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 in that respe•• also is it said in the first of Saint John, that our Lord Jesus hath bin the life of men from the Creation of the world. Howbeit forasmuch as men have a more excellent privilege than the brute beasts: it is said, that he is their life and all their light. But here the case concerneth the spiritual state of the Church. For whereas all Adams race is corrupted and accursed by nature: God hath shoaled us out from it by vouchsafing too choose us, too the end too show that we be joined unto him with a much straiter and holier bond, than the rest of mortal men are, which have but their first birth. And this joining is spoken of in the¹ .xvii. of Saint John, where it is said, Holy father, sanctify thou them, as I have sanctified my self for them, that they may become one in us, as thou and I are but one. Our Lord Jesus protesteth there, that he speaketh not of the world, nor of them that are not of his retinue and heritage. He letteth those go too destruction: but he will have the body of his Church too be truly knit together. And how may that be done? In deed it appeareth not: we be so set asunder here, that the nearest of us thinks but every man on himself. But if we considered how God hath reformed us by his holy spirit, and given us a special life: which is, that his grace should show it self in us, & that this holy spirit should utter his power in us: if we con •idered that: then should we think, that although we wander here & there in this world, and every of us be put asunder from his neighbours, according too the necessity of this present life: yet must not that let us to be so joined under our Lord Jesus Christ, as none of us be wedded too his own profit, nor none of us so love him self, as that he should despise his brethren, but suffer our selves too be gathered together under the mastership of our God. And that forasmuch as he dwelleth in us, we also must show by our doings, that we be desirous too be all one in the power of that grace, which he hath so spread out everywhere. Therefore we see here how Saint Paul exhorteth us too help one another, to the attey•e••ent of the perfect unity which ⟨p. 163⟩God hath begun in us already. And too bring that too pass, he showeth us, that we be shoaled out of the world, too the intent we should be wholly dedicated too our God.