A17698:3631
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 that is the cause also why he saith,1 That he will hear the heavens, and the heavens shall hear the earth, and the earth shall hear the corn, and all the seeds that be committed unto it. When the husbandman soweth his grain well, he layeth it up as it were in prison: & it seemeth to be as at the mercy of the earth. The earth then must conceive the corn, nourish it, & make it to spring, & in likewise give it substance. But doth the earth hear the Corn • It is deaf: that is to say, it hath no power to make it to prosper, except it be heard of others. And how is that? The earth as I have said, looketh up to heaven, and after a sort openeth her mouth, it cleaveth when it feeleth extreme heat, and is not watered as it would. The heaven then must be fain to answer ⟨p. 958⟩to the earth. The heaven? What can that do? Can the heaven give water? It hath none except GOD draw it unto it by his secrete power.2 In very deed we shall see hereafter how God threateneth to give a brazen heaven: It is needful then that God do hear the heaven, and that we repair thither. So then, as often as it reineth, we must understand that God openeth his Treasures, which are else shut up. God (as I have said) could even without §10rain or dew) cause the earth to bring forth fruit: but he useth such mean, as he knoweth to be convenient for our dullness: and he doth so, to the intent that we should have the less excuse: that if we be unthankful unto him, and close our eyes against so apparent a matter: we should be so much the more blameworthy at the last day, and be sure to yield account for our wilfulness in refusing to know the thing which ought to be throughly known unto us.§20 Thus ye see what we have to bear in mind.
And that is the cause also why hee sayth,1 That he will heare the heauens, and the heauens shall heare the earth, and the earth shall heare the corne, and all the seedes yt be committed vnto it. When the husbandman soweth his graine well, he layeth it vp as it were in prison: & it seemeth to be as at the mercie of the earth. The earth then must cōceiue ye corne, nourish it, & make it to spring, & in likewise giue it substance. But doth ye earth heare the Corne It is deafe: that is to say, it hath no power to make it to prosper, except it be heard of others. And how is that? The earth as I haue sayd, looketh vp to heauen, and after a sort openeth her mouth, it cleaueth when it feeleth extreme heate, and is not watered as it woulde. The heauen then must bee faine to aunswere