The Institution of Christian Religion

Thirdly, it remaineth that we declare what is meant by this that we say, that Repentance consisteth in two parts, that is to say, mortifying of the flesh, & quickening of the spirit. The Prophets do plainly express it, although somewhat simply & grossly, according to the capacity of the carnal people,¹ when they say: Cease from evil & do goodness. Again. Be washed, be clean, take away the evil of your works from mine eyes: Cease to do perversely, learn to do well, seek judgement, help the oppressed, &c. For when they call men away from wickedness, they require the death of the whole flesh, which is stuffed full of wickedness & perverseness. It is in deed an uneasy and hard thing to put of our selves, & to depart from our natural disposition. Neither can it be thought that the flesh is throughly dead, unless all that we have of our selves be abolished. But forasmuch as all the affection of the flesh is enemy against God,² the first entree to the obeying of his law, is the forsaking of our own nature. Afterward they express the renewing by the fruits that follow thereof, as righteousness, judgement & mercy. For it were not enough to do those duties rightly, unless the mind it self and the heart have first put on the affection of righteousness, judgement & mercy. That is done when the spirit of God hath so soaked in new thoughts & affections, our souls first washed with his holiness, that they may rightly be counted new. And truly as we are naturally turned away from God, so unless the forsaking of our selves do go before, we can never go toward that which is right. Therefore we are so oft commanded to put of the old man, to forsake the world & flesh, to bid our lusts farewell, & to be renewed in the spirit of our mind. Moreover the very name of mortification doth put us in mind how hard it is to forget our former nature: because we thereby gather that we are not otherwise framed to the fear of God, nor do learn the principles of godliness, but when we are violently slain with the word of the Spirit, and so brought to nought: even as though God should pronounce, that to have us to be accounted among his children, there needeth a death of all our commune nature.

Thirdly, it remaineth that we declare what is meant by this that we say, that Repētance consisteth in two partes, that is to say, mortifiyng of the flesh, & quickenyng of the spirit. The Prophetes do plainly expresse it, although somwhat simply & grosly, accordyng to the capacitie of the carnal people,