Commentaries of the divine John Calvin, upon the prophet Daniel, translated into English, especially…Commentaries of the diuine Iohn Caluine, vpon the prophet Daniell, translated into Englishe, especially…

How could the tender and weak behold this without great fear of heart? And this was the purpose of the tyrant, that cruelty should drive the weaklings to fall from their Religion. Under the Maccabees there seemed some release to be offered, the which yet was straight after deformed with most cruel slaughters, and never wanted sorrow and grief. For where as their enemy did far excel them both in multitude and warlike munition, they all ⟨image 8⟩thought nothing better which had taken weapons for the defence of the Church, then to hide them selves in the dens of wild beasts, or to wander in wilderness with great poverty and scarcity of all things.

How could the tender and weake behold this without great feare of heart? And this was the purpose of the tyraunt, that cruelty should driue the weakelynges to fall from their Religion. Vnder the Machabees there semed some release to be offered, the which yet was straight after deformed with most cruel slaughters, and neuer wanted sorrow and grief. For where as their enemy did farre excell them both in multitude and warlike munition, they all ⟨image 8⟩thought nothyng better which had taken weapons for the defence of the Church, then to hide them selues in the dennes of wild beastes, or to wāder in wildernes with great pouerty and scarcity of all thynges.

There was also an other kind of temptation, that wicked hypocrites, under a false pretence of zeal (as Daniel saith) did join them selves to Judas and his brethren. By the which subtlety Satan spotted the garrisons that Judas had collected, with great infamy, as though they had ben a band of thieves and robbers. But nothing was more lamentable unto good men, then to see the Priests them selves, as every man was carried with his ambition, to betray the Church and the Religion of God with wicked packings and practises. Neither was that holy office only sold and made a merchandise, but it was bought with mutual slaughter and parricides. Hereof came it that all states of men, all though Circumcision and sacrifices were in use, were polluted in the end through the manifold corruptions which spread every where without punishment: that it was a strange wonder to wait for the kingdom of God when Christ came into the world, and very few are therefore named with this commendation. If now in that miserable deformity of the Church, in the manifold desolations, amongst those great terrors, the spoiling of their countries, the robbing of houses, and amongest the dangers of death the Prophecy of Daniel hath sustained godly minds, when as Religion was yet wrapped in dark shadows, and the doctrine almost extinguished, and the Priests themselves being degenerate did tread all holy things under foot: how shameful shall our tender weakness be, unless this clear light of the Gospel, in the which God hath showed his fatherly face towards us, lift us up above all impediments, and stablish us with a constancy that can not be wearied? For as there is no doubt but that the servants of God then did apply unto their age, to mitigate the sorrows of their present miseries, all such things as were spoken by the Prophets of the Babilonicall captivity: so is it our part to have our eyes bent upon the miseries of our fathers, that we refuse not to be gathered unto that Church, unto whom it is spoken: