The commentaries of M. John Calvin upon the Acts of the Apostles, faithfully translated…The commentaries of M. Iohn Caluin vpon the Actes of the Apostles, faithfully translated…

to wit, that whoredom is accursed before God, and that the soul and body are thereby defiled that the holy temple of God is polluted, & Christ is rent in pieces: that God doth daily punish whoremongers, and that he will once pay them home. The filthiness of whoredom which the heavenly judge doth so sore condemn, can be covered with no cloaks by the patrons of whoredom, how witty and eloquent soever they be.

to wit, that whoredom is accursed before God, and that the soule and body are thereby defiled that the holy temple of God is polluted, & Christ is rent in peeces: that God doth dayly punish whoremongers, and that he will once pay them home. The filthinesse of whooredome which the heauenly iudge doth so sore condemne, can be couered with no cloakes by the patrons of whoredome, how wittie and eloquent soeuer they be.

21 For Moses hath. This place in my judgement hath been badly expounded, and drawn into a contrary sense. For interpreters think that James added this, because it were superfluous to prescribe any thing to the Jews, who were well acquainted with the doctrine of the law, & to whom it was read every Sabbath day: and they pick out this meaning, Let us be content to require these few things at the hands of the Gentiles, which are not accustomed to bear the yoke of the law: as touching the Jews, they have Moses out of whom they may learn more. Some do also gather out of this place, that circumcision with his appurtenances ought to be observed even at this day among the Jews. But they reason unfitly and unskilfully, though that exposition which I have set down were true. But James had a far other meaning; to wit, he teacheth that it cannot be, that ceremonies can be abolished so quickly as it were at the first dash: because the Jews had now a long time been acquainted with the doctrine of the law, and Moses had his preachers: therefore it stood them upon to redeem concord for a short time, until such time as the liberty gotten by Christ, might by little & little appear more plainly: this is that which is said in the common proverb, that it was meet that the old ceremonies should be buried with some honour. Those who are skilful in the Greek tongue shall know that that last member, When he is read every Sabbath day in the Synagogues, was by me changed not without cause, for avoiding of doubtfulness.