Sermons of John Calvin, upon the song that Hezekiah made after he had been…Sermons of Iohn Caluin, vpon the songe that Ezechias made after he had bene…

And to be short, they that know in deed what the wrath of God is, will speak and cry, and yet they know not on which side to begin: and again when they hold their peace they wot not why they do it: ⟨p. 34⟩but they are alway in anguish. And we see a notable example of all these things in the good king Hezekiah.

And to be short, they that knowe in deede what the wrathe of God is, wyll speake and crye, and yet they know not on whiche side to begin: and again when they holde their peace they wote not why they doe it: ⟨p. 34⟩but they ar alway in anguish. And we se a notable exāple of al these things in ye good king Ezechias.

It is true that God doth not examine all men a like with such extremity: for if he exercise us it shall be according to our weakness: he seeth that we shall not be able to endure such turmoils and assaults. He spareth us them: but when it shall please him to prove us in such sort as we read here in the example of king Hezekiah: We must then be armed with this doctrine. This it is then that we have to bear away. Now to the rest: let us learn what is all the constancy of men. They may well show some token of valiantness when God doth not show forth his force against them, but so soon as he shall call us to account, then needs must all that lustiness which we think that we have within us, droop and vanish away. This is it that we must practise for our instruction to learn true humility, for we know that men do commonly rest in their own presumption and trust in them selves. And what is the cause of that? but for that every man hath an eye to his fellow, and therefore think we our selves to be strongly furnished. But we ought to lift up our wit to God, for there should we find, that so soon as he setteth upon us we become as nothing. Let us then learn to know what it is to plunge our selves down to the bottom in one minute, so soon as God maketh us to feel his wrath: Let us also learn that until we be spoiled of all confidence in our selves, we can not be set in the array of right humility. For so long as men have any opinion of themselves, & think that they can do this or that, it is certain that they rob god of that which belongeth unto him, & so when they lift up themselves without stay to rest upon, it is to break their own necks. This it is then that we have to hold in memory,