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

Saint Paul therefore showeth that the Jews were greatly overseen, too shoal out themselves after that manner from the rest of the whole wo•ld, and to rest continually upon the figures of the law, seeing that Abraham their father and the chief patriarch of the Church was justified the selfsame way that we must be at this day, that is to say, by Gods mere mercy, because he knew himself to be a wretched sinner, and therefore accursed and damned in Adam, and that there was no blessedness to be hoped for, other than that which was promised him for our Lord Jesus Christs sake. Thus ye see what we have too bear in mind. And for the same cause Saint Paul exhorteth us here too weigh well these words when it was said unto Abraham, that all nations of the earth should be blessed in his seed.¹ Now there are here two principal points. The one is, that the blessedness is promised, not only to Abraham's fleshly offspring (as I have told you already) but also to all the world in general. We therefore are made partakers thereof, we I say that are issued of the Gentiles, that is to say, of such as were heathen folk and banished from the kingdom of heaven. Although then that we were not of that holy linage which God had chosen at the beginning: yet notwithstanding it behoved salvation to be extended unto us. And why so▪ For it had hin promised before, that all Nations should be blessed. Seeing it is so, shall we say that God hath cut off the greatest part of his bounteousness, and will have no more but the said linage of Abraham, considering that he hath already told us that he would be the saviour of the whole world, and show ⟨p. 146⟩himself a father in time convenient? Ye see then how the first point is, that the making of the said promise unto Abraham, was not for his linage alone, but for all men: howbeit that it were not fulfilled at the first dash. For the time of fullness was not yet come as we shall see in the Chapter following. The second point is, that the blessedness which was promised to Abraham was for his seeds sake. For Saint Paul saith that God spake not of seeds in the plural number as of more than one: but of one only seed: which must be concluded to be Jesus Christ. Here it might be supposed that Saint Paul busied his head about a needless matter.