A17698:3764
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.
For when we be disobedient and will not be reformed, our Lord will never leave us till he have utterly brought us to nought, as he showeth here so oftentimes. And that is yet better expressed by this that Moses addeth. The man (saith he) that is tender and delicate among you, shall §60be grieved at his brother, and at the wife which lieth in his arms, because he cannot be suffered to eat his own children alone. The woman which is so nice that she dare not touch the ground with her foot (for so are the very words of Moses) shall seek to destroy and to spoil her own children; yea, they shall no sooner be borne out of her womb, but she shall be desirous to devour them; and if she have brought them up to some bigness, she will spare them never the more. These be dreadful things: for it is not said only, You shall be besieged, and tarry a long while in famine, so as you shall be driven to eat, Horses, Rats, mice, shoe leathers; yea and the very dung of birds (as it hath bin seen) and all these things shall be your meat.1 Neither is it said that men and women should be eaten: but that every man shall eat his own children. Seeing that God speaketh in this manner, were it not enough to make our hair stand upright? Yes verily; and yet here is nothing declared by Moses, which hath not bin seen in execution. It is not for a man to say, it is not credible, it is repugnant to nature, a man would pluck the bread out of his own mouth, when he is in extremity, to give it unto his children, he would die to help them, insomuch that we see that Hagar could not abide to see the death of her child,2 but she left him alone, and wished her own death. But we need not to allege examples of these things: for the common affection doth sufficiently declare, that every man would rather die, than eat his own children: but yet was such cruelty seen among the Jews. They which were instructed in the law of God, and should have had much more humanity and compassion, than the Pagans and infidels, even they forgot all manner of honesty, and were overcome with this madness. It was meet that this blindness,3 whereof the Prophets had spoken, and which we see here before touched also by Moses, should be then accomplished in them, and that they should be ravished of their wits: For when GOD taketh away all reason and uprightness from men: