A17722:160
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…
Thirteen sermons of Master John Calvin, entreating of the free election of God in Jacob, and of reprobation in Esau A treatise wherein every Christian may see the excellent benefits of God towards his children, and his marvellous judgements towards the reprobate, first published in the French tongue, & now translated into English, by John Field, for the comfort of all Christians.Thirteene sermons of Maister Iohn Caluine, entreating of the free election of God in Iacob, and of reprobation in Esau A treatise wherin euery Christian may see the excellent benefites of God towardes his children, and his maruelous iudgements towards the reprobate, firste published in the French toung, & now translated into English, by Iohn Fielde, for the comfort of all Christians.
London: printed by Thomas Dawson for Thomas Man and Toby Cooke, 1579London: printed by Thomas Dawson for Thomas Man and Tobie Cooke, 1579
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.
For if so be, we must dye to make confession of our faith, such as God requireth of us, & to glorify the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and must pass that way: we must likewise also forsake our own life, and all that belongeth unto it: ⟨p. 63⟩and if we do it not, we show that we know not, what it is to have tasted of spiritual blessings: but that we have lost all taste of them, forasmuch as the devil hath made us drunken with his poisons, and hath bewitched us and made us senseless and blockish. We see here by the way how profitable this history is unto us. For besides that we have said already, that God hath ratified his election, & hath discovered that which was in Esau & Jacob: here our father Jacob reacheth out his hand unto us, and showeth us that all the pleasures of this world, ought to be nothing unto us, no not our very nourishment, when there shall be any question: to be as poor starved people, that we rather forsake to eat and drink, when all shall be made ready, yea specially, when the smell shall have provoked us, that we imagine to have the morsels already in our mouths, and to have swallowed them down, when we shall be come so far, nevertheless, that we enter into such a combat against our selves, that we renounce our natural inclination, and specially that which is not utterly condemned amongst men, if it let us from coming unto God, if it hinder us, or entangle us here beneath in any corruptions. Behold what we ought to do. And moreover that we take good heed on the other side, that we be not like unto Esau, and that we allege not this, and that as many say, ô we must live. We way well have our excuses before men: but when we shall come to render a reckoning before that great Judge, who hath declared unto us, ⟨image 71⟩that he will have us to set such price upon the treasure of our salvation, that he hath offered us in the Gospel, that we learn to withdraw our selves from the world, & that all that is in it be nothing in comparison of it. But this thing is practised after sundry sorts and manners:
For if so be, wee must dye to make confession of our faith, suche as God requireth of vs, & to glorifie the name of our Lord Iesus Christ, and must passe that way: we must likewise also forsake our owne life, and all that belongeth vnto it: ⟨p. 63⟩