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

For the silly souls are bereft of the freedom that was purchased for them by the death & passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. We see then how it is not without urgent cause, yea & extreme necessity, that we strive against the Popish tyranny about ceremonies, considering that our Lord Jesus Christ hath not his deserved preeminence, so long as men busy their wits about those small trifles, & that moreover their wretched consciences are always in unquietness without end or ceasing: and finally, that on the other side the Papists think to deserve grace by the things which they term Gods service, bearing themselves in hand, that that is the mean whereby men should become righteous to obtain salvation. So then we see that S. Paul in his time was driven to sustain that strife. And forasmuch as our case is altogether like at this day, so as we cannot hold our peace except we will betray both god & man: we must fight stoutly against ⟨image 79⟩that hellish tyranny, and against those pelting trash trumpery and illusions of Satan, whereby he would fain either quite deface the Gospel, or else so turmoil it as a man should not know which is the pure truth. This in effect is the thing that we have to bear in mind. And whereas S. Paul saith, that he yielded not one jot too such men: it is too confirm us so much the better on the thing that I touched even now. Peace and friendship are an amiable thing among men. They be so indeed, and we ought to seek them to the uttermost of our power. But yet for all that, we must set such store by Gods truth, that if all the world should be set on fire for the maintenance thereof, we should not stick at it. As much as we can possibly, let us purchase peace: and if the matter concern but our own persons or goods, let us endeavour too compound with our adversaries, let us bear with them, and let us labour to overcome them by our patience: Lo in what manner we ought to buy peace. But yet in the mean while let not Gods truth be diminished, nor sustain any harm or prejudice. For the peace that men seek among themselves shall evermore be accursed, if God be not therewithal acknowledged and magnified as he ought to be, and his word also continue unimpeached, for that is the knot of our bond:

For the seelie soules are bereft of the freedome that was purchased for them by the death & passion of our Lord Iesus Christ. VVe see thē how it is not without vrgent cause, yea & extreme necessitie, that we striue against the Popish tyrannie about ceremonies, cōsidering that our Lord Iesus Christ hath not his deserued preheminence, so long as men busie their wits about those smal trifles, & that moreouer their wretched consciences are alwayes in vnquietnesse without ende or ceassing: and finally, that on the otherside the Papists thinke to deserue grace by the things which they terme Gods seruice, bearing themselues in hande, that that is the meane whereby men shuld become righteous to obteine saluatiō. So thē we see that S. Paul in his time was driuē to susteyn that strife. And forasmuch as our case is altogither like at this day, so as we cānot hold our peace except we wil betray both god & mā: we must fight stoutly agaynst