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…

And therefore this place of the Prophet hath fully been accomplished,¹ that there was no gloriousness in Jesus Christ to draw men to like of him. It is very rightly said of the Psalmist, that he should be gloriously and beautifully lifted up above all mankind: But this is a spiritual beautifulness, accordingly as we have already said, That the glory of the son of God appeared in him: even unto all those that had had their eyes, and were able to see him. Lo then how our Lord Jesus Christ hath surpassed all men in beauty: because God had given him infallible marks & tokens, whereby he might be known that he was in very deed, the lively image of God his father.² We have then sufficient reason enough to magnify our Lord Jesus Christ: Howbeit the world knew it not. And so, we must come back again unto the saying of the Prophet, that every man hath turned his back, and closed up his eyes, as against a most horrible and detestable thing. What? to seek for life in death? to trust to him that could not help himself? to seek strength and power in him, that was so weak? what a thing were this? To be short, we all know, & have had too too much experience in our selves, that as our Lord Jesus Christ was abased in his death even so will our faith he cast down headlong, if it be not upholden from elsewhere. When there is any question of the settling our selves upon our Lord Jesus Christ, in running, & trusting fully & wholly to him, then this consideration cometh into our minds, what, how be this? why he was so abased in his death, as that a man would think all were marred, & clean lost. Then must we have recourse to this saying of the Prophet: that although he was abased in his death, yet the God exalted him above all the rest of his creatures. And thus must we lift up our faith unto the heavens. But, he as be may, let us learn not to take any offence, at the crucifying of the son of God neither yet at the shames & slanders which he suffered in his own person, nor at the disdaining of his members at this day, and at all the reproaches which are done unto them in the whole world: let not all these doings, I say, withdraw us from continually remaining firm & constant in the faith of the Gospel, Now, because this con bate or conflict is hardly to be performed, mark why the prophet bringeth us back to the reason, why our Lord Jesus suffered:

And therefore this place of the Prophet hath fully béene accomplished,