A17698:2171
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.
Therefore men were fain for a time to forbear the liberty that God giveth nowadays to all the faithful, accordingly as S. Paul speaketh thereof,1 saying that the things which are lawful for us are not always expedient: for they edify not. We have in deed our consciences free before God: but yet if I see my brother offended, it behoveth me to bear with him, if his so doing be through infirmity, and in any wise I must have a consideration, whether a man be already throughly instructed in the faith or no. The intent of the Apostles then was not to make a grounded law wherewith to tie mens consciences, & to hold them in bondage: but only to avoid all occasion of causing folk to stumble. But this hath bin ill marked of a great sort of ignorant persons. For they have thought it to be deadly sin to eat the blood of any beast, as we ⟨p. 560⟩see it maintained still at this day: and that was a foolish & beastly superstition. For (as I said afore) our Lord Jesus Christ hath cancelled the obligation of the Law of Moses, so as we be no more bound unto it.2 But yet for all that, it behooveth us to live in concord one with another, and to have a regard what our neighbours are able to bear. There is not the like reason for us nowadays to forbear the eating of flesh upon fridays: for it is a mere devotion,§10 and it was forged and invented without any likely hood of reason, yea and it was matched with a kind of Idolatry, for as much as the Papists have surmised themselves to serve God by that means in forbearing to eat flesh upon certain days, which was too gross a folly. Nevertheless, if a Christian man should come among the Papists, and go about to teach them that are yet altogether blinded, the point that he should begin at, must not be the eating of flesh upon §20fridays, for that would scare them quite away; because they never heard that it is lawful to do it, and therefore could never conceive the truth of it, and besides that they should see him go about to break a law which they take to be most holy, without informing them of the true meaning of the whole. Such dealing therefore should be contrary to Gods meaning, and to Christen liberty. And therefore order and measure are to be observed in those cases.