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…

The second Sermon of the Prophecy of Christ.

The second Sermon of the Prophesie of Christe.

Isaiah. liii. 1 WHO will believe our report? And to whom is the grace of the Lord revealed? But he shall grow up before him as a branch, and as a root out of a dry ground. 2 He hath neither form nor beauty: When we shall see him, there shall be in no form that we should desire him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men: He is a man full of sorrows, and hath experience of infirmities: We hid as it were our faces from him: he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely, he hath borne our infirmities, and carried our sorrows: yet we did judge him as plagued and smitten of God, and humbled.

Isaiah. liii. 1 WHO will beleeue our report? And to whom is the grace of the Lord reueiled? But he shall grow vp before him as a braunche, and as a roote out of a dry grounde. 2 Hee hath neither forme nor beautie: When wee shall see him, there shall bee in no forme that we should desire him. 3 Hee is dispised and reiected of men: Hee is a man full of sorowes, and hath experience of infirmities: We hyd as it were our faces from him: he was despised, and wee esteemed him not. 4 Surely, hee hath borne our infirmities, and carryed our sorrowes: yet we did iudge him as plagued and smitten of God, and humbled.

WE have already begun to treatise and say, that although the Gospel should be published throughout the face of the whole earth, yet, that it should be very hardly received, & entreated, by the greatest number: which thing the Prophet hath also so declared, to the end the children of God might not be abashed, whenas they see the faithlessness of such as have had their ears beaten with the doctrine of salvation, and yet have cared no whit at all for the same. And is not this a strange kind of dealing, that when God as much as is possible calleth us unto himself, and laboureth so gently and graciously to win us, that we should perversely draw our heads out of the colour as we say, and even for the very nonce refuse to receive the benefit thus offered unto us? A man would think, that this were an impossible thing: and yet we daily see it by experience. Lo here why it is that the Prophet crieth out, whenas God, as it were, by the sound of a trumpet would publish his Gospel, & yet that there should be notwithstanding so few believers, he addeth the reason, that it was very meet that God should show forth his power, to grant faith unto those which naturally would be faithless. What is the cause that we see so many people reject, loath, & conceive so great an hatred against the Gospel, & had rather be like unto them which so set themselves against God, then quietly come near him? What is the cause, I say? Forsooth, nothing else but that we imagine we have faith tied to our girdles. Howbeit, the Prophet telleth us another manner of thing, for he saith, that although god commanded that his word should be published to all both good & bad, yet worketh he such a secrete effect in his chosen, as if he made them feel his arm & power. And therefore let this be our observation, that whensoever the Gospel is preached, it will be but as an unprofitable sound, until such time as our Lord showeth that it is he him self which speaketh: neither bestoweth he this benefit upon all men.