A17698:1682
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 let us come to the third point that is set down here. It is said, That the Levites must bless the people in the name of God. True it is that in the Hebrew tongue, the word Bless betokeneth to praise and magnify God. Howbeit §60forasmuch as the matter here, concerneth those whom God did specially ordain to bless in his name: we must fetch the meaning of this text, out of the sixth Chapter of the book of Numbers, notwithstanding that this manner of speech be very rife in Moses.1 But in that place there is more expressed: and for that cause have I coted the text. It is said there, that the priests of the house of Levy shall bless in the name of God and say: The Lord bless you and keep you: the Lord make his countenance to shine upon you, and grant you his mercy. The Lord turn his favourable face towards you, & bless you. Now hereby we perceive, that it behoved the Levites not only to praise GOD, as their duty was to do: but also to bless the people in his name: For they were two diverse things. So that To bless the name of God, is as it were a doing of homage unto him for all the benefits which he bestoweth upon us, by protesting our selves to hold all things of his only mere goodness, and that he is the author of them, so as without him we be miserable, and have not one drop of goodness in us, furtherforth than he alone maketh us partakers of it. And so ye see that to bless God and to magnify his name, is to acknowledge him to be the fountain of all goodness, and that all that ever we have cometh of him, and of his only mere free goodness. Now this belonged to the Levites, as we see it was their office to sing,2 and although that all the people were present there & the praise of God ought to sound in all their mouths: yet notwithstanding the Levites were to begin the quire, and to lead the melody. Nevertheless, they did also bless in the name of God. And how was that? They witnessed Gods grace unto the people: and the same thing taketh place still at this day, in such as are ordained ministers of the word. For to what end serveth our daily preaching of the Gospel, but to bless the things in Gods name, which were accursed before?3 For by nature we are all of us accursed and reprobate. And therefore it standeth us in hand to be delivered out of the wretchedness wherein we be: