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

The .xxvij. Sermon, which is the fourth upon the fourth Chapter.

The .xxvij. Sermon, which is the fourth vpon the fourth Chapter.

11 I am afraid of you least I have spent my labour in vain upon you. 12 Brethren I beseech you be ye as I am, for I am as you are. Ye have not hurt me at all. 13 Ye know how I have erst preached unto you through infirmity of the flesh, 14 And ye neither despised nor held scorn of the trial of me such as it was in my flesh: but received me as an Angel of God, yea as Jesus Christ.

11 I am afrayd of you least I haue spent my labour in vayne vppon you. 12 Brethren I beseeche you be ye as I am, for I am as you are. Yee haue not hurte me at all. 13 Yee knovve hovv I haue earst preached vntoo you through infirmitie of the flesh, 14 And yee nother despyzed nor hilde skorne of the tryall of mee suche as it vvas in my fleshe: but receyued mee as an Angell of God, yea as Iesus Christ.

I Have declared heretofore, that although S. Paul at the first blush bring not any reason that seemeth to be of great weight or importance: yet notwithstanding it is not for naught that he doubteth least his labour be lost, and all the fruit of his travel among the Galatians be perished, seeing they observed the holy days and other Ceremonies of the law. For we must not look upon the day itself, or upon the kind of meat, or upon such other like things: but we must consider to what end men forbear the eating of any kind of meat, or why they keep certain days, and so of other Ceremonies. Now I have told you that by that means the light of the Gospel is after a sort damned, or rather utterly quenched. For the end why all those things were ordained in old time, was that the fathers might be foded and maintained in the hope of the redeemer, who was not yet come among them. But now that our Lord Jesus Christ is come into the world, and hath finished and performed all that was requisite for mans salvation, it were an utter derogation too the full perfectness that is in him, if men should still busy themselves with figures. It were all one as if a man should draw a Curtain before him that he might not be known as he is. Furthermore, there goes a binding with it: and when a thing is commanded under pain of deadly sin, mens consciences are made subject too such tyranny, that God forgoeth his authority and dominion over us, for he will not have us to make conscience of any thing that is not commanded by him. And truly the thing wherein he will be discerned from his creatures, is that he have all sovereignty in ruling our life: that the thing which he commandeth be accepted as good and needful without gainsaying: that the things which he forbiddeth, be omitted, and that men make no reckoning nor conscience of them. But in observing the Ceremonies and in thinking to deserve at Gods hand for so doing, there is yet a further matter: namely that we renounce or give over the thing that is purchased for us by the death and passion of the son of God our Lord Jesus Christ, whe hath discharged us of all debts due