The Institution of Christian Religion

Again, not without cause we include all the promises in Christ, forasmuch §32as in the knowledge of him the Apostle includeth all the Gospel:¹ and in an other place he teacheth, that all the promises of God are in him, yea and Amen. The reason whereof is ready to be showed. For if God promise any thing, he therein showeth his good will: so that there is no promise of his, that is not a testimony of his love. Neither maketh it any matter that the wicked when they have great and continual benefits of Gods liberality heaped upon them, do thereby wrap themselves in so much the more grievous judgement. For sith they do neither think nor acknowledge that those things come unto them from the hand of God, for if they acknowledge it, they do not with themselves consider his goodness, therefore they can not thereby be better taught of his mercy than brute beasts, which according to the measure of their estate, do receive the same fruit of Gods liberality, & yet they perceive it not. Neither doth it any more make against us, that many times in refusing the promises appointed for them, they do by that occasion procure to them selves the greater vengeance. For although the effectual working of the promises do then only appear, when they have found faith with us, yet the force and natural property of them is never extinguished by our unbelief or unthankfulness. Therefore when the Lord by his promises doth provoke man not only to receive, but also to think upon the fruits of his bountifulness, he doth therewith all declare unto him his love. Whereupon we must return to this point, that every promise is a testifying of Gods love toward us.² But it is out of question, that no man is loved of God but in Christ, he is the beloved Son, in whom the love of the Father abideth and resteth, and then from him poureth it self abroad unto us:³ as Paul teacheth, that we have obtained favour in the beloved one. Therefore it must needs be derived and come unto us by mean of him.⁴ For this cause the Apostle in an other place calleth him our peace: in an other place he setteth him out as a bond, whereby God is with fatherly natural kindness bound unto us. It followeth then that we must caste our eyes upon him, so oft as any promise is offered us.