Prayer of Calvin:
Almighty God and Father, grant unto us, because we have to go through much strife on this earth, the strength of thy Holy Spirit, in order that we may courageously go through the fire, and through the water, and that we may put ourselves so under thy rule that we may go to meet death in full confidence of thy assistance and without fear.
Grant us also that we may bear all hatred and enmity of mankind, until we have gained the last victory, and that we may at last come to that blessed rest which thy only begotten Son has acquired for us through his blood. Amen.
Chapter 1:
Holiness is not a merit by which we can attain communion with God, but a gift of Christ, which enables us to cling to him, and to follow him.
The gospel is not a doctrine of the tongue, but of life. It cannot be grasped by reason and memory only, but it is fully understood when it possesses the whole soul and penetrates to the inner recesses of the heart. ...We must assign first place to the knowledge of our religion, for that is the beginning of our salvation. But our religion will be unprofitable if it does not change our heart, pervade our manners, and transform us into new creatures.
Chapter 2.1:
If we are not our own, but the Lord's, it is plain what error we must flee, and to what purpose all our deeds must be directed.
We are not our own; therefore neither our reason nor our will should guide us in our thoughts and actions.
We are not our own; therefore we should not seek what is expedient to the flesh.
We are not our own; therefore let us forget ourselves and our own interests as far as possible.
We are God's own; to Him, therefore, let us live and die.
We are God's own; therefore let His wisdom and will dominate all our actions.
We are God's own; therefore let every part of our existence be directed toward Him as our only legitimate goal.
Oh how greatly has the man advanced who has learned not to be his own, not to be governed by his own reason, but to surrender his mind to God! Our first step should be to take leave of ourselves and to apply all our powers to the service of the Lord. The service of the Lord does not only include implicit obedience, but also a willingness to put aside our sinful desires, and to surrender completely to the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
Chapter 2.2:
Let us therefore not seek our own but that which pleases the Lord, and is helpful to the promotion of his glory.
Show me a man who does not believe in the Lord's law of self-denial, and who yet willingly practices virtue among men.
God is so far from being pleased either with those who are ambitious of popular praise, or with hearts full of pride and presumption, that he plainly tells "they have their reward" in this world, and that (repentant) harlots and publicans are nearer to the kingdom of heaven than such persons.
Chapter 2.3:
Nothing is more difficult than to forsake all carnal thoughts, to subdue and renounce our false appetites, and to devote ourselves to God and our brethren, and to live the life of angels in a world of corruption.
Chapter 2.4:
We are all so blinded and upset by self-love that everyone imagines he has a just right to exalt himself and to undervalue all others in comparison to self.
The vices of which we are full we carefully hid from others, and we flatter ourselves with the notion that they are small and trivial; we sometimes even embrace them as virtues.
If the same talents which we admire in ourselves appear in others, or even our betters, we depreciate and diminish them with the utmost malignity, in order that we may not have to acknowledge the superiority of others.
If other have any vices, we are not content to criticize them sharply, but we exaggerate them hatefully.
Everyone flatters himself and carries a kingdom in his breast.
If we listen to the instruction of Scripture, we must remember that our talents are not of our own making, but free gifts of God. If we are proud of our talents, we betray our lack of gratitude to God. "Who makes you to differ?" says Paul. "Now, if you received all gifts, why do you glory as if you had not received them?"
For we shall never arrive at true meekness by any other way than by humiliating ourselves and by honoring others from the depth of our hearts.
Chapter 2.5:
Chapter 2.5:
How extremely difficult it is for you dutifully to seek the advantage of your neighbor, unless you quit all selfish considerations and almost forget yourself.
You cannot imagine a more certain rule or a more powerful suggestion than this, that all the blessings we enjoy are divine deposits which we have received on this condition that we distribute them to others.
No member of the body has power for itself, nor applies it to its own private use, but only for the profit of the others; and equally, no member of the church receives any advantage from his own activity, but through his cooperation with the whole body of believers. Whatever ability a faithful Christian may possess, he ought to possess it for his fellow believers, and he ought to make his own interest subservient to the well-being of the church in all sincerity.
Chapter 2.6:
That we may not become weary of doing well, for which the danger is near, the apostle has added that "love suffers long, and is not easily provoked.
The Lord commands us to do good unto all men without exception, though the majority are very undeserving when judged according to their own merits. But Scripture here helps us out with an excellent argument when it teaches us that we must not think of man's real value, but only of his creation in the image of God to which we owe all possible honor and love. ...Suppose that is he unworthy of your least exertion; but the image of God which recommends him to you deserves that you surrender yourself and all your possessions to him. ...If we cover and obliterate man's faults and consider the beauty and dignity of God's image in him, then we shall be induced to love and embrace him.
Chapter 2.7:
Christians ought to imagine themselves in the place of the person who needs their help, and they ought to sympathize with him as though they themselves were suffering; they ought to show real mercy and humaneness and offer their assistance as readily if it were for themselves.
Every man, however important he may be, should realize that he is a debtor to his neighbor and that love demands that he give to the limit of his ability.
Chapter 2.8:
If we want ease and tranquility in our lives, we should resign ourselves and all that we have to the will of God, and at the same time we should surrender our affections to him as your Conqueror and Overlord. To crave wealth and honor, to demand power, to pile up riches, that is our furious passion and our unbounded desire. On the other hand, we fear and abhor poverty, obscurity, and humility, and we seek to avoid them by all possible means.
It may look to us that we can easily attain honor and riches though our own industry or strenuous exertion; yet, it is certain that we shall not make any headway by our insight or by our labors, but insofar as the Lord shall prosper both.
On the other hand, his blessing will find a way to make us happy and prosperous, whatever adversities may come.
Therefore, we cannot gain anything without divine blessing; and if we do, it will prove a calamity to us. Let us then not be foolish and wish for things that will make us miserable.
Chapter 2.9:
Moreover, a true Christian will not ascribe any prosperity to his own diligence, industry, or good fortune, but he will acknowledge that God is the author of it. If he makes but small progress, or even suffers setbacks while others are making headway, he will nevertheless bear his poverty with more calmness and moderation than any worldly man would feel when his success is average and contrary to his expectations.
A true Christian possesses a consolation which affords him more sweet satisfaction than the greatest wealth or power, because he believes that his affairs are so regulated by the Lord as to promote his salvation.
Chapter 2.10:
A faithful believer will in all circumstances meditate on the mercy and fatherly goodness of God. If he sees his relatives taken away from him and his home made lonesome, he must not cease to bless the Lord, and he had rather consider that the grace of God, which dwells in his home, will not leave it desolate. Or, if he sees his grain fields and vineyards destroyed by frost or hail, and famine threatening him, he will not become discouraged and dissatisfied, but he will persist in this firm confidence: we are under the guardian care of our God, we are "the sheep of his pasture," and, therefore, he will supply us with the food we need.
Chapter 3.1:
All whom the Lord has chosen and received into the society of his saints ought to prepare themselves for a life that is hard, difficult, laborious, and full of countless griefs. It is the will of their heavenly Father to try them in this manner that he may test them.
Why should we free ourselves from that condition to which Christ, our Chief, had to submit, specially since his submission was on our behalf, to give us an example of patience?
For Saint Paul tells us that if we "know the fellowship of his sufferings" we shall also understand the "power of his resurrection"; and that, while we are "participating in his death," we are also being prepared for sharing his glorious resurrection.
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