A17698:2359
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 whereas he saith, That they shall rejoice with their children, their menservants, & their women servants, the fatherless, the widows, and the strangers: thereby he showeth that his law was not ceremonial only, but that it tended also to the doing of almsdeeds: as indeed our Lord hath at all times showed,1 that those are the very sacrifices which he requireth. True it is that part of the things which were to be offered, were to be brought to the Altar, & there to be burned in sacrifice: but yet for all that, it was always provided that of the rest, the poor should be fed and maintained as well as the priests & Levites: and now doeth Moses speak thereof again. Wherefore let us mark, that even in the time of the Ceremonies and shadows of the law, God never required sacrifice, but that he willed men therewithal to have pity upon the needy to succour them, according to this saying of his by his Prophet Hosea, I require mercy & not sacrifice.2 True it is that he had commanded both of them: but he showeth that such as think to discharge themselves by coming to the church, and by offering their gifts there, do beguile themselves, and that all their doings are but hypocrisy, if they be not kindhearted in succouring the needy, & in doing of Almsdeeds. For I pray you, can we advance GOD any whit by offering of our goods unto him? Can we ⟨p. 610⟩enrich him?3 Wanteth he any thing? True it is that he requireth oblations: howbeit, that was to the end that men should acknowledge even by eyesight, that they were bound unto him. It was a kind of putting of them in mind of it. Yet notwithstanding it stood them always in hand to consider, that they could not otherwise discharge themselves, than by giving part of their goods to such of their neighbours as had want. Thus ye see how the meaning of Moses §10was, that when the Jews offered their sacrifices after harvest, it was not enough for them to acknowledge with mouth and outward gestures, that they were bound unto God for his sending of them wherewith to live, but that it behooved them also to show towards men that they intended to be faithful stewards of the things which he had put into their hands, and desired nothing but to be well discharged of them.