Sermons of M. John Calvin upon the Epistle of Saint Paul to the GalatiansSermons of M. Iohn Caluine vpon the Epistle of Saincte Paule to the Galathians

and therefore every man must strain himself in his own behalf, & when he understandeth this lesson, he must put it in practise. For if we covet to be taken & avowed for Christians before God & his Angers: we must be conformable […] the holy Ghost in the thing that he setteth down here. And in very deed if we were not too far overseen, we have occasion of it ⟨p. 324⟩enough, as hath bin said afore. For they that do but only enter into themselves to consider what they be, and what their state is so long as they be separated from Jesus Christ, must needs be scared with the feeling of gods wrath which they have deserved, when they perceive themselves to be plunged in such cursedness, that it were much better for them if the earth had swallowed them up a hundred times, than to have lived in that plight but one day, being in the mean while enemies to their God, from whose hands they can not scape. Therefore let us learn to look to our selves. Such as intend to deck themselves to the worldward, & specially women, will look in a glass, & that shall be done with as much curiosity & wariness as may be. But in the mean while we look not upon our selves to spy our own wants and filthiness, to the end we might humble our selves truly before God, & seek our glory where it is to be had. Now, it is certain that he which knoweth his own reproach & shame, will seek to come to the remedy of it, at leastwise of Gods spirit work lively in us, & that we be not sotted by Satan, as I have said afore. Let us learn, let us learn to look upon ourselves, both without feigning, & without flattery. And when we shall have known our own wants & miseries, let us resort to our lord Jesus Christ. And forasmuch as all loftiness, stateliness, & vaunting must be beaten down by means of the Cross: Let us be truly crucified to the world, and let the world also be nothing unto us. Now whereas S. Paul saith, that the world was crucified to him, & he to the world: it is true that he meaneth another thing [than plain crucifying].

and therfore euery man must strayne himselfe in his owne behalfe, & when he vnderstādeth this lesson, he must put it in practise. For if we couet to be taken & auowed for Christians before God & his Angers: we must be conformabl• 〈…〉 the holy Ghost in the thing that he setteth down here. And in very deede if we were not too farre ouerseene, wee haue occasion of it ⟨p. 324⟩