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 he addeth purposely, that Jesus Christ hath done it in the flesh, meaning in our nature, too the end that we might be sure that in his person we be a•owed too be Gods children. For like as in Adam we be all lost: so by our Lord Jesus Christ the second Adam, we be restored too the hope of salvation. And in deed after the selfsame manner doth the Apostle show us, that we may boldly trust that God will always be o•r father for his fake.¹ For he hath not taken on him the nature of the Angels (sayeth he) but the seed of Abraham. And although Matthew in the Genealogy of Jesus Christ, begging at the person of Abraham, as at the wellspring & root: yet doth S. Luke lead us further, and telleth us, that Jesus Christ appeared not only for the Jews. Truly S. Matthew doth it upon very good reason, namely too show that Jesus Christ came specially too perform the promises that had bin made of old time. But S. Luke showeth the same thing that S. Paul declareth here: namely that when we have gone up as far as to •ur first father Adam, we shall find, that our Lord Jesus Christ was yet still before him. True it is, that he was conceived by the secret and wonderful power of the holy Ghost, in the womb of his mother: but yet for all that, he ceased not too be the true linage of Abraham, and of David, and also of Adam, and there is no doubt but that we be joined too God by […] mean, seeing he is our true brother, and we need not to seek far, because we be bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh, as we shall see hereafter in the fifth Chapter. Thus ye see in effect what S. Paul meant by adding this saying, that the fulfilling or performing of all these things was done in the flesh of Jesus Christ. For if we should consider nothing else in Jesus Christ, but his heavenly glory and divine majesty, what would come of it? We would be abashed, and we might say, he were too far of for us too come unto him. But now seeing he hath of the same flesh that we have,² and is become very man, like unto us in all things, saving only sin, so as he undert••ke our passions or sufferings,³ and our wants and wretchedness, […] have pity of us, as the Apostle saith: we may assure our selves, th when we offer our selves unto God, we shall be joined unto him in