[Fol. viii. a.] Deut. xxviii.

that persone quhilk bydis nocht with perseverance, in the wordis of this law. And to ilkane of thir cursingis and waryingis afore rehersit, the peple ansuerd Amen. Eftir hend all this, thai turnit thame to the brekaris of the law, and spak to thame mair scharply saying: Cursit and wariit sall Lev. xxvi. thow be in the citie, and cursit in the feild, cursit is the barne quharin thow puttis thi corne, cursit is the frute of thi wambe, and the frute of thi erde, cursit is the drift of thine Oxin, and the flockis of thi scheip. Thow salbe cursit comand in and gangand furth. It war to lang to reherse heir all the malesonis waryingis or cursingis, quhilk God in the same cheptour schoris to the transgressouris of his commandis. Bot brevelie and schortelie, thair is na calamitie, na sorow or mischeif that may chance to man or woman in this warld, bot it is expremit thare. Sa horribil a sin it is to disobey wilfully the command of God, and to do our awin will and nocht the will of God. Bot yit tell us mair specially, quhat ar the plaigis quhilk God is wont and usis to send to the peple for transgressioun of his commandis? Thai ar thre in special, hunger, pestelence, and the suerd, and repetit in syndry placis of the auld testament. He that is makar and Lord of hevin and erde sais thus in Esaie: Gif ye will heir me, ye sal eit the guddis of the erde, bot and ye will nocht, bot provoke me plaigis send of to anger, the suerd sall devore yow. Mony siclik comminaGod aganis tiouns in Jeremie, mony in Ezechiel, mony in the laif of the brekaris of Prophetis, full of terribil panys, bostit be God aganis the transgressouris of his commandis.

Lev. xxvi.

Esaie I. The tem poral

the

the com

mandis.

[Fol. viii, b.]

And that siclike schoringis of God is nocht spokin in vaine, testifeis weil the distruction of sa mony excellent cities, townis, castils; sa mony nobil kingis, princis and Emperouris. Was nocht the cities of Sodoma and Gomorra, Seboim and Adama with Segor utterly destroyit? Quhair is Troia and Babylone? Rome is nocht quarter samekil now as it was in 1. Reg. v. Julius Cesars dayis. Quhat was the cause that king Saul tynt his kingdome fra himself and all his posterite, and efterwart, was slaine in battall? Quhat was the cause? Veraly his rebellion agains God, despisand to do as the servand of God Samuel commandit him to do in Gods behalf. Was it nocht ane miserabil mischance and calamitie that fell apon Sedechias king of Jewrie, quhilke for his rebellioun againe

panis a

brekars of

the king of Babylone, to quhome he was thane subjeckit be the 4. Reg. xxv. ordinatioun of God, he was takin and bound with chenyeis, his sonnis was slaine before his eyne, syne was baith his eyne put out, and was led blind in captivitie in Babylone. Quharto suld we seik sa far of exempils of this mater? Nocht lang syne, ye and alswa in our awin dayis, rycht many excellent citeis and cuntreis with mony nobil men, hes bein distroyit for na other cause but that thai wald nocht obey the commandis of God. Thus ye may clerely se how sair ar the temporal plaigis, quhilk be the hand of God cummis upon the transgressouris of his commandis. Nochtwithstanding, to us that ar christin pepel, the spiritual plaigis of God suld be mair terribil. Quhat call ye the spirituall plaige of God? The spiritual plaig of God is quhene he be his rychteous [Fol. ix. a.] jugement withdrawis and takis away his special grace and Spiritual favour fra ony man or woman. This he schoris in the Cantikil ganis the of Moyses, agane the peple of Israel: Abscondam faciem meam the comab eis, et considerabo novissima eorum. I sall hyde my face fra mandis. thame, that is I sall withdraw my favour, presence and special protectione fra thame, and thane sal I considder quhat salbe thair end. Eftir this maner, God almychty plaigit the auld Gentils for thair abhominabil ydolatrie, quhen as saint Paul sais: Tradidit illos deus in desideria cordis eorum in immundi- Rom. i. ciam. Tradidit illos deus in passiones ignominia. Tradidit illos deus in reprobum sensum, ut faciant ea que non conveniunt. God gaif thame up into thair hartis lust, that is to say, tholit thame to folow the lustis of thair hart into unclenes, to defyle thair awin bodies in thame self. And a litil eftir: God gaif thame up into schameful lustis. And yit againe : and as thai regardit nocht to ken God evin sa God gaif thame up, that is to say, tholit thame to fall into a perversit mynde to do thai thingis quhilk was nocht cumlie. And nocht onlie the Gentilis was strikin with this plaige of subtractioun of grace, bot alswa the Jewis, as the Prophet sais in the Psalme: Dimisi Psal. lxxx. eos secundum desideria cordis eorum. I haif left thame to leive eftir the desyris and lustis of thair hart. And suppoise warldlie and carnal peple quhilk ar gevin allanerlie to the lufe and cure of the warld and of thair flesche, thinkis that [Fol. ix. b.] this spiritual plaige be subtractioun of grace, is na plaig nor punicioun of God, yit in varai deid, thair is na temporal

D

Eccle. xviii.

scurge of God to be comparit to this spiritual plaig. For it is writtin: Si præstes animæ tuæ concupiscentias ejus, faciet te in gaudium inimicis tuis. And thow gif to thi self all thi sensual desiris and lustis, it sall cause the cum in greit dangeir, to the joy of thi enemeis. And quhat plaig can be greiter thane the peple of God to want the spiritual fude of thair saulis? quhilk plaig God schoris be the Prophet Amos: Amos viii. Ecce dies veniunt, dicit dominus, et mittam famem in terram, non famem panis, neque sitim aquæ, sed audiendi verbum domini. Et commovebuntur a mari usque ad mare, et ab aquilone usque ad orientem, circuibunt quærentes verbum domini et non invenient. Behald the dayis cummis sais our Lord, and I sall send hungir upon the erde, nocht the hungir of breed, nor the thrist of wattir, bot of hering of the word of our Lord God and thai salbe commovit fra the see to the see, and fra the North to the Eist thai sall gang about seikand the word of our Lord God, and sall nocht fynd it. We haif now to yow rehersit temporal and spirituall plaigis, quhairwith God strikis his peple for transgression of his commandis. Is thair yit na other plaig of God quhilk he schoris to the brekaris of his lawis? Yis, trewlie, the maist terribil, cruel and sairest of all without comparison ar the painis of hell, quhilk salbe eternal, without end, quhairof saint Jhone the Baptist Math. iii. makis this comminatioun: Ilk tre that bringis nocht furth [Fol. x.a.] gude frute, sal be hewin doune and cassyn into the fyre. And The eternal the same sentence our salviour giffis in the sevint cheptour panis ordanit for of sainct Mathew, quhairto agreis the sentence gevin agane the brethe unprofitable servand quhilk sal be cassyn into the outkaris of the com- wart myrknes, thair salbe murning and chatering of teith. mandis. Bot abone all the laif the maist horrible wordis sall be pronuncit be our salviour on the daie of extreme jugement, quhen he sall say to all thame that salbe found on his left hand that Math. xxv. day, depart fra me ye cursit creaturis into everlasting fyre, quhilk is preparit to the devil and his angels.

Temporall rewardis promissit

to the ke

NOW as

The thrid Cheptour.

WOW as we haif declarit syndry kindis of plaigis quhilk God schoris to al the transgressouris of his commandis, sa na dout God almychty of his liberal gudnes hais promissit in the scripture greit rewardis to thame that kepis his com

comman

mandis, temporal, spiritual and eternal. Of the first we reid pars of the in the buke of Levitici: Si in præceptis meis ambulaveritis et dis. mandata mea custodieritis, et feceritis ea, dabo vobis pluvias Lev. xxvi. temporibus suis, et terra gignet germen suum, et pomis arbores replebuntur. Gyf that ye gang in my lawis, and keip my commandis and do thame, I sal gif yow rayne in tyme convenient, the erde sall bring furth the corne, the treis sall be full of frute, ye sal eit your bred with fouth, and sall dwel in your land without feir. I sall gif peace to all your [Fol. x. b.] bordouris, ye sall sleip and na man sal inquiat yow. I sal take away evil bestis, and the suerd sall nocht pas throw your cuntrie, ye sall persew your enemeis and thai sall fall doune before yow, v. of yow sal persew ane hundreth adversareis, and ane hundreth of yow sal persew ten thousand enemeis, your enemeis sal fal be the suerd in your sicht. I sall behald yow and mak yow grow and multiplie. With mony siclyke wordis that folowis in the same, and mony other placis of the auld testament, God promissis temporal prosperitie to the peple quhilk keipis his commandis. And our salviour Christ in the evangil with ane word confermis the same promis saying: Quærite ergo primum regnum dei, et Math. vi. justiciam ejus, et hæc omnia adjicientur vobis. Seik first the kingdome of God, and the rychteusnes thairof, sa sall all the temporal thingis be ministred to yow. Gyf this be trew that we say, how was it that certane Martyris deit for hunger, and alswa mony gude men and wemen levis in greit povertie and skantnes of thair necessare sustentation, quhilk S. Paul affermis of himself? It is trew that God sendis to his servandis, sumtyme greit skantnes and extreme povertie, and that for thair probatioun and encres of thair meritis be paciens, quhilk he thinkis to thame maist expedient, bot maist commonlie the word is trew that is said afore: Seik for the kingdome of God and the rychteusnes thairof. Leive nocht in ydilness, do your devore and dewtie exerce your self in convenient laboris ilkane man conforme to his stait, degre and [Fol. xi. a.] vocatioun, and God will nocht thoile yow want your dailie sustentatioun.

Quhat is the spiritual rewardis, quhilk God promissis to thame that ar kepars of his commandis? First eftir the wisman, he promissis spiritual wisdome: Fili concupiscens rewardis

Spiritual

to the

keparis of

the commandis.

Eccle. i.

promissit sapientiam conserva justiciam, et deus præbebit illam tibi. Sone gif yow desiris wisdome, keip rychteusnes, and God sall gyf wisdome to the. And in ane uther place he sais: Cogitatum tuum habe in præceptis dei, et in mandatis illius maxime assiEccle. vi. daus esto, et ipse dabit tibi cor et concupiscentia sapientiæ dabitur tibi. Haif thi thocht in the commandis of God; and in his commandis be yow diligent, and God sall gyf the ane hart, and desire of wisdome sall be gevin to the. This is declarit weil be exempil of king David saying thir wordis: Super Psal.cxviii. senes intellexi, quia mandata tua quæsivi. I haif had understanding abone my eldaris because gud Lord I socht thi commandis. Secund, he promissis incressing of grace and vertew Prov. viii. as it is said in the Proverbis of Salomon: Misericordia et veritas te non deserent, circumda eas gutturi tuo, et describe in tabulis cordis tui, et invenies gratiam et disciplinam bonam coram deo et hominibus. Lat nocht mercy and verite forsake the, and thow sall find grace and favour afore God and man. And saint Paul exhortand his Corinthianis to gif almous, sais thus: 2 Cor. ix. Augebit incrementum justicia vestræ. That is to say, quhen ye gyf almous according to the command of God, God sall make yow grow dalie in grace and vertue. Thridly, our sal[Fol. xi. b.] viour promissis to the doars of the commandis the eternal blis of hevin, saying thus: Si vis ad vitam ingredi, serva mandata. promissit Gyf thow will entir into the lyif, keip the commandis. Now ye haif hard quhow that God almychty schoris to punis the transgressouris of his commandis, with panis temporal, spiritual and eternal. And alswa quhow that he hais promissit to rewarde the keparis of his commandis with reward temporal, spiritual and eternal. Quhairfor I can say nocht ellis to yow at this tyme, bot the same wordis quhilk Moyses the servand Deut. xxx. of God said to the peple of Israel: Testes invoco hodie cœlum et terram, quod proposuerim vobis vitam et mortem, benedictionem et maledictionem. Elige ergo vitam, ut et tu vivas et semen tuum: et diligas dominum deum tuum, atque obedias voci ejus et illi adhæreas. Ipse est enim vita tua, et longitudo dierum tuorum. I call to witnes this day hevin and erde, that I haif proponit and schawin to yow, lyf and deed, blissing and cursing. Cheis thairfor the lyif that thow may leive and thi seid eftir the, that thow may lufe thi Lord God, and be obedient to his voce, and cleive to him, for he is thy lyif and the lenth of al thi davis.

Eternall rewarde

for the

keping of

the commandis.

Matt. xix.