The Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 1 · Chapter 6
¶The .vi. Chapter. That, to atteyne to God the Creatour, it is nedefull to hauehave the scripture to be our guyde and maistresse.
THerefore althoughe that same brightnesse, which both in heauen and earth shineth in the eies of al men, doth sufficiently take away al defense frō the wickednesse of mē, euen so as God, to wrappe al mankind in one giltinesse, doeth shewe his diuine maiestie to al withoute excepcion as it wer portraied out in his creatures: yet is it necessary that we hauehave also an other and a better helpe that may rightly direct vsus to the very creator of the world. Therfore not in vayne he hath added the light of his worde, that therby he mought be knowen to saluacion. And this prerogatiue he hath vouchesaued to geue to vsus, whom it pleased him more nerely and more familiarly to draw together to himselfe. For because he saw the mindes of al men to be carried aboute with wandering and vnstedfast motion, after he had chosē the Iewes to his peculiar flocke, he compassed them in as it were with barres, that they should not wander out in vanitie as other did. And not withoute cause he holdeth vsus with the same meane in the true knowledge of himselfe. For otherwise euen they should quickly swarue away that seme to stand stedfast in comparison of other. For as olde men, or poore blind, or they whose eies ar dimme sighted, if you lay a faire boke before them, though they perceiue that there is somewhat written therin, yet can they not reade two words together: but being holpen with spectacles set betwen them and it, they begin to reade distinctlye: so the Scripture gathering vp together in our mindes the knowledge of God, whiche otherwise is but confused, doeth remoue the mist, and plainly shewe vsus the true god. This therefore is a singular gifte, that to the instruccion of his church God vseth not onelyonly dumme teachers, but also openeth his owne holye mouth: not onelyonly publisheth that there is some God to bee worshipped, but also there withal pronounceth that he himself is the same God whō we oughte to worship: and doeth not onelyonly teache the electe to loke vpō God, but also presenteth himselfe vntounto them to be loked vppon. Thys order hath he kept frō the beginning towarde his churche, beside these common instruccions to geue them also hys worde. Whiche is the righter and certainer marke to knowe him by. And it is not to be douted, yt Adam, Noe, Abraham and the rest of the fathers by this help attained to that familiar knowledge, which made them as it wer seuerally differente from the vnbeleuers. I speake not yet of the proper doctrine of faith, wherwith they wer enlightened into the hope of eternall life. For, that they myght passe from death to life, it was nedefull for them to knowe God not only to be the creatoure, but also the redemer: as doutlesse they obteined both by the worde. For that kinde of knowledge wherby was geuen to vnderstande who is the God by whō the worlde was made and is gouerned, in order came before the other: and thē was that other inwarde knowledge adioined, which onelyonly quickeneth dead soules, wherby God is knowen not onelyonly to be the maker of the worlde and the onelyonly authour and iudge of all thinges that are done, but also to be the redemer in the person of that mediatour. But because I am not yet come to the fal of the world and corrupcion of nature, I will omit also to entreate of the remedy therof. Therefore let the readers remember that I do not yet speake of the couenaunt whereby God hath adopted to hymselfe the children of Abraham, and of that specyal parte of doctrine wherby the faithful hauehave alway been peculiarly seuered frō the prophane nations: because that doctrine was founded vponupon Christ: but I speake how we ought to learne by the Scripture, that god which is the creator of the world, is by certaine markes seuerallye discerned from the counterfait multitude of false gods. And thē the order it selfe shal conueniently bring vsus to the redemer. But although we shal allege may testimonies out of the new testamēt, & some also out of ye law and the Prophetes, wherin is expresse menciō made of Christ: yet they shall al tende to this ende, to proue that in the Scripture is disclosed vntounto vsus God the creator of the world, and in the scripture is set foorth what we ought to thinke of him to the end that we should not seke about ye busy for an vncertaine godhead.
But whether God were knowen to the fathers by oracles and visions, or whether by the mean and ministraciō of men he informed them of that which they should from hande to hand deliuer to their posterity: yet it is vndoutedly true that in their hartes was engrauen a stedfaste certaintie of doctrin, so as they might be perswaded and vnderstand, yt it which they had learned came from God. For God alwaies made vndouted assuraunce for credit of his worde, which farre exceaded all vncertaine opinion. At length that by continual proceding of doctrine, the trueth suruiuing in al ages might stil remaine in the world, the same oracles which he had left with the fathers, his pleasure was to hauehave as it were enrolled in publike tables. For this entent was the law publyshed, wherunto after were added the Prophetes for expositors. For though there were diuerse vses of the law, as hereafter shal better appeare in place conuenient: and specially the principall purpose of Moises and al the Prophetes was to teach the maner of reconciliacion beetwene God and men,Ro. x.iiii. for which cause also Paule calleth Christ the end of the law: yet, as I say once againe, beside the proper doctrine of faith and repētance which sheweth forth Christe the mediatour, the Scripture doth by certaine markes and tokens paint out the onelye and true God, in that that he hath created and doeth gouerne the worlde, to the ende he should be seuerally knowen and not reckened in the false nomber of fained gods. Therefore although it behoueth man earnestlye to bend his eies to consider the workes of God, forasmuch as he is set as it were in this gorgeous stage to be a beholder of them: yet pryncipally ought he to bende his eares to the word, that he may better profit therby. And therfore it is no maruel that they which ar borne in darkenesse do more and more waxe hard in their amased dulnesse, because verye fewe of them do geue themselues pliable to learne of the word of God, whereby to kepe them within their boundes, but they rather reioyse in their own vanity. Thus then ought we to holde, that to the ende true religion may shyne among vsus, we must take our beginning at the heauenly doctrine. And that no man can hauehave any tast be it neuer so little of true and sounde doctrine, vnlesse he hauehave ben scholer to the Scrypture. And from hense groweth the original of true vnderstanding, that we reuerently embrace whatsoeuer it pleaseth God therin to testifye of himselfe. For not onelyonly the perfect and in al pointes absolute faith, but also al right knowledge of God springeth from obedience. And truelye in thys behalfe God of his singular prouidence hath prouided for men in and for al ages.
For if we consider how slipperye an inclinacion mans minde hath to slide into forgetfulnes of God, how great a redinesse to fal into al kind of errors, how great a lust to forge oftentimes new & counterfayt religions, we may therby perceiue how necessarie it was to hauehave the heauenly doctrine so put in writing, that it should not either perish by forgetfulnes, or grow vaine by errour, or be corrupted by boldnes of men. Sith therfore it is manifest that God hath alway vsed the helpe of hys word, toward al those whom it pleased him at any time frutefully to instruct, because he foresaw that his image emprinted in the most beautifull forme of the world was not sufficiently effectual: Therfore it behoueth vsus to trauaile this straight way, if we earnestly couet to attayne to the true beholding of God. We must I say, come to his word, wherin God is well and liuely set out by his workes, when his workes be weyed not after the peruersuesse of our own iudgemēt, but according to the rule of the eternall trueth. If we swarue from that worde, as I saied euen now, although we runne neuer so fast, yet we shall neuer attaine to the marke, because the course of our running is out of the way. For thus we must thinke, that the brightnesse of the face of God, which the Apostle calleth such as cannot be atteined vntounto,i. Tim. vi.xvi. is vntounto vsus like a maze, out of which we cannot vnwrappe our selues, vnlesse we be by the line of the word guided into it: so that it is much better for vsus to halt in this way,ps ix. and xcvi.xcvii.xcix. &c. than to runne neuer so fast in an other. And therfore Dauid oftē times when he teacheth that supersticions are to be taken away out of the world, that pure religion maye floryshe, bringeth in God reigning: meaninge by this worde reigning, not the power that he hath, but the doctryne wherby he chalengeth to himselfe a lawfull gouernement: because errors can neuer be rooted out of the hartes of men, till the true knowledge of God be planted.
Therfore the same Prophete,ps. xix.xxi. after that he hath recited that the heauens declare the glory of God, that the firmament sheweth fourth the woorkes of his handes, that the orderly succeding course of daies and nightes preacheth his maiestie, then descendeth to make mentiō of his worde. The law of the Lord (saieth he) is vndefiled, conuerting soules: the witnesse of the Lord is faithful, geuing wisedome to little ones: the righteousnesses of the Lord are vpryght, makyng hartes cherefull: the commaundemēt of the Lord is bryght geuing light to the eies. For although he comprehendeth also the other vses of the law, yet in generalitie he meaneth, that forasmuch as God doeth in vaine call vntounto hym al nations by the beholdyng of the heauen and earth, therfore this is the peculiar schole of the children of God. The same meanyng hath the xxix. Psalme, where the Prophet hauing preached of the terrible voice of God, whiche in thunder, windes, showres, whirlewindes & stormes, shaketh the earth, maketh the mountains to tremble, and breaketh the cedre trees: in the ende at last he goeth further and sayth, that his praises are song in the sanctuary, because the vnbeleuers are deafe & heare not al the voyces of God that resounde in the aire. And in lyke manner in an other Psalme,Ps. xciii.…. after that he had descrybed the terrible waues of ye Sea, he thus concludeth: thy testimonies ar verified, the beautie of thy tēple is holinesse for euer. And out of this meaning also proceded that which Chryst said to the woman of Samaria, that her nation and the rest did honor that which they knew not,Iohn. iiii.xxii. and that onelyonly the Iewes did worship the true God. For wheras the wit of man by reason of the feblenesse therof cā by no meane attaine vntounto God, but being holpen and lifted vp by his holy worde, it folowed of necessitie, that al men, excepte the Iewes, dyd wander in vanite and errour, because they sought god without hys worde.