A17722:276
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.
Lo how he speaketh in the three and twenty Psalm, O Lord thy hook, that is to say, the staff which thou erectest, as a shepherd, (For he taketh a similitude from the shepherd, who will have his staff or his hook too lead his sheep:) Lord (saith he) soe that I may have some sign too assure me, that thou accountest me one of thy flock, I will walk in the shadow of death, and yet I will comfort my self: ⟨image 119⟩For I will account my self enough comforted, so that I may be grounded upon thy grace. And afterwards in another place, seeing that God is with me: I defy all those which shall come too assail me. What is that that flesh shall do unto me, so that God take my part (sayeth he?) He scorneth there the weakness of men, showing that God blowing upon them, he can overthrow them all, and bring them to nothing: and notwithstanding if he be armed with strength from above, all the threats which the Devil shall be able to bend against him, shall be nothing. And this is it that Saint Paul teacheth us: If God be with us, who shall be against us? Not that we shall not have many things against us, albeit that God be the keeper of our life: but notwithstanding we may boast our selves against all our enemies, and against all that the Devil shall devise against us, so that God be favourable unto us. So, that it is not without cause that this word is couched in, to take away all fear, when he saith: I am with thee, Fear not therefore. Now altogether like as we are taught to rest our selves upon the only goodness of God, and in his fatherly favour: so contrariwise we have to mark, that without it, we are always as a people that are even swooning And this also is that we have touched erewhile: to wit, that if God do not testify unto us the love that he beareth us, though we should be in an earthly paradise, we should be in a hell: and contrariwise, though we were in some hell, that is to say, in some gulf, so that we feel that God is merciful ⟨p. 111⟩unto us, and that in the end he will take pity upon us, and that we be assured of his aid, an hell will always fall out too be a paradise. And this is the thing we have to observe in this place: That when a man knoweth not how it standeth with him in respect of God, that is to say, he can not assure him self, that God beareth a fatherly affection unto him:
Loe howe hee speaketh in the three and twentie Psalme, O Lord thy hooke, that is to say, the staffe which thou erectest, as a shephearde, (For hee taketh a similitude from the shepheard, who will haue his staffe or his hooke too leade his sheepe:) Lord (saith hee) soe that I may haue some signe too assure mee, that thou accomptest mee one of thy flocke, I will walke in the shadowe of death, and yet I will comfort my selfe: