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

Thus ye see how God loved us, notwithstanding that in the person of Adam we were fallen away from him & utterly corrupted. Therewithal he did also hate us, even because he is the wellspring of all righteousness. Therefore he abhorred the naughtiness that was in us by reason whereof there needed an atonement to be made in the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, & by the sacrifice which he offered. ⟨p. 13⟩But yet must not that benefit be fathered upon any other than God. Ye see then how it was Gods doing too send his only son, and too give him over unto death for us. And why? To the end that all hatred between him and us should be done away. This in effect is the thing that ought to be understood of S. Pauls words, when he saith that Jesus Christ gave himself to the death for our sins, and yet notwithstanding that the same came not too pass without the will of God, who had determined the same aforehand in his own everlasting purpose. Here first of all we have too magnify the mercy that was showed us, in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. For if God had [but] proclaimed a pardon, and told us that he would take us to mercy though we were unworthy of it: that had bin very much, yea and it had bin impossible for us to magnify such a gracious goodness as it deserveth. But seeing he hath lent us such a gage of his love as his own son, and giveth himself to us in his person, [thereby] showing himself to be our father: it so far passeth all that we have said, that if all our wits were employed too wondering at such a goodness, yet should we never come to the fullness thereof. Thus ye see what we have to mark in the first place, when Saint Paul speaketh too us of Gods will. [Howbeit] let us understand, that even from the time that God had just cause to hate us, and to abhor us, yea and [even from the time] that we were his enemies (as the Scripture saith) in very deed he never ceased to have some regard of us,¹ and to extend his pity so far forth, as he would not have us to abide in our destruction: in so much that he hath not thought it enough to declare the same by word of mouth, but also hath given us such a pledge as we see, that is to wit, that his own son hath answered for it. Now seeing it is so that God hath showed himself so gracious and merciful before we were reconciled to him:

Thus yee see how God loued vs, notwithstanding that in the persone of Adam we were fallen away frō him & vtterly corrupted. Therwithall he did also hate vs, euen bicause he is the welspring of all rightuousnesse. Therfore he abhorred the naughtinesse that was in vs by reason wherof there needed an attonemēt to be made in the bloud of our Lord Iesus Christ, & by the sacrifize which he offered.