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

Certainly we can not profit at all in Gods school,¹ nor in the holy Scripture, till we have known that we be nothing at all, too the end we may come too draw out of the fullness of our Lord Jesus Christ. But that can we not do, except we be first utterly dried up in our selves; and confess with David that we be as the earth that is scorched and cloven with heat, and have no whit of wetting or moisture, other than it may receive from heaven. Hereupon S. Paul addeth, Therefore let every man try his own work, and then shall be have praise in him self, and not of other men: that is to say, not by comparing of him self with other men. Here S. Paul remedieth yet one other vice which is to common, and yet notwithstanding we will all of us grant it to be deadly of it self, and that all of us are attainted with it: namely that we esteem our selves as little Angels, when other men are worse than we, or at leastwise when we find them not better. And that is the very thing that rocketh so many wretched souls asleep nowadays, making them to forget themselves, so as they make no reckoning neither of God nor of their own salvation. It is because they see that the whole world tag & rag doth go that trace. If we take a whole town, and ask them from one to an other how they behave themselves, surely every man will have his excuse and they will all pretend this for a buckler, Tush we must do as other men do. As much will they say in cities & countries. To be short, we will needs be like colliers sacks (as the Proverb saith) one of us maketh another black. And again, we bear our selves in hand; that we be quite & clear before […] is as bad as I, we see that the world is no better, it is apparent that all men do so. Howbeit, besides that these shifts can not purge us, ⟨p. 293⟩they be an occasion too harden us in all naughtiness, and to make us rebelliously to despise Gods justice, as though we should never come to account of our doings. So have we a very good and profitable exhortation in this text, when S. Paul saith that every man must try his own work. True it is that the word which he useth, might be taken for to approve or allow: but it agreeth not with the matter: for he speaketh here of the trial or examination that every man ought to make of himself, without comparing himself with others:²

Certaynely wee can not profite at all in Gods schole,