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…

Now as to the similitude of the Lyon, it seemeth that Hezekiah doth here a wrong to God, for this is not to speak of him with such reverence as he deserveth to compare him to a cruel beast, that devoureth, bruiseth, destroyeth, teareth & breaketh all.¹ And we know that the scripture preacheth unto us of God, clean contrary thereunto, that is to say, that he is kind, pitiful, patient, full of mercy, full of equity & mildness: briefly that he beareth such love to men, that he desireth nothing but to handle them daintily as his own children. Seeing then it is so that ⟨p. 38⟩God declareth himself to be such a one, it seemeth that Hezekiah speaketh blasphemy in comparing him to a lion: But the good king meant not here to protest against God: but only he hath declared his passions, & he did it not to preach his own praises, as we have already seen, but he had rather to receive this shame, even to the end of the world, that men might know what his frailty was, & that we should have such instruction thereby as might profit us. And thus Hezekiah hath not spared himself, but hath set him self out unto us for an example that we might see how he was taken with fear & thereby learn our selves to fear God, & also to arm us with his promises when we shall come in such troubles, to the end that we may continue to call upon him: & though we fail in all this, & become altogether confused, yet let us still hold this point to offer our selves to god, to send forth unto him our sighs & groanings. And this is it that we have hereby to learn. Now is it not without cause that Hezekiah con pareth God to a lion, for (as we have seen before) all the pains that we shall feel in our bodies, & all the grieves that we may conceive are nothing in comparison of this conceiving of the wrath of god, & this is the cause that we say that the spiritual battles are much more hard than all other tentations that we can have. We call spiritual battles, when god compelleth us to cast an eye unto our sins, & on the other side so awaketh us that he maketh us have in mind what his wrath is, & to conceive that he is our judg, & that we be summoned to appear before him, to render account. This is a battle which we call spiritual, which is much more heavy, & much more terrible than all the sorrows, anguishes, fears, torments, doubts & perplexities that we may have as in the world.

Now as to the similitud of the Lyon, it semeth that Ezechias doth here a wrong to God, for this is not to speake of him with suche reuerence as he deserueth to compare hym to a cruell beast, yt deuoureth, bruseth, destroieth, teareth & breaketh al.