A17690:409
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.
For, all sacrifices were called sin offerings, because that he who had committed an offence, when he came to ask pardon, brought his sacrifice with him, & thereupon was discharged: ⟨p. 127⟩as if he should have said, Alas my good God, behold I stand here before thee as a guilty & condemned person: and it is impossible for me to bear the punishment that I have deserved for it: but should rather be a burden utterly to cast me down into the pit of hell: Howbeit for remedy hereof, I crave pardon at thy majesties hand by mean of the sacrifice which here is offered up unto thee. Here we see why they were called sin offerings: to wit, because the curse which we deserved, & under the which we were altogether cast down, was as it were discharged, and laid upon a bullock or sheep, or upon some such like thing that was offered. Now, all this was done in the law under a figure. So then, our Lord Jesus was called sin, because he bare our curse, that God his Father might bless us. Neither let us think that this is any whit derogatory from his Majesty, but that we ought rather so much the more to magnify him: For as S. Paul saith in his Epistle to the Corinthians, That he who knew not what sin meant,1 was made sin for us, that we might be the righteousness of God in him. There is no doubt but that Saint Paul meant to set forth unto us the fruit, and benefit of the death and passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, even as the Prophet here setteth it down unto us. We see then that Jesus Christ was innocent, without spot or wrinkle. And therefore since it is so, he was meetest to bear the charge of others. Now he in such sort bear it, as that he was made sin: to wit, he sustained our curse. And how so? Forsooth, to the end that we now might have righteousness to answer the Majesty of God. For the obedience of our Lord Jesus Christ is as a cloak to cover all our iniquities: and besides, his blood is as a thing to cleanse us, when we are washed therein, and as Saint Peter saith, Bedewed and begot therewith by his holy Spirit. Here then we see the meaning of this place,2 Mark also here again, that to the end we might detest and abhor both our sins & our selves, we must consider of the wonderful sufferings of the son of God: because it is so strange a thing, as that it ought to put us in a marvellous admiration: