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…

But forasmuch as he had spoken of the riches of Jesus Christ, he telleth us, that those riches were then uttered, when Gods mysteries were published to such as had bin blind wretches before. And I have already expounded unto you this word Mystery, Secret, or pri••tie, according too Saint Pauls applying of it in this text. I said in effect, that all Gods works▪ being well considered, have wherewith to draw us too wonderment. And why? Because they proceed of his righteousness, Justice, goodness, and wisdom, which are all of them things infinite. When we speak of Gods wisdom, power, or Justice, they be not things that we can define▪ as though we had full knowledge of them, […] as we can do of the things that we see heerebeneath. Ye see then how that all Gods works, when we come too the considering of them from whence they proceed, are wonderful too us. Well then. And are not all the things that we see in the order of nature, Gods works too? Yes: but we partly see what they be, and partly our wits come sh•rt of them. As for example, if it be demanded by wha• m•an•s the earth bringeth forth fruits, we know it doth so, because it is common among us▪ But if the cause thereof be demanded, surely there all our wits vanish away. For is the earth able of her self too yield forth corn? Is it able to make the things too live again, which were as good as dead? Whence come the leaves and blossoms of trees▪ and all such like things, after that Winter hath put all out of fashion? Again, how can fruits, Corn, and wine nourish men, seeing they have no life of themselves? Then if we fall too seeking out the ground of Gods works, it is (as I said) a bottomless pit, and we […] fain too confess, that God hath in himself an infinite wisdom, whereunto we cannot attain. Howbeit Gods […] now and then […] more wonderful unto us, when we find the cause of them […] to our natural wit & understanding. As for example, whereas it is said, that it was Gods will that the Gospel should be preached upon the sudden through the whole world: it was (too see too) a very mad kind of dealing, if we judge of it after our own imagination. For some man will demand why God bethought him […] to the hope of salvation, sith he had shut them out from […] Behold, the world which had continued so long time afore was renews again at the flood.