Let us call upon our good God and Father, praying him to vouchsafe to turn away his face from the great number of faults and offenses, whereby we cease not to provoke his wrath against us: and forasmuch as we be too too unworthy to appear before his Majesty; it may please him to look upon us in the countenance of his wellbeloved Son our Lord Jesus Christ accepting the desert of his death and passion, for a full recompense of all our sins, that by means thereof he may like well of us, and vouchsafe to enlighten us by his Spirit, and in the understanding of his Word, and grant us the grace to receive the same in true fear and humility, so as we may be taught thereby to put our trust in him, to serve and honor him by glorifying his holy name in all our life, and to yield him the love and obedience which faithful servants owe to their masters, and children to their fathers, seeing it hath pleased him to call us to the number of his servants and children. And let us pray unto him as our good Master has taught us to pray, saying, Our Father, etc.
The prayer that Master John Calvin ordinarily made at the ending of his sermons.
Let us fall down before the face of our good God, etc. (Here he adds as the matter treated of in his sermon, gives him occasion to require at God's hand, and because the same changes almost in every sermon it cannot here be specified.) That it may please him to grant this grace not only to us, but also to all people and nations of the earth, bringing back all poor ignorant souls from this miserable bondage of error and darkness, to the right way of salvation, for the doing whereof it may please him to raise up true and faithful ministers of his word, that seek not their own profit and vainglory, but only the advancement of his holy name, and the welfare of his flock: and contrariwise root out all sects, errors, and heresies, which are seeds of trouble and division, among his people, to the end we may live in good brotherly concord altogether: and that it may please him to guide with his Holy Spirit, all kings, princes, and magistrates that have the rule of the sword, to the end that their reigning be not by covetousness, cruelty, tyranny, or any other evil and disordered affection, but in all justice and uprightness, and that we also living under them may yield them their due honor and obedience, that by the means of good peace and quietness, we may serve God in all holiness and honesty: and that it may please him to comfort all afflicted persons whom he visits after diverse manners with crosses and tribulations, all people whom he afflicts with plague, war or famine, or other his rods: and all persons that are smitten with poverty, imprisonment, sickness, banishment or other calamity of body or vexation of mind: giving them all good patience, till he send them full discharge of their miseries: and specially that it may please him to have pity upon all his poor faithful ones, that are dispersed in the captivity of Babylon under the tyranny of Antichrist, chiefly which suffer persecution for the witnessing of his truth, strengthening them with true constancy, and comforting them, and not suffering the wicked and ravening wolves to execute their rage against them, but giving them such a true steadfastness as his holy name may be glorified by them both in life and death: and finally that it may please him to strengthen all Churches that are nowadays in danger and assaulted for the quarrel of his holy name, and overthrow and destroy all the devil's, practices and attempts of all his adversaries, to the intent that his glory may shine over all, and the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ be increased and advanced more and more; Let us pray him for all the said things in such wise as our good Master and Lord Jesus Christ has taught us to pray, saying: Our Father, etc.
Also let us pray our good God to give us true continuance in his holy faith and to increase it from day to day, whereof we will make confession, saying: I believe in God, etc.
The blessing of the people after the sermon.
The grace of God the Father, and the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ through the fellowship of the Holy Ghost dwell with us for ever. Amen.
Source: John Calvin, Sermons on Job, pp.751-752. Preached on weekdays in Geneva in 1554-1555, translated from French by Arthur Golding and printed in London, 1574; facsimile reprint by The Banner of Truth Trust, 1993. I (Nathan Straub) have updated some of the spelling (including changing the verb suffix -th to -s) and capitalization, and added bolding.
