Lectures on Jeremiah, Title page – Dedication
TWO AND TWENTY LECTVRES VPONUPON THE FIVE FIRST CHAPTERS OF IEREMIAH.
WITH PRAYERS ANNEXED, AT the end of eueryevery Lecture: By Maſter IOHN CALVIN.
WHICH BEING FAITHFVLLY COLlected from him as hee vttered them in Latine, in the Schooles of Geneua, were afterwards tranſlated into French: And now newly turned out of French, into Engliſh, with a Table at the end, containing the ſumme and ſcope of eueryevery Lecture.
MATTH. 24.15. Let him that readeth, conſider it.
AT LONDON, Imprinted by Felix Kyngston, for Nathanael Newbery, and are to be ſold at the ſigne of the Star, vnderunder Saint Peters Church in Cornhill, and in Popes head Alley. 1620.
TO THE NOBLE AND VERTVOVS LADY, THE LADY LVCIE, COVNTESSE of Bedford: And to the Right Honourable and highly honoured Lady, the Lady Anne Harrington, Barrones: mercy and peace be multiplied.
RIght Honourable: The holy Prophet Ieremiah (according to the diuers ſubiects he had to worke vponupon in his miniſteriall function) is forced ſometimes with Iſaiah, his fore-runner,Iſa. 58.1. to lift vp his voice like vntounto a Sonne of Thunder; and eftſoones, with the ſame Prophet againe, to altar and change the ſame, into the ſtill, and ſoft voice of a Sonne of Conſolation: wherein,1. King. 19.12. as Gods faithfull meſſenger, hee carries himſelfe faithfully. For as a Sonne of Thunder, he ſharply inueyes againſt the ſinnes, and ſinners of his time; boldly denouncing Gods iudgements againſt them: and as a Sonne of conſolation, (for their ſakes whom the Lord had appointed to bee heires of ſaluation) hee ſweetly preacheth Chriſt: mixing often with the terrible threats of the Law, the ſauing promiſes of the Goſpell. That if any came by the miniſtery of the one,Act. 2.37. to be pricked in conſcience, and humbled: he readily, like the good Samaritan, powreth in the mollifying and healing oyle of the other, to cure and reuiue them. And thus as a wiſe diſpoſer, and diſpenſer of the manifold ſecrets of God,Pſalm. 101.1. his ſong (in a maner) throughout his Propheſie (like Aarons Bels) ſoundeth forth iudgement and mercy:Exod. 28.33. preaching iudgement to ſuch as were,Iſa. 33.14. & would be ſinners in Sion, and mercy to ſuch as he ſaw to to be mourners in Siō.Iſa. 61.3. In which reſpects he may ſerue as a liuely patterne for all Preachers to follow, in their ordinary courſe of preaching. Theſe Sermons of his (many of them) doe notably ſute to our times; and therefore ought to be read, and read againe, of all eſtates, high and low.
But for as much as in reading the Prophets, ſundry difficulties are met withall, which eueryevery one hath not the skill of himſelfe to diſſolue; it would (as I thinke) be very beneficiall for ſuch, if they had an holy helper, ſuch an one as this, ready at hand:Iob 33.23. An interpreter: One (indeed) of a thouſand; that might helpe to diſſolue their doubts, and vnlooſe their hard knots for them: That ſo vnderſtanding what they read, they might (by the bleſſing of God) with the more eaſe come to profit by their reading.Act. 8.34.35 This hath our Philip faithfully performed (according to that light of vnderſtanding wherewith the Lord had extraordinarily endowed him) throughout the Prophets: and pity it is, that ſo great light ſhould after a ſort lie buried in darkneſſe, from many well minded Chriſtians; onelyonly becauſe they are not (as they might be) turned into our owne natiue language.
Not many yeeres ſince, a Lampe (if I may ſo ſpeake) began to be kindled, for giuing them ſome inſight into the harder paſſages of the Prophets; by tranſlating this Authors Commentaries vponupon the Propheſie of Iſaiah into Engliſh: but much more cleere would the light hauehave now ſhined, if thereunto had been added the tranſlation of all his Lectures vponupon the Propheſie of Ieremiah alſo. For mine owne part, ſeeing ſufficiency of oyle hath failed me, to furniſh out this ſecond Lampe vntounto the end; I hauehave for the preſent proceeded onelyonly through the fiue firſt Chapters.
The which (Right Honourable) as a teſtimony of that ſeruice and duty I owe your Honours; I hauehave preſumed (as one ouertaken with Ahimaaz his haſt, ſomwhat abruptly I confeſſe) to dedicate vntounto you. And if in token of your fauourable acceptance thereof, you ſhall be pleaſed to ſuffer the ſame to paſſe, vnderunder your Honourable names, and patronage; many may be occaſioned thereby to bleſſe God for you: and my ſelfe ſtill to pray, that the bleſſing of him who was ready to periſh, may come vponupon you.
Your Honours humbly at commandment, CLEMENT COTTON.