A17716:72
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…
Sermons of John Calvin, upon the song that Hezekiah made after he had been sick and afflicted by the hand of God, contained in the 38. chapter of Isaiah. Translated out of French into English. 1560.Sermons of Iohn Caluin, vpon the songe that Ezechias made after he had bene sicke and afflicted by the hand of God, conteyned in the 38. chapiter of Esay. Translated out of Frenche into Englishe. 1560.
London: printed by John Day, 1560London: printed by Iohn Day, 1560
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
It is true that if we perceive not in our selves a zeal to pray unto God, & also a disposition to way deeply the promises which he giveth us, to take boldness to approach unto him, it ought to displease us, & we ought to think that we are far from him on our behalf: but yet we must overcome this tentation. Then when a man shall feel himself in such trouble that he can not bring forth one word to pray to God, that he shall be there thrown down & that he shall not know at what end to begin, yet must he pray how so ever it be, & in what sort: at the least, let us chatter, that is to say, let us cast forth groans▪ & sighs▪ which may show some excessive passion, as if we were even there upon the rack, & God heareth even those groanings: as also we see that s. Paul saith, that the holy ghost moveth us to unspeakable groans, such as can not be expressed.1 Therefore if one would make an art of Rhetoric of the prayers of the faithful, it is a great abuse: for our lord humbleth us to this end, that we should not imagine to obtain any thing at his hands by any fair tale: he had rather that we were so confused, that we had not only one word ⟨p. 36⟩a right in our prayers, but that now we should cast out puffings, and blowinges, and anon that we should abide still with silence: alas my God, alas what shall I do? and when we shall mourn so, that we should be so wrapped in, and tangled, that there should neither be beginning nor ending. Then when we shall be brought to that point, our lord knoweth this kind of language, although we understand it not, and although our perplexities hinder us, that we can not bring forth one perfect sentence, so that men also understand not what we would say: yet God (as we have said before) will hear us well enough. See then what we have to learn at this time: that if troubles oppress us, so that Satan by means thereof go about to exclude us that we should not pray to God, but that we should be as it were afraid of him, yet let us not cease to present unto god these groanings, although they be confuse. Now Ezech. after saith: That he made reckoning until evening, & that God brake all his bones, as if he were in the throat, and between the claws of a Lyon. In saying that he made reckoning until night, he meaneth that he cast his account, well then I will see what will happen between this and night: but (saith he) the evil increased: