Sermons on Divinity Humanity and Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, To the reader
To all the faithfull diſperſed people of God, in what Countries and Nations ſoeuer, Conrade Badius wiſheth Grace, and peace from our Lorde and Sauiour Ieſus Chriſt.
IT is not vnknowne vntounto vsus (Chriſtian Readers) what the proude ſecte of the Phariſees was, in whom, although there was nothing els but darkneſſe, and ignoraunce, yet boaſted and bragged they of them ſelues, to bee the moſt notable enterpretors of the lawe, inſomuche, that from thence they tooke their name, as if the verie marowe, and ſecret meaning of the ſcriptures had beene encloſed and faſt ſhut vp in their breaſtes. And yet in the meane while, in ſtead of feeding the poore people with true and wholeſome doctrine, they inſtructed them I know not with what mockeries and vaine ceremonies, which they them ſelues had inuented, cleane beſides the worde of God. And ſo, after the like manner doe our great Doctours of Sorbone, and all our howling Monkes and Fryers deale at this day with vsus: of which company, the one ſorte of them, although they thinke them ſelues to be the pillers of the Church, fellowes with the Apoſtles, and the verie ſhoppe of the holie Ghoſt, from whence wee muſt fetch the full expoſition of the ſcriptures, and the verie aſſured reſolution of all the pointes of religion, yet tell they vsus nothing els but vaine and doltiſh tales, either buſie them ſelues about curious queſtions, and ful of Sophiſtrie, beſides a thouſand other ſubtleties, ſeruing to no edification in the whole world. The other ſort of them, in ſtead of the word of God, preach nothing els, but conſtitutions and ordinaunces of their owne making, for the eſtabliſhing of the tyrannie of their holie Father the Pope, the verie Antechriſt and enemy to the truth: and the third ſort, vomit and caſt vp arrogant and proude ſpeeches in the Pulpyt againſt the children of God, & againſt all ſuch as Ieſus Chriſt hath reuealed him ſelfe vntounto, in theſe latter dayes, calling them Lutherans, and ſeditious perſons, falſly deuiſing a thouſand leaſings againſt them, and in ſteade of feeding their miſerable ſtarued ſheepe with the true foode of the worde of God, they are faine to moyſten their ſoules with thoſe peſtilent kindes of poiſons, whereas they ſhould be fed with ſpiritual and heauenly nurriture.
Wherefore, dearely beloued brethren in our Lorde and Sauiour Ieſus Chriſt, whenſoeuer that God ſendeth vntounto vsus any good and faithfull teacher, who ſincerely and purely deliuereth vntounto his Auditorie the worde of the Lorde, wee ought to make a meruellous great account of him: for, we ſhal finde verie few ſuch men as will faithfully acquite them ſelues of their charge and function: and we ought amongſt other things greatly to reuerence all thoſe whom God hath endowed with ſpeciall graces and the gift of enterpreting▪ Euen as at this day the faithful Paſtor and good ſeruant of God Iohn Caluin, hath made that precious talēt which God beſtowed vpō him verie profitable, whoſe Sermons yelde vntounto vsus a good teſtimony therof, which alſo, (in the iudgement of indifferēt men) were not ſlightly made, nor haſtily hudled vp, but duely & truely premeditated and rightly deliuered vntounto the capacitie of his flocke, hauing alwayes in open ſhew, the liuely impreſsion of the benefit of the Lord Ieſus in their hearts. Neither are theſe like vntounto common places caught in a net, either yet boſome Sermons, which may ſerue for any text of ſcripture, as a ſtoole for al feete: But are true, ſincere, plaine, and meete expoſitions ſeruing for the text which he had to treate of: neither are they ſtuffed with friuolous exhortations: either yet filled with ambitious inuectiues. For, as it is verie needful that the ſuperſtitions of Poperie ſhoulde, by the worde of God, bee daily enueighed againſt, to the ende they, might be cleane rinſed and ſcowred out of our heartes, as a ſtrong ſauour wherewith we hauehave beene ſeaſoned euen from our infancie, yet if the place which hee handled did not orderly ſpeake againſt ſuch abuſes, hee woulde not paſſe the boundes of his Texte, and crye out, vponupon them: as the Papiſts, alwaies, and to no purpoſe, like Maſtife Curres barke and baye againſt the Goſpell, renued in this latter age of the worlde: But his manner was to holde a plaine and direct courſe, tending to edification, without omitting any thing which might ſerue and make for the honour of God, and inſtruction of his Auditorie. I woulde, if it pleaſed God, there were a great many moe his lyke: For then I knowe, that the Church of Chriſt, ſhould be greatly eaſed and furthered: But it is out of al doubt, that our vnthankfulneſſe is the cauſe why God ſendeth not moe faithfull Paſtours at this preſent then are: for if there bee any that will duetifully diſcharge their office, and deliuer the word of God freely (as Saint Paule commaundeth) reproouing ſinne, and ſetting them ſelues againſt iniquitie, for the maintenaunce of his honour, by whom they are ſent, they are foorthwith furiouſly dealt with, rayled on, and ſlaundered. As queſtionleſſe, the partie before ſaide, who for his vprightneſſe, and great fidelitie by him vſed in the executing of his charge, hath gotten ſuch a mightie number of enemies, as that they which neuer ſee nor heard him, neither yet euer read two wordes of his woorkes, hauehave wiſhed his death. Howbeit, God be thanked for it, his good conſcience and the teſtimonie which hee had before God, his Angelles, and the faithful which daily heard him, did ſo aſſure him that men did him wrong for wiſhing of him ſo great hurt, as that they encouraged him, conſtantly to purſue the Lordes workes. He ſawe howe hardly his maiſter was dealt with, and after him the Apoſtles: and therefore it greeued him not to follow their ſteppes, becauſe he knew that God was of power able to defende and keepe his pledge, and that they which ſuffred for his ſake, ſhould be taken to be worthie of the kingdome of heauen. Nowe, becauſe all men could not bee of that Church whereby they might be partakers of the heauenly foode which this good ſhepheard many yeares ceaſed not to adminiſter: and that it was very expedient that they which were newly come to the charge which hee had, might ſee his manner of teaching, and ſo followe it: and likewiſe, that they which thought hee did nothing els but ſpeake euill and crye out againſt the Pope, and all his rable of ſhauelinges, thundring againſt their traditions, without any other handling of the Scripture, or els that hee went about none other thing but to bring the people vntounto a carnal libertie, and thereby caſt of the obedience and ſubiection which they ought to Kinges and Princes, to the end therefore that they might read his Sermons, and thereby ſee that hee hath great iniurie done vntounto him in hauing this blame laide vponupon him, and ceaſe the yl opinion which they hauehave conceiued of him, many godly honeſt men determined to prynt a certein of them, but eſpecially Lawrence of Normandie, whoſe zeale and godly conuerſation is ſufficiently wel knowne, & hath for many yeares beſtowed all his ſtudie & trauel to prynt bookes for the edifiyng of the Church. In verie deede, I muſt needes ſay thus much (as I hauehave in the preface of the Sermons of the tenne Commaundementes let you before vnderſtande) that the Authour was not willing nor yet conſenting heretoo: not that hee woulde hinder the benefite and fruite that hereby might redounde to the Church: but wiſhed that his Sermons might paſſe no further then vntounto his owne flocke: as well for that they were ſpecially made for his ſheepe, vntounto whoſe capacitie he framed him ſelfe the beſt he could: and therefore thought that an other order and diſpoſition were more requiſite therin for the publiſhing them abrode in the view of al the world: but as for the ouer looking of them to the ende to poliſh them, ouer and beſides that his leaſure would not ſerue him, hee would neuer buſie himſelfe about the matter. For if he himſelfe had meant to hauehave put them foorth, he intended to hauehave made new homilies of them, and better penned, and not to hauehave publiſhed any thing ſodē ly ſpoken by him. Neuertheleſſe, we ſeeing the great benefite which might come by the putting abrode of theſe Sermons, were not afeard ſomewhat to diſpleaſe and diſobey him heerein, to the end we might make you partakers of thoſe excellent riches, which wee poſſeſſe in this litle Angle and corner of the world, ſo abhorred and deteſted, howbeit precious in the ſight of the Lord. In deede we were ſo much the bolder, by reaſon of the liberal dealing of our honorable Lords and magiſtrates, who deſiring the aduancement of the Church of God, hauehave priuiledged vsus to print them.
Now, when we ſee that we were to make choyſe of ſuch a great nūber of collections as were of them, we thought it beſt to ſet a few of them abrod to the end that as we ſee them thankefully receiued, ſo alſo we might goe forward in putting foorth of moe. This then is the order which wee hauehave taken.
In the firſt place, we hauehave ſet downe a congregation vponupon the beginning of the Goſpell of S. Iohn, where is largely handeled the diuinitie of our Lord Ieſus Chriſt. Now by this word Congregation, I meane a certaine aſſemble, which is made one day in the weeke at the Church, where eueryevery Miniſter in order handleth ſome text of the ſcripture, more like the maner of a reading then of a preaching: that being done, if any of the reſt vntounto whome the ſpirite of God hath reuealed any thing tending to the better vnderſtanding and laying open of that which hath beene ſpoken, hee hath free libertie to ſpeake.
After that foloweth the Sermon, touching the natiuitie of Ieſus Chriſt. Next to it wee hauehave placed the Sermons of his death and paſſion, of his reſurrection and aſcention, of the comming downe of the holy Ghoſt vponupon the Apoſtles, Of the firſt Sermon that Peter, made after he had receiued the holy Ghoſt. Laſt of al, we hauehave ſet downe a Sermon treating of the laſt comming of Ieſus Chriſte.
After we had thus doone, and thinking to hauehave finiſhed this booke it pleaſed God to graunt vsus to come to the hearing of the moſt excellent ſermons that are poſſibly to be hard or ſpoken, vponupon the end of the fiftie two Chapter of the Prophet Iſaiah, & vponupon al the fiftie three, wherin the miſtery of the death and paſſion of our Lorde Ieſus Chriſte is ſet foorth, and ſo liuely pictured out that a man would thinke that the holy Ghoſt meant to ſet before our eyes Ieſus Chriſt condemned in our name, and nayled to the croſſe for our ſinnes, to the end that he ſuffering the puniſhmente for them which was due to vsus, and bearing the wrath and iudgement of God for our ſakes, hath deliuered vsus from eternal death, which Sermons doe ſo agree with the Sermons going before, which wee hauehave heere ſet downe, that wee coulde not chooſe to ioyne them vntounto them, becauſe we woulde not bereaue you of ſo great a benefite. Moreouer, wee hauehave had reſpect to chooſe out thoſe Sermons aſwell as we coulde, which were vponupon ſuch dayes as the Lordes Supper was adminiſtred in this Churche, aſwell for that that there is a farre greater and more effectuall vehemencie in them, as alſo for that the point of this Sacrament is therein more cleerely ſhewed, for the which at this day, is the greateſt contention and ſtriefe in the worlde. And therefore we hauehave determined hereafter too deliuer vntounto you the Sermons, which this godly learned man hath made vponupon the tenth and the eleuenth Chapter of the Epiſtle of S. Paul to the Corinthians, wherein is manifeſtly ſet foorth the true inſtitution of the Supper & the corruption and abuſe which ſithence hauehave come vntounto it, liuely refuted. Wherefore, if wee perceiue that theſe preſents like you, wee will vſe all the meanes poſſible that God ſhal graunt vsus, to make you partakers of the heauenly riches, which he vouchſafeth vponupon his ſeruants heere in this Church. In the meane while wee beſeech you dearely beloued to follow that bleſſed courſſe, and not feare the threats and cruelties of tyrants, who thinke at this day to do god high ſeruice in perſecuting Ieſus Chriſt in his members: and ſet before you this incorruptible crowne and euerlaſting prepared for you, if you conſtantly perſeuere vntounto the ende in your holy calling, knowing that the ſufferings which you abide in this preſent life, are not worthie the glory of the life to come: wherevnto wee may attaine through Ieſus Chriſt our Lord.
Geneua. 1563.