The Institution of Christian Religion

The same question in a manner which hath ben before assoiled,§3 now riseth up again of new. For in all ages there have ben some, which by guiding of nature have ben bent to virtue in all their life. And I regard it not, though many slippynges may be noted in their manners: yet by the very study of honesty they have showed a proof, that there was some pureness in their nature. What reward such virtues have before God, although we will more fully declare when we shall speak of the merits of works, yet we must somewhat speak in this place: so far as is necessary for making plain of this present argument. These examples therefore seem to put us in mind, that we should not think mans nature all together corrupt, for that by her instruction some men have not only excelled in some noble acts, but also in the whole course of their life have behaved themselves most honestly. But here we must think, how in this corruption of nature there is some place for the grace of God, not to cleanse ⟨image 98⟩it, but inwardly to restrain it. For if the lord would suffer the minds of all men as it were with loose reins to run wildly into all sorts of lusts, without doubt there would be no man, but he would in plain experience make us believe, that all those evils wherewith Paul condemneth all nature,¹ are most truly said of him. For what? Canst thou exempt thy self out of the number of them, whole feet are swift to shed blood, their hands defiled with robberies and manslaughters, their throats like unto open Sepulchres, their tongues deceitful, their lips venomous, their works unprofitable, wicked, rotten, deadly, whole mind is without God, whose inwards are perverseness, whose eyes are bent to entrappinges, their hearts lift up despiteously to triumph over other, and all the parts of them applied to infinite mischiefs. If every soul be subject to all such monsters, as the Apostle boldly pronounceth, truly we see what would come to pass, if the Lord would suffer the lust of man to wander after his own inclination. There is no mad beast that is so headlong carried away, there is no stream be it never so swift and strong, whereof the overflowing is so violent. The Lord healeth these diseases in his elect by this mean that we will by and by set forth.

The same question in a manner whiche hath ben before assoyled,