them? No, for as for them that say, "Do we not know well enough that God must be loved, honored, and served, that we must abstain from theft, extortion, lying, deceit, blasphemy, whoredom, and all other such things?" are they not the greatest despisers of God and of all right dealing? Yes.
But let us hearken to what Saint Paul tells us here. "Go to," says he, "I exhort you to put off the old man. If you say you have it not: advise yourselves well, and consider what you were at the time that God drew you to the knowledge of His Gospel: that is to wit, that you were as folk lost and utterly forlorne." So then, assure yourselves it is not for naught that I exhort you to rid away the old man: for you are not quite stripped out of him as yet. It was as a double garment about you before, and therefore you must be fain to labor the more earnestly now to lay away the residue that remains of it still.
Again, on the other side, he tells them also that it must not grieve them to be exhorted, as though the things that are spoken of were sufficiently known to them, especially seeing that experience shows that they never knew how to order their life. For to know that it behooves us to do this or that is not all that we have to do; but we must also show that our life is well acquainted with God's doctrine.
Then, if it be perceived by our fruits that we have such a root in us, so as we can skillfully frame ourselves wholly to God's will, then may it be said that we are well learned. But if our former life betrays us to have been as stray sheep, or rather as utterly peaked away after our own lusts, and that there remains yet still a smatch of the same, that
we are not so well cleansed as were requisite: let us bow down our ears and hearken willingly to the thing which we see to be profitable, yea, and needful for us.
And so Saint Paul spoke not only for the Ephesians but also for us all in common. Wherefore, as often as it seems to us that we could well forbear the often putting of us in mind of one thing, let us examine our life, and if we find not ourselves yet thoroughly rid of the diseases that we are told of, let us abide to be taught more and more, assuring ourselves that it is not enough for us to have the doctrine of God swimming in our brain, but that it must be well settled in our hearts, so that our life (as I said before) may answer for us, that we are learned in good earnest.
And Saint Paul, having spoken of the old man, says that he is corrupted according to the lusts of error and deceit. In saying that it is corrupted, he compares the agedness of our souls with the agedness as we see it in our bodies. When a man comes to old age, he becomes weak in respect of strength, both of body and mind; he forgoes all his lustiness and hangs his wings. To be short, he is as good as half dead: for his age does so abate his courage that he must look still towards his grave, which waits for him. And Saint Paul takes a resemblance hereof in the old agedness of the soul. Now I have told you already that to put away the old agedness of the soul
(or the old man) is to forsake our own nature, because it is altogether cursed, and we bring nothing with us from our mother's womb that is good and clean.
Therefore, if we are given to our own imaginations and follow our own fleshly reason, and give the bridle to our affections, then is the soul in its old agedness. And Saint Paul says that by that means it is corrupted; that is to say, there is no life of God in it, as we have seen
heretofore. Let us understand then that we are corrupt so long as we continue in our old man, that is to say, so long as we continue still in our own state and nature. No doubt, but we will think ourselves to have liveliness enough: but that is but madness, and all the mastery that we try shall be but to break our necks until we have forsaken and given over both our thoughts and our lusts.
And that is the cause why Saint Paul speaks purposely of the desires and lusts of deceit. For he shows that men are so blinded that they do not discern how the devil deceives them by the enticements which he sets before them. For whosoever is not touched with true fear of God will let himself loose; and if a man says to him, "Unhappy creature, wilt thou undo thyself so?" He will answer, "No." For it seems not to him that he serves the devil. And why? For they that are bewitched with Satan's illusions after that sort do so cleave unto him that they become stark dolts and dullards.
To the end, then, that we learn to flatter ourselves no more in our own conceits, nor to fall asleep thereupon, Saint Paul tells us that our lusts are full of deceits: as if he should say, "When you take yourselves to be in good case, and you have all your own wishing, and fortune (as you term her) smiles upon you, so as you prosper in all things everywhere, and you want nothing: behold, all your felicity is but falsehood." To be short, Saint Paul meant to warn us here that we ought to suspect ourselves in all our desires.
Therefore, if a man intends to rule his life well, he must first and foremost dislike himself and consider that all that he imagines of his own conceit is but an illusion of Satan, wherewith he deceives and beguiles himself, and that as many as are of them are but as snares to entangle him on all sides. When we once know this, we shall have profited greatly, not only for one day but for all our life long. And
forasmuch as we see such a number of wretched souls cast away themselves upon the hope of some profit which they have imagined in their own heads, let us beware that we hold not the same trade, that is to say, that we follow not our own good intents, as men term them. For we shall but throw ourselves headlong into destruction if we follow the way that our own nature drives us to.
And why? For all our own lusts and likings are deceitful. Then there is no other shift but to lay aside the reason which we think we have, together with all the enticements of Satan and the world, so as every whit of it be cast away, and we well appointed, knowing that the sweetness of them serves but to beguile us the sooner, that we might not perceive the deadly poison which is hidden underneath. Thus, in effect, we have to bear in mind how Saint Paul tells us that until such time as we have learned to deny ourselves and to hold ourselves as prisoners under God's Word, yea, and to rid ourselves quite and clean from the things that we have of ourselves and of our own nature: we know not what Christianity means, we know not whereto the Gospel tends, nor to what end it is preached.
For it is not enough to have put away the old man for once; but we must profit in it more and more, according to the warning that is given us here. And in good sooth, Saint Paul had taught the Ephesians, and they had received his doctrine; and yet nevertheless, he exhorts them a long time after, as we see. Hereby he shows us that it is for us to inure ourselves to patience all our life long. Although then that we have already struggled greatly to thrust all our affections, all our lusts, and all our likings underfoot: yet shall we never have so overmastered ourselves that we shall be thoroughly reformed. And therefore, it stands us on hand to give all our endeavor thereto, and to labor for it all the time of our life.
And so in few words, you see the stoutness which we must have to forsake all our own lusts and all our wicked thoughts.
And hereupon we must proceed to the second point, which is that we must be renewed. For it is not enough that men dislike themselves and hate their vices by shunning them; we must also frame ourselves to God's will, according to this saying: "Hate evil, and do good"
(Psalm 34:14). So then, the things that Saint Paul has spoken of hitherto are as a preparative to set our life in good order, just as when a man intends to have a good crop in his field, he must first stub it to rid away the brambles, bushes, and evil weeds. Afterward, he must plow it and harrow it and then sow it, and so fruit will spring from his labor.
Therefore, if we purpose to bear fruit unto God and are desirous to order our life in such a way that His name may be glorified by it, we must first cause ourselves to be stubbed, for we are full of naughty affections, which are as thorns and thistles and therefore must be cut away and plucked up by the root. Afterward, we must be tilled so that the plow passes upon us. That is to say, when our Lord makes us feel
His justice, we must be so sorry that we are so given to naughtiness, that it may be as a good tilth to us at God's hand. This is what Saint
Paul has taught us thus far.
Now, he sows the good seed, to the end that God may gather the good fruit which He requires of us—that is to say, that He may be honored by our hands and that we may show that we do indeed think ourselves beholden to Him for all things. That is why he speaks next of being renewed in mind and understanding: that is to say, that we must be reformed in all things throughout and be so changed that men may perceive that we have not only forsaken ourselves but also that God reigns in us without any gainsaying and possesses us both