A17698:1322
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.
He was old and drooping, and his wife was barren, so as there was no more hope of issue. And for the same cause,1 when the prophet Isaiah intended to upbraid the Israelites with unthankfulness, & with their pride & lustiness which they were in, by reason that they were grown to so great a multitude: & contrariwise with their unbelief when they were few in number: Look back ⟨p. 316⟩(saith he) to the stone which you were hewen out of, look back to your well head. What people had Abraham? He was all alone. And was your mother Sarah fruitful? Nay contrariwise God was fain to give her a child by miracle which she never looked for, insomuch that it seemed incredible to her when she was told it. Seeing it is so: assure your selves (saith the prophet) ye have no cause to make any brags, forasmuch as God hath shouled you out after that fashion. And for §10the same cause also doth Moses say in this text, If a man compare your state with the state of other Nations, he shall find that the other Nations are multiplied by the order of nature: but your father Abraham was all alone by himself, yea and an old man & drooping, & ready to creep into his grave. Ye see then that god chose a people which was not, of purpose to magnify his free favour & to make it the more manifest. Verily he accomplished the thing which S. Paul speaks of in treating §20of the same Abraham:2 that is to wit, God chose the things which were not, & called them forth to give them their being. S. Paul telleth us that we have (as ye would say) a lively picture in the person of Abraham, to show us how it is that God maketh us any thing, and exalteth us to honour. For (saith he) what was Abraham? A poor creature half dead. Was his linage in any state? Did it flourish at that time? No, but it was more likely that he should never have had any issue at all. Then let §30us learn that god guideth the things which are not, and bringeth them forth to give them being: and so the hope of the faithful concerning their salvation, lieth not in themselves, but they look for it at Gods hand. As touching our selves, truly we be nothing: but God uttereth his power to give us being. And so ye see, that through his goodness we begin to hope for life everlastingly in his kingdom. Thus then the first degree of election, is that God chose the linage of Abraham, notwithstanding