A17698:4565
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 now let us come to that which Moses addeth concerning Zebulun and Issachar. He saith §10of Zebulun, Be glad in thy going forth: and of Issachar, Rejoice thou in thy tents, or in thy coverts, or in thy houses. And thereupon he attributeth as common to them both, That they shall call folk into the mountain (that is to say) of Zion, there to make sacrifice to the living God, and therefore that God will bless them, in so much that they shall skim off the fat of the sea, that is to say, they shall be enriched by trade of merchandise. And that although their country was sandy (as the §20seashores commonly be) so as there was no fruitfulness of corn & wine; yet should they not fail to be rich for all that: for the sand (that is to say the Sea) should give them sufficient abundance. That is the sum of the thing that is spoken here. Now (as hath been touched heretofore) we see that Moses spake not of his own head, but that God himself uttereth here the things which he had determined afore: for Moses could not have guessed what was to befall in §30the portion of Zebulun. I have told you afore, that the Israelites were not their own carvers. True it is that the tribe of Gad and a part of Ephraim had their portion beyond Jordan as shall be declared hereafter:1 but all the rest of the portions were made by lot, so as it was not for any man to say, Such a thing shall befall me. It behooved God him self to be the whole doer, as we see he was in this text, so as he might be acknowledged above all his creatures.§40 Therefore when Moses declareth that the tribe of Zebulun shall be planted by the seas side, he doeth us to understand that God had revealed unto him things unknown, and that his speaking was by the holy Ghost. When he sayeth that traffic and merchandise shall be in the tribe of Zebulun, and that Issachar also shall go by sea; no doubt but that therein God uttereth things which men would never have thought. And so we have an infallible proof, not only §50of the promises that are set down here, but also of all the doctrine of Moses. For to what end did he so bless the tribes of Israel, but to hold them under obedience of the law, and under the religion which he had taught them, not of himself, but as he had been enjoined from above?