The Institution of Christian Religion

Beside that, our Lord had no need to take upon him to bear the §2cross, but to testify & prove his obedience to his father: but we for diverse causes, have need to lead our life under a continual cross. First (as we be naturally bent to attribute all things to our flesh) unless our weakness be showed us as it were before our eyes, we do easily esteem our own strength above due measure, & doubt not that what soever happen, it will continue unbroken & unovercome against all hard assaults. Whereby we are carried into a foolish & vain confidence of flesh, and then trusting thereupon, we stubbornly wax proud against God himself, as though our own powers without his grace did suffice us. This arrogance he can no way better beat down, than when he proveth unto us, by experience not only how feeble, but also how frail we be. Therefore he afflicteth us either with shame, or poverty, or loss of children, or sickness, or other calamities, which we being unable to bear in respect of our selves, do by and by sink down under them. Being so humbled, we learn to call upon his strength, which only maketh us to stand upright under the heavy burden of afflictions. Yea the most holy, how well so ever they know that they stand by the grace of God and not by their own force, yet are to much assured of their own strength and constancy, unless by the trial of the cross, he bring them into a more inward knowledge of themselves. The slothfulness crept into David:¹ I said in my rest, I shall never be moved. Lord, thou hadst stablished in thy good pleasure a strength to my hill, thou hiddest away thy face, I was stricken. For he confesseth that with sluggishness in prosperity his senses were dulled, that not regarding the grace of God, upon which he should have hanged, he leaned unto himself, to promise himself perpetual continuance. If this chanced to so great a Prophet: which of us ought not to be fearful, that we may be heedful? Therefore whereas in prosperity they flatter themselves with opinion of a greater constancy and patience, ⟨image 243⟩when they are ones humbled with adversity, they learn that their former opinion was but hypocrisy. The faithful (I say) being admonished by such examples of their diseases, do thereby profit to humility, that being unclothed of the wrongful confidence of the flesh, they may resort to the grace of God.