A17698:3466
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.
even so dealeth God with us in that it pleaseth him to admit us for his people, & to take us for his own. Now let us see what honour this is, when he stoopeth so unto us wretched creatures. We are poor worms of the earth: as touching our bodies we are vile carrions & rottenness: & as for our souls there is yet far greater wretchedness in them: and yet notwithstanding God entereth into covenants with such as we are: & what equal match is there between us? Would an earthly king or some great Prince vouchsafe to come unto a swineherd or some other man of base degree, & say, we will covenant one with another, we will have a Notary betwixt ⟨p. 913⟩us. A Prince (which yet is but a mortal creature) would think himself too much disgraced, if he should enter into covenant with such an abject as in respect of the world: and yet our God vouchsafeth to stoop as low unto us. And therefore we ought to magnify so great a privilege. When we hear the word of God preached unto us, it is all one as if God came down hither unto us and said; Come on. As for me, I am ready to covenant with you, only be you §10likewise disposed on your side. When we have such a near access unto God, and he acquainteth himself so with us, and would have us so joined unto him: are we not void of all sense and reason, if this do not move us, yea and inflame our hearts to give our selves wholly over unto God, who useth such & so incredible gentleness towards us? So then it is not without cause that Moses sayeth in this place: This day the Lord thy God hath made thee to give thy §20word, that is to say, he hath made thee to covenant with him, that thou wilt be his people, and thou hast made him to covenant with thee, that he will be thy God. Thou hast this liberty, or rather this privilege to speak with thy God. Go to then, let us covenant together, let us have our mouths open to demand and to ask, seeing our Lord stoopeth so low unto us. It is very true that he can owe us nothing, but yet nevertheless, of §30his mere liberality he will have us to ask him, that we may be his; he will have us to require him that he may be our God, and we his inheritance; he our King, and we his people: we his children, and he our father. Seeing then that we may come so far; ought not the great pitifulness which our Lord showeth unto us, to make us ashamed?