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Bullinger: The Decades, Vol. 3

Fifty sermons on the whole of Christian doctrine by Zwingli's successor at Zurich, widely read in Elizabethan England (the Fourth and Fifth Decades).

Edition: Internet Archive · archive.org

Free to read, with no account needed. Public domain or openly licensed, with every source named.

From the opening: The Fourth Decade. The First Sermon

The apostles did willingly use that term; not so much because the prophets had used it before them!', as for that it doth wonderfully contain, and doth as it were lay before our eyes, the manner and work of our salvation accomplished by Christ, whereunto they have applied the word Evangelium?, The prophet Esay, as Luke interpreteth it, bringeth in Christ our Lord speaking in this manner: “ The Spirit of the Lord upon me, because he hath anointed me εὐαγyedicacOa; that is, to preach the gospel hath he sent

Iai 1d. ΙΏΘ, to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance unto “the captive, and recovering of sight unto the blind, freely to set at liberty them that are bruised, and to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” Lo here, the Saviour of the world doth in the prophet and the evangelist expound to us what Evangelium is, and whereunto it tendeth. “The Father,” saith he, “hath sent me to preach Evangelium, the gospel, to the poor.” And immediately after, to shew who those poor should be, he addeth: “which are broken-hearted, or broken-minded ;” to wit, such as find in themselves no soundness or health; but, utterly despairing of their own strength, do wholly depend upon the help of Christ their cunning and willing physician®, Now the gospel, or good tidings, which is shewed to the‘ afflicted, is this; that the _ Son of God is descended from heaven to heal the sick and diseased souls. To which also, to make it more evident, he addeth another cause®, saying, that the Son of God is come “to preach deliverance unto captives, and the recovering of sight to the blind,” &c. For all men are held captive in the bonds of damnation: they do all serve a sorrowful slavery under their cruel enemy Satan: they are all kept blind in the darkness of errors; and to them it is that redemption, deliverance, and the acceptable year® of the Lord, is preached. Now this joyful tidings is called Lvangelium, the gospel.

[1 Bullinger refers to the Hebrew word Ww2, which the LXX.

often render by εὐαγγελίζω. See his Comment. in Matth. fol. 1. Tigur. 1542, whence much also of this definition of the gospel is extracted. ]

[3 whereunto—Evangelium, the translator's addition. ]

[85 cunning (skilful) and willing, not in Lat.]

[4 his, Lat. ; to these. ] [5 alia, Lat. ; other benofits.]

[6 verus utique annus jubileus, Lat. }

τ] OF THE GOSPEL,

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Contents (46 sections)

  1. Opening
  2. Title page
  3. The First Sermon
  4. The Fourth Decade. The First Sermon
  5. The Fourth Decade. The First Sermon (continued)
  6. The Fourth Decade. The First Sermon (continued)
  7. The Fourth Decade. The First Sermon (continued)
  8. The Second Sermon
  9. The Second Sermon (continued)
  10. The Second Sermon (continued)
  11. The Second Sermon (continued)
  12. The Second Sermon (continued)
  13. Grace and Peace from God the Father, Through Our Lord Jesus Christ
  14. The Other Eight Sermons
  15. The Third Sermon
  16. The Third Sermon (continued)
  17. The Third Sermon (continued)
  18. The Third Sermon (continued)
  19. The Fourth Sermon
  20. IV. of God’s Providence
  21. IV. of God’s Predestination
  22. IV. of God's Predestination
  23. IV. of God’s Predestination
  24. IV. of God’s Predestination (continued)
  25. IV. of God's Predestination
  26. The Fifth Sermon
  27. Wei of Adoring the Only True
  28. Wei of Adoring the Only True (continued)
  29. Wei of Adoring the Only True (continued)
  30. The Sixth Sermon
  31. Of Christ True “and Very
  32. Of Christ True “and Very (continued)
  33. VI. of Both Natures in Christ
  34. The Seventh Sermon
  35. The Seventh Sermon (continued)
  36. The Eighth Sermon
  37. The Eighth Sermon (continued)
  38. VIII. of the Power of the Holy Ghost
  39. The Ninth Sermon
  40. The Ninth Sermon (continued)
  41. 1X. of Evil Spirits
  42. 1X. of Evil Spirits (continued)
  43. The Tenth Sermon
  44. Of the Reasonable Soul of Man
  45. Of the Reasonable Soul of Man (continued)
  46. Of the Reasonable Soul of Man (continued)

How to cite it

Chicago
Heinrich Bullinger. Bullinger: The Decades, Vol. 3. Translated by H. I. (1577), edited by Thomas Harding. Internet Archive, 1549–1551; Parker Society 1849–1852. https://archive.org/details/decadesofhenrybu04bull
MLA
Heinrich Bullinger. Bullinger: The Decades, Vol. 3. Translated by H. I. (1577), edited by Thomas Harding, Internet Archive, 1549–1551; Parker Society 1849–1852. https://archive.org/details/decadesofhenrybu04bull
APA
Heinrich Bullinger (1549–1551; Parker Society 1849–1852). Bullinger: The Decades, Vol. 3 (H. I. (1577), edited by Thomas Harding, Trans.). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/decadesofhenrybu04bull

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