A17692:106
Four godly sermons against the pollution of idolatries comforting men in persecutions, and teaching…Foure godlye sermons agaynst the pollution of idolatries comforting men in persecutions, and teachyng…
Four godly sermons against the pollution of idolatries comforting men in persecutions, and teaching them what commodities they shall find in Christs church, which were preached in French by the most famous clerk John Calvin, and translated first into Latin and afterward into English by divers godly learned men.Foure godlye sermons agaynst the pollution of idolatries comforting men in persecutions, and teachyng them what commodities thei shal find in Christes church, which were preached in French by the moste famous clarke Ihon Caluyne, and translated fyrst into Latine and afterward into Englishe by diuers godly learned men.
London: printed by Rouland Hall, 1561
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.
What need they then to bring such cloaks & coloured excuses seeing that it is evident & plain that their talk is far away from that they do feel in their own conscience. We treat not this matter that ⟨image 79⟩they may be letted with nothing but that they may pray holily purely & profitably for this prince & all his subjects. Now such a Journey plainly taken to such a place can be no more criminal than others which are taken for the commodities & opportunity of this present life, which no man can blame in any point. But let us farther see if this necessity do sufficiently excuse them. Behold it is the lord which commandeth & saith: Seek you my face. The civil magistrates now fall from god & decline away most far & do compel others to the same defection & rebellion, or at the least do deprive the miserable souls of their daily food and raise up the inventions of superstitious Idolatries in the stead of the face of God. Is it right in this point to prefer mortal men to the living and immortal God. If God must be obeyed, they ought rather to travail in to all the coasts of the world to seek his face, where he doth show it them to lye lurking & pining in there nests whensoever then the princes command or enterprise anything prejudicial unto him that hath the chief authority & power over them & upon every one of them there is no injury done unto ⟨image 79⟩them though men do not obey them. Although, besides that which I have now spoken, such men do sufficiently declare, that they never have considered nor pondered what is there state & condition, how miserable and filthy is that captivity wherein they are retained & oppressed? Onles their conscience were altogether brought a sleep, it were not possible but that they should be in continual anguish & grief of mind as great as if their body were in pain & torment. For what liberty have they to honour God in their families & houses by any means? As for an example. If any of them have a child borne, his duty is to offer him to God with prayer & thanksgiving, and to require, that his body may be signed with baptism which is the sign of salvation Now we do know that baptism is so corrupt in the papistry & so defiled with such superstition & pollution, that the child can not receive it, but that he is straight ways polluted & defiled. So that the father can not baptize the infant without sin.
What nede thei then to brīg such cloks & coloured excuses seing yt it is euident & plain that their talke is far awaye from that they do feele in their owne conscience. We treate not this matter that