A17698:1467
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 proceeding with that which I have touched already: let us mark that it is not enough for us to pray unto God with our mouths only: but it must be as a help to convey us further, namely to the dedicating of our whole life unto him, accordingly as Moses showeth here, adding: Thou shalt not forget the Lord thy God, to despise his Commandments, statutes, & Laws, which §30I enjoin thee this day. Hereby he showeth us that to yield thanks unto God is a good & holy exercise: but yet it is not all that we have to do: our life must be answerable to our tongue, and as we have protested our selves to be beholden unto God, so must we show it by our deeds. That is the cause why it is expressly said, beware thou forget not thy God by foreslowing to keep all his commandments and Laws. Now first of all Moses showeth here, whence this unthankfulness of men §40springeth, that they acknowledge not the party which hath done them so much good, but forget him utterly. And may it excuse us? Nay it rather maketh our fault the heynouser, when we think not upon God, seeing he setteth his goodness before our eyes, so as we may behold him therein, & we have as fair presidents of him there as if he were lively painted before us in a table, & yet we look not upon him. If God withheld himself from us, so as we found no favour at his hand,§50 and he suffered us to linger in all manner of misery, without giving us any succour when we called upon him: yet were that no sufficient excuse, that we should not seek him. For it is the mean whereby he quickeneth us up to call upon him the more earnestly. Nevertheless, we might have some colour to say, Alas I wo•e not what to do, for God seemeth to be gone quite and clean from me, & it is no marvel though I set not my mind upon him,§60 for I have no mean to allure me thereto. But now contrariwise, seeing he offereth himself to us, and maketh us to perceive his goodness, so as we might even feel him by groping though we were blind: must it not needs be that we be worse than froward, if we think not upon him? Yes, and yet we see this naughtiness to be ordinary among men. For why? When we be once full, we bear our selves on hand that we have no more need of Gods help. If necessity pinch us, then we come running to him.