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…

& not cleave any more to your vain fantasies, nether yet be offended that Jesus Christ was thus basely accounted of, whenas you shall understand in what condemnation you have deserved, and the recompense and satisfaction due for the same. Moreover, the Prophet namely saith, we have seen him, & disdained him, thereby to declare, that our Lord Jesus should not only be contemned & rejected of the smallest number of people, but even of the greatest number of his peculiar people. for when the prophet setteth him in the rank of those which had refused our Lord Jesus, he had a regard unto the people of the Jews, whereof he came: and he meant also, over and ⟨p. 106⟩besides this, to show that this was the common opinion as a man would say, that Jesus Christ was rejected in all places. And therefore we are so much the more surely armed, not to tie our selves to mens fantasies, when as we shall not only see in this behalf hundreds of infidels, but also great troupes, and mighty armies, yea Millions, that a man shall hardly find three or four amongst an hundred, which will quietly submit them selves unto our Lord Jesus Christ: and albeit we see it to be thus, yet let us for all that cleave fast unto him. Thus we see in sum, what we have to consider of, in this place. For, if we should at this day come to voices, and a few weak people should behold it, what? would they say, There is but a small handful of men which believe the Gospel: howbeit, if they were the greater number, I could be well contented to go that way: but for me, to thrust my self into so small a company, and forsake the greater multitude, what a folly were that? Now, the Prophet, to the end he might cut the throat of these objections, sayeth, that there would not be above four or ten at the most, but that all men for the more part, would refuse to obey our Lord Jesus Christ. And no doubt of it, his meaning was to find fault particularly with the Jews: For we have already alleged out of the eight Chapter, that he should be a stumbling block to these two houses, to wit, to the tribe of Abraham. We see then, that a man would have thought that the people whom God had specially chosen to him self, must needs have known their Redeemer. For, to whom was Jesus Christ promised? Forsooth, even to the Jews:

& not cleaue any more to your vain fantasies, nether yet be offended that Iesus Christ was thus bacely accompted of, whenas you shall vnderstande in what condemnation you haue deserued, and the recompence and satisfaction due for ye same. Moreouer, ye Prophet namly saith, we haue seene him, & disdained him, therby to declare, yt our Lord Iesus should not only be contē ned & reiected of the smalest nūber of people, but euen of the gretest nūber of his peculier people. for whē ye prophet setteth hī in ye ranke of those which had refused our Lord Iesus, he had a regard vnto ye people of the Iewes, whereof he came: and he ment also, ouer and