A17690:641
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.
Moreover, we are to observe here in this place, this saying, That the old men and young men should prophesy. Whereby he declareth that both old and young should be partakers of the grace of the holy Ghost, And therefore, it is not now needful for us to seek for any gloss, to understand the meaning of the prophet in this speech, All flesh▪ because the very Text, sufficiently showeth his meaning. Now, when he sayeth, That the young men should prophesy, He spake then according to the manner of the time in those days: because GOD used these two kinds of means with his servants, either in vision, or else in dream, according to that which is set down in the book of Numbers,1 that God would show himself unto his Prophets by visions, & speak unto them in dreams: But it is said, that he would speak with his servant Moses, mouth to mouth. Howbeit it might be alleged, that the doctrine of the law & the doctrine of the Gospel is not like: & that although God manifested himself unto the Prophets in the old Testament, yet will he not show himself unto us after that sort. To answer this, it is to be considered, that although the prophet useth these terms, yet doeth he it, only to fit himself unto the time wherein he was, because we should not say, but that we have a greater measure of knowledge. For to say truly, GOD never showed ⟨image 189⟩himself so manifestly in the old Testament, as he hath now done to us by Jesus Christ. For where God had appointed the offerings to be sacrificed in the old Law, which were but figures and shadows to be oftentimes used, that it might be seen that men could not come near unto God, but by the mean of a Mediator: we have at this present the personal presence of the Mediator himself, who once for all hath fulfilled every thing, by his alone Sacrifice. And therefore there is now no Sacrifice to be done for the purging and sanctifying of sins,2 but only the Sacrifice of thanksgiving unto our GOD: who therewith is well pleased through our Lord Jesus Christ. And although it is said in the Scripture, that at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, Altars should be set up throughout the whole world, to Sacrifice unto the Lord our God, yet must we leave the figure, and rest in the trueth.