The Voices
John Calvin
# John Calvin (1509–1564) French-born Reformer, theologian, and exegete.
Short bio
# John Calvin (1509–1564) French-born Reformer, theologian, and exegete. Primary systematic-theology voice of the Reformed tradition; his *Institutes of the Christian Religion* (1536, revised 1559) and his **Commentaries** on most books of the Bible shaped Protestant biblical interpretation for five centuries.
Notable works
1 listed
| Title | Year | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Commentaries (Calvin Translation Society edition) | 1843 | Calvin wrote commentaries on most of the Bible. The Calvin Translation Society edition (1843–1855), translated into English by John King, John Owen, William Pringle, Thomas Myers, and others, is the authoritative PD text. MannaFest uses this edition as ingested from CCEL plain-text. |
Their words on MannaFest
516 quotes across 38 books
Where this voice speaks on the site — each quote links to the verse it was chosen for.
“He adds, that it was "a great voice," i.e., a voice which had, in an unwonted manner, penetrated far and wide. Nor are the witnesses few, whom he cites, but all that vast multitude, which for the most part would have been more disposed to extinguish the glory …”
“Assuredly, if they had been just and honest judges, it would have been sufficiently notorious, and certain to them, that Moses did not speak of himself, or of his own impulse, but that he was the organ of the Spirit; yet the doctrine of God was scorned by thes…”
“From his argument drawn from their dignity, that they ought therefore to labor after holiness, we gather, that in proportion to the abundance of grace with which any one is endued, he is solemnly bound to live piously and justly.”
“For an equal distribution of God's gifts generally casts obscurity upon them in our eyes; thus the light of the sun, our common food, and other things, which all equally enjoy, either lose their value, or, at any rate, do not obtain their due honor; whilst wha…”
“Yet, at the same time, he indirectly reproves their obstinacy, which was then detected; since otherwise, if all things had gone prosperously with them, it would have been easy for them to pretend great fear of God, though, as was actually discovered, it did no…”
“The design of Moses, then, was to shew that the Israelites, for no merit of their own, but by the signal bounty of God, would be heirs of the land of Canaan; and that this entirely flowed from the covenant and their gratuitous adoption; in order that, on their…”
“The orthodox Fathers aptly used this passage against the Arians; because, since Christ is everywhere called God, He is undoubtedly the same Jehovah who declares Himself to be the One God; and this is asserted with the same force respecting the Holy Spirit.”
“Hence it is more evident why He has just declared that there is One God, viz., that He alone may be undividedly worshipped; for unless our minds are fixed on Him alone, religion is torn, as it were, into divers parts, and this is soon followed by a labyrinth o…”
“In sum, he exhorts them that, being invited by God's love, they should love him in return. Meanwhile, it is well to observe that free affection is the foundation and beginning of duly obeying the Law, for what is drawn forth by constraint, or servile fear, can…”
“He again confirms the preceding sentence; because they had been more than sufficiently taught by the illustrious acts of God, how great was His power and how remarkable His mercy toward themselves.”
“For this is the origin of idolatry, when the genuine simplicity of God's worship is known, that people begin to be dissatisfied with it, and curiously to inquire whether there is anything worthy of belief in the figments of men; for men's minds are soon attrac…”
“From these words we may gather what it is not to make to one's self the gods of others, viz., to bid farewell to all the inventions of men, and to pay attention to this one thing -- what God commands.”
“For surely by this ceremony was set forth what Paul teaches, that all things are "sanctified by the word of God, and prayer," (1 Timothy 4:5;) not that anything is in itself impure, but because the earth has contracted pollution from the corruption of man, it …”
“Ye shall not round the corners. It clearly appears that God had no other object than by the interposition of this obstacle to sever His people from heathen nations. For there is nothing to which men are more prone than to conform themselves to the customs of o…”
“Although what relates to divorce was granted in indulgence to the Jews, yet Christ pronounces that it was never in accordance with the Law, because it is directly repugnant to the first institution of God, from whence a perpetual and inviolable rule is to be s…”
“Assuredly they were good expounders of the Law who accounted it an inexpiable crime, that an altar should be left for posterity, to withdraw the people from the one sanctuary, and thus to destroy the unity of faith. ____________________________________________…”
“First, God says that He would deal with them so bountifully that they should excel all other nations; for this is the meaning of the words, that they should be illustrious above all the rest of the world on account of the special blessings of God.”
“Although their adoption was gratuitous, still, inasmuch as they were called unto purity, it is not without reason that God promises that what He had spoken should be sure, if by keeping the Law the Israelites themselves should continue in the covenant; as much…”
“Haec sunt verba foederis quae praecepit Jehova Mosi ut pangeret cum filiis Israel in terra Moab praeter foedus quod pepigerat cum ipsis in Horeb. These are the commandments. This first passage commends the Law, which was promulgated and written on the two tabl…”