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…

Again if a man be earnest with them, they think they are offered great wrong. What? say they, have I not confessed my faults? and have I not repented me? And this is all the reckoning that they make of it: as if God were a young child who would be appeased with a smiling & dissembling countenance, full of leasing & hypocrisy. Howbeit this is our common man ner, for we would appease god we know not how: even as it is said with such a repentance as Judas repented. Wherefore, let us fear and tremble when God giveth us warning, & causeth us to feel our sins, & not stay altogether upon it: for it is no true repentance: but this is the true trial by which we must know whether we be true penitent sinners or not: which is, whenas we of our own accord, seek to be at peace with God, & forsake not his judgment, yea, seeing he receiveth us to mercy. Which, he will do whenas we shall condemn our selves: for whosoever shall be his own judge, & condemn himself before God, & before Angels, & men, the man I say, shall be justified & pardoned, because he desireth none other thing but to ⟨image 56⟩have God merciful unto him. This then is the sum and effect of that which we are here to observe. Now, Judas must needs make this confession, because the priests might be so much the more without excuse. The Evangelist likewise maketh this recital, that we might the better behold how Satan had blinded all these reprobates: and that every of us might look narrowly into himself. And when God setteth before us such examples of his ire & vengeance, and (to be short) that we, like men bewitched, and void of sense & reason, become so beastly, as to throw our selves headlong into an hellish fury: This is to make every of us to stoop, and to cause us know that we may oftentimes fall into the same were if not that our God preserveth us by his grace and goodness. But by the way let us beware that we fight not against our own consciences, as the priests did: for as many as so harden themselves against God, shall in the end fall into such a reprobate sense, as that they shall be clean without all reason: for, after they have once so exceeded against GOD, they will also be past all shame before men. For it is good reason that the whole world should see their beastliness, and that there shamelessness should be so known, as that every man might abhor their villainy.

Agayne if a man be earnest with them, they think they are offered great wronge. What? saye they, haue I not confessed my falts? and haue I not repented me? And this is al the reckoning that they make of it: as if God were a yong child who would be appeased wt a smiling & dissembling coū tenance, ful of leasing & hipocrysy. Howbeit this is our cōmon mā ner, for we would appease god we know not how: euē as it is said with such a repentance as Iudas repēted. Wherfore, let vs feare and tremble when God giueth vs warning, & causeth vs to féele our sins, & not stay altogether vpon it: for yt is no true repentance: but this is the true triall by which we must know whether we be true penitent sinners or not: which is, whenas we of our owne accord, séeke to be at peace with God, & forsake not his iudgmēt, yea, seing he receiueth vs to mercy. Which, he wil do whenas we shal condem our selues: for whsoeuer shal be his own iudge, & condēne himself before God, & before Angels, & men, ye man I say, shall bée iustified & pardoned, because hee desyreth none other thing but to