Institutes of the Christian Religion: Chapters 9 and 10

(W)hat kind of Spirit did our Saviour promise to send? One who should not speak of himself (John 16:13), but suggest and instil the truths which he himself had delivered through the word. Hence the office of the Spirit promised to us, is not to form new and unheard-of revelations, or to coin a new form of doctrine, by which we may be led away from the received doctrine of the gospel, but to seal on our minds the very doctrine which the gospel recommends.

John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book One Chapter Nine

Regarding the Attributes of God revealed in Creation:

Assuredly, the attributes which it is most necessary for us to know are these three: Loving-kindness, on which alone our entire safety depends: Judgment, which is daily exercised on the wicked, and awaits them in a severer form, even for eternal destruction: Righteousness, by which the faithful are preserved, and most benignly cherished.

Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book One Chapter 10

Quote of the Week: Calvin

(W)e cannot aspire to Him in earnest until we have begun to be displeased with ourselves.*

John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion,  Book One, Chapter One

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*I'm going to do something a little different for a while this year with the Quote of the Week posts.  I'm re-reading my way through Calvin's Institutes this year, so all the Saturday quotes will be culled from the past week's reading.  If you'd like to join me, you can sign up for an account at CCEL (Christian Classics Ethereal Library).  Once you have an account, you can begin to read the Institutes online using their wonderful interface.  You'll be able to make notes, highlight quotes, and keep your place as you work your way through.  A chapter a day is very easily managed.

If you've never read the Institutes before, it's well worth the few minutes a day it takes.  Reading a chapter a day, you can finish in about 80 days.  A chapter a week will take about a year and a half.  I recommend reading at least a chapter a day for continuity's sake. 

I'll be linking to the page from which each quote is taken so, if you are interested, you can read the quote in its context.

Let me know if you're reading along.  If you'd like to discuss the content of any of the quotes, feel free to leave a comment.