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

and he calleth it a mountain of Araby, to show that it was not in the holy land which God had appointed to be the inheritance of his people. Also Sarah representeth Jerusalem: not the Jerusalem (saith he, which is now standing, for that was corrupted and gone away from the law and pure doctrine of God: I say from the law, not after the manner that S. Paul taketh it here to engender unto bondage: but according to the covenant that God had made with his people in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. For as much then as the Jerusalem which was in S. Pauls time, had forsaken Jesus Christ, and by that means disannulled Gods covenant: S. Paul saith that it must be coupled with Hagar or mount Sinai. It is to no purpose (saith he) that the Jews make their brags under colour of their Temple, Sacrifices and such other things, that they be Gods chosen and peculiar people: for notwithstanding all that gear, yet are they as good as banished and rooted out of the holy land, and have no more but a vain title of the law. For let a man look upon the state of Jerusalem as it is now to be seen, and it differeth nothing at all from Sinai. But there is a Jerusalem from above (saith he▪) that is to wit, the Church, which breedeth us before God, and she having the incorruptible seed of the Gospel, beareth children that are free and unbound, and she is the mother of all the faithful, according as it is written, ¹Rejoice thou poor barren woman. And Isaiah speaketh not to any one woman: but termeth Gods Church so by a similitude, which Church should for a time be greatly scattered. His saying then is, very well, thou shalt be an offcast, and there shall be as it were a kind of divorce between God and thee: but in the end he will multiply thee again, and thou shalt have more children than if thou haddest flourished of all the while in prosperity: and that came to pass when the Gospel was preached openly too the world. For then the Church had not only the children of Abraham, or some one certain people: but through the heavenly seed of the Gospel, she brought forth infinite children unto God, of all Nations and Countries, far and wide, according to the power which God uttered through the whole world. Lo here in effect the substance of the text which I […] rehearsed. But first of all ⟨image 239⟩we have to mark, that whereas S.

and he calleth it a mountayne of Arabie, to shewe that it was not in the holy land which God had appoynted to be the inheritāce of his people. Also Sara representeth Ierusalem: not the Ierusalem (sayth he, which is now standing, for that was corrupted and gone away from the lawe and pure doctrine of God: I say from the lawe, not after the maner that S. Paule taketh it heere to engender vnto bondage: but according to the couenant that God had made with his people in the name of our Lorde Iesus Christ. For as muche then as the Ierusalem which was in S. Paules time, had forsaken Iesus Christ, and by that meanes disanulled Gods couenaunt: S. Paule sayth that it must be coupled with Agar or mount Sinay. It is to no purpose (sayth he) that the Iewes make their brags vnder colour of their Temple, Sacrifices and such other things, that they bee Gods chosen and peculiar people: for notwithstanding all that geere, yet are they as good as banished and rooted out of the holy land, and haue no more but a vayne title of the law. For let a man looke vpō the state of Ierusalem as it is now to be seene, and it differeth nothing at all from Sinay. But there is a Ierusalem from aboue (saith he) that is to wit, the Church, which breedeth vs before God, and shee hauing the incorruptible seede of the Gospel, beareth children that are free and vnbounde, and she is the mother of all the faythfull, according as it is written,