Two and twenty sermons of Master John Calvin In which sermons is most religiously…Two and twentie sermons of Maister Iohn Caluin In which sermons is most religiously…

It followeth: With my lips have I declared all the Judgements of thy mouth.

It followeth: With my lippes haue I declared all the Iudgementes of thy mouth.

David showeth here the accord which ought to be betwixt God & us: to wit, that god hath instructed us, & when we have heard that which hath bin said unto us, that every one should say Amen, & that there be a sweet harmony & accord betwixt him & us, without jar or contradiction. ⟨image 21⟩Lo here in sum that which is meant in this verse. Now in the mean while we have to note, that David declareth that he contenteth not himself alone with following of God and cleaving unto him: but that he laboureth and desireth as much as in him lieth, to stir up his neighbours likewise, and to bring it so to pass, as that God might be served with a common accord, throughout the whole world. He then that will have a true zeal to honour God, will not think only of himself, but will have an eye every where, and seek by all means possible that he can, too redress those which are wickedly given, to stir up those which are cold and negligent, to strengthen those which are weak and feeble, to entertain those which are already in a good forwardness and to make them more forward. Lo here whereunto all the faithful have an eye. For the Lord our God teacheth us upon this condition, that every of us think not only particularly of himself, but that we should also have a mutual care one of another, and whensoever we shall have this zeal, let us understand, that God hath created the whole world upon this condition, that we all should be obedient unto him. But we must well way the order that is here set down: For David beginneth not with this sentence, That with his lips he hath told of all the Judgements of the Lords mouth. For he hath said before, that he hath hid them in his hart. The thing which David said to be hid in his heart, he soon after declareth it with his mouth, wherein he showeth that every of us ought to begin with himself. When we mean too instruct and teach our neighbours, we must not say unto them, Go you before: but, Come next after me, or else hard by me: and having care all to go the right way, we should all at-once labour to go together to our God, to be conjoined unto him in true faith. And I speak it too this end, because we shall see many who in this behalf can very well prattle and babble, and would seem to be the greatest doctors in the world. But what of all this?