The Institution of Christian Religion

Whereupon followeth, that we shall no otherwise be partakers of the satisfaction made by Christ, unless the same honour ⟨p. 147⟩remain whole with him, which they do wrongfully take to themselves that go about to appease God with their own recompensinges.

Wherupō foloweth, yt we shal no otherwise be partakers of the satisfaction made by Christ, vnlesse ye same honour ⟨p. 147⟩remayne whole with him, whiche they doe wrongfully take to themselues that goe about to appease God with their owne recompensinges.

And here it is good to consider two things: that Christ may have §27his due honour kept unto him whole and undiminished: and that the consciences being assured of the forgiveness of sin, may have peace with God. Isaiah saith,¹ that the father hath laid the iniquities of us all upon his son, that we should be healed by his stripes. Which thing Peter rehearsing in other words saith: that Christ did in his body bear our sins upon the tree. Paul writeth that sin was condemned in his flesh, when he was made sin for us. That is to say, that the force and curse of sin was slain in his flesh, when he was given to be a sacrifice, upon which the whole heap of our sins, with all their malediction and curse, with the dreadful judgement of God, and condemnation of death should be caste. Here those triflings are in no case to be heard, that after the first purging, every one of us doth none otherwise feel the effectualness of the passion of Christ, than after the measure of satisfactory repentance: but so oft as we fall, we be called back to the only satisfaction of Christ. Now set before thee their pestilent follies, as for example: That the grace of God worketh alone in the first forgiveness of sins: that if we afterward fall, to the obtaining of a second forgiveness our works do work with it. If these things may have place, do these things that are here before assigned to Christ remain safe unto him? It is a marvellous great difference, between this that our iniquities are laid upon Christ, that they should be cleansed in him, and this that they are cleansed by our own works: between this that Christ is the procuring of mercy, and this that God must be made merciful by works. But if we speak of pacifying the conscience: what pacification shall this be for a mans conscience, to hear that his sins are redeemed by satisfactions? When shall he certainly know the measure of his satisfaction? Therefore he shall alway doubt whether he have God merciful or no, he shall alway be exed, and alway quake for fear. For they that rest upon light pe satisfactions, do to contemptuously esteem the judgement of God, d do little consider how great is the grievousness of sin, as we all declare in an other place. But although we grant them to redeem some sins with just satisfaction: