Certain homilies of m. Joan Calvin containing profitable and necessary, admonitio[n] for this time,…Certaine homilies of m. Ioan Calvine conteining profitable and necessarie, admonitio[n] for this time,…

First / he doth teach & admonish us / that although the swords are not already drawn to kill us / or the fires kindled to broil and burn us / yet that we can not truly be joined with the son of god / so long as we have the roots of our thoughts & desires fixed in this world. Wherefore the Christen man must always / although he be in quiet / have one foot lifted up ready to the battle / and not only that / but also his mind must be utterly separated from the world although his body be therein. Although this at the first sight may seem unreasonable / yet one saying of .s. Paul / ought to be sufficient to persuade us / for that we be called & appointed to this / to suffer persecution.

First / he doth teach & admonish vs / that although the swerds ar not alreadye drawen to kill vs / or the fiers kindled to broyll and burne vs / yet that we can not truly be joyned with the sonne of god / so long as we have the roots of our thoughts & desiers fixed in this world. Wherfor the Christen mā must alwaies / although he be in quiet / have one fote lifted vp readye to the battell / and not only that / but also his mīd must be vtterli separated frō ye world although his body be therī. Althought this at ye first syght may seme vnresonable / yet one saing of .s. Paull / ought to be sufficient to ꝑswade vs / for that we be called & appointed to this / to suffer persequution.

As though he should say / Such is the condition of our Christianity / that we must needs enter in and pass through this way / if we will follow Christ. In the mean season / to ease ⟨image 46⟩our infirmity and to mitigate the tediousness and heaviness / which persecutions bringeth / we have this great & sweet comfort / that we suffering all thes incommodities / opprobries & dangers of life for the gospel / do as it were set our feet / in every footstep of gods son / and do follow him as our prince & guide. If it had been only said unto us / that we must pass through all the opprobries of the world to keep the christian profession / and also suffer death freely & with out fear when so ever gods will were / methink we should have had some colour to answer and say contrary / that it is a thing divers and abhorring from our nature to wander so with out a guide. But seeing we are charged and commanded to follow the lord Jesus / his leading ought to seem so right and honourable / that we have no just excuse to refrain or refuse his commandment.