Sermons on Galatians, Title page – Dedication
¶ SERMONS of M. Iohn Caluine vponupon the Epiſtle of Saincte Paule to the Galathians.
¶ Imprinted at London, by Lucas Hariſon and George Biſhop. 1574.
TO THE RIGHT HONOrable Sir William Cecill knight, Baron of Burleygh, Lord high Treaſurer of England, Mayſter of the Queenes Maieſties Courtes of Wardes and Liueries, Knight of the most noble order of the Garter, and one of hir highneſſe moſt honorable priuie Counſell, continuance of health, with proſperitie and increace of honour.
YOur Lordſhips great goodneſſe diuerſe times ſhevved tovvards mee, abiding ſtill freſh in my remembrance, to my no ſmall comfort, calleth vpō me continually to ſhevv ſome token of thankfulneſſe for the ſame. For needes I muſt confeſſe that it hath vttered it ſelfe many and ſundrie vvayes, and that, (if I may vvith your Lordſhips good leaue ſay as I think,) not vvithout a certaine freendly or rather fatherly care of my vveldoing, ſpecially in that lōg cōtinued ſute of mine in the Exchecquer, vvhere your iuſt fauour (I meene in reſpect of the iuſt cace, and not of any deſert of mine) procuring mee credit and helpe to the furtherance of my matter, hath bin the very maintenance and ſafetie of my right, vvhichwhich elſe had bin troden vnderunder foote by the ouer mightineſſe of mine aduerſaries. And heere it behoueth mee alſo too acknovvledge, the vpright adminiſtracion of Iuſtice extended vvith fauour in that ſo intricate cace, both by the Iudges and Chauncelour, and by all other the Queenes maieſties officers of that Court. For after many heerings of the matter vvith great patience and circumſpection, and vvith ſhevving of ſuche recordes for both partes, as vvere knovven or thought to make for the manifeſting of the cace: at length vvhen the matter could not grovve too ſpeedie end by reaſon of certain difficulties and incidents falling thereinto: about the firſt enterance of your honour into the office of high Treaſurer, it vvas by conſent of the Court put in cōprimiſe to ſuch perſones as both parties are very vvell contented vvith. By meanes vvherof being diſcharged of my former continuall cares, trauels, expenſes and troubles, I had the freer libertie to follovve this mine accuſtomed exercize of tranſlating, vvhichwhich mee thought vvas too mee a ſingular benefite. And my reherſing of theſe things is not to diminiſh the thank vvhichwhich I ovve to your honour, by interlacing of other mens doings: but to ſhevv to hovv many I am beholden through your goodneſſe, and that I am loth to be vnmindfull of my duetie tovvardes you or them, ſo farre as oportunitie may vvell ſerue to vvitneſſe the ſame. Novv then, to the i…ent I might the better accōpliſh this my deſire tovvardes your honour, I bethought me of the counſel of the vviſe Philoſopher Seneca in his bookes of Benefiting, the effect vvherof conſiſteth chiefly in theſe three poynts: namely, that the thing vvhichwhich is done or beſtovved too vtter thankfulneſſe vvithall, ought to be very good, very durable, and very acceptable to the partie that is to receiue it. That the tvvo former poynts are in this vvorke, vvhichwhich I (vponupon truſt of your Lordſhips former goodneſſe and accuſtomed fauour) do take vponupon mee to dedicate to your name, and that the third poynt alſo ſhall accompanie it: the reaſons that perſvvade mee are theſe. The things that of their ovvne nature tende only to the vvelfare and benefite of man, muſt of neceſsitie be very good: and of the things that are good, thoſe are alvvaies beſt, vvhichwhich may redound to the cōmoditie of moſt perſones, and vvhichwhich being once poſſeſſed, cannot be taken avvay againſt the vvill of the poſſeſſer: Seing then that the foundation of this vvorke is a parcell of holy ſcripture, and that (as ſayeth S. Paule) all Scripture giuen by inſpiratiō of God is profitable to teach,2. Tim. 3. d▪ to reproue, to amend, and to furniſh men vvith rightuouſneſſe,Rom. 1. b. that they may be perfect and forevvard to al good vvorkes: in ſomuch that it is the povver of God tending to the vvelfare of all that beleeue, both Ievves and Gentyles: and therevvithall conteyneth promiſes not only of this preſent life, but alſo of the life too come: it cānot but be of the ſelf ſame nature, propertie and operation that the reſt of the ſcriptures are, bicauſe (as ſayeth S. Peter) the ſcripture came not by the vvill of man,2. Pet. 1. d. but holy men of God ſpake as they vvere moued by the holie Ghoſt. And herevpon ſpringeth another cōmendacion to the proofe of the goodneſſe of this vvorke, that the Author therof is God the ſouerain goodneſſe it ſelfe, and not man. To be ſhort, the ſame reaſons may ſerue alſo to proue the durableneſſe thereof.Eſa. 40. b. For beſides that God him ſelfe proteſteth that his vvord ſhall indure for euer,1. Pet. 1. d. and that the very heauens ſhal periſh before any one iote of his ſayings take not effect: in aſmuch as this booke cōteyneth not vvorldly vncertaine and periſhing, but heauenly, aſſured and euerlaſting benefites: nor things auaylable to fevve, but profitable to all vnleſſe they thēſelues be to blame: and moreouer that God is the Author thereof: it muſt by all likelyhood needes continue vvith other of the ſame ſort, at leaſtvviſe among the godly, not for a day or tvvo, but ſo long as men ſhall hauehave neede to be edified and ſtrengthened in Chriſt. VVhichWhich thing vvill appeere yet more plainly, if beſides theſe generalities vvhichwhich it hath cōmon vvith all the reſidue of holy ſcripture, vve conſider the vvorke more peculiarly and neerly in it ſelf, vvhichwhich conſiſteth of tvvoo partes, too vvit, of Text, and of expoſition of the Text. The ſubſtance of the text of this vvhole Epiſtle to the Galathians, is this: that vvhen God hath once voutchſafed to inlighten men vvith the true knovvledge of his goſpell, it behoueth them to ſtand ſtedfaſt in the truth vvhichwhich they hauehave imbraced, & to ſhevv by their godly conuerſation that they be the children of light, ſo as they nother turne backe againe as renegates or as ſvvine to the myre, nor be caried too and fro vvith eueryevery blaſt of doctrine like vvauering reedes, or like little children that are ſoone vveerie of the things that they hauehave, and fond of eueryevery nevv thing that they ſee. Hereoutof ſpring other more particular poynts, concerning free iuſtification by fayth, concerning Chriſten libertie, concerning the aboliſhing of Ceremonies, concerning the force and effect of the lavv, and concerning the pure conuerſatiō of chriſtian lyfe. For the order vvhichwhich the vvriters of holy Scripture obſerue vvell neere in all their Preachings and exhortations, is firſt to lay the foundacion of faith in our Lord Ieſus Chriſt, and aftervvard to build vp the vvorkes of charitie and true holineſſe of life, vvithout the vvhichwhich, faith is not onelyonly naked, but alſo dead. Thus much concerning the Texte and the contents of the ſame. The expoſition vvhereof being vttered in Sermons by that learned and godly miniſter of Chriſt Maiſter Caluin (vvhoſe ovvne doings tending alvvaies too the benefite of Gods Churche, may yeelde him farre more credite than any commendacion of mine can doo) containeth not any diuerſe or contrarie matter, but the ſame things layde forth in more ample and plaine maner, applied to common capacitie, euen of ſuche as are of meaneſt vnderſtanding: by meanes vvhereof a greater number may reape profite and commoditie by them. In reſpect vvhereof they bee right neceſſarie too bee ſet before our eyes, and to be beaten intoo our mindes at all times, and chiefly in theſe dayes, vvherein it is to be ſeene that many, yea, and vvhichwhich is the more pitie, too manie, being after a ſort ouerglutted vvith the long continuaunce of the heauenly Manna, begin too loth the ſvveete foode of their ſoules, and to long againe after the fleſh pottes and garlike of Egipt. In ſomuch that ſome thinking it ynough to be bare heerers or idle profeſſers and diſputers of the Goſpell, vvithout yeelding any frute beſeeming their profeſsion, verifie the ſaying of the Prophet Eſay in honoring God vvith their lippes, vvheras their hart is farre of from him, and ſhevve themſelues to bee but ſovvers vntounto corruption, as ſayeth S. Paule in this preſent Epiſtle. Some not profeſsing onelyonly, but alſo glorying in Papiſtrie, the ſinke of all ſinne and vvickedneſſe, thinke themſelues vvell apayd that they may bee enemies in hart and religion, too God and all godlineſſe and godly men: And otherſome being as it vvere of no religion, and therefore imagining all things too bee lavvfull vvhichwhich they like of, are caried headlong intoo all maner of looceneſſe by their blinde and vnbridled affections, and like brute beaſtes coulde finde in their heartes that all cleanneſſe of minde and bodie (vvithout vvhiche, noman ſhall euer ſee God) vvere ſo vtterly aboliſhed, as the verie name of it might neuer bee herd of: vvhereas in the meane vvhile thoſe fevve vvhom the feare of God and the deſire of heauenly immortalitie dravveth too a more heedefull vvareneſſe of efchevving the things that may impeache Gods glorie and the free proceeding of his Goſpell, or hinder and offende their neighbour, are in the eies of ſome perſones not onelyonly deſpized but alſo blamed: verily as vvho ſhoulde ſay it vvere a faulte too indeuer too bee faultleſſe. For aſmuche therefore as this vvorke (like as all other of the ſame authors) tendeth to the benefite of the Chriſten cōmon vveale, by putting vsus in remembrance of our duetie both to God and man, the continuall minding and practizing vvherof is the ground of all good order, and the very path vvay too perfect felicitie: I doubted not but it ſhould be the better accepted of your honour, vvhoſe vvhole care and trauel is cōtinually imployed to the vvelfare of this Realme, through the maintenance of ſound Religion and the conſeruation of publike tranquillitie, by the protection and appoyntment of our moſte gracious ſoueraine Ladie Queene Elizabeth, vvhom as God hath made the Moother of his Church amōg vsus, the comfort of all Chriſtendome, and the very piller, life, and ſoule of our Engliſh common vvealth: ſo I beſeeche him that vvee and our poſteritie may long inioy hir bliſſed reigne. To the furtherance of vvhichwhich things I hauehave heere preſently beſtovved (and by Gods grace ſhall not ceaſſe hereafter to beſtovve) my faithfull trauell, that the vvauering ſorte may in all goodneſſe be confirmed, the vveaklings ſtrengthened, the ignorant inſtructed, the negligent vvarned▪ the forevvard incoraged, the ſlouthfull pricked forth, the corrigible amended, and the vvilfull and ſtubborne ſorte lefte vtterly vvithout excuce. And ſo praying too God …or the long and proſperous continuance of your good Lordſhip: and of all other noble Counſellers and men of Honour, by vvhom God aduaunceth the glorie of his Goſpell among vsus: I referre this labour of mine vvith all humbleneſſe too your fauourable acceptation.
VVritten at my lodging in the foreſtreete vvithout Cripplegate the. 14. of Nouember. 1574. Your honours moſt humble alwayes too commaund, Arthur Golding.