A17698:1404
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.
Now by the way Moses addeth an exception, saying: that God will not destroy all the enemies of his people out of hand. And why? Least the beasts of the field (saith he) should set themselves against thee: But thou shalt weed them out by little and little. Thou shalt dispatch even their kings: and to be short, thou shalt not leave any thing at all of those nations. Here Moses giveth the people a very necessary warning,§50 in telling them after what manner they should proceed. For otherwise they might have taken some evil conceit at their coming into the land of Canaan: and if they had not rooted out their enemies immediately all at once: they might have imagined with themselves, what is become of Gods promises? It should seem that he hath mocked us. Therefore doeth Moses hold them in awe, saying: It is true that your God will discomfit all your enemies,§60 but yet shall not that be done so soon as you would wish, howbeit assure your selves there is good reason that he should so deal with you, and therefore put no distrust in your God. For he seeth that the land would be replenished with wild beasts, and they would be so many enemies to make war upon you. God then doeth this to your benefit, in that he will not have the whole land to be utterly rid of all enemies. For if your enemies should be all destroyed immediately upon your coming into the land: you could not replenish it again upon the sudden, to defend your selves from the wild beasts. Now we have to note here, first that God intended to correct the peoples overgreat hast, by showing them that they should hold themselves in peace and quiet, until God had put them in full possession of the whole land. For it is the proper nature of faith to tarry Gods leisure, as the Apostle affirmeth in the Epistle to the Hebrews,1 alleging this text of Habakkuk,2 that if God delay the performance of his promises, we must tarry his leisure, and not be overhasty: for they shall come to pass time enough, that is to say, they shall be performed in their due season. Then let us mark that faith cannot be in us without patience, that is to wit, without tarrying of Gods leisure, till it please him to execute the thing that he hath spoken and said, and without assigning or setting of any term as men commonly do, who are so bold as to take upon them to make God subject to their will.