The Institution of Christian Religion

This therefore is the true knowledge of Christ, if we receive him such §6as he is offered of his Father, that is to say, clothed with his Gospel. For as he is appointed to be the mark of our faith, so we can not go the right way to him, but by the Gospel going before to guide us. And truly there are opened to us the treasures of grace, which being shut up, Christ should little profit us. So Paul joineth faith an unseparable companion to doctrine, where he saith: Ye have not so learned Christ, for ye have been taught what is the trueth in Christ.¹ Yet do I not so restrain faith to the Gospel, but that I confess that there hath been so much taught by Moses and the Prophets, as sufficed to the edification of faith, but because there hath ben delivered in the Gospel a fuller opening of faith,² therefore it is worthily called of Paul, the doctrine of saith. For which cause also he saith in an other place, that by the coming of faith the law is taken away, meaning by this word faith, the •ewe & unaccustomed manner of teaching, whereby Christ sins he appeared our schoolmaster, hath more plainly set forth the mercy of his father, & more certainly testified of our salvation. Albeit it shall be the more easy & more convenient order, if we descend by degrees from the generality to the specialty. First we must be put in mind that there is a general relation of faith to the word, & that faith can no more be severed from the word, than the sun beams from the sun from whom they proceed. Therefore in Isaiah God crieth out:³ Hear me and your soul shall live. And that the same is the fountain of faith, John showeth in these words: These things are written that ye may believe. And the prophet meaning to exhort the people to belief,⁴ saith: This day if ye shall hear his voice. And to hear is commonly taken for to ⟨image 190⟩Believe. Moreover, God doth not without cause in Isaiah set this mark of difference between the children of the Church and strangers, that he will instruct them all, that they may be taught of him. For if it were a benefit universal to all, why should he direct his words to a few? Wherewith agreeth this that the Evangelists do commonly use the words Faithful, and Disciples, as several words expressing one thing, & specially Luke very oft in the Acts of the Apostles.