The Institution of Christian Religion

And thus he driveth away the enticements that blind us, and make us not to aspire as we ought to the heavenly glory: yea and he teacheth that we must travail as men being from home in this world, that the heavenly inheritance be not lost or fall away from us.

And thus he driueth away the enticementes that blynde vs, and make vs not to aspire as we ought to the heauenly glorie: yea and he teacheth that we must trauaill as men being from home in this worlde, that the heauenly inheritaunce be not lost or fall away from vs.

Now in these words we perceive, that the forsaking of our selves hath partly respect to men,¹ and partly, yea chiefly to God. For where as the scripture biddeth us so to behave our selves with men, that we prefer them before us in honour, that we faithfully employ our selves wholly to procure their commodities: therefore it grieveth such commandments as our mind is not able to receive, but first being made void of natural sense. For (with such blindness we run all into love of our selves) every man thinketh him self to have a just cause to advance him self, and to despise all other in comparison of him self. If God have given us any good gift, by & by bearing our selves bold thereof we lift up our courage, and not only swell, but in a manner burst with pride. The vices wherewith we abound, we do both diligently hide from other, and to our selves we flatteringly feign them light and slender, and sometime embrace them for virtues. And if the same good gifts, which we praise in our selves, or better do appear in other, least we should be compelled to give place to them, we do with our enviousness deface them and find fault with them. If there be any faults in them, we are not contented severely and sharply to mark it, but we also odiously amplify it. Hereupon groweth that insolence, that every one of us, as though he were privileged from the common estate, ⟨p. 161⟩