Commentaries of the diuine Iohn Caluine, vpon the prophet Daniell, translated into Englishe, especially for the vse of the family of the ryght honorable Earle of Huntingdon, to set forth as in a glasse, how one may profitably read the Scriptures, by consideryng the text, meditatyng the sense therof, and by prayer

[ 27] 24 Wherfore, O king, let my counsaile be accep∣table vnto thee, and breake of thy sinnes by righ∣tuousnes, and thine iniquities by mercy toward the poore: Lo let there bee an healyng of thyne errour.

As though he should say: take my counsaile, breake of thy sinnes, cease from thy wickednes, enter into a new trade of life, that is, turne thy crueltie into humanitie and mercy, and thy tyranny into pityfull compassion of the poore: thus let the errour of thy former life be redressed. Thou hast lōg enough gone astray. For hetherto thou hast wandred with∣out all iudgement, whiles thou hast folowed thine vnbrid∣led lust. Put an end therfore to thine errour, opē thine eyes

and vnderstand at the length that thou oughtest to repent. This semeth to be the meanyng of the wordes. Now for the pointes of the doctrine.

Daniel doth deale more mildly with this prophane king, then if he had preached to his owne countreymen. For thē he would haue vsed his propheticall authoritie, & not haue talked of his owne counsaile. But because he did know that the kyng knew not the first principles of Religiō, he taketh vpon him the person of a counsailer because he was not an ordinary teacher. That Nebuchadnezer had now called him, it was not vsuall euery day, as though he would sub∣mit him selfe to his doctrine. Daniel doth therfore consider with what maner of man he had to do, when he sayth: Let my counsaile be acceptable vnto thee, and then doth vtter it in few wordes: Breake of thy sinnes, [or cast them from thée] by rightuousnes, and thyne iniquities by mercy toward the poore.

There is no doubt but that Daniel would exhort y^e kyng to repentance: howbeit he doth touch but one kinde, as we do know that it is vsuall in the Prophetes. For when they call the people home, they do not alway comprehend what repentance is, neither do they generally describe it, but they touch by a figure, either the outward declaration therof, or some part of it, especially wherin men are most fauty. Da∣niel doth so now.

If thou do aske what is repentance: it is the turnyng a∣gayne of man vnto God, from whom he was departed. And is this conuersion and returnyng onely in the handes, and the feete, and the tounge? Nay, it rather begynneth in the hart, and then it goeth forth into outward workes. True repentaunce then beginneth in the minde of man: to wit, that he which would be wise in his owne conceit, should now renounce his owne wisedome and forsake the foolishe confidence in his own wyt, and then that he should subdue his wicked and corrupt affections and submit them vnto God: then shall folow the reformation of the life outward∣ly. Howbeit the workes are but testimonies of repentance. For repentaunce (as I sayd) is a thyng more pure and pre∣cious,

then that the roote therof can euidently be séene with mans eye. By the fruites therfore do we onely testifie our repentance. But because the workes of the second table do, as it were open and declare mans mynde what it is, therfore the Prophetes often tymes when they require re∣pentance, do onely set forth the workes of charitie, as Da∣niel here doth.

Breake of thy sinnes (sayth he) with righteousnes. When men do sée that they are called to repentaunce and amend∣ment of lyfe, they do fayne vnto themselues many prety kindes of seruice, which yet are not worthy to be accomp∣ted Gods seruice, because they do not regard what doth please God, neyther yet what he commaūdeth by his word: but as they themselues do allow thys or that, they do wyth∣out regarde obtrude it vnto God, as we do sée in Popery. For what call they an holy and iust lyfe amōgest them? To trot hether and thether, to vow and go pilgrimages, then to set vp some Image, to found some Masses, to fast thys or that day, and to heap vp such a sort of fond toyes, of y^e which God hath neuer spoken one word. Because therefore that mē do so farre & so grosly wander a stray in the knowledge of true iustice, the Prophet doth here ioyne y^e name of mer∣cy as an exposition, as though he should say: Do not thinke that God is pleased wyth outward pomps & shewes which do please men, as they are carnall and addicte to earthly thynges, and therefore do they wickedly esteme God after theyr owne disposition. Let not thys vanity therefore be∣gile thée: but know thou that true iustice standeth in com∣passion toward the poore.

Also in this second member the part is named for the whole, by a figure called Sinecdoche: for true iustice is not restreined to this matter simply, but to all y^e workes of cha∣rity. We must then deale faythfully wyth all men, and nei∣ther beguile rich nor poore, neyther yet be greuous vnto a∣ny, but geue vnto euery man that which is hys owne, as apperteineth. And thys manner of speaking ought to be well known of vs, if we be any thyng exercised in the doc∣trine

of the Prophetes. How so euer it is, Daniel woulde hereby shew vnto y^e king of Babylon, what it is to liue iust∣ly: to wytt, euen to kéepe fidelity and vpright dealing with men: and yet doth he not neglect the first table of the law. For the worshyp of God is more precious then all humane iustice, that is to say, thē any thing that can be done betwixt mā and man. Howbeit true iustice declareth it selfe by out∣ward workes and testimonies, as is sayd before. And he rather speake to of the second table then of the first, because y^e whiles hypocrites do pretēd to worship God by ceremo∣nies and many outward shewes, they suffer themselues to liue in all cruelty, bribery, craft & deceit, so that they care not how they liue wyth their neighboures. Because then that the hypocrites do couer their wickednes vnder thys cloke, God doth set forth a touchstone to try them, when he calleth them to the workes of charity.

There may be double vnderstanding of the end of the verse. If we retaine the futer tense] Behold there shall be a medicine to thyne error] it is a confirmation of the doc∣trine that went before: as though he should say, thou mayst not deale by long delayes and vayne shiftes, that wyll not serue: thys is the onely medicine that I tell thee. Or if we take it as an exhortation, the text wyll go very well: [Let thys be a medecine to thyne errors] that is to say, do not folow thy lustes still as thou hast done, but open thine eyes and perceaue how miserably thou hast liued, and labour to redresse thy former errors.

Now, where the Papistes haue abused thys place, to proue that God is pacified with sacrifices, it is to foolish and ridiculous, if we examine their doctrine. For when they wyll define satisfactions, they call them the workes of supe∣rerogation. If a man do that which God hath cōmaunded in hys law, yet can he not satisfie for hys sinnes: as the Pa∣pistes are compelled to confesse. What remayneth then? Forsooth that we offer more vnto God then he commaun∣deth. Wherefore they call them also, opera indebita, workes that are not due. But Daniel doth not here require

of kyng Nebuchadnezer any worke of supererogation: but hee requireth iustice, & afterward declareth that mans lyfe is not ordered by iustice vnlesse humanity and kindnes be amongst vs, and especially vnlesse we be mercifull vnto the poore. Surely here is no worke of supererogation. For wherunto tendeth the law? It foloweth the refore that this can not be drawen to the workes of satisfaction, and that y^e Papistes are foolish and filthy herein.

But although we graunt vnto thē this thyng, yet it doth not folow that y^e sinnes are redemed before God therby, as though the workes could recompence either for the punish∣mēt or for the crime. They confesse that the crime is not re∣demed with satisfactions: but the punishment they say is re∣demed. But sée how thys agréeth wyth the mynde of the Prophet. I do not striue wyth them now for the word of redemyng, but I would haue them to regard whether thys redemption be in the iudgement of God, or before men. It is certaine that Daniel here did regarde how wickedly and cruelty Nebuchadnezer had behaued hymselfe, how ty∣rannously he had vexed hys subiectes, how proudly he de∣spised y^e poore and miserable that were vnder hym. Because then he had geuen hym selfe so dissolutly to all wickednes, Daniel declareth the remedy. And though this remedy be taken for a redemption or deliueraunce, there is no absur∣ditie: for we redeme our sinnes wyth men when we satis∣fie for them. I do redeme my fault at my neighbours hand, when I do labour to reconcile my selfe vnto hym after I haue offended hym, knowledging my crime and asking for∣geuenes. And if I haue diminished hys goods, I restore that which was vniustly taken. Thus do I redeme my crime. But it doth not follow therefore that my sinnes are purged before the iudgement seat of God, as though thys which I do vnto my neighbour were any kynde of recompence be∣fore God. We sée therefore how foolish the Papistes are to abuse the Prophetes wordes.

Here they vse to demaund a question, to what purpose Daniel doth exhort the king Nebuchadnezer to breake of

hys sinne, or to redeme hys sinne? For eyther it was a thyng depending of chaunce (which were a great absurdity to graunt) or els it was an heauēly decrée, like as y^e dreame of the kyng was a publication of Gods decrée, as we did sée before. If thys were determined with God, it could by no meanes be chaunged. Therefore it was in vayne to redeme hys sinne. If we follow the other exposition of breaking of thys sinne, there remayneth no doubt. But although we cō∣fesse that the Prophet here doth speake of the redeming of sinnes, yet is the exhortatiō not vnprofitable. For although kyng Nebuchadnezer should haue prepared hymselfe to beare Gods correction, yet was it not vnprofitable to know God to be mercifull. And the tyme also myght haue bene shortened, which was prolonged by his ostinate malice: not that God at any tyme chaungeth hys decrée, but because he often tymes preacheth threatningly vnto mē, to cause them to repēt, that he may deale more mercifully wyth them, and restraine the rigour of hys vengeaunce, as we sée by ma∣nifolde examples.

Thys had not bene then vnprofitable nor fruitles, that Daniel exhorted the kyng to redeme or breake of hys sinne, if the king had considered it: for he myght haue found fa∣uour in some poynt, although he had bene punished. Yea though there had not bene one day shortened of vij. yeares, yet was this no small profite, if the kyng had humbled hym self betymes before God, y^t yet he might be capable of that mercy in the end, which was promised. For because the tyme was named by the Prophet, therfore had it bene pro∣fitable for the kyng, if he had prepared hymselfe to receiue that mercy by humble prayer vnto hys iudge. Wherefore this dictrine was profitable many wayes, lyke as it is vnto vs at thys day. For although we must be ready to receiue Gods corrections, yet is thys, no small comfort in our mise∣ries, when we do so submit ourselues vnto God, that we are perswaded of the contrary part, that he wyll be merci∣full vnto vs, because he seeth vs displeased wyth our sinnes and hartely abhorre them.

¶ The Prayer.

GRaunt almighty God, that we may learne paciently to beare all manner of aduersities, and that we may know that thou doest exercise towardes vs the office of a iudge as often as we are afflicted in thys world, that we may by thys meanes preuent thy vengeaunce, and may wyth true humilitie so condemne our selues, that we yet trusting vnto thy mercy, may alwayes flie vnto thee, by the cōfort that we haue in the mediator whom thou hast geuen vnto vs thyne onely begotten Sonne, and that we may so craue pardō of thee, that we may in the meane seasō meditate true repētaūce, not by vayne and vnprofitable inuentions of men, but wyth true and earnest tryals of our selues, that is, that we may exer∣cise true charitie and fidelitie one toward an other, and may thus testify vnto the world the feare of thy name, that thou mayst be truely glorified amongest vs by the same Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen.