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GraciousCall.org - Calvin: Commentaries - I The Bible
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I The Bible
I spake not unto your fathers. . . concerning burnt offerings or
sacrifices. But this thing I commanded them, saying, Obey my voice.Jer.7:22-23.
We know that from the beginning God desired spiritual worship, and that he has
not changed his nature. Today he approves nothing but spiritual worship, for he
is Spirit. But equally under the law, he wished to be worshiped with a sincere
heart. . . . That is why the prophets speak harshly of sacrifice. This clear
statement removes all ambiguity: God sets obedience against sacrifice (even
though sacrifice was a part of obedience).
Now we can continue with the content of the teaching, holding firmly to the
principle that true religion is founded upon obedience. Unless God sheds light
for us from his Word, there is among us not true religion, but mere sham and
superstition. This is how we can distinguish true religion from superstition:
when the Word of God directs us, there is true religion; but when each man
follows his own opinion, or when men join together to follow an opinion they
hold in common, the result is always concocted superstition.
After we grasp the principle that God cannot be worshiped unless we listen to
his voice, we must consider, as I said, what God's voice prescribes to us.
Since he is Spirit, he demands the sincere love of the heart. And we know also
how he has revealed to us that he desires us to put our confidence in his free
kindness; that he wishes us to depend wholly on his Fatherly compassion; that
he wishes us to call upon him for help, and to offer to him the sacrifice of
praise.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate
day and night. Ps. 1:2.
This verse does not simply declare (as I have said elsewhere) that
those who fear God are blessed; it equates religion with the study of the law.
It teaches that God is rightly worshiped only if his Word is obeyed. Therefore,
men are not free to model a religion, each after his own idea. The standard for
religion must be taken from God's Word.
The law only is mentioned here: but we are not to suppose that the rest of
Scripture is ignored, since all of it is really an interpretation of the law
and so is included under that title. The prophet is commending the law with its
supplement. Indeed, as I just said, the faithful are here urged to read The
Psalms.
But the first thing required of the faithful isdelight in the law of the
Lord. These words show us that compulsory or slavish worship is not at all
acceptable to God. Only those who come happily to the study of the law, who
enjoy its teaching, who think nothing more worthwhile or pleasanter than to
make progress in it, are qualified students of the law.
From this love of the law comes constant meditation on it, as the prophet
immediately adds. Only those inspired by this love can devote themselves to its
constant study.
He will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths. Micah
4:2.
Here in a few words the prophet defines true worship of God. For it would not
be enough for the nations to come together to one place to confess that they
are worshipers of one God if they did not also show real obedience. True
obedience depends on faith, as faith depends on the Word. It is, therefore,
especially worthy of note that the prophet here sets God's Word in the center
to show us that religion is founded on obedience in faith, and that God can be
worshiped only when he himself teaches his people and tells them what they
ought to do. When God's will is revealed to us, we can truly adore him. When
the Word is taken away, some form of worship of God remains, but there is no
real religion which could please God.
Hence we conclude that the church of God can be established only where the Word
of God rules, where God shows by his voice the way of salvation. Therefore,
until true doctrine sheds its light, men cannot be gathered in one place to
constitute the true body of the church. Clearly, then, where the teaching is
corrupt or is despised, there is no religion approved by God.
Men can, indeed, take God's name boastfully on their lips; but
before God, there is no religion except what is measured by the rule of the
Word. It follows then that there is no church which is not subject to God's
Word and is not ruled by it. The prophet here defines both true religion and
the way in which God gathers his church.
He twill teach us of his ways. Here we have a third point. God is robbed
of his right and honor when men usurp the power of teaching. For it belongs to
God alone to teach his people. There were at that time priests and prophets.
But Micah here reduces both to their proper place and shows that the right and
the office of teaching belong to God alone. It is clear that God claims this
work for himself, to prevent us from wavering and from being pulled around by
different teachers; to keep us in simple obedience to his Word, so that he
alone may rule over us. In a word, God is not God and head of the church, if he
is not the chief and only teacher.
Now when the prophet says that God willteachushis ways, this
must mean that he will show the nature of his ways; he means, "
The perfect
wisdom of the people is to know what pleases God and what his will is."
This is
all I need to say.
There follows:Let us walk in his ways. By this clause we are warned
that God's teaching is not theoretical, as they say, but full of energizing
power. When God speaks, he does not only intend men to know that what is
announced by him is true; he also requires their obedience. We shall be truly
taught by God only if wewalk in his ways.
For it is silly for us to wag our ears like assess and confess God with mouth
and lips only. Men truly progress in God's school when they form their lives by
his teaching, when they have their feet ready to walk, to follow wherever he
calls.
If ye will not hearken to me to walk in my law, which I have set before you,
to hearken to the words of my servants the prophets whom I sent unto you.
Jer. 26:4-5.
The prophet here sums up briefly the teaching which he was commanded to bring
to the people. There is no doubt that he used many words whenever it was
necessary; but here he holds a few words to be enough to state what he has been
told. He declares that unless the Jews begin to listen and to follow the law,
and unless they obey the prophets, the final destruction of the Temple and the
city is at hand. This is the sum of what he teaches here. But we should note
the details.
By the wordsunless you hear and walk in my law, God shows that his chief demand is for obedience. . . . We see that the one and only
specific rule for living devoutly, rightly, holily, and perfectly is to
surrender ourselves to God's piloting. This is his only command.
But what follows should also be noted:that you walk in my law. For here
God testifies that his will is not ambiguous, for in his law he has stated what
is right. If God should descend from heaven a hundred times, he would reveal
nothing we need to know in addition to what he has said. His law is perfect
wisdom. If he had said onlyhear me, men could evade by declaring
themselves ready to be taught by him. God checks these hypocrites by saying
that there will be no word from him other than that they should follow his law.
And for the same purpose he addswhich I have set before your eyes. This
phrase means that there is nothing obscure or uncertain about the teaching of
the law. As Moses said (Deut. 30:19),I call to witness today heaven and
earth that I have set before your eyes life and death;and in another place
(Deut. 30:14),The word is in your heart and your mouth-- that is, God
takes every excuse away from you. There is no reason for uncertainty after he
has spoken plainly to you and explained fully what is necessary.
Here is the refutation of that impious popish blasphemy which prattles that not
only the law but even the gospel is obscure. But Paul claims that the gospel is
plainexcept to those who are perishing(2 Cor. 4:3); over them a veil
is thrown because they deserve to be blind (2 Cor. 3:14-15). But, as we see,
Jeremiah here affirms that the law, even though it is less clear than the
gospel, is set plainly before the eyes of all, and that all may learn from it
exactly what pleases God and what is right.
Now we must consider carefully the statement which follows in the next verse;
for it unquestionably belongs with the previous one. God demands nothing except
that men obey his laws, and yet he wishes his servants, the prophets, to be
heard:That you may hear the words of my prophets whom I send to you(he
uses the second person, you). Here there seems to be a kind of inconsistency.
For if the law of God is sufficient, why is hearing the prophets added to it?
But the two commands are really in perfect agreement. The law alone must be
heard, and with it the prophets who continually interpret it. For God did not
send his prophets to correct the law, to change something in it, to add to it
or subtract from it. There was an inviolable decreeneither to add nor take
away(Deut. 12:32). What then was the purpose of prophecy?
Truly, it was to explain the law more and more fully, and also to fit it to the
immediate need of the people. Since, then, the prophets do not invent any new
teaching, but are faithful interpreters of the law, God is not combining here
two separate commands. He wishes his law and his prophets to be heard
simultaneously. The majesty of the law does not lessen the authority of the
prophets. For the prophets uphold the law; they in no way subtract anything
from it.
So this passage teaches that all those who reject the daily exercise of
learning the Scriptures are godless men and quench, so far as it is within
their power, the grace of the Spirit. In our day there are many of the
Anabaptists[68]who act in this way, rejecting
all teaching. They say this [Scripture] is "
the letter,"
and they dream that
the Holy Spirit is injured when men attend to "
the letter."
And some dare to
utter uglier blasphemies. They say that all the Scripture we need is the two
commands, "
Fear God"
and "
Love your neighbor."
But as I have already said, we must consider how it is that God has spoken
through the law, and whether [it is not true that] our way to him would have
been blocked had he not explained his will more clearly through the prophets;
for it is through the prophets that God adapts to our need whatever might seem
to us remote and of no concern to us. Surely since God gave his law and then
added to it his prophets, it is obvious that anyone who rejects God's prophets
puts no real confidence in God's law. So today those who scorn to go to school
to Christ and to train themselves in listening to the Word, really mock God
himself and judge both the law and the prophets -- and even the gospel itself
-- as without value.
Therefore, this passage is of the highest importance. God wishes his law to be
our guide and rule, and he binds it to his prophets.
But the word of the Lord endured forever. And this is the word which by the
gospel is preached unto you.1 Peter 1:25.
The prophet teaches us, not what the Word of God is in itself, but how we are
to think of it. Since man has emptied himself of life, he must look for it
outside of himself. And Peter tells us on the authority of the
prophet, that God's Word alone possesses the energy and efficacy to bestow upon
us whatever is solid and eternal. For the prophet knew that our lives have no
stability except in God, and except as he communicates it to us by his Word.
Since man's nature is in itself perishing, the Word himself invests it with
eternal life, and restores it by a new creation.
And this is the word declared to you. Peter first warns us that when the
Word of God is mentioned, we do wrong to imagine something far away, up in the
air or in heaven beyond; for the Lord himself has shown it to us. What then is
the Word of God which gives us life; what but the law, the prophets, and the
gospel? Anyone who wanders away from this revelation will find, instead of
God's Word, nothing but Satan's impostures and madness. Therefore, we must keep
carefully in mind that godless and devilish men have a crafty way of pretending
to honor God's Word, when they turn us away from the Scriptures; like that
dirty dog Agrippa,[69]who praised the
eternity of God's Word to high heaven, and at the same time heaped mockery on
the prophets and the apostles; in his deceitful way, he covered the Word of God
with derision.
In short, as I have already told you, nothing is said here of a Word shut up in
God's bosom. We have to do with the Word which came forth from God's mouth and
was given to us. So once again, we are to acknowledge that God's will is to
speak to us by the mouths of the apostles and prophets, and that their mouths
are to us as the mouth of the only true God.
Therefore, when Peter says,the word which has been declared to you, he
means that we must not look for the Word of God anywhere except in the
preaching of the gospel; and that we cannot know the power of its eternity
except by faith. But we do not believe unless we know that the Word was
destined for us.
And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham
thy father and the God of Isaac. Gen. 28:13.
Here is the third point which I said must be noted. Silent visions are cold,
and the Word of God is the breath which gives them life. The symbol of the
ladder is a less important adjunct, with which the Word of God illustrates and
embellishes itself for the sake of greater clarity -- not for
greater authority. Hence we judge the papal sacraments to be frivolous, since
in them the voice of God is not heard for the upbuilding of souls.
We should note, therefore, that whenever God showed himself to the patriarchs,
hespoke; for a silent vision would have left them dangling in
uncertainty.
By the nameYHWH, Jehovah, God proclaims that he alone is the maker of
the world, and that Jacob must seek for himself no other gods. But because in
itself God's majesty is incomprehensible, he adds immediately, adapting himself
to the capacity of his servant, that he is the God of Abraham and Isaac. It is
necessary to believe that the God whom we worship is he who alone is God; but
when our minds seek to attain his height, they faint at the very start. We need
to cultivate moderation and sobriety, and we should not attempt to know more of
him than he reveals to us. He himself, in his great kindness, accommodates
himself to our little mold, and he leaves out nothing which helps toward our
salvation.
When he says that he had made a special covenant with Abraham and Isaac, and
proclaims himself as their God, he calls his servant Jacob back to the real
beginning of faith and keeps him within the eternal covenant. This is the holy
bond of faithfulness by which all the sons of God are bound together. They hear
the same promise of salvation, from the first to the last, and they agree
together in one hope.
All Scripture is given by the inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that
the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. 2
Tim. 3:16-17.
All Scripture, or the whole of it; both phrases mean the same. He now
continues with his praise of Scripture which had been much too brief. He
commends first its authority, and then the usefulness which proceeds from it.
He asserts its authority by teaching that it is inspired by God. If this is the
case, men should receive it reverently and without further argument. Our
religion is distinguished from all others in that the prophets have spoken not
of themselves, but as instruments of the Holy Spirit; and what they have
brought to us, they received by heavenly commission. Any man then who would
profit by the Scriptures, must hold first of all and firmly that the teaching
of the law and the prophets came to us not by the will of man, but as dictated
by the Holy Spirit.
Somebody may object: But how do we know all this? I answer, the
self-same Spirit revealed both to the disciples and to the teachers
(doctorem) that the author of the Scriptures is God. Neither Moses nor
the prophets brought to us by chance the things we have received at their
hands; they spoke as moved by God, and testified with confidence and courage
that God's very mouth had spoken. The same Spirit who made Moses and the
prophets certain of their calling, has now testified to our own hearts that he
used them as his servants for our instruction. It is not surprising that many
have doubts as to the author of Scripture. For, even though the majesty of God
is displayed by it, only those illumined by the Spirit have the eyes to see
what should be evident to all men, but in fact is seen only by the elect. So,
the first point is that we treat Scripture with the same reverence that we do
God, because it is from God alone, and unmixed with anything human.
And is profitable. The second part of this praise of Scripture follows
from the first; that it contains the perfect rule of a good and happy life. He
means that Scripture is useful because it is free from the kind of corruption
which comes with the abuse of God's Word by sinful men. Thus he indirectly
rebukes those woolly-headed men who feed the people with empty speculations as
with wind. For this reason, today, we ought to condemn all those who make it
their business not to build up the people but to arouse them with questions
which are as childish as they are clever. Whenever men come to us with such
clever trifles, we must repel them with the principle that the Scripture is for
upbuilding. Consequently, it is unlawful to handle it as a useless thing. God
gave us Scripture for our good, and not to satisfy our curiosity, or to indulge
our desire for showing off, or to give us material for babble and fable.
Therefore, to use Scripture rightly is at all times to profit by it. . . .
That the man of God may be whole.Wholemeans perfect, in the
sense of unmutilated. He asserts simply that Scripture is adequate and
sufficient for our perfecting. Therefore, anyone who is not satisfied with
Scripture, hopes to know more than he needs or than is good for him. But now
comes a serious objection. Since Paul means by Scripture the Old Testament, how
are we to believe that it makes us perfect? If the Old Testament makes us
perfect, then the apostolic additions are superfluous. I answer that, as to
substance, the apostles added nothing. The writings of the apostles contain
nothing that is not simply a natural explanation of the law and the prophets,
together with a straightforward presentation of what they contain.
Therefore, Paul's praise of the Old Testament was not wrong. And since its
teaching is understood more fully and shines more brightly now that the gospel
has been added to it, must we not hope that the value of Scripture, of which
Paul speaks, shall be all the more displayed, if only we will try living by it
and take hold of it?
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try spirits whether they are of God;
because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1.
Many, as I said before, are so troubled by the discords and wranglings in the
church that, in their dismay, they run away from the gospel. But the Spirit
prescribes an altogether different way: that believers be watchful not to
accept any doctrine lightly and without judgment. We should be careful not to
be offended by the variety of opinion in the church; we should rather
discriminate between teachers, with the Word of God as our only norm. It is
enough to make it our rule not to listen indiscriminately to everyone that
comes along.
I take the wordspiritas a metaphor, as meaning a man who claims the
gift of the Spirit, so that he may assume the office of a prophet. Since nobody
ought to speak in his own name, we must not trust those who do not speak as
instruments of the Spirit. The prophets spoke with authority because God
himself honored them with this title, and in so doing, set them apart from all
other men. These men were called spirit because they gave utterance to the
oracles of the Spirit, and by their ministry represented God's own person. They
offered nothing out of their own heads, neither did they come forth among the
people in their own names. They were given this high title, in order that their
own insignificance might not take away from the reverence that is due to the
Word of God. God has willed it that we always receive his Word from the lips of
men, as though he himself had appeared from heaven.
But now Satan interferes. He not only places false teachers among the people,
so as to corrupt the Word of God, but he also calls them prophets, so that the
people fall [into error] all the more easily. These arrogant pseudoprophetic
windbags are in the habit of snatching an honor which God bestowed upon his own
servants. The apostle uses the wordspiritspurposely, to keep us from
being deceived by those who pretend falsely to speak in God's name; for in our
own day we see many who are stupid enough to be so overcome by the
mere title of "
the church,"
that they take sides with the pope, and would be
damned forever rather than raise a finger against his authority.
It should be noticed that the apostle did not deny outright the claim of these
men to be prophets. He might have said simply that they ought not to be
believed. When these false teachers lyingly claimed that they had the Spirit,
he let them have their way; only he warned that their claim was both fictitious
and foolish unless they could come forth with the reality of prophecy. It is
silly to be so taken in by a high-sounding title that one does not even dare to
see if there be anything behind it.
Try the spirits. Since not everyone who calls himself a prophet is one,
the apostle says here that he should be put to a test; not only by the church
at large, but also by individual believers. But the question arises, Where do
we get our discernment? When some say that we should judge men's words by the
Word of God, they are right so far; but that does not settle the matter. I
admit readily that men's teachings should be tested by the Word of God. But the
truth is that without the good sense we receive from the Spirit, it helps us
little or nothing to have the Word of God in our hands; for its meaning is
bound to escape us. For instance, gold is tested with fire or touchstone; but
only by those who know how to do it. What use is fire or touchstone to the
ignorant? In the same way, we are fit to judge only when we receive discretion
from the Spirit and are guided by him. Since we could not follow the apostle's
precept, unless the power of judging were added to it, certainly the godly
shall not be left without the Spirit of sound judgment, provided they seek him
from the Lord. But it is also true that the Spirit will lead us to true
discretion only when we bring all our thoughts under subjection to the Word of
God; for, as we said above, it is, so to speak, our touchstone, which should be
most precious to us, since it is the only source of sound teaching.
But here comes a difficult question. If everyone has a right to be a judge and
arbiter in this matter, nothing can be set down as certain; and our whole
religion will be full of uncertainty. I reply that we must test doctrines in a
twofold way: private and public. By private testing, each one establishes his
own faith, and accepts only the teaching which he knows to be from God. For our
conscience cannot find security and peace except in God. Public testing of
doctrine has to do with the common consent and polity of the church. Since
there is a danger that fanatical men may rise up and boast rashly
that they have the Spirit of God, believers should seek a remedy by coming
together and reasoning their way to an honest and godly agreement. The old
proverb is right when it says, "
So many heads, so many minds."
Therefore, it is
a marvelous work of God that, overcoming all our perversity, he makes us of one
mind, and unites us together in a pure unity of faith.
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private
interpretation. 2 Peter 1:20.
Here Peter begins to teach how our minds must be prepared if we would make
proper progress in Scripture. There is in this verse a word which may mean one
of two things. If you read it
e)
phlu)
sewV, as some do, it means an impulsion. But if
you read it
e)
pilu)
sewV, as I do, it
means interpretation. In either case, almost all agree that we should not rush
at reading Scripture rashly, trusting our own wits; because the Spirit who has
spoken by the prophets is his own interpreter.
This explanation contains a true, godly, and useful doctrine. The only way to
read the prophets to advantage is to set aside the mind of the flesh and to
submit to the authority of the Holy Spirit. It is godless profanity to set up
our own acumen as capable of understanding Scripture, which contains mysteries
of God hidden to our flesh and sublime treasures of life which are far beyond
our powers. This is why we say that the light which shines in it comes only to
the lowly.
But the papists are foolish when they conclude that no private interpretation
by an individual is valid. They abuse Peter's testimony, in order to give their
councils alone the right to interpret Scripture. But this is childish. When
Peter speaks of private interpretation, he does not refer to individuals;
neither does he forbid them to interpret Scripture. He means that it is not
godly for them to come out with something out of their own heads. Even if all
men in the world were to agree and be of one mind, the outcome would still beprivate, of their own. The wordprivateis here set against
divine revelation; for the believers, illumined inwardly by the Holy Spirit,
know as truth only what God says by his Word.
However, I think the simpler meaning of Peter's statement is that Scripture is
not of men, or by the initiative of men. You will never come to it well
prepared to read it, unless you bring reverence, obedience, and teachableness
with you. But reverence comes from the knowledge that it is God who speaks to
us and not mortal men. Therefore, Peter in the first place urges us
to believe without doubting that the prophecies are God's oracles; which means
that they were not set in motion by men's own action.
What comes next means the same thing. The holy men spoke as they were moved by
the Spirit of God; that is, they did not babble out fables, moved by their own
impulse and as they willed. In short, the first step in right understanding is
that we believe the holy prophets of God as we do him. The apostle calls themholy men of Godbecause they performed faithfully the task which was
laid upon them; and in this service, they were surrogates for the person of
God. Peter says they weremoved, not because they were bereft of their
own minds (as the Gentiles imagined their prophets to have been during their
"
enthusiasm"
), but because they did not dare to say anything of their own. They
followed the Spirit as their guide and obeyed him to such an extent that their
mouths became his temple, and he ruled in them.
The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die,
because he made himself the Son of God. John 19:7.
The Jews explain that they are pursuing Christ out of regard for the law, and
not from passion or hatred. For they realize that they are being indirectly
held in check by Pilate. Knowing that Pilate is ignorant of the law, they as
much as say to him: "
We have a right to live according to our customs. Our
religion does not suffer a man to give himself airs as the Son of God."
Besides, this accusation was not groundless; but they were altogether wrong in
the deduction they made [from the law]. The general thesis was, of course,
correct. It was not right for any man to assume divine honor; and anyone who
took for himself what is God's alone, was worthy of death. Their error was that
they applied the law to Christ; for they did not consider with what praise
Scripture itself had predicted the Messiah. If they had done so, they would
have inferred readily that he was the Son of God. Thus it is evident that
having started with a true principle, they were led by bad reasoning to a false
conclusion.
Let us be warned by this example to distinguish carefully between general
doctrine and the particular inferences we make from it. This we should do for
the sake of inexperienced and simple people who, when deceived by some
pretended truth, reject even the fundamental doctrines of Scripture; and there is too much of this kind of thing going on in our world today.
Let us, therefore, be careful to shun fallacies, so that truth may remain
inviolate and faith in Scripture may be not overthrown.
If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe,
if I tell you of heavenly things?John 3:12.
Christ concludes that if Nicodemus and his like do not make progress in the
knowledge of the gospel, it is their fault. He shows that since he has come
down to earth itself, he is not to be blamed if not everybody learns his
doctrine properly. It is too common a vice among men that they want to be
taught in a subtle and ingenious way: hence most of them are very happy with
deep and abstruse speculations; for the same reason, many do not think much of
the gospel: in it they do not find the kind of pompous discourse with which
they like to fill their ears. They do not care to sink so low as to waste their
time with the rude and lowly teaching of the gospel. But, it is most stupid not
to honor the Word of God, because he has lowered himself to the level of our
ignorance. When we find God prattling to us in the Bible in an uncultivated and
vulgar style, let us remember that he does it for our sake. Anyone who presumes
or pretends to be offended by the condescension of God so that he will not
submit to God's Word, is a liar. Anyone who cannot bear to lay hold of God as
he comes down to him will still less soar up to him beyond the clouds.
Some explainearthlythings as the ABC of spiritual truth, and speak of
self-denial as the first step in godliness. But I prefer the view of those who
think this phrase has to do with Christ's way of teaching. For even though
Christ's discourse as a whole was heavenly, he spoke plainly, as it were in anearthlyway. Furthermore, this is not true of one discourse only. In
this verse, Christ's habitually simple and popular way of teaching is
contrasted with ambitious men's addiction to speech that is full of pomp and
splendor.
And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the
princes of Juda; for out of thee shall come a governor, that shall rule my
people Israel. Matt. 2:6.
There is no doubt that the scribes quoted the words of this passage (Micah 5:2)
in their own tongue, faithfully, as found in the prophet. But Matthew was
satisfied to refer to it. Because he wrote in Greek, he followed the commonly
accepted reading of it. From this place and others like it, we can
readily gather that Matthew did not compose his Gospel in Hebrew. Moreover, one
must always notice that when the apostles quote a Scriptural testimony, they do
not give it word for word, and sometimes depart quite far from its language;
they nevertheless accommodate it (accommodare) in a fitting and proper
way to their own purpose. Let the readers always keep in mind the purpose of
the Evangelists in bringing forward passages of Scripture, so that they will
not insist upon dwelling upon mere words, but will be content with the fact
that the Evangelists never torture Scripture into a false meaning, and apply
(aptare) it properly to a genuine use. Since the latter intended to feed
infants and novices in the faith with milk, because these were as yet incapable
of taking solid food, there is no reason why the children of God should have
scruples against a diligent and exact inquiry into the contents of Scripture,
so that the taste offered them by the apostles may lead them to the fountain
[of God's Word].
[68]Anabaptists is a loose and derogatory term
applied to radical sects of the Reformation era. Calvin was especially opposed
to them; not so much because they opposed infant baptism as because they
claimed revelation beyond Scripture and because they advocated a complete
separation of church and state.
[69]Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim
of Cologne (1486-1535). A man in the stereotype Renaissance style. He was a
Neoplatonist and worked at "
occult philosophy."
His unorthodoxy and skepticism
aroused the ire of the Catholics, and the Protestant Reformers regarded him as
a heretic and a charlatan.
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