The commentaries of M. John Calvin upon the Acts of the Apostles, faithfully translated…The commentaries of M. Iohn Caluin vpon the Actes of the Apostles, faithfully translated…

Neither we nor our fathers. Peter doth not only dispute what men have done in deed, but what they were able to do, neither doth he speak only of the common riff raff, but of the holy fathers. Seeing that he denieth that they were able to bear the yoke of the law▪ it is manifest that the law cannot possibly be kept. I know that Jerome his saying is so generally received, that it is as it were an undoubted and most certain maxim, If any man say that it is a thing unpossible to keep the law, let him be accursed: but we must not hearken to any voice of man which is contrary to the judgement of the Spirit of God. We hear what the Spirit pronounceth in this place by the mouth of Peter, not concerning the will and works of men, but touching their ability and power. And hereunto agreeth Paul, affirming that it was an unpossible thing that ⟨p. 363⟩the law should give us life, forasmuch as it was weak through the flesh. In deed if any man were able to fulfil the law, he should find the life, which is there promised: but forasmuch as Paul denieth that life can be gotten by the law, it followeth that there is farther & higher righteousness required there, then man is able to perform. I confess in deed that Jerome doth not wholly grant to the strength of nature, power to fulfil the law, but partly also to the grace of God: as he doth afterward expound himself, that a faithful man holpen by the grace of the Spirit, may be said to be able to fulfil the law. But even that mitigation is not true. For if we do weigh the strength of nature only, men shall not only be unable to bear the yoke of the law: but they shall not be able to move so much as a finger, to perform the least jot of the law. And surely if that be true, that, all the cogitations of mans mind are wicked from his childhood, that all the understandings of flesh are enemies to god, that there is none which seeketh after God: and other such places which are common in the Scripture, tending to the same end:¹ but especially which are cited by Paul in the third to the Romans: man his power and ability to fulfil the law shall not only be weak and lame, but altogether none, to begin.

Neither we nor our fathers. Peter doth not only dispute what men haue done in deed, but what they were able to do, neither doth he speake only of the common riffe raffe, but of the holy fathers. Seeing that hee denyeth that they were able to beare the yoke of the lawe it is manifest that the law cannot possibly be kept. I know that Ierome his saying is so generally receiued, that it is as it were an vndoubted and most certaine maxime, If any man say that it is a thing vnpossible to keepe the law, let him be accurssed: but we must not hearken to any voice of man whiche is contrary to the iudgement of the Spirit of God. Wee heare what the Spirit pronounceth in this place by the mouth of Peter, not concerning the will and workes of men, but touching their habilitie and power. And hereunto agreeth Paule, affirming that it was an vnpossible thing that