1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;



Ver. 1. I charge thee therefore] Matters of greatest importance must be pressed with greatest vehemence. As God putteth not forth great power but for great purpose, Eph_1:18-19, so neither must we use great earnestness but in affairs of great moment. It is a weakness to be hot in a cold matter, but worse to be cold in a hot matter. Farellus persuading Calvin (then a young student, and bound for Italy) to stay and help in the Lord’s work at Geneva, pronounced God’s curse upon his studies (which Calvin pretended) in case he stayed not. Whereupon, Non ausus fuit Calvinus ad Farelli tonitrua plus quam Periclea, saith mine author, iugum vocationis, quod sibi a Domino imponi videbat, detrectare. Calvin dared not stir after such a charge, but staid it out there to his dying day. (Melch. Adam. in Vita Calv.)