A17722:46
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.
Again, when we shall be thus grounded and stayed upon the truth of God, & that we shall suffer our selves to be afflicted by many miseries, that yet, we have that care and zeal to pray & call upon God both morning & evening, & have our recourse unto him: for this is our only comfort. This therefore is not a thing lightly to be passed over, when Moses rehearseth, that Isaac prayed unto god for the barrenness of his wife, & that God hard him. For on the one side we see the perseverance which Isaac had in staying himself upon God, & making request unto him: on the other side we see that God was not deaf to his requests: but this was not, for that he showed himself at the first dash. For a man would have said, that Isaac was abused ⟨p. 12⟩to run so unto God morning and evening, & that it had been better that he had given over all: but at the end of xx. years, God came suddenly, to the end he might show that men are too hasty & headlong in their desires: & here see, what is the cause that often times his name is blasphemed, & men will accuse him for that he worketh not according to our fantasy: this (say I) proceedeth of impatience. Now we have also to note, that Isaac knew that it was a great benefit of God, to give him issue. For when God had pronounced,1 Increase and multiply, according as we have seen, it is to show that neither men nor beasts could bring forth and increase, but by his power, that we should not think that it came by adventure. If therefore Bulls, horses, and Asses cannot engender, unless God shed out his blessing & secret power, what shall be of men? For we are far more noble creatures, inasmuch as god hath formed us according to his own image. So that when we see that both men and beasts are increased by generation, we must thereby call to memory that this is from the word of God, which hath issued out of his mouth, Increase and multiply, which yet even at this day showeth it self, but we must go farther: to wit, that God keepeth this blessing & liberality to himself, to the end to distribute it as he seeth good. For we see that all engender not alike: Some have no Children, others one or two, and others again have them by dozens. So then when we see such an inequality, it behooveth is too acknowledge that it is a special ⟨image 20⟩benefit of God to have children: