Divers sermons of Master John Calvin, concerning the divinity, humanity, and nativity of our…Diuers sermons of Master Iohn Caluin, concerning the diuinitie, humanitie, and natiuitie of our…

It is there fore no marvel though men grow wild and savage, when God ruleth them not as they would themselves. And why so? Forsooth because we are very idiots. And in very deed, so long as our wit and reason bear any rule, it is even very beastly: Wherefore, because we cannot find out the bottomless depth of Gods judgements, let us learn to honour that which is kept secrete from us: Let us I say, humbly & reverently honour it, and say that whatsoever God doth is just and right, though we cannot perceive how. And thus much for this, Now, seeing it was the will of God that his son should be put to death, let not us be ashamed of that which he suffered: nor yet think that the wicked did bear the sway, & that the son of God could not have found means to have defended himself: For all came from the will, & unchangeable decree of God, which he had determined therein. And therefore we see why our Lord Jesus saith in S. Luke.¹ This is now your very hour, & the power of darkness. As if he should have said, what? make no great boast of that you have done For the devil is your master & ringleader: By which he showeth that they did nothing but by the leave of God: And although the devil urged them thereto, ⟨p. 39⟩yet neither they nor he could have brought any thing to pass, if God had not licensed them. Thus we see in sum, that our eyes & all our senses must be fastened upon the will of God, and upon his everlasting counsel, when we hear the death and passion of our Lord Jesus Christ spoken of, For he declared that this was the will of God, because it is written. For if Jesus Christ had not had some testimony of the thing which God his father had ordained, he might as yet have stood in doubt, but he knew what his office was. And God would not have sent him down here below, but that he gave him forthwith an express charge withal. It is very true, that inasmuch as our Lord Jesus is God eternal, that he needed not to be taught of the scripture: but inasmuch as he is our redeemer, & is clothed with our nature, that he might be of right brotherhood, it was meet he should be taught the holy scripture, & we see also that he at no time refused any such instruction. So then, because God showed him, whereunto he had called him, we see whereupon he established himself:

It is there fore no maruell though men grow wilde and sauage, whē God ruleth thē not as they would thēselues. And why so? Forsooth bicause we are very ydiots. And in very déede, so long as our wit and reason beare any rule, it is euen very beastly: Wherefore, because we cannot finde out the bottomlesse depth of Gods iudgementes, let vs learne to honour that which is kept secrete from vs: Let vs I say, humbly & reuerently honour it, and say that whatsoeuer God doth is iust and right, though we cannot perceiue how. And thus much for this, Nowe, séeing it was the will of God that his sonne should be put to death, let not vs be ashamed of that which hee suffered: nor yet think yt the wicked did beare ye sway, & that ye sonne of God could not haue found meanes to haue defēded himselfe: For all came frō ye wil, & vnchangeable decrée of God, which he had determined therin. And therfore we sée why our Lord Iesus saith in S. Luke.