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

by John Calvin

the carnal image and the spiritual thing.

So the sacraments are exercises for us, to make us more certain of God's word and promises.

For this reason, St. Augustine calls sacraments "visible words" since they show us God's promises as in a painting and represent them to us visibly.2

but when the sacraments are added they serve as pilla...

may rest more strongly and be conf...

Finally, neither would Jesus Christ Himself, who was seen and known by a number, of whom few indeed accepted Him.

We conclude then that the sacraments are truly called witnesses of God's grace,

for it is not faith unless it rests and fixes on God's mercy so firmly that it cannot be led away or distracted.

These people would do much better to pray with the apostles that the Lord might increase their faith (Lk. 17[5]) than in any way to boast of a perfection of faith which no person ever has had or will have in this life. Let them answer what faith they think was in the person who said: "I believe, Lord! Help my unbelief!" (Mk. 9[241). For this f...

To them I admit that faith is properly and entirely the work of the Holy Spirit by whose illumination we know God and the great treasures of His kindness, and without whose light our spirit is so blind that it can see nothing, so devoid of all feeling that it can make nothing spiritual flourish.

For first our Lord teaches and instructs us by His word.

confirms us by His sa...

by the light of His Holy Spirit He illumines our understanding and gives the word and sacramen...

That is why I want my readers to be warned that when I ascribe to the sacraments the office of confirming and increasing faith, it is not because I think that they have a permanent power to do that, bu...

Therefore I make this distinction between the Spirit and the sacraments; I recognize that the power resides in the Spirit, leaving no more to the sacraments than that they are instruments which the Lord uses for us, and such instruments as would be useless and vain without the working of the...

the working of the Holy Spirit to engender, support, preserve, and establish faith is like sight to the eye and hearing to the ear, it follows very well from this, both that the sacraments...

What is a sacrament taken without faith, except the destruction of the church?

Nothing should be expected except in virtue of the promise which announces God's wrath to the unbelievers no less than it presents His grace to the faithful, therefore the one who thinks he can receive from the sacraments a different good than that which he receives by faith as it is presented to him in the word,

From this also the rest can be inferred: confidence of salvation does not depend on participation in the sacraments, as if ri...

Therefore let us be certain that the sacraments have no other office than God's word, which is to offer a...

and in Him the treasures of His he...

This washing was Jesus Christ (1 Jn. 1[7]; Rev. 5]), by whose blood we are purified and disinfected, by whose wounds we are healed

Now baptism serves our confession before people in this way. It is a mark and sign by which we affirm that we want to be numbered among God's people, by which we witness that we consent and agree to the service of one God only and in one religion with all Christians,

Jesus Christ put on our true flesh when He was born of the virgin, as He suffered in our true flesh when He made satisfaction for us, so in His resurrection He received and took again the same true flesh and at His ascension

I know well how some stubborn people equivocate, in order to defend obstinately the error into which they have fallen: that the measure of Christ's body has never been other than the entire extent of heaven and earth in length and breadth. The fact that He was born a little child from the

Moreover, scripture has carefully explained to us Jesus Christ's ascension, by which He withdrew from our sight and life the presence of His body, in order to take from us all carnal thoughts of Him; and whenever scripture mentions Jesus Christ, it exhorts us to lift up our spirits on high and to seek Him in heaven seated at the right of the Father (Col. 3111); therefore we should worship Him spiritually in the glory of the heavens rather than invent this very dangerous form of worship which fills us with stupid and carnal thoughts of God and Jesus Christ.

For they hold it as established that many things were revealed to the apostles after the ascension of Jesus Christ which were not written down, because our Lord said to them: "I have many things to say to you that you cannot now bear; but you will know them hereafter" (Jn. 16[12]). They

But although, as we have just warned, this civil kind of kingdom is different from the spiritual and inward kingdom of Christ, we must know that the former does not contradict the latter.

Now there are three parts of civil polity.

magistrate,

law,

p...

Therefore no one must doubt that civil authority is not only a vocation both holy and lawful before God but also very holy and honorable among all others. Magistrates

must always reflect on that, since this thought can be a good goad to urge them to do their duty, and it can bring them a wonderful comfort to enable them to have patience with the difficulties and annoyances which they must bear in their office.

For with what great integrity, wisdom, mercy, moderat...

when they know that they are ordained ministers of...

In another place it is said that "God is seated in the company of the gods, and in the midst of the gods He judges"

On the contrary, those who are not satisfied with so many testimonies from scripture, who still censure this holy vocation as something completely contrary to religion and Christian piety, what else are they doing but mocking God Himself,

on whom fall all the accusations made against His ministry?

But they object that our Lord forbids all Christians to occupy themselves with ki...

where the one who is first must b...

Rule by one person, although it carries with it a common bondage of all except the one to whose pleasure all others are subjected, has never been acceptable to all people of superior and high spirit. But on the other hand, in order to exclude this wickedness of human judgment, scripture affirms explicitly that it is by the providence of divine wisdom that kings rule, and it specially commands that kings be honored

Now we must briefly declare what the office of magistrates is, as it is described by God's word, and in what it consists.

So we see that magistrates are established as protectors and preservers of peace, decency, innocence, and public moderation, and they should busy themselves in supporting and maintaining the salvation and common peace of all.

For to speak truly, we see by experience what Solon said, that all republics rest firmly on two things: the reward of the good and the punishment of the bad.

Take away these two things, and the whole discipline of human society is torn to piec...

and if the prophet foretells that in God's church they will not afflict or do evil to anyone (Isa. 11[9], 65[25]), how can magistrates shed human blood without sinning against piety?

But on the other hand, if we understand that when he punishes, a magistrate does nothing of himself but only executes the very judgments of God, this scruple will not much trouble us. It

For I do not want to favor some disordered cruelty or to say that a good and just sentence can be pronounced without

which always ought to have a place in the counsel of kings and which (as Solomon says) is "the true way of preserving the royal throne" (Prow 20[28]).