A17698:2174
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.
Seeing then that the silly birds, to discharge their natural duty, do forget themselves so far that they pass not what misery they endure, no• what care they take for the cherishing of their young ones, in so much as they suffer themselves to be taken with hand, and yield themselves as it were into bondage for them: were it not an act of extreme cruelty for a man to go kill them? Good cause therefore had God to forbid it, to show that men ought not to pass their bounds, and take leave to do what they list, but to restrain themselves to some kind of humanity. And so whereas in this text God forbiddeth men to eat a kid in his dams milk; it is as much to say, as men ought not to devour a young beast as soon as it is come into the world, until it have sucked a time: neither can the flesh of it be kindly and good to eat. Nay, moreover it importeth a kind of barbarous overfiercenes, when men are so greedy that they will needs take the beasts at the first fall of them, and not tarry till they may come to their full season to be eaten, as some have bin seen to be so beastly, that they have ripped the dame bellies to take out the young ones. It hath been seen that a glutton hath not bin contented with the creatures which God hath brought forth into the world, but he must also go rip up a Hind to have the Calf for the satisfying of his appetite. It is said that the earth is full of infinite riches,1 and that god hath poured out such treasures as are able to amaze us: & yet for all that ye see how some man will play the detestable monster. When he hath pampered his belly with ordinary food, he falls to devising I wot not what: in so much that if it were possible he would create a new world, to feed his paunch withal. And although he be not able to make a fly, yet falleth he to imagining, I ⟨p. 561⟩will go slit a Hind or a Doe, and take out the untimely fruit out of her belly to feed upon. And is not that too great a wickedness? No doubt but that such desires have been in all ages; but behold, God telleth us that we must use such temperance and soberness in our diet, as we may always have a regard to the maintaining of humanity. We must prescribe a rule our selves, and our eating and drinking must not be so barbarous, that it should be a mean to harden our §10hearts & make us to forgo all humanity, which is a thing divers times quite forgotten;