A17698:1354
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.
And now furthermore Moses addeth, keep them: yea (saith he,) and God will bless you: and afterward he addeth again, that he will love us. Surely by these words it may be deemed at the first sight, that God looketh whether men will do §10their duty or not, ere he love them. But I have told ye already how the promises of the Law do serve first of all to bring men to right humility, that they may know themselves to be as they be, and quite rid and discharge themselves of all self-trust. When that is done, then know they that Gods calling of them is with condition, that they should serve him: and that if they enforce themselves so to do, they please him, so that although their doings be unperfect,§20 yet will he not fail to accept them, because he imputeth not the vices unto them wherewith they be interlaced. And moreover we may gather upon these words of Moses, that the service whereof he speaketh here, goeth not before Gods blessing and the favour that he promiseth us: for do we love him before he loved us? We cannot make the holy Ghost a liar which speaketh by the mouth of Saint John. It is not (saith he) for that we §30loved God first: but God vouchsafed to receive us into his favour, at such time as we were his enemies. And all the scripture is full of this. Now then, seeing it is told us here that God will love his people, if they have a care to keep his commandments: let us note that it is not meant, that men can prevent God and draw him to them first of all: but that (as is declared unto us here) it is all one as if he should say, I have loved you freely, and I will love you still,§40 and ye shall feel my love in such wise, as ye may enjoy it and possess it for ever. But yet for all that, let us beware that we deceive not our selves, as they do which confess that God loveth us of his own free goodness, but yet we must secondly be worthy of it. For we must always come back again to that which I have touched already: namely that unless God bear with us, and scour away all the spots that are in our works, the thing that is spoken of here,§50 shall never be accomplished in us: but contrariwise it shall always turn us to some greater shame, to show us, Go to, behold, your God hath abased himself so much as to tell you that if ye serve him, he will be favourable and merciful to you.