A17698:789
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.
Now proceeding herewith, Moses addeth that he spake thus to the people of Israel, saying: Hearken to the Law which the Lord hath caused to be set before the, that ye may learn it & keep it. Here again Moses rehearseth the preface which we have seen heretofore: that is to wit, that Gods law was not given, only to the end that men should hear it & know what §10it is: but to the end we should be reformed, & that God might have proof of the subjection that we yield unto him. To be short, we see that Gods doctrine consisteth in practise, & that we must show by our deeds that we have not bin taught it in vain. Here Moses saith first of all, Hear the Law which I set forth to you in your ears to learn it. As if he should say, Gods meaning is not that the doctrine which is preached unto us in his name & by his commission, should fall to the ground: but §20that we should receive it diligently, & set our whole minds upon it. For what is the cause why we profit so slenderly in Gods word, but for that we busy our selves to much about worldly matters? If we come to a Sermon, or if we read the holy Scripture, it is but as it were for fashions sake, we endeavour not to do as we ought to do, that we might observe the things that are told us. Wherefore let us see that we become diligent scholars,§30 while God is so gracious to us as to teach us by his word. And for the same cause doth Moses say that he setteth it forth in their ears. In deed this manner of speech were harsh in our tongue: nevertheless it importeth, that God speaketh not to us in a dark or strange language: but that he uttereth himself familiarly, so far forth as is requisite. Seeing then that God cometh down to us, to the end we might have his will familiarly uttered unto us: what excuse will there be for us, if his word be lost, or if it slip away, or if we §40take not hold of it to fare the better by it? True it is that forasmuch as we be gross and ignorant, we shall ever find much darkness in Gods word, so as it shall be to high & profound for us: but who is to blame for it? Let us mark then that all such as complain that Gods words is an unknown speech unto them: are here rebuked of lying: & they do god wrong in slandering him, forasmuch as they deny and despise the grace which Moses protesteth §50to have bin offered to the Israelites in the setting forth of the law.