The Institution of Christian Religion

The third Chapter. ¶ That out of the corrupt nature of man proceedeth nothing but damnable.

The third Chapter. ¶ That out of the corrupt nature of man procedeth nothing but damnable.

But man can not be any way better known in either §1part of his soul, than if he come forth with his titles wherewith the Scripture doth set him out. If he be painted whole in these words of Christ,¹ That which is borne of flesh, is flesh: as it is easy to prove, then is he proved to be a very miserable creature. For the affection of the flesh,² as the Apostle witnesseth, is death, forasmuch as it is enmity against God, and so is not subject, nor can be subject to the law of God. Is flesh so perverse, that with all her affection she continually useth enmity against God? that she can not agree with the righteousness of the law of God? Finally, that she can bring forth nothing but matter of death? Now, grant that in the nature of man is nothy•yge but flesh, and gather any good out of it if thou canst. But (they say) the name of flesh belongeth only to the sensual, and not the higher par•e of the soul. But that is sufficiently confuted by the words of Christ, and of the Apostle. It is the Lords argument, that man must be borne again,³ because he is flesh. He commandeth not to be borne again according to the body. But in mind he is not borne again, if a part of it be amended, but when it is all renewed. And that doth the comparison, set in both places, confirm. For the spirit is so compared against the flesh, that there is left no mean thing between them. Therefore whatsoever is not spiritual in man, is after the same reason called fleshly. But we have nothing of the Spirit but by ⟨image 97⟩