Four Sermons Against the Pollution of Idolatries, Title page – Printer to the reader
FOVRE GODlye ſermons agaynſt THE POLLVTION OF IDOLAtries, comforting men in perſecutions, and teachyng them what commodities thei ſhal find in Chriſtes church, which were preached in French by the moſte famous Clarke Ihon Caluyne, and tranſlated fyrſt into Latine and afterward into Engliſhe by diuers godly learned men.
PSAL. 16.
I vvyl not take the names of the Idols in my mouth.
¶ Printed at London by Rouland Hall, dwelling in Golding lane at the ſigne of the thre arrowes.
1561.
ROVLAND HALL TO THE READER.
THere be thre cauſes ſpecially that moueth me to printe theſe ſermons of maiſter Ihon Caluine the faithful ſeruant of god and the apoſtle of our time. Th'one is the worthines of the matter ſet furth in theſe ſermons. The other is the plaines and ſimplicitie that thys great clarke vſeth in all his ſermons to the people. The third is the reuerent handling of the ſcriptures, without tauntes, ſkoffes, or ieſtes, or any trifling tales, wherby our engliſh nacion may ſe & iudge what power the word of god hath of it ſelf, whē it is moſt naked & bare and void of that painted ſheathe that men would put vponupon it. The matter is mete for al men to know, and ſtandeth in theſe foure pointes. Fyrſt, there is a generall admonicion to flye idolatry. Secondly an exhortation to folow Chriſt in ſuffering of perſecution, and bearing of the croſſe. Thirdlye the liberty to ſerue god, and the cōmoditie to liue in the church of god is commended. Fourthly with how great paines & care this liberty to worſhip god purely in ſom chriſten congregation oght to be ſoght for and deſired of all chriſtians, is deſcribed. And for a concluſion there is addded the expoſition of the .87. pſalme, which teacheth that the church of god thogh it ſeme miſerable in this world, yet doth it excel al the kyngdoms of the earth becauſe god loueth it gouerneth it, ſtabliſheth it, multiplieth it, and taketh the count and numbre of his elect people out of it.
Concernyng the ſecond poynt. The ſimplicitie is ſuch, as our Sauiour Chriſt and hys apoſtles vſed in their ſermons, of the which ſainct Paule ſpeaketh to the Corinthiās, ſaying that he came not with excellencie of wordes, or of mans wiſedome to ſhew vntounto them the teſtimonie of God, leſt the croſſe of Chriſt and the power of God workyng thereby ſholde be of none effect, whyles men ſhould attribute that to eloquence which only is wrought by the ſpirite of god in the heartes of the faythful.
For the thyrd: he obſerueth the precept of ſainct Peter. Yf any man ſpeake, let him ſpeake as the wordes of God So that all hys ſermons ſeme nothyng els but the ſwete licour of the ſcriptures and liuely word of god ſet furthe before our eyes in Chriſtalline veſſels to entice vsus to beholde them and to prouoke vsus to taſt and to ſmel of theſe lycours of lyfe whiche he brocheth vntounto vsus of that abundance which god hath geuē vntounto him in theſe our times. God grant vsus grace thankefully to receyue Gods good gyftes in this and all other thynges offered vntounto vsus. So be it.