The Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 3 · Chapter 6
The sixt Chapter. ¶Of the life of a Christian man: And first by what argumentes the Scripture exhorteth vsus therunto.
WE hauehave already sayd, that the marke whereunto regeneration tendeth, is that in the life of the faithful there shold appeare an agrement and consent betwene the righteousnesse of God and their obedience: and that so they shoulde confirme the adoption, whereby they are receiued to bee children. But although his lawe cōteine in it selfe that newnesse, wherby the image of God is restored in vsus, yet because our dulnesse hathe nede both of many prickinges forwarde & helpes, therfore it shalbe profitable to gather out of diuerse places of the Scripture an order of framing of life, that they that hauehave a desirous mynde of amendemēt, may not wander out of the way in their endeuour. Now when I take vponupon me the framing of a Christian mans life, I am not ignorant that I entre into a manifold and plentuous argument, & suche as may with the greatnesse therof fill a long volume, if I wold absolutely entreate of it in all pointes. For we se into what great lēgth are stretched the exhortatorie orations of olde writers, made only eueryevery one of one seueral vertue. And yt is not done with to muche idle babbling. For what so euer vertue a man purpose to set out in oration, the stile rūneth of it self into such largenes with plentie of matter, yt a man can not seme to hauehave discoursed well of it, vnlesse he hauehave spoken muche. But my mind is not to stretche so far the institution of life, which I promise to teache, as peculiarly to go through eueryevery speciall vertue, & wander abrode into exhortations. Let suche thinges be fetched out of other mens writinges, & specially out of the Homelies of the olde fathers. It shalbe enough for me to shewe an orderly trade, wherby a godly man may be guided to a right marke of framing his life, and shortly to apoint out a certain vniuersall rule, by whiche he may well trie what be his duties. There shal paraduenture at some other season be a fit tyme to make declamatiōs, or I wyll leaue that to other, whiche I my selfe am not mete to doe. I doe naturally lo…e shortnesse, and peraduenture if I woulde speake more at large, it woulde not frame well with me. And if a longer manner of teaching wer neuer so muche pleasyng, yet I would scarce hauehave mynde to put it in profe. But the course of this present worke requyreth to knyt vp a simple doctrine with as great shortnesse as I maye. As the Phylosophers hauehave their certaine endes of right and honestie, from whiche they deriue particular duties and al the companie of vertues: so the Scripture is not without her order in this matter: but holdeth a moste goodly well ordred disposition, and muche more certaine than all the Phylosophers orders. This onelyonly is the difference, that they (as they were vaine glorious men) hauehave diligentlye endeuoured to atteine an exquisite plainesse of order, to shewe fourth the ready aptnesse of theyr wytte. But the Spirite of God, because he taught without curious affectation, hath not so exactely nor continuallye kept an orderly trade: whiche yet when hee sometyme vseth he doth sufficiently declare, that it is not to be neglected of vsus.
This instruction that the Scripture teacheth, whereof we nowe speake, standeth chiefely vponupon two partes. The first, that there be poured and brought into our myndes a louelove of ryghteousnesse, to whiche otherwyse we are of nature nothyng inclyned. The seconde, that there be a rule sette oute vntounto vsus, that maye not suffer vsus to goe out of the waye in folowyng ryghteousnesse. In commendation of righteousnesse it hath bothe very manye and very good reasons: of whiche we hauehave herebefore in diuerse places spoken of some, and other some we shall in this place briefely touche. At what foundation maye it better beginne, than when it putteth vsus in mynde yt we must be holy, because our God is holye? For when we were scattered abrode lyke straying shepe, and dispersed abrode in the maze of the worlde, he gathered vsus together agayne, to ioyne vsus in one flocke with hym selfe. When we heare mention made of our ioynyng with God, lette vsus remember that holynesse must be the bond therof. Not that by the merite of holinesse we come into common with hym: (where as rather we must first clea…e vntounto hym, that beyng endued with his holynesse, we may folowe whether he calleth) but because it greatly perteineth to his glorie, that he hauehave no felowship with wickednesse and vncleannesse. Therfore also it teacheth, that this is the ende of our callyng, whiche we ought alwaye to hauehave respect vntounto, if wee wyll answere God that calleth vsus. For to what purpose was it, that we should be drawen out of the wickednesse and filthenesse of the worlde, if we geue our selues leaue all our lyfe long to wallowe in them styll? Moreouer it also admonysheth vsus, that to the ende we maye be reckened among the people of God, we must dwell in the holy citie Hierusalem.Psa. xxxv.viii. Psal. iv.ii.xxiii. Whiche as he hath halowed to him selfe, so is it vnlawefull that it be vnholyly profaned by the vncleannesse of the inhabitantes. From hence came these sayinges, that they shall hauehave a place in the tabernacle of God that walke without spot, and studie to followe ryghteousnesse. &c. Because it is not meete that the Sanctuarie wheron he dwelleth, should be lyke a stable full of filthinesse.
And the better to awake vsus, it sheweth that God the father, as he hath ioyned vsus to him self in his Chist, so hath printed an image for vsus in him, after whiche he would hauehave vsus to be fashioned. Nowe let them finde me a better order among the Phylosophers, that thinke that the phylosophie concerning manners, is in thē only orderly framed. They when they wyll excellently well exhorte vsus to vertue, bring nothynge els but that we shold liue agreably to nature. But the Scripture bringeth her exhortation from the true welspring, whē it not only teacheth vsus to referre our life to God, the authour of it, to whome it is bond: but also when she hath taught that we are swarued out of kynde from the true originall and state of our creation, she immediatly addeth, that Christ by whome we come againe into fauour with God, is set before vsus for an example, that we should expresse the forme therof in our life. What may a man require more effectual then this one thing? Ye what maye a manne require more than thys onelye thynge? For if the Lorde hathe by adoption made vsus chyldren with this condition, that our lyfe shoulde resemble Christe the bond of our adoptiō: if we do not geue & auowe our selues to righteousnesse, we do not only with moste wicked breach of allegiaunce depart from our creatour, but also we forsweare him to be our sauiour. Then the Scripture taketh matter of exhortation out of all the benefites of God, whiche she reherseth vntounto vsus, and all the partes of our saluation. And sheweth that sithe God hath shewed himselfe a father vntounto vsus,Mal. i.vi we are worthy to be condemned of extreeme vnthankfulnesse, if we do not likewise in oure behalfe shewe oure selues children vntounto him.Ephe. v.i i. Ihō. iii.i. Ephe. xv. Sithe Christe hathe cleansed vsus with the washing of his blood, & hath made vsus partakers of this cleansing by baptisme, it is not semely that we should be spotted with newe filthinesse. Sithe he hath graffed vsus into his body, we must carefullye take hede that we sprincle not any spot or blott vponupon vsus that are hys members.Heb. .x. i. Cor. vi. Sithe he him self that is our head, is ascended into heauen, it behoueth vsus that laying awaye earthly affection, we doe with all our heart aspire to heauenward: Sithe the holy Ghost hath dedicated vsus temples to God, we must endeuour that Gods glorie may be honorably set out by vsus,i. Cor. vi. i. Pet. i.xv Ihō. xv.iij Ephe. v. Colos. iii. i. Cor. iii. ii. Cor. vi. i. Thess. v …v. and muste not doe any thyng where by we may bee prophaned with filthynesse of synne: Sithe both our soule and our body are ordeyned to heauenly incorruption and an vnperishing crowne, we must diligently trauayll, that the same may be kept pure and vncorrupted vntounto the day of the Lord. These (I say) be the best layed foundations to bylde a mans lyfe, and suche as the lyke are not to be found among the Phylosophers, whiche in commendation of vertue doe neuer climbe aboue the naturall dignitie of man.
And heare is a fit place to speake vntounto them, that hauing nothynge but the title and badge of Christ, yet would be named Christians. But with what face doe they boste of his holy name: sithe none hauehave any felowship with Christ, but they that hauehave receiued a true knowledge of hym out of the worde of the Gospell?Ephe. iiii. But the Apostle sayeth, that all they hauehave not ryghtly learned Christ, that are not taught that they must cast alway the old man which is corrupted according to the desire of errour, and hauehave not put on Christ. Therfore it is proued that they falsly, yea and wrongfully pretende the knowledge of Christ, although they can eloquently and roundely talke of the Gospell. For it is not a doctrine of tong, but of life: & is not cōceiued as other learnings be, wt only vnderstāding & memorie, but is then only receiued when it possesseth the whole soule, & findeth a seate & place to hold it in the moste inward affection of the heart. Therfore either let thē cesse, to the sclaū der of God, to boste of yt which they ar not, or let thē shew thē selues not vnworthy scholars for Christ their maister. We hauehave geuen ye first place to the doctrine wherin our religion is cōteined, because our saluatiō beginneth at it: but the same must be poured into our hearte, & passe into our māners, yea & transforme vsus into it, that it be not vnfrutefull vntounto vsus▪ If ye Phylosophers do iustly chafe against thē, & do with shamefull reproche driue thē from their cōpanie, yt professing an art yt ought to be the scholemaistres of life, do turne it into a Sophistical babbling: with how much better reason shal we detest these trifling Sophisters, yt are cōtented to role the Gospel vponupon ye top of their tonges, ye effectual working wherof ought to pearce into the innermost affectiōs of the heart, to rest in the soul, & to alter the whole man a hundred times more, than the cold exhortations of Phylosophers?
Yet do I not require, that the manners of a Christiā man sauour of nothing but the absolute Gospel: which neuerthelesse both were to be wished, & we must endeuour vsus toward it. But I do not so seuerely require a gospellike perfection, yt I wold not acknowledge him for a christian yt hath not yet atteined vntounto it. For so should al mē be excluded frō the churche, sith there is no man found yt is not by a great space distant from it, & many hauehave hetherto but a litle way proceded toward it, who yet should be vniustly cast away. What then? let yt be set for the marke before our eyes, to whiche alone all our endeuour may be directed. Let that be apointed the gole for vsus to runne & trauaile vntounto. For it is not lawfull for thee so to make partitiō with God, to take vpō thee part of these thinges yt are cōmaūded thee in his word, & to leaue part at thine owne choise. For first of all he eueryevery where cōmendeth integritie as the chefe parte of worshippinge him: by which word he meaneth a pure simplicitie of mynde yt is without all deceitfull colour & faining: against whiche a doble heart is set as contrarie: as if it shold be sayd, yt the beginning of liuing vprightly is spiritual, when ye inward affection of the mind is without faining dedicate to God to obserue holinesse & rightuousnesse. But because no man in this earthly prison of ye body hathe so great strength to haste with suche freshnesse of rūning, as he perfectly ought to do, & the greater number are so feble, yt with staggering & halting, yea & creping vponupon the ground, they auaunce but slowly forward: let vsus eueryevery one go according to ye measure of his litle power, & procede on our iourney begon. No man shal go so vntowardly, but he shal eueryday get some ground, thoug it be but litle. Therfore let vsus not cesse to trauail so, yt we may cōtinually procede somwhat in ye way of ye lord. And let us not despeire vponupon ye sclendernesse of our going forward, for howsoeuer ye successe answer not oure desire, yet wee hauehave not lost our laboure when this day passeth yesterday: so yt with pure simplicitie we loke vntounto our mark, & long toward the end of our course, not soothingly flattering our selues, nor tenderly bearing wt our own euyls, but with continuall endeuour trauailing to this, yt we may stil become better thā our selues, till we atteine to goodnesse it selfe: whiche in deede we seke for and followe all our lyfe long: but we shall then only atteine it, when being vnclothed of the weakenesse of the fleshe, we shalbe receiued into the full fellowship therof.