The Institution of Christian Religion

nor if he have any power, that he should turn his mind from it, to be subdued unto true humility. But that laying away, the disease of self-love and desire of victory wherewith being blinded, he thinketh to highly of himself, he should well consider himself in the true looking glass of the Scripture.

nor yf he haue any power, that he shoulde tourne hys mynde from yt, to bee subdued vnto true humylytye. But that layinge awaye, the disease of selfeloue and desyre of victorye wherewyth beynge blinded, hee thinketh to highely of himselfe, hee shoulde well consider hymselfe in the true lookynge glasse of the Scrypture.

And the common saying which they have borrowed out of Augustine pleaseth me well, that the natural gifts were corrupted in man by sin, and of the supernatural he was made empty. For in this latter part of supernatural gifts, they understand as well the light of faith as righteousness, which were sufficient to the attaining of heavenly life and eternal felicity. Therefore banishing him self from the Kingdom of God, he was also deprived of the spiritual gifts, wherewith he had been furnished to the hope of eternal salvation. Whereupon followeth, that he is so banished from the Kingdom of God, that all things that belong to the blessed life of the soul, are extinguished in him, until by grace of regeneration he recover them. Of that sort are faith, the Love of God, charity toward our neighbours, the study of holiness and righteousness. All these things, because Christ restoreth them unto us, are counted things coming from an other to us, and beside nature, and therefore we gather that they were ones taken away. Again, soundness of the understanding mind and uprightness of hear•e were then taken away together, and this is the corruption of natural gifts. For though there remain somewhat left of understanding and judgement together with will, yet can we not say, that our understanding is sound and perfect, which is both feeble and drowned in many darknesses. And as for our will, the perverseness thereof is more than sufficiently known. Sith therefore, reason, whereby a man discerneth between good and evil, whereby he understandeth and judgeth, is a natural gist, that could not be altogether destroyed, but it was partly weakened, partly corrupted, so that foul ruins thereof appear. In this sense doth John say,