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 hereupon S. Paul inferreth, that Jesus Christ may dwell in our harts by faith. Whereby he showeth, that without Christ we shall never be made partakers of any one drop of Gods grace. It is true, that God hath the whole fullness of life, light, righteousness, and all goodness in himself. But where is the head wellspring? It is utterly hidden, & we shall never be able too come at it of our selves. And if we think too do any good by our own inventions: it is but a deceiving of our selves: we shall but dig pits continually, yea even such pits as are full of holes, and have no springs of water in them. Behold,¹ the thing that men gain by following their own inventions, is, that they make much trotting up and down, and are never the nearer. But our Lord Jesus Christ is a fountain whereout we may well draw ou• fill: yea and we need too make no long windlasses too come unto him, because he offereth himself, saying: All you that are a thirst come unto me & drink, for whosoever drinketh of the living water that I give him,² shall have enough, both for himself, and also too make it flow […] his neighbours. Now then, for as much as our Lord Jesus Christ do•th so […] and bountifully offer us ⟨image 158⟩the benefits which we receive of God his father: therefore S. Paul saith, that he must be fain too dwell in our harts, that we may be reformed by Gods spirit. And let us mark, that Jesus Christ hath the full perfection of all goodness in him, not only in respect that he is the everlasting son of God, but also even in his humane nature which he took of us, and wherein he became our brother, hath he also received all fullness, according too this saying of the Prophet Isaiah, that upon him shall rest the spirit of wisdom,³ the spirit of understanding, the spirit of the fear of God, the spirit of righteousness, and the spirit of strength. And too what end? Is it for his own use? He had no need of it: but (as it is said in another Text) it was to the end that he should distribute it unto all his members, and we all of us from the most too the least draw of his fullness, not fearing that fountain can dry up. Seeing then that our Lord Jesus Christ doth by the Gospel daily communicate and offer unto us the things that we want, and are needful for our salvation: it is not for nought that S.