The Institution of Christian Religion

But because not at every word of God mans heart is raised up to faith, we must yet further search what this faith in the word hath properly respect unto.¹ It was the saying of God to Adam: Thou shalt die the death. It was the saying of God to Cain: The blood of thy brother crieth to me out of the earth. Yet these are such sayings as of them selves can do nothing butte shake faith, so much less are they able to stablish faith. We deny not in the mean season that it is the office of faith to agree to the truth of God, how oft soever, what soever, and in what sort soever it speaketh: butte now our question is only, what faith findeth in the word of the Lord to lean and rest upon. When our conscience beholdeth only indignation and vengeance, how can it butte tremble and quake for fear? And how should it butte flee God, of whom it is afraid? But faith ought to seek God, and not to flee from him. ⟨p. 111⟩It is plain therefore, that we have not yet a full definition of faith, because it is not to be accounted for faith to know the will of God, of what sort so ever it be. But what if in the place of will, whereof many times the message is sorrowful and the declaration dreadful, we put kindness or mercy? Truly so we shall come nearer to the nature of faith. For we are then allured to seek God, after that we have learned that salvation is laid up in store with him for us. Which thing is confirmed unto us, when he declareth that he hath care and love of us. Therefore there needeth a promise of grace, whereby he may testify that he is our merciful father, for that otherwise we can not approach unto him, and upon that alone the heart of man may safely rest. For this reason commonly in the Psalms these two things Mercy and Truth do cleave together,² because neither should it any thing profit us to know that God is true, unless he did mercifully allure us unto him: neither were it in our power to embrace his mercy, unless he did with his own mouth offer it.³ I have reported thy truth and thy salvation, I have not hidden thy goodness and thy truth. Thy goodness and thy trueth keep me. In an other place.⁴