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

which was, that men should not surmise that it came to pass by worldly means, for it was not yet sufficiently known. Then if he had gone too Jerusalem, and communed with the Apostles, men would have said, this man is in s•me doubt, and therefore he went thither too dispute, and in the end was overcome. And so it would have bin thought that it had bin of mans doing, and the glory of God had bin so much darkened thereby. But when as Saint Paul had bin a man full of cruelty, that sought nothing but too abolish the memorial of the Gospel, a shedder of the blood of the Martyrs, a blasphemer of God, and an enforcer of the poor weaklings too renounce Jesus Christ: when as men saw him too be such a one, that is too say, as a man besides himself with such rage, as he would never leave till he had borne down the Gospel: and yet notwithstanding saw him so changed in one minute of an hour, and no man spake to him: yea and blinded and beaten down too the earth, so as he lay there like a poor dead man, and afterward was raised up again as it were out of his grave, and his eyes by miracle opened, so as God sent a man ⟨image 65⟩unto him of no great fame named Ananias, who baptized him, strengthened him, and made him too receive the visible tokens of the holy Ghost: and that thereupon he went his way into Araby, a country where Jesus Christ had never bin spoken of afore, (for although the Jews had bin somewhat dispersed, yet was the Gospel utterly unknown:) I say, when we see how Saint Paul went that way too work: who is he that can say that he learned aught of men, or that he had bin won too it by disputation, or by reason, or by any other manner of [worldly] means at all? Nay rather we shall be constrained too grant, that what soever was too be found in him, was of Gods putting into him. That then was the special reason why Saint Paul communed not with the Apostles. And truly here he speaketh of them as it were in way of scorn, terming them flesh and blood. Howbeit, it is not a defacing of the gifts which they had received of God, when we make comparison between our Lord Jesus Christ and them. And we ought too mark that well. For when we speak of men, surely they may well be called flesh and blood, as we see they be called in the first of John.¹

which was, that men should not surmyze that it came to passe by worldly meanes, for it was not yet sufficiently knowen. Then if he had gone too Ierusalem, and communed with the Apostles, men woulde haue sayde, this man is in sme doubt, and therefore he went thither too dispute, and in the ende was ouercome. And so it would haue bin thought that it had bin of mannes doyng, and the glorie of God had bin so much darkened thereby. But when as Sainct Paule had bin a man full of crueltie, that sought nothing but too abolishe the memoriall of the Gospell, a sheader of the bloud of the Martyrs, a blasphemer of God, and an inforcer of the poore weakelings too renounce Iesus Christe: when as men sawe him too bee such a one, that is too say, as a man besides himself with such rage, as he would neuer leaue till he had borne downe the Gospell: and yet notwithstanding sawe him so chaunged in one minute of an hower, and noman spake to him: yea and blinded and beaten downe too the earth, so as he lay there lyke a poore dead man, and afterwarde was rayzed vp agayne as it were out of his graue, and his eyes by miracle opened, so as God sente a man