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…

She desireth death, and yet she is the mother of the faithful? She representeth the Church. Now if this were in her, that bare in her belly the hope of the salvation of the world: what shall be in us? So considering that we have our minds so ready to conceive follies and vanities, and moreover so ready also to cast us off the hinges, & in the end so subject to make us storm against God, so much the rather it standeth us in hand to search out the remedy. Now that is here given us in Rebecca: For she fodes not her self in her sadness, she byteth not upon the bridle, as many do who stick there, which seek to have no mean wherein to content themselves, nor to make them quiet & settled: but they wander this way and that way, and always add fantasies to fantasies, & plunge them ⟨p. 29⟩selves so deep in their imaginations, that the Devil afterwards possesseth them, and driveth them by all violence and fury against God. Rebecca doth not so: But when she felt that this was an intolerable grief unto her, she withdraweth her self unto God, she enquireth of him, and answer was given unto her by and by. She had therefore whereupon to rest her self, when she knew that so was the good pleasure of GOD: and when she saw what he demandeth: and that one of her own children should be cut off from the Church, and the other reserved, she knowing this, it behoveth that she rest there and submit her self thereunto: the which thing she doth. For she striveth not against God. Likewise we read not that at any time after she murmured: but we see that she hearkened unto God: and brought forth children afterwards, and always she rested her self in that which had been said unto her, and set her mind and affection upon Jacob. And why so? Because she knew that he was ordained of God to be the blessed seed, which she had hoped for: so as she behaved her self more manfully in this respect, then Isaac her husband. Now this is to show us, that when we are in any trouble, we must straightway have our recourse to God. For our spirits are not able enough, too know these hidden things: yea we see that in the most easyest things in the world (as seemeth unto us) we shall be many times ravished & astonished.

She desireth death, and yet shee is the mother of the faithfull? Shee representeth the Church. Now if this were in her, that bare in her belly the hope of the saluation of the worlde: what shalbe in vs? So considering that we haue our mindes so ready to conceiue follyes and vanities, and moreouer so ready also to cast vs off the hinges, & in the end so subiect to make vs storme against God, so much the rather it standeth vs in hande to search out the remedy. Now that is heere giuen vs in Rebecca: For she fodes not her selfe in her sadnesse, shee byteth not vpon the brydle, as many doe who sticke there, which seeke to haue no meane wherein to content themselues, nor to make them quiet & setled: but they wander this way and that way, and alwayes adde fantasies to fantasies, & plunge them