A17698:2183
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 verily thereby they were done to understand, ⟨p. 563⟩that the thing of it self was not evil. Seeing that God gave them leave to sell or give unto the heathen the flesh of such things as were not ordinarily slain; thereby they might perceive how it behoved them to look yet further. And why so? As touching murder, because it is forbidden of it self, if it be not lawful for me to kill a man, neither is it lawful for me to lend a sword to kill him withal, nor to use any manner of treachery. Now then, in things that God condemneth of them selves,§10 & which are evil of themselves: it is certain that all men ought not only to abstain from them, but also to beware that he give not any occasion to any other body to do them. And so it is to be concluded, that sith the Jews might without offending God give or sell the flesh of strangled beasts: God showed thereby▪ that the thing of it self was not evil; & that his forbidding of it was but to hold them under awe, & thereby to lead them yet further, intending to make them understand, that they ought §20to live in all manner of pureness, because they were a holy people. This is that which we have to remember upon this place. Now, whereas he speaketh here of strangers, he meaneth all the heathen which were not of the line of Abraham, as if we in these days should speak of the Turks & Saracens, we might say they have no fellowship with us because they wear not the badge of Baptism, and despise the God whom we worship. For Gods law speaketh to all men alike, at leastwise the moral §30law as they term it, that is to say, the law that ruleth our life: but the law that belongeth to the Gospel, speaketh to none but to the Church of God. As for example the Turks and the Saracens have not to do with the supper of our Lord Jesus Christ, neither can they any skill of Baptism. True it is that they have washings, and they wash themselves oft enough: but all that ever they have is no better than the holy water of the Papists. As for the things that are peculiar to us, & which God hath §40given to us as to his children and household folk, those belong not to such as are altogether estranged from the Church, & the holy scripture. And therefore let us mark well, that whereas God doth here give the heathen leave to eat all manner of meats: