A17698:3543
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.
Secondly (as I have noted already) God hath set down such examples here before our eyes, as ought to make us afraid, in that he speaketh of such as against nature do so company with their own mothers, their stepmothers, or their Sisters. He speaketh of them expressly, to the §10intent that from the one we should come to the other, as we see he doeth in all his Law. And this hath been declared more at length heretofore. When he will condemn hatred, he speaketh of murder. And why? If a man tell us that no man ought to hate his brother; we easily grant it to be sin; but yet we make no conscience to do it. But when God sayeth, that he which hateth his brother is a murderer:1 then are we the more abashed and restrained.§20 Likewise in this text, for as much as the scorners do but jest at whoredom; they do also bear themselves in hand, that God ought not to call them to account for it. And this vice is not of this days or of yesterdays breeding: we see it hath been in all ages, as Moses reporteth here. And therefore God nameth the detestablest kinds of lechery, to the intent that thereupon we should conclude thus, that if we live not chastely, we shall fall from one evil to another,§30 until we be fallen into such a bottomless gulf, as shall be horrible to think on. That is the thing which we have to remember upon this text. But we ought to make our benefit of this warning, considering the blockishness that is in us. We think our selves to be very sharp witted and apt to conceive: and yet we understand not any thing in the doctrine of God; we be so dulheadded, that he is fain to chaw things aforehand to §40us, or else we would not be moved with them. To be short, we have less wit and reason than young babes have. Let men commend themselves as much as they lift, and let them glory upon opinion that they be very able: yet are they so dulheaded, that we should play the very brute beasts, if our Lord did not chaw things rudely unto us. And what is the cause thereof? Forsooth that we be forepossessed with our fleshly affections, and none is so §50deaf as he that will not hear, as they say.