Thirteen sermons of Master John Calvin, entreating of the free election of God in…Thirteene sermons of Maister Iohn Caluine, entreating of the free election of God in…

Fie upon these blasphemous mouths that will accuse God of infidelity, of cruelty of lack of care to his Church in providing for his: that like high traitors dare clip & adulterate his coin, wringing the sceptre of his kingdom out of his hand, & bounding his government to some one people, city & country, as did the Donatists: challenging to them selves with the old Catharists, and new Anabaptists and such as are of the Family of love, that they cannot err, when the most of their Popes (and specially such as followed him that proudly to show him self Antichrist, challenged the name of universal Bishop) were Sorcerers, Conjurers, Whoremongers and incestuous livers, Heretics, Murderers, Sodomiters, covetous Harlots, and cruel blasphemers in all their doings. I stand not to cite ⟨image 4⟩the places out of their own stories, they are manifest, and all the world may know them. And as for their Councils they were nothing but wranglings and repeals one of another's Laws and Canons: their customs drawn from mens errors, and therefore (as Cyprian saith) being without trueth, though they were never so old, are but old errors. And yet we leave the fountain, and go too the stinking puddles that they have digged unto them selves: we must leave the light of God, and go to the darkness of men: the instruction of the holy Ghost, & rest upon these Dunces, that know not what they say, nor whereof they affirm, The word of God must be drawn in and out by them as they think good, and therefore they speak most despitefully of it. They call it a dead letter, a nose of Wax, a Shipman's hose, a School mistress of error, dark, hard, insufficient of it self, and I cannot tell what. And yet as I said, if any thing come from their Dunces, they receive it and never distrust it. The name of a Catholic is enough to authorise unto them any thing be it never so false, absurd, peevish and contrary to the known and express trueth of God. They cry the Church, the Church, no otherwise then crafty strumpets that will most scold for their honesty, when they never came where it grew. And then they brabble with us about the translation, O it is corrupted, it is not according to the Hebrew text, & to discredit that which maketh most against them:

Fy vpon these blasphemous mouthes that wil accuse God of infidelitie, of crueltie of lack of care to his Church in prouiding for his: that like high traytors dare clippe & adulterate his coine, wringing the scepter of his kingdom out of his hand, & bounding his gouernment to some one people, citie & countrie, as did the Donatists: chalenging to them selues with the olde Chatarists, and new Anabaptists and such as are of the Family of loue, that they cannot erre, when the moste of their Popes (and specially such as followed him that proudly to shewe him selfe Antichrist, chalenged the name of vniuersall Bishop) were Sorcerers, Coniurers, Whoremongers and incestuous lyuers, Heretiques, Murtherers, Sodomiters, couetous Harlots, and cruel blapshemers in all their doings. I stand not to cite