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…

He calleth that, the foolishness of God, in that our Lord Jesus Christ was so abased, & surely, if we would here set down our judgement, we would say without doubt, that it were an absurd thing. For, to what purpose could it be any way possible that he, who was to be worshipped both in heaven and in earth, should be so shamefully dealt withal? Thus we see how that we in our arrogance, & presumption, will, as rashly and boldly as may be, continually condemn, whatsoever God doth for our redemption: howbeit God in his secret counsel showeth, that he hath more wit, than we, any way are able to conceive of. And therefore, let us in the first place hold this for a sure ground, that seeing our Lord Jesus Christ was not only contemptible, & abased, but also made of no reputation for our sakes, not to forget (as S. Paul saith) to give him the honour, belonging unto him: for, his glory was no whit impaired thereby, although all men knew it not: yet did his gracious goodness shine so much the more clearly. And besides we ought to tremble, whenas we see that the son of God, refused not to be as it were disfigured, being the very image of ⟨image 101⟩God his father:¹ For, all this he did, because he would repair this image in us. And this is certain, we are so spotted, as that when we shall appear before the majesty of God, it cannot be chosen but that he must reject us, until such time as our Lord Jesus Christ hath set his brand upon us, whereby we might become acceptable unto God, and find favour at his hands. So, when we hear that he was ugly, & ill favoured, let us look well to our selves, & understand that he, must take unto himself, all our spots & blots, to the end we might be cleansed of them, bringing now with us before the judgement seat of God, nothing but righteousness & holiness, which we could never have had, except God had communicated the same unto us in Jesus Christ. And hereupon he saith, That the mouths of Kings shall be stopped, when as he shall have been thus exalted, and that they should see such a change as never was thought of. Here then, we are told, that we must not rashly judge, when as we see our lord Jesus Christ to be thus abased, & naught set by, but we must consider to what end the Lord hath so brought him:

Hée calleth that, the foolishnesse of God, in that our Lorde Iesus Christ was so abased, & surely, if we wold here set down our iudgement, we would say without doubt, that it were an absurde thing. For, to what purpose could it be any way possible that hée, who was to be worshipped both in heauen and in earth, shoulde be so shamefully dealt withall? Thus we sée howe that we in our arrogancie, & presumption, will, as rashly and boldly as may be, continually condemne, whatsoeuer God doth for our redemptiō: howbeit God in his secret counsell sheweth, yt he hath more wit, thē we, any way are able to cōceiue of. And therfore, let vs in the first place hold this for a sure ground, that séeing our Lord Iesus Christ was not only cōtemptible, & abased, but also made of no reputatiō for our sakes, not to forget (as S. Paul saith) to giue him the honour, belō ging vnto him: for, his glory was no whit empaired therby, althogh al men knew it not: yet did his gratious goodnes shine so much the more clearly. And besides we ought to trēble, whēas we sée yt ye sōne of God, refused not to be as it wer disfigured, being ye very image of