places for this worship; that is, churches and houses where we might assemble. Nay, it is for this that he has ordained and continued the whole order of ministers, and has given and bestowed other things, which pertain to the discharge of the ministerial office; such as the knowledge of many languages, and many other gifts besides. In a word, he has by an especial injunction commanded the whole world to account this worship holy, and far above all other. And he wishes this worship so to be the delight of all Christians, that it might be declaratively manifest, how highly he esteems, and with what pleasure he beholds, their setting forth and exercising themselves in his Word.

And a blessed thing would it be, if it could be truly brought into practice, to call going to hear a sermon going to worship God, and and going to worship God in the highest! and if, all who assembled to hear the Word, could be said to be gathered together for the true and highest worship of God! For in this way it is evident that the apostles and fathers of old spoke: and it was from them that we received the sayings going to hear mass,' and going to mass,' which afterwards remained in constant use: and hence, the Pope has commanded, (if it be in truth,) in his decrees, that every one shall hear mass on each sabbath-day. But no one was accustomed to say, I want to go and see mass,' but to hear mass: the proper meaning of which is, I want to go to the worship of God, and to hear the Word of God; which is the greatest and most essential part of the mass; and not as the Pope and his sacrificers (so to call them) now do, who mutter over the masses to themselves, in which there is nothing of the Word of God taught or heard; and yet they make this muttering to be the most important part of the mass, and call it the Canon.

The term 'mass,' which appears to have been received from the apostles, is, in the Hebrew, of the same signification as rate, tribute, or service: even as a peasant or any one holding a farm, pays his lord mass, or, a due tribute or rent: or, as a man serves his ruler,

and therein acknowledges him his lord, and yields him due obedience. Thus it was that the apostles said, ‘I will go to mass;' as though they had said, I will go and render unto God his due, or, I will go and serve God, and pay him that highest of all worship, which is due unto him, and in which he so much delights. Hence, to hear mass, is, in its true signification, nothing else than to hear the Word of God, and to serve him therein.

THIS I explain, to the end that we might be stirred up and admonished in the way of hearing the Word of God: seeing that, the Word is not a precept only which we ought to obey, but contains the most full promises, and hearing it is the most pleasing unto God, and the highest worship whereby we can honour him; and as far exceeds all other acts of worship, as the splendor of the sun exceeds the the light of all other celestial luminaries; as far as the sabbath exceeds the other six days; and, in a word, as far as the heavenly kingdom exceeds the earthly. For herein all things are holy, and especially chosen, the time, the place, the person; and that for the Word's sake, which sanctifies the whole. Wherefore, we are here to use the utmost diligence, and take the most watchful heed, that we fall not into negligence and sloth, and that we be not overtaken with a disgust and loathing of hearing the Word, like those very nice and self-satisfied spirits, who seem to themselves to be quite masters of all these things, and to know them all to a great exactness, and much more perfectly than they can be set forth by any one else. Or as some others do, who are soon satiated with this hearing the Word, thinking within themselves, I have heard this often enough!' What is the use of my going to hear this same story over again?' Such know not what a great and transcendently important a matter, nor what an exalted worship of God it is, that they are thus setting nought by, and neglecting with so much unconcern For, by thus despising his express command, and suffering his promise unto them to be made in vain, and by hindering or weakening as much as in them lies, by

their example, so high and acceptable a worship of God, they kindle the divine wrath in an unspeakable degree !

But, supposing this to be true, (which however is not so,) that thou knowest all these things to a nicety, and art as wise in them, and as well acquainted with them, as Christ himself; yet, thou seest with what intent devotedness he himself pursued the office of preaching, and gave himself to that work; with the subjects of which, nevertheless, he was before fully acquainted, and needed not the duty himself at all, while we stand so much in need of both. So also Paul, the chief of the apostles, although he was so well acquainted with these things, and so excellent a teacher of them, yet, he went throughout nations, and continued preaching them every where; nor, with all his knowledge, was he either tired or satiated. Nay, even God himself, who has given his Word unto us, hears it and sees it with pleasure, without being weary of it; which is manifest to all, who consider, what care and labour he has spent upon it, and also, with what strictness of injunction he has commanded it to be preached and exercised in, throughout the whole world, until the last day. And therefore, much less does it become thee to be tired of hearing the Word, the help of which is so necessary unto thee, both against the devil, and under all other temptations!

And even if thou shouldst not need it for thy instruction, yet, thou oughtest not to be so tired of it as to be prevented from devoting an hour to it every sabbath for the worship of God. For before, when thou wast given up to a false worship, and passedst whole days in the churches, running from church to church, and from altar to altar, thou wast neither tired nor wearied, nor didst thou then say as thou now dost, O I can hear nothing new,' I have seen all these things before;' but thou usedst to say, Well! I went to mass yesterday, and I have been to-day, but I will go and hear it again to-morrow.' With how much greater devotedness, then, oughtest thou now to attend to this, knowing that the

6

mass to which thou now goest is the only true mass, and the highest worship of God! How oughtest thou now to say Well! even if I knew these things most perfectly, (which I do not,) yet for the sake of giving honour to God, and of testifying my willing obedience to him, I will render him this service: and with a will to love and praise him, I will go and hear his Word, that my Lord may see, how I desire to serve him by this highest of all worship wherein he takes so much delight! And, although no other advantage may redound to me, yet, I shall have this consolation,--that I have rendered unto him the most holy of all services, and one that is the most pleasing in his sight; with which, all other worshippings and services will bear no comparison, and are things of nought!

And now, if there be any who have no concern about these things, and who are not moved by considerations so important to hold the Word of God in reverence, duly value it, and to hear and learn it with willingness and desire, whenever an opportunity for so doing offers itself-if there be such, I am not inclined to trouble myself about them, for I cannot, nor would I if I could, drag any, in these matters, by the hair of their head. He that despiseth, let him despise still, and remain as one of the swine, (which indeed he is,) until that day wherein God will slay him and cast him into hell. For such an one cannot be a good man, nor is his sin a natural sin, but a certain devilish obduracy, who can thus continue to despise that for which God has appointed a place, a person, and a time; and unto which also God urges us by his command, lovingly invites us by his promises, and rouses and admonishes us by his declarations; offering the whole freely without price, which thou couldst not otherwise obtain by any labour or expense, and the excellency of which no gold can equal. But the devil so blinds men that he even raises in them a weariness and loathing of the Word of God: whence it comes to pass that they care not at all about what a treasure the Word of God is, but live like beasts, and despise all doctrine.

Wherefore, let these thoughts be our delight-that, whenever we read or hear the Word of God, either in private or public, and by whomsoever it is preached, we are then engaged in the highest worship of God, and in that worship which is most after his own heart. In this way, thou wilt stir thyself up to hear the Word, and to pray that God would attend it with his grace, that the seeds of it might not be scattered abroad in vain, but might bring forth more fruits than any one can recount. For the Word is never taught without fruits, where it falls among diligent and desiring hearers; and it cannot be, but that by the hearing thereof, thou must become better. And although for the present thou mayest see and feel no fruits, yet, in due time, thou shalt find them, and that plainly. But, with respect to the fruits which proceed from the Word, it is impossible to enumerate them all here, nor indeed can they be all enumerated.

THESE things I wished to say, upon this passage of Paul, by way of introduction, in order to stir us up to a more diligent hearing of the Word of God. And indeed, such an exhortation is highly necessary in our daily discourses, but is more especially required in speaking upon the present passage: for Paul here directly attacks those self-wise spirits, who strive to make themselves masters of the Word of God by their own wisdom, and then, soon persuade themselves that they quite understand it, and have no more need of any teacher, and betake themselves to vanities and vain janglings, endeavouring thereby to bring forth something new that the common people may hear it with eagerness: thus endeavouring to be teachers of the scriptures, to be instructors of all men, and to lead all men; not knowing, at the same time, what they say nor whereof they affirm. And this is that disorder and calamity which follow where the Word of God is not diligently and seriously set forth, and where the hearers have become weary of hearing, and the teachers slothful in preaching. And then, the hearers fall off and the churches are left desolate. Upon the back of this calamity, rise up vainly prating