The Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 3 · Chapter 13
The .xiii. Chapter. ¶ That there are two thynges to be marked in free iustification.
ANd here are alwaye two thinges to be principally loked vntounto: that is to say, that there maye remayne to the Lord his glorie vnminished and as it were wholly and perfectly mainteined, and to our cōsciences an vntroubled quietnesse and calme tranquillitie before his iudgement. We see how oft and howe earnestly the Scripture exhorteth vsus, to geue only to God a confession of praise, when we entreate of righteousnesse. And the Apostle testifieth,Rom. iij.xv. that this was the Lordes principal purpose of geuing vsus righteousnesse in Christe, that he might shewe his owne righteousnesse. And what a shewyng that should be, hee declareth immediatly after: that is, if he alone be knowen to be righteous, and that iustified him that is of the faith of Iesus Christ. Thou seest that the righteousnesse of God is not sufficiently set out, vnlesse he alone be accompted righteous, and do communicate the grace of righteousnesse to them that deserue it not. By this meane he will hauehave eueryevery mouth to be stopped, and the whole World to be made subiect to him. For whyle mā hath any thing to speake in his owne defence, so longe there is somewhat taken away from the glory of God.Ezec. xx.xl…i. So in Ezechiel he teacheth how muche we glorifie his name by reknowleging of our own wickednesse. You shall remember (sayeth he) the wayes and al the wicked doinges wherewith ye hauehave been defiled. And ye shall be displeased with your selues in your owne syght, in all the euels that ye hauehave cōmitted. And ye shall knowe that I am the Lorde, when I shall do good to you for myne owne names sake, and not according to your moste wicked offences. If these thinges be conteined in the true knowledge of God, that we being broosed with knowledge of our owne iniquitie, should cōsider that he doth good to vsus where as we be vnworthy therof: why then do we to our great hurt attempt to steale awaye from the Lorde any parcell be it neuer so small of the prayse of his free goodnesse? Like wise Ieremie when he crieth out,Ier. ix.xiij Let not ye wise man glorie in his wisdome, or the riche man in his richesse, or the strong man in his strēgth, but let him that glorieth, glorie in the Lorde: doth he not there declare that somwhat is diminished from Gods glorie, if mā glorie in him self? To this purpose truely doth Paule apply those wordes,i. Cor. i.xxx. when he teacheth that all the partes of our saluation are reposed in Christ, that we should not glory but in the Lord. For his meaning is that he riseth vp against God & darkeneth his glorie, whosoeuer thinketh that he hathe any thing be it neuer so litle of his owne.
This is the truthe, we neuer truely glorie in him, vnlesse we be vtterly put from our own glorie. On the other side, this is to be holdē for a catholike principle, that all they glorie against God that glorie in thē selues.Rom. ii.xix. For Paul iudgeth that only by this meane the worlde is made subiect to God, when all matter to glorie vpō is vtterly taken frō men. Therfore Esaie, when he declareth that Israel shall hauehave their iustification in God,Esaie. xlv.xxv. sith also that they shall there also hauehave their praise: as though he should say, that the Lord to this end iustifieth the elect that they should glorie in him and in nothing els. But howe we ought to be praised in the Lorde, he had taught in the verse next before: that is, yt we should sweare that our righteousnesses & strength are in the Lord. Note that there is not required a bare confession, but cōfirmed with an othe, that a mā shold not thinke that he shal be discharged with I wote not what fained humilitie. And let no man here allege for excuse, that he doth not glorie when without arrogance he reknowlegeth his own righteousnesse: for there can be no such estimation but it engendreth cō fidence, nor cōfidence but it bredeth glorie. Therfore let vsus remēber that in all the disputatiō of righteousnes we must hauehave regard to this end, that the praise therof remaine with the Lorde whole & perfect. For as muche as for declaratiō of his righteousnesse (as the Apostle testifieth) he hath poured out his grace vponupon vsus,Rom. iii.xxvi. that he might be iust & iustifiyng him that is of the faith of Christe.Ephe. i.ii. Eph. i.viii Wherfore in an other place, when he had taught that the Lord gaue vsus saluation, to set out the glorie of his name, afterward as it were repeting ye same thing he addeth: ye ar saued by grace & by the gift of God, not by workes, that none shold glorie. And when Peter telleth that we are called vntounto hope of saluation that we shold declare the powers of him yt hath called vsus out of darkenesse into his maruelous light, without doubt his meaning is so to make ye only praises of God to sound in the eares of the faithful, yt they shold wt depe silence oppresse al arrogancie of the fleshe. In a summe, man can not without robberie of God chalēge to him self any one crum of righteousnesse: because euen so muche is plucked and taken away from the glorie of Gods righteousnesse.
Now if we aske by what meane the conscience may be quited before God, we shall finde no other meane but if free righteousnesse be geuen vsus by the gift of God. Let vsus alway thinke vponupon this saying of Salomon, Who shall say,Pro. xx.…x. I hauehave cleansed my heart, I am made cleane from my sinne? Truely there is no man that shall not be ouerwhelmed with infinite filthinesse. Therfore let euen the perfectest man descende into his own conscience, & call his doinges to accōpt: what end shal he hauehave? Shal he swetely rest as though al things were in good order betwene him & God? & shall he not rather be vexed with terrible tormentes, whē he shall fele matter of damnation abiding in him selfe if he be iudged according to his workes? The conscience, if it loke vponupon God, must of necessitie either hauehave assured peace with his iudgement, or be beseged wt the terrors of hell. Therfore we profit nothyng in disputing of righteousnesse vnlesse we stablyshe suche a righteousnesse, with the stedfastnesse wherof our soule may bee staied in the iudgement of God. When our soule shall hauehave whereby it may bothe without feare appeare before the face of God, & receiue his iudgement, vnshaken, then & not till then let vsus knowe yt we hauehave found an vnfained righteousnesse. Therfore not without cause the Apostle standeth so muche vponupon this point,Rom. iiii.xiiii. with whose wordes I had rather expresse it than with mine owne. If (saith he) the promise of inheritance be of the law, faith is made voide, the promise is made abolished. He first inferreth that faith is disanulled and made voide yf the promisse of righteousnes hauehave respect to the deseruinges of our workes, or do hang vponupon the keping of the law. For so could neuer any man assuredlye rest in it: because it could neuer come to passe that any mā might assuredly determine with him self that he had satisfied ye law, as in dede neuer any man doth by workes fully satisfie it. Wherof, that we should not nede to seke far for testimonies to proue it, eueryevery man may be a witnesse to him selfe that will with a right eye behold himself. And hereby appereth, in how depe & darke corners hypocrisie buried the mindes of mē, while they so carelesly beare with thē selues, that they stick not to set their own flatteries against the iudgegement of God, as though thei would binde to a stay of his iudicial proceding, but the faithfull that do sincerely examine them selues, are greued & tormented with a far other māner of carefulnesse. Therfore ther should so entre into all mindes a doubting, & at length a very despeire where eche man for him selfe should make accompt, with howe great a burden of det he is still ouerpressed, and how far he is from the conditiō wherwt he is charged. Loe, how faith is by this meane already expressed & extinguished. For to wauer, to varie, to be carried vp & downe, to stick fast in doubting, to be holden in suspense, to stagger, & at length to despeire, is not to trust: but to strengthen thy minde with constant certaintie & perfect assurednes, & to hauehave whervpō to rest & fastē thy foo…e.
He adioyneth also an other thing, yt is, that ye promise shal therby be made of no effect & voide. For if the fulfilling therof do hang vponupon oure deseruing, when shal we come thus farre as to deserue ye bountifulnes of God? Also this second point hangeth vponupon the former: For ye promise shal not be fulfilled but to them yt beleue it. Therfore if faithe be fallen, ther shall remaine no force of ye promisse. Therfore the inheritance is of faith, yt it may be according to grace, to stablishe the promise. For it is abundantly wel stablished when it resteth vponupon ye only mercy of God: bicause his mercy & truth are wt a perpetual knot ioyned together, yt is to sai, whatsoeuer God mercifulli promiseth, he also faithfulli performeth. So Dauid,Ps. x.xix.lxxiii. before yt he required saluation by the word of God, first determineth ye cause therof to be in his mercye. Let thy mercies (saith he) come vntounto me, thy saluation according to thy word. And rightfully: bycause God is by no other meane perswaded to make the promise, but of his own mere merciemercy. Therfore we must herin stay, & deepely fasten all our hope & not to loke to our own works, to seke any helpe of thē. And that you shold not think that I herin speake any new thing: Augustine doth also teache yt we ought so to do.In Psal. 88. tract. priore. Christ (saith he) shal reigne for euer in his seruantes, God hath promised it, God hath said it, and if yt be not enough, God hath sworne it. Therefore for asmuch as ye promise is stablished, not according to our deseruinges, but according to his merciemercy, no man ought to speake fearefully of yt of whych he can not doubte. Bernarde also saythe:In ded…ea… templi. ser. 5. The disciples of Christe saye, Whoe canne bee saued? Butte hee aunswered: thys ys impossible with menne, butte yt is not impossible wyth God. This is all our confidence, this is our only comforte, this is the whole grounde of oure hope, but beyng assured of the possibilitie, what saye we of hys wyll? Whoe knoweth whether he be worthy of louelove or hatred?Eccle. ix.i. i. Cor. ii.xvi Who hath knowen ye Lords meaning▪ Or who hath ben his counseller? Here now faith must of necessitie help vsus, here must his truthe succoure vsus, yt that which is hidden from vsus in y• heart of ye father, may be reueled by ye Spirit, & his Spirit testifieng it may perswade our heartes that we are ye sonnes of God. And it may perswade vsus by calling & iustifyeng vsus freely by fayth, in which things ther is as it were a certaine meane passage from ye eternall predestination to ye glorie yt is to come. Brefely let vsus thus conclude. The Scripture declareth yt the promises of God are not stablished, vnlesse they be taken hold of with assured affiance of conscience: & whersoeuer there is any doubting or vncertaintie it pronounceth yt thei be voide. Againe yt pronounceth yt they do nothing but stagger & wauer if thei rest vpō our own workes. Therfore we must nedes either lose righteousnesse, or we must not cōsider our own workes, but only faith must take place, whose nature is this, to lift vp her eares & shut her eies, yt is to say, to be hedefully bent to the promise only, and to turne away her thought from all mans worthinesse or deseruing.Zach. iii.ix. So is y• notable prophecie of Zacharie fulfilled, that when the wickednes of the land shalbe done away, a man shal call his frend vnderunder his vine & vnderunder his figge tree, where the Prophet declareth yt the faithful do no otherwise enioy true peace but after obteining of the forgeuenesse of sinnes. For this cauelatiō is to be remē bred in the Prophetes, that whē thei speake of the kingdome of Christ, they set out the outward blessinges of God as figures of the spirituall thinges.Esaie. ix.vi. Ephe. ii.xiiii. Wherupon Christ is called both the king of peace & our peace, because he appeaseth al the troublesom motiōs of cōscience. If we seke by what meane he doth it, we must nedes come to the sacrifice by which God is appeased. For he shal neuer cesse to tremble for feare that shall not determine that God is appeased by the only satisfactorie cleansing wherin Christ hath susteined his wrath. Finally peace is no where els to be sought for but in the terrors of Christ our redemer.
But why do I vse so darke a testimonie? Paul eueryevery where denieth, that there is peace or quiet ioy left to consciences,Rom. v.i. vnlesse it be determined that we be iustified by faith. And he therwithall declareth whense that assurednes cometh, namely when ye louelove of God is poured into our heartes by the holy Ghost: as if he had said, yt our cōsciences can not otherwise be quieted, vnlesse we be certeinly persuaded yt we please god. Wherupō also in an other place he crieth out in ye persone of al ye godly,Rom. v. Who shall seuer vsus frō the louelove of God, whiche is in Christ? because we shall …rēble euen at eueryevery litle breath, till we be arriued into yt hauē: but we shalbe without care euen in the darkenes of death, so long as ye lord shal shew him selfe a pastor to vsus.Psa. xxiii.xii. Therfore whosoeuer prate yt we are iustified by faith, because being regenerate we ar iust by liuing spiritually: they neuer tasted the swetenesse of grace, to cōsider yt God will be merciful vntounto thē. Wherupō also foloweth, that they do no more know the manner of praiyng rightly, than Turkes & whatsoeuer other profane Nations. For (as Paul witnesseth) it is no true faith vnlesse it teache & put vsus in minde of ye most swete name of Father, yea vnlesse it opē our mouth freely to crie out Abba father.Gal. iiii.vi. Whiche in an other place he more plainely expresseth, where he saith yt in Christ we hauehave boldnesse & entrie in cōfidence by ye faith of him. Truly this cometh not to passe by the gift of regeneration: which as it is alway vnperfect in this flesh, so it conteineth in it self manifold mater of douting. Wherfore we must of necessitie come to this remedy, yt the faithful shold determine that they may by no other right hope for ye inheritāce of ye heauēly kingdome, but because being graffed into ye body of Chist they are frely accōpted righteous. For as touching iustificatiō, faith is a thing merely passiue, bringing nothing of our own to the recouering of the fauour of God, but receiuing of Christ that whiche we want.