A17690:211
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…
Divers sermons of Master John Calvin, concerning the divinity, humanity, and nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ as also touching his passion, death, resurrection, ascension: together with the coming down of the holy Ghost upon his Apostles: and the first sermon of S. Peter. The order of which you shall find in the page ensuing.Diuers sermons of Master Iohn Caluin, concerning the diuinitie, humanitie, and natiuitie of our Lorde Iesus Christe as also touching his passion, death, resurection, ascention: togeather with the comming downe of the holy Ghoste vpon his Apostles: and the first sermon of S. Peter. The order of which you shall finde in the page ensuing.
London: printed by Thomas Dawson for George Byshop, 1581
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Now, for that they said, Behold him which destroyeth the temple, and buildeth it again it three days, this was too too villainous a malice to feign that Jesus Christ said, that he would destroy the Temple.1 But he said, destroy ye this Temple, and in the end of three days I will build it again. Now, he had none other meaning, but that his enemies should be the destruction of the temple which he spake of. And when they had crucified him, might they not then have understood that the thing was already begun to be accomplished? For they were not ignorant that Jesus Christ showed himself to be the true Temple of God, as touching his humane body:2 for seeing his Godhead was manifested in the flesh, and his divine being, was united unto our nature, since I say, all the fullness of the Godhead dwelleth in him, it is out of all doubt, that his Body was more worthy to be called a Temple, then the Temple of Jerusalem, yea, more worthy then all the heavens. Now, they destroyed it, as much as lay in them, and he ⟨p. 65⟩built it again in the end of three days. Neither had they forgotten it: for they knew,3 that they had soon after told as much to Pilate. But herein we see, that when the Devil hath taken possession of us, he maketh us so blockish, as that there is no wit in us to discern between good and evil: and we grow so full of madness, as that we will clearly cast God out at the Cart's arse, as we say, even as though fully, and of set purpose we meant to distrust him. Now, when we see this, let us be admonished to walk so much the rather in the fear of God, when we know how he hath wrought by his wonderful power, to declare that Jesus Christ spake not these words out of his own mouth in vain, Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will build it again. For, to the outward show, and according to our reason, we see nothing else in his death, but shame and confusion: howbeit Jesus Christ amended all in his resurrection. And therefore, since it is so, our faith ought to be so much the rather confirmed, and we to set our selves against Satan, and against all that he is able to imagine and devise for the shaking of our faith, and making of us to doubt.