The Institution of Christian Religion

They use also the testimony of the Apostle, which saith, that it is not of him that willeth,¹ nor of him that runneth, but of God that hath mercy. Whereby they gather that there is somewhat in mans will and endeavour, which of it self, though it be weak, being holpen by the mercy of God, is not without prosperous success. But if they did soberly weigh what matter Paul there entreateth of, they would not so unadvisedly abuse this sentence. I know that they may bring forth Origen and Hierome for maintainers of their exposition:² and I could on the other side set Augustine against them. But what they have thought, it maketh no matter to us, if we know what Paul meant, There he teacheth that salvation is prepared only for them, to whom the lord vouchsafeth to grant his mercy: & that ruin & destruction is prepared for all those that he hath not chosen. He had under the example of Pharaoh declared the state of the reprobate, and had also confirmed the assuredness of free election by the testimony of Moses, I will have mercy upon whom I will have mercy. Now he concludeth, that it is not of him that willeth, or him that runneth, but of God that hath mercy. If it be thus understanded, that will or endeavour are not sufficient, because they are to weak for so great a weight, that which Paul saith, had not ben aptly spoken: Therefore away with these subtleties, to say: It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, therefore there is some will, there is some running. For Pauls meaning is more simply, thus: It is not will, it is not running that get us the way to salvation, herein is only the mercy of God. For he speaketh no otherwise in this place than he doth to Titus,³ where he writeth, that the goodness and kindness of God appeareth not by the works of righteousness, which we have done, but for his infinite mercy. They themselves that make this argument, that Paul meant that there is some will & some running, because he said, that is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth, would not give me leave to reason after the same fashion, that we have done some good works, because ⟨p. 35⟩Paul sayeth, that we have not attained the goodness of God by the good works that we have done.