The Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 1 · Chapter 4
The .iiii. Chapter. That thesame knowledge is either choked, or corrupted, partly by ignoraunce, and partly by malice.
BUt as experience teacheth yt God hath sowen ye sede of religion in al mē, so scarcely may be found ye hundreth mā yt hauing it cō ceiued in his hart doth cherish it, but no mā in whō it ripeneth, so farre is it of that any frute appereth in due tyme. Therefore whether it be that some become vaine in their owne superstitions, or that some doe of sette purpose maliciously reuolte from God, yet all do… runne out of kynde from the true knowledge of hym. So cometh it to passe that there remaineth no true godlynes in the worlde. But where as I saide that some by errour fall into superstition, I meane not therby as though their simplicitie myghte excuse them from blame, bycause the blindenes that they hauehave, is commonly alway myngled bothe with proude vanitie, and with stubburnes. Uanitie and the same ioyned with pride appereth in this, that they myserable men bothe in the seekyng of God doo not clymbe aboue them selues as they ought to hauehave done, but measure hym accordyng to the proportion of their owne fleshly dulnes▪ and also neglecting the perfect maner of searching for him, do curiously flye to vaine speculations. And so they conceiue hym not suche a one as he offreth hym selfe, but doo imagine hym suche a one as of their owne rashe presumption they hauehave forged hym. Whyche gulfe beeyng ones opened, what waie soeuer they stirre their fete, they muste nedes alway runne headlonge into destruction. For what soeuer afterwarde they go about towarde the worshippyng or seruice of god, they can not accompt it doone to hym, bycause they worshyp not hym, but rather the deuise of their owne heart,Ro. i.xxii. and their owne dreame in stede of hym. This peruersnesse doo the Paule expressely touche, where he sayth: That they were made fooles when they coueted to bee wyse. He had before sayde, that they were made vayne in their imaginations: but least any man shuld thereby excuse theim from blame, he addeth further, that they are worthyly blynded, bycause not contented with sobrietie, but presumptuously takyng vpō thēselues more than they ought, they wylfully bryng darknesse vponupon them, yea with vayne and froward pride do make them selues fooles. Whervpon foloweth, that their foolishnesse is not excusable, wherof the cause is not onelyonly vayne curiositie, but also a gredynesse to knowe more than is me…e for them, ioined with a false confidence.
As for this that Dauid sayth, that the wicked and madde men thynke in their hartes, that there is no God: Fyrst that is ment onelyonly of those that chokyng the light of nature,Ps. xiii.i. do of purpose make them selues senselesse, as we shall see agayne a lyttle hereafter. Euen as we see that many after that they hauehave bene hardened with boldenesse and custome of sinnyng, do furiously put from them al the remembrance of God, which yet is by very feelyng of nature inwardly ministred vntounto their mynds. Nowe Dauid, to make their madnesse the more detestable, bryngeth them in as though they precisely denied, that there is any god: although they take not from him his beyng, but because in takyng from hym hys iudgemente and prouidence, they shutte hym vp ydle in heauen. For where as nothyng lesse agreeth with the nature of God, than to throwe awaie the gouernement of the world, and leaue it to fortune, to wynke at the synnes of men, so as they may lyue in lycentious outrage vnpunished: whosoeuer he bee that quenchyng the feare of the heauenly iudgement, dothe carelessely folowe his owne affections, he denieth that there is a God. And this is the iust vengeance of god, to draw a fatnesse ouer their hartes, so that the wicked when they hauehave ones closed theyr eyes,Psal. xxx.vi.ii. euen in seeyng may not see. And Dauid in an other place is the best expounder of his own meanyng, where he saith: That the feare of God is not before the eies of the wycked:Psa. x.xi. Agayn: that in their euil doinges they proudely reioyce at them selues, bycause they persuade them selfes, ye God doth not loke vponupon thē. Therfore although they be cōpelled to acknowledge som God, yet they do rob him of his glory, in withdrawyng frō him his power. For a… God (as Paule witnesseth) can not deny hym selfe,ii. Tim. ii.xiii. bycause he continually abydeth like hym self: so is it truly sayd, that these men in faynyng God to be a dead and vayne ymage, do deny God. Moreouer it is to be noted, yt although they wrastle against theyr own naturall felyng, & do desire not only to shake out God frō thense, but also to destroye hym in heauen, yet their dull hardnesse can neuer so farre preuayle, but that God sometyme draweth them backe to his iudgemente seate. But forasmuche as they are not withholden with any feare from runnyng violently agaynst God: therfore it is certayn that there reigneth in theim a brutisshe forgetfulnesse of God, so longe as that blinde pang of rage dooeth so forcibly cary them.
So is that vayn defence ouerthrowen which many are wont to pretende for excuse of their superstition. For they thynke, that any deuotion to religion suffiseth, what soeuer it be, thoughe it be neuer so much contrary to order and truthe. But they consyder not, that true religion ought to be framed according to the wil of God, as by a perpetual rule: and that God hymselfe abydeth alway like hym selfe, and is no imagined Ghost or fantasy, that may be diuersly fashioned after eueryevery mans lykyng. And truely we may playnly se with how lying deceites, superscition mocketh God, while she goeth aboute to doo hym pleasure. For catchyng holde of those thynges in a maner only, whiche God hath testified that he careth not for, she either contemptuously vseth, or openly refuseth those thinges that he appoynteth, and saithe to be pleasant vntounto hym. Therefore whosoeuer dooe sette vp newe inuented formes of worshippyng God, they wourship and honour their owne dotyng deuises: bycause they durste not so trifle with God, vnlesse they had fyrste fayned a God, agreyng with the folies of their triflynge toyes. Wherefore the Apostle pronounceth,Gala, iiii, viii, that that vnstayed and wandryng opinion of the maiestie of God, is a very ignorance of God. When (sayth he) ye knewe not God ye serued them, that in nature were no goddes. And in an other place he sayth:Ep, ii, xii, That the Ephesians were without a God at suche tyme as they strayed from the right knowledge of the one God. And at least in this case, it differeth not muche whether thou beleue one god or many, because in bothe cases thou departest from and forsakest the true God: whom when thou hast ones forsaken, ther is nothing left with thee but a detestable ydoll. It foloweth therfore, that we must determyne with Lactantius, that there is no lawfully allowable religion, but that which is ioyned with truthe.
There is also a seconde fault, that they neyther hauehave at any tyme any consideration of God, but againste their willes, nor do approche towarde hym, til for all their holdynge backe they be forcibly drawen to hym: and euen then also they hauehave not a willynge feare that procedeth from reuerence of Goddes maiestie, but onelyonly a seruile and constrained feare, whiche the iudgement of God wringeth out of them: which iudgement bycause they can not escape, therfore they dread it, but yet so as therwithall they abhorre it. And so that saying of Statius, that feare fyrst made goddes in the worlde, may be fittly spoken of vngodlynes, and of this kynde of vngodlynes onelyonly. They that hauehave a mynde abhorryng from the iustice of God, do hartily wishe to hauehave his throne of iudgement ouerthrowen, whiche they knowe to stande for punishement of offences against his iustice: by whiche affection they warre agaynst God, whoe can not be without his iudgement. But when they vnderstande that his power impossible to bee auoyded, hangeth ouer them: bycause they can neither by force remoue it, nor by flyghte escape it, therfore they feare it. So least they should in all thynges seme to despise hym, whose maiestie still preasseth vponupon them, they vse a certayne outwarde forme of religion, suche as it is: but in the meane tyme they ceasse not to defile them selues wiht all kynde of vices, to ioyne outragious mischeues to mischeues, vntyll they hauehave in all poyntes violate the holy lawe of the Lorde, and destroyed his whole righteousnesse, or at least they are not so holden backe with that fained feare of God, but that they swetely rest in their sinnes, and flatter theimselues, and had rather to folowe ye intemperance of their flesshe then restraine it with the bridle of the holy ghoste. But for as muche as the same is but a voyde and lying shadowe of religion, yea scarcely worthy to be called a shadowe, hereby agayne is easyly gathered howe muche the true godlynesse, whiche is powred only into the hartes of the faithful, I meane that out of whiche religion spryngeth, doothe differ from this confuse knowledge of God. And yet the hypocrites would obteyne by crooked compasses to seeme nye vntounto God, whome they fle from. For where as there ought to hauehave bene one continued vnbroken course of obedience in their whole lyfe, they in a maner in all their doynges carelessely rebellyng agaynst hym, labour with a fewe sacrifices to appease hym. Where as they oughte to hauehave serued hym with holynesse of lyfe and syncerenes of hart, they inuent triflynges and obseruances of no value, to procure his fauour withall: yea they doo the more licentiousely lye dull in their own dregges, bycause they trust yt they may be discharged against him wt their own mockeries of propitiatory satisfactions. Finally where as their affiaunce ought to hauehave been fastened in hym, they neglectyng hym doo reste in themselues, or in creatures. At length they entangle theym selues with suche a heape of erroures, yt the darke myste of malice doothe choke, and at laste vtterly quenche those sparkes, that glimmeryngly shyned to make them see the glory of god. Yet that sede still remaineth, whiche can by no meane be plucked vp by the rote, to beleue that ther is a certain godhead, but the same sede is so corrupted that it bryngeth forth of it none other, but very euyl fruites. Yea therby is that whiche I trauaile to proue more certainly gathered, that there is a felyng of godhead naturally grauen in the hartes of men, forasmuche as the very reprobate them selues are of necessitie enforced to confesse it. In quiet prosperitie they pleasauntely mocke at god, yea they are full of talke and pratynge to diminysshe the greatnesse of his power: but yf ones any desperation touche them, it stirreth them vp to seke the same God, and mynistreth them sodeyn shorte prayers: by whiche it may appeare, that they were not vtterly ignoraunt of god, but that the same whyche ought sooner to hauehave ben vttered, was by obstinacie suppressed.