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…

SCHYN. Princes have persecuted me without cause: but my heart standeth in awe of thy word. I am as glad of thy word: as one that findeth great spoils. I hate falsehood and abhor it: but thy law do I love. Seven times a day do I praise thee: because of thy righteous judgements. They that love thy law, shall have great prosperity: and they shall have no hurt. Lord I have trusted in thy saving health: and have done thy commandments. My soul hath kept thy testimonies: and I love them exceedingly. I have kept thy commandments and testimonies: for all my ways are before thee.

SCHYN. Princes haue persecuted me without cause: but my heart standeth in awe of thy worde. I am as glad of thy worde: as one that findeth great spoiles. I hate falshood and abhorre it: but thy lawe doe I loue. Seuen times a daye doe I prayse thee: bicause of thy righteous iudgementes. They that loue thy lawe, shall haue great prosperitie: and they shall haue no hurt. Lord I haue trusted in thy sauing health: and haue done thy commaundements. My soule hath kept thy testimonies: and I loue them exceedingly. I haue kept thy commaundementes and testimonies: for all my wayes are before thee.

When as men shall trouble us, and do us many injuries, or else any way grieve and vex us, yet are there two things too lead us too walk wickedly without the fear of God. The one is, that it will seem that God hath not compassion of us, to help us. The other, that we will be more afeard of men then in deed we ought: ⟨image 180⟩For we imagine that all is in their hand, and that they may do all things at their own pleasure and as them selves list, do God what he can to the contrary. Lo here, I say what it is that he hindereth us from persevering in the fear of God: That is, That when men trouble us with injuries, violences, & extortions, we are straightways discouraged. And so we are here throughly too consider of this place where David saith that he stood in awe of the word of God, although princes persecuted him without a cause: & in deed, we ought even then most specially too weigh it, when as we fee the mightiness of men to astonish us, & our enemies to be in great credit and authority, yea that it seem we are even as sheep in the jaws of wolfs, that we have no mean too resist their violence, but that they may do whatsoever seemeth, good-unto them, in so much that no man dareth once to open his mouth against them. When as, I say, our enemies shall have all this, and be thus highly lifted up over us, that we know not what shall become of us: then it is a hard matter for us too conceive, what the help which God hath promised us is worth, so that we are overtaken with this fear, to say, O see we are utterly undone, all our cause is clean cast to the ground. And yet in the mean while we never once think, that they are but Gnats, or else when we shall esteem most of them, that they are but Frogs leaping and skipping up and down here below. Neither yet have they so mighty thighs and legs as that they are able too jostle against God: but that whensoever he shall stretch forth his hand, it shall throw down even into the depth, whatsoever men shall of purpose with all their complices, or aftely or wickedly devise, and whatsoever power they shall be any way able to make. See then what we have here especially too note: