The Institution of Christian Religion

And for this reason Paul saith, that the same love, wherewith God §4embraced us before the creation of the world, was stayed & grounded upon Christ. These things are plain & agreeable with the scripture, & do make those places of Scripture to accord very well together, where it is said:¹ that God declared his love toward us in this, that he gave his only begotten son to death: and yet that he was our enemy till he was made favourable again to us by the death of Christ. But that they may be more strongly proved to them that require the testament of the old Church, I will allege one place of Augustine, where he teacheth the very same that we do.² The love of God (saith he) is incomprehensible and unchangeable. For he began not to love us, sins the time that we were reconciled to him by the blood of his son. But before the making of the world he loved us, even before that we were any thing at all, that we might also be his children with his only begotten Sonne. Therefore whereas we are reconciled by the death of Christ, it is not so to be taken as though the Son did therefore reconcile us unto him, that he might now begin to love us whom he hated before: but we are reconciled to him that already loved us, to whom we were enemies by reason of sin. An whether this be true or no that I say,³ let the Apostle b•are witness. He doth commend (saith he) his love toward us, because when we were yet sinners. Christ died for us. He therefore had a love to us, even then when we were enemies to him and wrought wickedness. Therefore after a marvellous and divine manner he loved us, even then when he hated us. For he hated us in that we were such as he had not made us, and because our wickedness had on every side wasted away his work, he knew how in every one of us, both to hate that which we our selves had made, and to love that which he had made. These be the words of Augustine.

And for this reason Paule saith, that the same loue, wherwith God §4embraced vs before ye creation of ye worlde, was staied & grounded vpō Christ. These things are plaine & agreable with ye scripture, & do make those places of Scripture to accorde very well together, where it is saide: