The Institution of Christian Religion

But the readers are to be warned, that they take good heed to the §12mystery which he braggeth that he will not hide from them. For after that he hath long and largely travailed to prove that we do not obtain favour with God by the only imputation of the righteousness of Christ, because this should be impossible for him to compte them for righteous that are not righteous, (I use his own words) at length he concludeth that Christ was given us unto righteousness, not in respect of his nature of manhood but of his nature of Godhead: and that although this righteousness can not be found but in the person of the Mediator, yet it is the righteousness not of man but of God. He doth now bind up his rope made of two righteousnesses, but he plainly taketh away the office of justifying from Christs nature of manhood. But it is good to see how he disagreeth. It is said in the same place, that Christ was made unto wisdom, which belongeth to none but to the eternal word. Therefore Christ in that he is man is not wisdom. I answer that the only begotten son of God was in deed his eternal wisdom,¹ but in Pauls writings that name is given him in diverse wise, because all the treasures of wisdom & knowledge are laid up in him. That therefore which he had with his father, he disclosed unto us: & so that which Paul saith is not referred unto the essence of the son of God, but to our use, and is rightly applied to Christs nature of manhood: because although he shined a light in darkness, before that he did put on flesh, yet it was a hidden light till the same Christ came forth in the nature of man,² the shining sun of righteousness, which therefore calleth himself the light of the world. Also it is foolishly objected of him, that the power of justifying is far above both Angeles & men: forasmuch as this hangeth not upon the worthiness of any creature, but upon the ordinance of God. If Angels will take upon them to satisfy God, they can nothing prevail, because they are not appointed thereunto.³ But this singularly belonged to Christ being man, which was made subject to the law, to redeem us from the curse of the law.

But the readers are to be warned, that thei take good heede to the