A17698:1981
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 Moses addeth expressly, according to the blessing which thy God shall have given thee. whereby he doeth us to understand, that every man must have an eye to his own ability, and thereby rule his desires. For if the rich man having whereof to live, do fare according to his ⟨p. 511⟩ability, and the poor man will needs fare as well as he: he must needs smart for it. And God liketh not of it when he that hath not wherewith will needs fare as daintily as he that is rich. Indeed we must alway bear this lesson of Saint Pauls in mind and put it in practise, namely that he which hath abundance glut not himself till he burst,1 nor give himself to his pleasures, according to his saying in the xiii. to the Romans,2 that we must not have a care of our §10flesh to cocker it too much: For our flesh desireth not the best things, and our appetites are inordinate: and therefore the following of them were but a confused disorder. Although the richer sort have great store of all things, yet must they not pamper themselves out of measure, so as they should at any time fall into disorder, and not endeavour to bestow of their abundance upon such as are in need and poverty. For Gods meaning is to try the charity of such as §20have wherewith, by giving them more than they themselves have need of, to the intent they should not be niggardly of the things which they have, but be helpful to their poor brethren & to such as want. Nevertheless, a rich man may fare according to the blessing that God shall have given him, and the poor man must content himself with brown bread if he have none other, and not strain himself to eat white bread as well as the rich man, but bear §30his poverty patiently, and pray to God to nourish him as it were with Manna from heaven: And although he have nothing else but dry bread to feed on, the same must serve his turn in stead of all other victuals. That is the thing in effect, which Moses meant to show us here. And it is a very good and profitable lesson: