Four Sermons Entreating of Matters Very Profitable, Title page – Dedication
Foure SERMONS OF Maister Iohn Caluin, Entreating of matters very profitable for our time, as may bee ſeene by the Preface:
With a briefe expoſition of the LXXXVII. Pſalme.
Tranſlated out of Frenche into Engliſhe by Iohn Fielde.
¶ Jmprinted at London for Thomas Man, dwelling in Pater Noſter Rome, at the Signe of the Talbot. 1579.
To the right Honorable and my verie good Lorde, Henry Earle of Huntington, Lord Haſtings, Hungerford, Botreaux, Mullens and Moyles, of the moſt Honorable order of the Garter Knight, and Lorde Preſident of the Queenes Maieſties Councell eſtabliſhed in the North partes, Iohn Fielde wiſheth encreaſe of true faith and continuance in the zeale of his bleſſed religion for euer Amen.
IT may bee (right honourable & my very good Lord) that men will maruayle, whye I ſhoulde publiſhe theſe … excellente Sermons of Maiſter Iohn Caluines, the Argumentes whereof bee not ſo fitte and agreeable (as they thinke) to theſe times: ſeeing GOD in mercy hath geuen vsus peace, and ſet vsus at libertie from that Romiſh yoke, ſuffering the beames of his glorious Goſpel to ſpread far and wide, to the great comfort of many, and his owne euerlaſting glory. Theſe benefits, as they are acknowledged by me: ſo I beſeech God to make vsus all more thankfull then we hauehave beene, that the litle fruite they hauehave brought foorth amongeſt vsus, the common ignorance that is yet vponupon the face of the whole lande, the ſmall preparation to the croſſe and bending our backs too beare it with Ieſus Chriſte our head, doe not prouoke him too geue vsus ouer too followe our owne wayes, to hauehave no conſcience nor care of any religion: as I feare me the worlde is too to ful of ſuch, the more is the pitie. For who ſeeth not, that the cōmon ſort are ſo far from being inſtructed, hauing plaide the Truantes in Gods Schole theſe twenty and odde yeeres, that they hauehave not yet taken out this one leſſon, to bee of minde when God ſhall trie them, too ſeparate them ſelues from the curſed fellowſhip of Antichriſte. For they hauehave not yet learned too make any difference of religion, but bende them ſelues too ſerue all times: come there falſhood or trueth, light or darkneſſe, religion or ſuperſtition, the Goſpell or the Maſſe, Turciſme or Chriſtianiſme, al is one too them, ſo that they may liue at eaſe, they are at a point: no Scripture ſo ſtrong, or teſtimonie ſo euident, that can conuince them, too make them ſtand faſt too Gods euerlaſting trueth, the ſeale of …eir adoption. Though Chriſte hauehave pronounced that whoſoeuer denye him before men,Matt. 10.33.38. hee wyll denie him before his father which is in heauen: though he ſay playnely that hee that will followe him muſt take vp his croſſe and followe him, and that he that is aſhamed too confeſſe him before men,Apoc. 18.4. he wil deny him before his heauenly father: yea although we bee commaunded too come out of Babylon,Apoc. 13.3.11. and it be plainely ſaide that the red Dragon will powre out his waters as a riuer to ouertake the womā with childe, and that the victorie of the lambe muſte be by his own blood, & by the word of their teſtimonie, who louelove not their liues vntoo the death: yet can not all this mooue them to ſeeke too be grounded and prepared, calling vponupon God that they may ſtand reſolute through his grace, to beare teſtimonie to his glorious name, who hath beſtowed ſo many bleſſings vponupon them. If they may hauehave Chriſte with caſe, wealth, honour, with the peace of the worlde and fauour of men, if they may inioy him with their pleaſures and proceeding on in ſinne, they wil be content with Phariſees a litle to entertaine him, that they make a mock of him. But if in the entertaining of him, he ſhal neuer ſo litle touch their botch and pinch theyr pleaſure: if hee ſhall come neare their purſe and endanger theyr leaſt commoditie, if he ſhal require mortificatiō with obedience & ſanctification, then either they wil come by night like Nicodemus, or elſe they wil pray him to be packing with the Gergeſites, or too conclude they wil lay violent hands vponupon him,Iohn. 3.2. Mat. 8.34. Mat. 26.3. Iohn. 11.47. Mark. 11.10. Mark. 14.64 15.12. and naile him faſt to the croſſe with the proude Scribes and Phariſees. As for the common ſort they that yeſterday receiued him as a king, with oſianna in excelſis, they wil to morow cry out Crucifige, with the high Prieſts, that they may liue in ſecuritie. Theſe ſermons therefore as for their worthineſſe they hauehave been tranſlated long agoe into other tongues, and (as I vnderſtoode, when I had almoſt finiſhed them) out of the Latine into ours alſo: ſo my labour being paſt, they being alſo by authoritie allowed: and I eſpecially following maiſter Caluines owne french copie, ſo what differing frō the other: I thought they coulde not but be very profitable, at the leaſte too prepare vsus againſt the time to come. For God hath geuen vsus long peace, and our reſt hauing bred ruſt, growen vp euē to the height of the contēpt of his graces, muſt needes prouoke him to puniſh the wicked with wonted plagues & to correct vsus with the fire of aduerſitie, that we may be purged frō our foule corruption. Our cold ſtarued Papiſtes, I cannot tel what warmeth hath drawē thē out of their holes, but now they begin a litle to ſhew thēſelues, they loke big, & their hāging looks ſhew what malice lurketh in their cākred harts: But our God liueth and therefore wee will not feare, we know that all powers both in heauen and in earth are ſubiect to him: and we nothing doubt though our ſinnes hauehave ſtrengthened the handes of his aduerſaries, that they ſhoulde be heauy vponupon vsus, yet our God will in our puniſhmentes geue them an euerlaſting ouerthrow and an vnrecouerable confuſion. Though there be many Newters which hauehave made a couenant with their owne heartes rather to be of all religions, and to ſerue al times, then to endure the leaſt danger, yet there are an infinite number of true Chriſtians, that by his grace to die for it, will neuer bow the Knee too Baall, will neuer pertake with the table of God and the table of deuilles,1. Kinges. 19. will neuer draw in that vnequall yoke togeather with ſuch Infidelles. Theſe ſhal neither the ſwoordes of Hazael, nor of Ichu, or of Eliſha once touch, for they are marked of the Lorde. And if the woorde of God be ſure as him ſelfe, and hee hauehave ioyned himſelfe as head too vsus his members, why ſhoulde we feare? If our head liue we ſhall liue, if he be aſcended, we his members ſhalbe drawen vp vntounto him. Our blood ſhalbe of ſtrength too breake all their cheines. The ſhame, ſlaunder and reproche that they lay vponupon vsus, ſhalbe our greateſt glory, and our innocency laide to theyr crueltie, ſhalbe ſtrong enough to ſet the ſeale of true happineſſe vponupon vsus for ſuffering for righteouſneſſe ſake, and of wretched confuſion vponupon thē, that ſo rage againſt ſuch as hauehave done thē no harme,Matt. 5.10. and whō they ought too hauehave moſt eſteemed of, as for whoſe ſakes they hauehave & poſſeſſe al thoſe temporall bleſſings that god in his mercy hath geuen thē. We wil therefore in the name of our God, likewiſe Marriners, in this calme time prouide againſt ſtormes and tempeſts. We are not ignorant what the order of nature ſetteth before vsus: there is no ſommer but bringeth a Winter, no day but hath a night: nor any profeſſed trueth that bringeth not a tryall. Health is alwayes ioyned with ſickneſſe, and the bodily life is ſubiect to death: ſo the peace of the Church is ſeldome without aduerſitie: & GOD forbid that we ſhoulde not prepare, euen to the powring foorth of our blood, to ſtriue for the trueth of our God, yea too death it ſelfe, if God ſo appointe. If they be (as Chryſoſtom ſaith) not onelyonly betraiers of the trueth that ſpeake lyes in ſteede of the trueth, but alſo that doo not freely vtter the trueth: God forbid that wee ſhoulde not be ready in time and place when he willeth, both to vtter it freely, and to ſtande too it valiauntly and conſtantly for the glory of his name. And one thing I doe aſſure the Papiſtes of and all of Caynes progenie, that the more they kil and perſecute the children of God, the more wil Chriſt & his Goſpell flooriſh. Our blood wilbe a fructifiyng & multipliyng ſeede, they hauehave ſeene it and knowen it true by long experience, & herein they be but the inſtruments of haſtening vsus too our happineſſe. Not when they will, for we are not ſubiect vntounto them. The Deuil him ſelfe their Father and all helliſhe furyes are ſubiect too our God, and cannot touch one heare of our heades, tyll he hauehave geuen them leaue and that for our good and tryall. Let the ſonnes therefore of ſeruitude in the pride of bondage ieare neuer ſo muche againſt the ſonnes of libertie,Gal. 4. yet a day ſhall come when their righteouſneſſe ſhall breake foorth and appeare more glorious then the Sunne and all the Starres: when as too them (what pleaſures ſoeuer they ſhall vſurpe in this world) ſhall belong nothing but perpetuall ſhame, ioyned with an euill name too all poſterities, and an euerlaſting death in the ende worlde without ende. Wherefore (good my Lorde) I am bolde too offer vp theſe ſermons vntounto your honour, rudely tranſlated by me, beſeeching your honour in the behalfe of Gods Church to accept of them. I will ſay nothing in their commendation, they are able and of ſufficient age to ſpeake for themſelues. OnelyOnly I thought good to ſhew this humble duetie towards you, by this publique teſtimonie. And I beſeech God the father of all mercies to ſtrengthen you in that happy courſe of the Goſpel, wherinto of his ſinguler goodneſſe hee hath drawen you: that you may be as a bright ſtarre in his Churche comfortably ſhining forth in conſtancie and maintenance of the ſame trueth, too the ſtirring vp of many: that not onelyonly it may be geuen you (as the Apoſtle ſaieth) to beleeue in him, but alſo too ſuffer for him. For this is true honour too ſuffer for righteouſneſſe: The cauſe is it that muſt comfort all that are afflicted, and herein we hauehave wonderfully to reioyce, when it is for his name ſake, herevnto alſo, wee muſt (as I hauehave ſaid) prepare our ſelues. For it is impoſſible that Chriſte and his Croſſe ſhoulde bee ſundred. The worlde muſte louelove her owne, and in the worlde wee ſhalbe troubled. Chriſt in his members muſt be crucified til he come againe in his ſecond & glorious comming to ſubdue all his enimies. The remainder of his afflictions muſt bee borne in our bodies, not becauſe hee hath not ſuffered fully, but becauſe wee muſte bee made conformable vntounto him, till wee bee fined from the droſſe that is in vsus, too deteſt it and wholly too louelove his righteouſneſſe. Wherfore we muſte deteſt all thoſe Libertines, who count themſelues the Familie of LoueLove, and the Atheiſtes of the worlde, who ouerthrowe all confeſſion and profeſſion of the Faith of Chriſte, beeing indifferent for all religions: that tread vnderunder their feete the blood of all Martyres, and account them but for fooles. Nowe the God of all patience and comfort, bleſſe your honor togeather with my good Lady, that you may feele and poſſeſſe that comfort that none can take from you. Amen.
Your Honours moſt bounden and Faythfull euer to commaunde, IOHN FIELDE.