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…

And it is not ⟨p. 101⟩for nought that the scripture speaketh of binding, as well as of loozing• for our Lord Jesus Christ meant too show us,¹ that it is the very nature and duty of the Gospel, too pluck us out of the bondage and prison wherein we be held, until he hath set us free: and so is it his own office also,² as he himself sayeth in the eight of S. John, where he declareth the same thing, howbeit, he addeth, that there are bonds also prepared for those that take him not for their redeemer, ne suffer themselves too be set free by him. And that is it which he meaneth in S. John,³ when he sayeth, whose sins soever ye release, they be released unto them, and whose soever ye withhold, they be withheld. Then doth he show, that when we preach the Gospel, we must first of all declare the message of Reconciliation, which thing is spoken of in the first too the Corinthians, in the place by me before alleged. Thus ye see that the thing which we have too do continually, is too show that God hath bin so kind unto us, as too be at one with us in the person of his son, yea and too receive us too be himself, that we might washed and scoured from all our filthiness, and be accepted for righteous before him.⁴ Lo how wretched souls are unbound, lo how poor captives are let out of prison, Lo how they that erst were plunged in darkness of death, are brought out again too the light of life. But on the other side, we have also commission too withhold sins, by threatening the despisers of Gods word with Gods horrible wrath, (and by telling them) that when they have shaken their ears, and think themselves too be scaped, the doctrine that they have heard, must be as ropes and fetters too bind them withal. According whereunto S.⁵ Paul sayeth expressly in another place, that we have vengeance ready for all such as •et themselves against our doctrine. Yea though they be the highest in the world, yet if they set up their bristles against God, and despise him, they shall not scape the damnation that is threatened them, at leastwise when the faithful have once performed their obedience. And in deed when an enemy summoneth a people, there is trembling for fear, least they shall find no mercy, if reasonable conditions should be refused: