- God Is Not Wearied by Conferring Kindness
God is not like men, so as to be wearied out or exhausted by conferring kindness.
- Devotion Through Domestic Service
If a woman were to spend all day long in church, praying and chanting, her style of life would not be as agreeable to God as if she were a wife who patiently performed …
- First Foundation of Righteousness
Surely the first foundation of righteousness is the worship of God.
- Gentle Spirit Required for Correcting Others
No man is prepared for chastising a brother till he has succeeded in acquiring a gentle spirit.
- Heavenly Hosts Keeping Watch
For if the fact that all of the heavenly hosts are keeping watch for his safety will not satisfy a man, I do not see what benefit he could derive from knowing that one …
- Ignorance of our own Faults
Ignorance of our own faults is the only cause that renders us unwilling to forgive our brethren.
- Calvin on Augustine on Humility
When a certain rhetorician was asked what was the chief rule in eloquence, he replied, ‘Delivery’; what was the second rule, ‘Delivery’; what was the third rule, …
- Calvin on Submission to Authority
Knowing that someone has been placed over by the Lord’s ordination, we should render to him reverence, obedience, and gratefulness, and should perform such other duties …
- Submitting to Our Own Rule
For the plague of submitting to our own rule leads us straight to ruin, but the surest way to safety is neither to know nor to want anything on our own, but simply to …
- The Ruin of Self Love
Each of us thinks we have just cause for elevating ourselves and despising all others in comparison to ourselves—our self-love ruins us with such blindness.
- We Are Not Our Own
We are not our own; therefore, neither our reason nor our will should dominate our plans and actions.
We are not our own; therefore, let us not make the gratification of …
- Do Good to All
The Lord enjoins us to do good to all without exception, though the greater part, if estimated by their own merit, are most unworthy of it.
But Scripture subjoins a most …
- A Truth to Be Observed
This truth ought to be carefully observed, that they who are too rigid towards their brethren, provoke against themselves the severity of God.
- Calvin on Being an Elder
It is no light matter to be a representative of the Son of God, in discharging an office of such magnitude, the object of which is to erect and extend the kingdom of God, …
- Impeded acts of kindness
…for nothing impedes and checks acts of kindness more than when any one is too much swallowed up with himself, so that he has no care for others, and follows only his own …
- By Love, Bury Their Faults
How it is possible that one who is in reality distinguished above others can reckon those to be superior to him who he knows are greatly beneath him?
Let him… employ …
- Imitation of Christ
Yet [1 John] does not simply exhort us to imitate Christ; but from the union we have with him, he proves that we ought to be like him.
- Idle Bellies
We must observe, however, with what titles of distinction he honors pastors.
In the first place, he says that they labor. From this it follows, that all idle bellies are …
- Christ Outside of Us
We must understand that as long as Christ remains outside of us, and we are separated from Him, all that He has suffered and done for the salvation of the human race …
- Joy and Sorrow
Though joy overcomes sorrow, yet it does not put an end to it, for it does not divest us of humanity.
- Faith and Works
Yet [Paul] is not so careful about good works as to despise the root – that is, faith – while he is gathering the fruits. He takes account of both parts, and, as is …
- Vanity of Science
We must carefully notice these two things — that a knowledge of all the sciences is mere smoke, where the heavenly science of Christ is wanting; and man, with all his …
- Glory in Our Shame
However, be the Son of God glorified in our shame, and let us be content with this sure testimony, that though we are persecuted and blamed we trust in the living God.
- Ignorance of Providence
Ignorance of providence is the ultimate of all miseries.
- Calvin on Prayer
We must, therefore, maintain both of these truths, that He freely anticipates our wishes, and yet that we obtain by prayer what we ask.
- Calvin's Prayer
By your Spirit destroy the wickedness of our heart, and restore us to a sound mind, that we may ever cleave to you with a true and sincere heart, that being fortified by …
- Our Innate Disease
It is, as it were, an innate disease in mankind to seek reputation by blaming others.
- God's Infinite Liberality
However many blessings we expect from God, His infinite liberality will always exceed all our wishes and our thoughts.
- The Merits of Chris
Therefore, as soon as you become engrafted into Christ through faith, you are made a son of God, an heir of heaven, a partaker in righteousness, a possessor of life; and… …
- Calvin on Doctrine and Life
Doctrine is not an affair of the tongue, but of the life; is not apprehended by the intellect and memory merely, like other branches of learning; but it is received only …
- Calvin on Astronomy
For astronomy is not only pleasant, but also very useful to be known: it cannot be denied that this art unfolds the admirable wisdom of God.
- The Wonderful Exchange
This is the wonderful exchange he has made with us: that, becoming Son of man with us, he has made us sons of God with him.