The sermons of M. John Calvin, upon the Epistle of S. Paul too the…The sermons of M. Iohn Caluin, vpon the Epistle of S. Paule too the…

Now for a larger opening of the matter, he addeth immediately, That his so doing is, because he hath uttered the secrete of his will unto us, even according to his own good pleasure which he had purposed afore in him self. Lo here an other thing which ought to advance the dignity of the Gospel yet more: which is, that there we have the secretes which were hidden heretofore in God. And it is not here only that S. Paul speaketh after this manner: but we shall see yet a larger discourse of it in the second chapter.¹ And not only in this Epistle,² but also everywhere else, he showeth how we ought to be as it were ravished at the preaching of the Gospel, because God doth there open the things that were incomprehensible to all men before,³ and which no man would never have believed, or once thought of. For he seemed too have chosen the only line of Abraham,⁴ in such wise as if he had cast away all the world besides. Therefore it was a wonderful thing when he poured out his grace in common upon all nations. Yet notwithstanding we know, that at such time as Jesus Christ came into the world, the very self same people were grown out of kind, and Gods doctrine was so corrupted, that there was nothing but superstition among the Jews. It seemed then that all had bin past hope of recovery, when suddenly beyond the opinion of all men, behold, salvation was offered too all nations. Behold, Christ which had erst bin hidden in deep darkness, yea, and in so deep darkness, as there was not any hope that ever he should have come out of it, rose up as the Daysimne of righteousness,⁵ to give light to the world. For this cause therefore doth S. Paul say, that in the Gospel we be ⟨image 43⟩made privy too the secrets of Gods will. True it is, that at the first sight there seemeth to be nothing but simple stuff in the Gospel. And that is a cause also why many scoffers think that the things which are contained in the Gospel, do serve but for idiots: and they bear themselves in hand, that they are able too devise many wittier things in their own dreams and dotages, than all the doctrine is that concerneth Jesus Christ. But such folk are unworthy to taste of the thing that is showed us here: for their pride doth utterly blind them, and make them stark dolts.