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…

Again, if God give any sign that he have chosen us unto him self, and that this be showed even from our infancy, we have so much the more, wherefore to glorify God: For the more his grace is enlarged, the more praise it deserveth: but if we remain for a time as rejected, and that God maketh no semblance of having any regard unto us: but rather that we be as it were forgotten, and in the end he calleth us back again, when we have for a long time gone astray: herein also shall we have a double occasion to praise him. To be short, howsoever he work in us, it behooveth that our mouth be always open to acknowledge his goodness and mercy. There be some which from their childhood will declare that GOD hath kept them, as if he had held them by the hand, and should bring them forth to say: These are mine, and in deed they have a good instruction from their infancy, and further it shall profit ⟨image 51⟩in them, in such sort as men shall say: Behold a seed of God.

Againe, if God giue any signe that hee haue chosen vs vnto him self, and that this bee shewed euen from our infancie, we haue so much the more, wherefore to glorifie God: For the more his grace is enlarged, the more praise it deserueth: but if we remaine for a time as reiected, and that God maketh no semblaunce of hauing any regarde vnto vs: but rather that wee be as it were forgotten, and in the ende hee calleth vs back againe, when wee haue for a longe time gone astray: heerein also shall we haue a double occasion to prayse him. To bee shorte, howsoeuer he worke in vs, it behooueth that our mouth bee alwayes open to acknowledge his goodnesse and mercie. There bee some which from their childehood will declare that GOD hath kept them, as if hee had helde them by the hand, and should bring them foorth to say: These are mine, and in deede they haue a good instruction from their infancie, and further it shall profite ⟨image 51⟩in them, in such sorte as men shall say: Beholde a seede of God.

Now these (as I have said) are deeply bound to acknowledge that God had given them this privilege. For what have they more then others? we are altogether corrupted in Adam. So then, when God leadeth them as it were by a continual thread from their birth, even until their old age, so much the more are they bound unto him. But there are others, who are as poor and miserable creatures: whom men would say that God had wholly cast from him, and the one sort are lewd and dissolute in their youth, the other sort miserable Idolaters: and whatsoever devotion they have, yet nevertheless this is always to estrange them so much the more from God, and to provoke his wrath, yea sometimes they are enemies to all trueth: as we may see in the example of S. Paul, who was as an outrageous beast shedding innocent blood, and striving for nothing more as a ravening Wolfe, then to scatter all the Churches. Again, see the Corinthians, who were whore masters, & given to all kind of villainies, as Saint Paul declareth: And as much is said of the Romans. Ye were (saith he) in times past, both whoremongers and proud persons, & given to all oppression & deceit, yielding all your members to evil, & to the service of sin. And a little after he saith to the Ephesians: Ye were in times past without God, without any hope of life, ye were altogether darkness, ye were in everlasting death.