Institutes of the Christian Religion: The First English Version of the 1541 French Edition

by John Calvin

The tears and fasts are put there not as permanent inferences but as circumstances which were particularly fitting at tha...

For as formerly someone accused of a crime let his beard grow and did not comb his hair and clad himself in mourning in order to obtain the judge's mercy, so it was also fittin...

nevertheless the tears and fasts are not out of place for us today, whenever the Lord shows...

It would be good if the ecclesiastical pastors today acted in such a way, that is, if whenever they might see some calamity approaching, whether of war or famine or plague, they would exhort their people that it would be good to pray to ...

would be good if the ecclesiastical pastors today acted in such a way, that is, if whenever they might see some calamity approaching, whether of war or famine or plague, they would exhort their people that it would be good to pray to the Lord with tears and fasting, provided they are fi...

chief thing which is rending their hearts and not...

but it is particularly fitting for those who want to testify that they know they have deserved God's wrath and ...

For He excused His apostles for not fasting in the time when He was with them becaus...

that the whole summary of the gospel is comprised in these two points, t...

remission of sins, do we not see that the Lord freely justifies His servants in order to restore them at the same time to true righteousne...

That is why the other evangelists say: "John came, preaching the baptism of penitence for the remission of sins"

that he taught people who were feeling weary with the burden of their sins, so that they might return to God and conceive hope of grace and salvation.

First he declares that the treasures of God's mercy a...

secondly He asks for penitence, and finally, sure confidence...

For this reason, in another passage, desiring to cover briefly all that pertains to the gospel, He says that it was necessary that He suffer, that he be resurrected from the dead, and that in His name peni...

Penitence is ...

w...

by the evangelical teaching people understand that all their thoughts, feelings, and actions are corrupt, and so they must be regenerated if...

Forgiveness of sins is preached when people are shown that Christ is made their redemption, righteousn...

by means of Him they are reckoned righteous and innocent before God and thus His righteousnes...

Now we receive both penitence and remission o...

it was necessary for us to distinguish between fait...

In this passage, however, we must note that the condition is added not because our amendment is the foundation for obtaining pardon but rather on the contrary; since the Lord wants to have mercy on people for the purpose of amending their life, we

We can say more truthfully that the life of a Christian is an effort and continual practice in mortifying the flesh until, when it is dead, God's

That is the reason I think that the person who has learned to be greatly displeased with himse...

but instead so that he may sigh for and aim toward God and that, being engrafted into the death and resurrection of Christ, he may put ...

for no one ever hates sin without having first been grasped by a lo...

sophists have taught about...

First, in giving the definition of penitence they show clearly that they have ...

"To do penitence is to weep for sins previously committed and not to commit those for whic...

"It is to groan for all past evils and no longer commit those for which they ...

nevertheless they were not said in the ...

fathers wanted by these sayings to define penitence, but only in order to exhort penitents not to fall again into the same sins...

St. Chrysostom, that penitence is a medicine killing sin, a gift come down from heaven, an astonishing power, a grace tha...

After defining penitence so subtly they divide it into three parts: contrition of heart, confession of mo...

division is no more fitting than their definition, even though through their whole life they ...

Here readers should be warned that we are not in a frivolous fight but it is a question of something

is, the forgiveness of sins.

meanwhile they do not establish when someone can be assured that he has properly accomplished this contrition and fulfilled his obligation.

Now by the public calling of the gentiles made after Jesus Christ's ascension, not only were they raised up to the same degree of honor as the Jews but, which is more, they were substituted in the place of the Jews.

It is an external sign by which our Lord represents and testifies His good will toward us to support and confirm the weakness of our faith.

Otherwise it can also be defined as a witness

to God's grace made known by an e...

By that we see that there is never a sacrament without God's word preceding it; the sacrament is added to the word as something necessarily attache...

confirm it and make it more certain for us, as our Lord sees is needed for the ignorance of our senses ...

but it is to confirm ...

For our faith is so small and weak that if it is not supported on all sides and upheld by all means, it is quickly undermined in all ...

the merciful Lord accommodates Himself to our senses, so that He leads us to Himself even by carnal elements and makes us contemplate wh...

However, sacraments like seals confirm, certify, and make more certain the scripture which is contained in the letters, when they are added to the

For when the faithful person sees the sacrament, he does not stop short with the external thing but, with a holy reflection lifts himself up to contemplate the high mysteries which are hidden there according to the resemblance between