A17698:218
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 yet notwithstanding, behold, God loveth us so greatly, that to express the love which he beareth us, and to witness his goodness towards us, he likeneth himself to a bird, and us to his little ones. Sith we see this, let us learn to magnify the goodness and infinite grace of our God better than we have done heretofore, and let every of us awake and enforce himself to consider them throughly. For wherefore is it that our God transfigureth himself in such sort, but to reprove our unthankfulness, because we be so over ⟨p. 41⟩gross and dull-headed, as we let the benefits slip which he bestoweth upon us, and digest them not to conceive the goodness of them, and to take heed of them? That is the cause why he setteth them before us after that fashion. And we see also how our Lord Jesus speaketh of himself, in bewailing the destruction of the City of Jerusalem.1 Howe oft (sayeth he) would I have gathered thy little ones under my wings, and thou wouldest not? There our Lord Jesus speaketh §10not as man: but showeth that inasmuch as he is the everlasting God, he played the part of a hen towards the Jews, and had his wings stretched out to have brooded them: and that they on their side played the wild beasts that would not be tamed. When we shall once have known the favour of our God towards us: let us beware that it be not so defaced as we may justly be accused of unwillingness to suffer our God to govern us peaceably. What is §20to be done then? Seeing that our GOD showeth himself so loving and kind hearted, that he protesteth himself to be as a father towards his little babes, in bearing with our feebleness and infirmities: and seeing that he sayeth by his Prophet Isaiah,2 that although all the mothers in the world should forget their children, yet would not he forget us: and seeing he stoopeth so low as to liken himself to an Eagle and to a Hen, to show that he taketh us for his chickens and §30birds: let us look that we yield unto him, & lay our selves as it were in his lap, praying him to bear us and to relieve our infirmities, that we may be comforted at his hand, as he is ready to do, if we flee to his mercy for succour. Thus ye see what we have to do for the well putting of this doctrine in ure.