A17698:110
Sermons upon Deuteronomy
The sermons of M. John Calvin upon the fifth book of Moses called Deuteronomy faithfully gathered word for word as he preached them in open pulpit; together with a preface of the ministers of the Church of Geneva, and an admonishment made by the deacons there. Also there are annexed two profitable tables, the one containing the chief matters; the other the places of Scripture herein alleged. Translated out of French by Arthur Golding.The sermons of M. Iohn Caluin vpon the fifth booke of Moses called Deuteronomie faithfully gathered word for word as he preached them in open pulpet; together with a preface of the ministers of the Church of Geneua, and an admonishment made by the deacons there. Also there are annexed two profitable tables, the one containing the chiefe matters; the other the places of Scripture herein alledged. Translated out of French by Arthur Golding.
London: printed by Henry Middleton for George Bishop, 1583
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.
But now let us come to that which Moses interlaceth concerning the multitude of the people. Your God (saith he) hath increased you, in such wise that you be now as the stars of the sky, and I beseech him to increase you a thousand times moe: or else, he will increase you a thousand times more, according as he hath promised you. Here Moses, in alleging the hardness that he had to decide all cases, doth also show the people Gods blessing and grace. And thereby a man may see, that his chief travel was to make the people conceive the benefits that they had received at Gods hand: and that is a lesson which we cannot be put in mind of too often. For on the one side we see what unthankfulness is in us, how we shut our-eyes at the benefits that God bestoweth upon us, Not that we like not to have them: but for that we consider not from whence they come, that we might glorify the giver of them. And on the other side we abuse the gifts that we have received, because we bethink not our ⟨p. 17⟩selves how it is God that hath put them into our hands. Nay, which worse is, we see how men do so vaunt themselves of them, that Gods glory is darkened thereby, as though they were not beholden to God at all. And not only that, but it should seem also that they arm themselves against him to bid him battle, for showing of himself so bountiful towards them: and as shall be showed in the two and thirtieth Chapter,1 they play the overpampered Jades, which §10fall to kicking against their masters. See (I say) how God is unacknowledged of us in his benefits. And afterward when we have forgotten him, we grow after a sort heathenish, and all his gifts are defiled by us. Sith we see this, let us consider that this doctrine cannot be too often set afore us: namely, that when God chooseth us to do him service, he bindeth us to him the more exceedingly. And therefore his opening of his benefits unto us, and his setting of §20them before our eyes, is to the end we should know that he is ready to continue them still towards us, if we let him not through our unthankfulness. Therefore if we be often told of the free goodness of our God, and it be showed us how richly he hath poured out his benefits upon us: although it seem to be a very common matter, and that we have heard enough of it before: yet let us assure our selves, it cannot be spoken too much.