A17698:2478
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.
But as I said afore, the high priest and the tribe of Levi were appointed to be Judges in all hard cases. It may seem strange at the first sight, how it cometh to pass that GOD would have the priesthood to intermeddle in civil government: for they be two things far differing. We know that when Aaron was ordained §30to be the high priest. Moses had the government of the people. Now the Priesthood went by inheritance,1 and so did not the temporal government. In so much that Moses left his own children as private persons in their own houses without any public authority, & Joshua who was not of any kin or alliance unto him, was his successor. The same order continued afterward, in so much that God raised up whom he thought good, now one of one §40tribe, and now another of another. Notwithstanding, it behooved the Priests to hold them selves contented with the spiritual government of the Church, and they ought not to take upon them the civil government. Why then doth God here set them in highest degree to judge? Undoubtedly, it was to ordain a Council for him that was to be the chief Judge, and to hold the people in the better awe, as if it had been said that all Appeals should come §50before God. For (as I have declared afore) men can very hardly be brought to give their consents, to obey a sentence that is against them. Therefore, to the end that no man should take leave to stand in contention, God sayeth there shall be a sovereign Judge, at leastwise to bear sway in Counsel of hard cases, and such as are given in form of judgement. And to the intent that things may be judged according to my law, the high priest and the order §60of the Levites shall be present there. Now we know that they were expounders of Gods law. For with that condition was the priesthood given unto them, namely that they should be Gods Angels and messengers as the Prophet Malachi speaketh of them.2 And therefore when men asked counsel at their mouths, it was not to have some doting dream of mans device, but to have the certain understanding of Gods law. That then was the cause why the chief authority of judgement was committed to the order of the priests with the Judge whom God had set up.