The Institution of Christian Religion

There is an other kind of fear & trembling, but such a one as by it the assuredness of faith is so nothing at all diminished ye thereby it is the more soundly stablished. That is, when the faithful either in thinking that the examples of Gods vengeance against the wicked are showed for lessons for them to learn by, do carefully beware that they happen not to provoke gods wrath against themselves with the same offences: or recording with themselves their own misery, do learn to hang altogether upon the Lord, without whom they see themselves to be more fickle & sooner vanishing than any blast of wind. For when the Apostle in setting forth the scourges wherewith the Lord in old time had punished y• people of Israel,¹ putteth the Corinthians in fear that they entangle not themselves with like evils: he doth not thereby abate their affiance▪ but only shaketh away the dullness of the flesh by which faith is wont more to be oppressed than strengthened. And when he taketh occasion of yt Jews fall to exhort him ye standeth,² to take heed that he fall not, he doth not thereby bid us to waver, as though we were not fully assured of our steadfastness, but only he taketh away arrogant presumption & rash trusting to much in our own strength, that after the thrusting out of the Jews, the Gentiles being received into their place, should not to much ⟨p. 118⟩outrageously triumph against them. Albeit he speaketh there not only to the faithful, but also in the same saying comprehendeth the Hypocrites that gloried only in outward show. For neither doth he admonish every man particularly, but making a comparison between the Jews and the Gentiles, after that he had showed that the Jews in this that they were rejected, did suffer just punishment for their unbelief and unthankfulness, he also exhorted the Gentiles that they should not, by being proud and extolling themselves, lose the grace of adoption lately conveyed unto them. But as in that general rejecting of the Jews, there remained yet some that were not fallen from the covenant of adoption, so out of the Gentiles there might arise some, which without true faith, should be puffed up only with foolish confidence of the flesh, and so abuse Gods loving kindness to their own destruction. But although you take this as spoken to the elect & faithful, yet thereupon shall follow no inconvenience.