The Institution of Christian Religion

For even as the nearer that gold and silver are put to the fire, so much the surer proof they have of their goodness and fineness: so the Lords truth, the more exactly it is weighed with spiritual examination, so much the greater confirmation of credit it receiveth. As hey, wood, & stubble put to the fire, are brought to sudden consuming, so the inventions of men not stablished by the word of God, can not bear the trial of the holy Ghost, but they by & by fall away and perish. Finally, if forged doctrines be compared to ⟨image 235⟩wood, hey, & stubble, because like wood, hey, and stubble, they are burned with fire and destroyed: but they are not destroyed or driven away but by the spirit of the Lord: it followeth that the holy Ghost is the fire wherewith they shall be proved, whose proof Paul, according to the common use of the Scripture, calleth The day of the Lord. For it is called the day of the Lord, whensoever he doth any way show his presence to men. But then his face principally shineth, when his truth shineth upon us. Now have we proved, that Paul meaneth no other fire, but the trial of the holy Ghost. But how are they saved by that fire, that suffer loss of their work? That shall not be hard to understand, if we consider of what kind of men he speaketh. For he toucheth those builders of the church, that keeping the true foundation, do build disagreeing matter upon it, that is to say, they that not swerving from the che•e and necessary articles of faith, do err in points that be smaller & less perilous, mingling their own devises with the word of God. Such I say, must suffer loss of their work, having their devises destroyed. But them selves are saved, but as by the fire: that is to say, not that their ignorance and error is allowable before the Lord, but because they are cleansed from it by the grace and power of the holy Ghost. Therefore whosoever have defiled the golden fineness of Gods word with this dung of purgatory, they must needs suffer loss of their work.

For euen as the nerer that gold and siluer are put to the fier, so muche the surer profe they haue of their goodnesse and finenesse: so the Lordes truthe, the more exactlye it is weyed with spirituall examination, so muche the greater confirmation of credit it receiueth. As hey, wood, & stubble put to the fier, are brought to sudein consuming, so the inuentions of men not stablyshed by the worde of God, can not beare the triall of the holy Ghost, but they by & by fall away and perishe. Finally, if forged doctrines be compared to