A17698:574
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 he sayeth purposely, Take good heed that •hou forget not the things which thine eyes have seen, and beware that they never depart from thy heart. When as he saith, The things which thine eyes have seen: thereby he meaneth that the people are utterly without excuse, if they regard not the things that God had showed them, according to his former using of the same manner of speech.§40 And whereas he sayeth that our eyes have seen,1 it serveth to express the things which our Lord hath showed us too evidently, so as we cannot allege ignorance, nor say, this or that was too high or too dark for me. Thine eyes have seen it, sayeth Moses. As if he should say, No no, ye need not to be great Clerks nor Doctors in this behalf, ye need not to be very subtle-headed: our Lords manifesting of himself unto you hath been in such sort and so evidently,§50 that even the veriest idiots and rudest sort of you have perceived the things that he told you. And in good sooth, although Gods word contain wonderful secretes: yet notwithstanding they be so manifest unto us, as we may be able to conceive them, at leastwise if we our selves be not in the fault. For we see how God lowlieth himself and stoopeth to our rudeness, because he knoweth what we be able to bear. Now then seeing it is so: let us but open our §60eyes, and when God hath once showed himself to us, let us take good heed that we forget him not: for [if we do,] we shall be unexcusable, and our unthankfulness will be manifest and sufficiently proved. Again he showeth that it is not enough for us to have some light remembrance of it swimming in our brain: but it must be well rooted in our hearts: And after that manner ought Gods word to be sown in us. It is not enough for us to have skill to talk of it, and to be able to say, I know this & that: but we must hold fast the things inwardly which we have heard outwardly. Now then, if Gods word be settled in our hearts, and reign there: then have we good remembrance of it. But if we be not touched with it, nor have any willingness to keep it: it is all one as if we had never heard of it. Thus ye see what we have to mark concerning this speech of Moseses, where it is said, that the things which we have once known must never out of our minds.