Sermons of M. John Calvin upon the Epistle of Saint Paul to the GalatiansSermons of M. Iohn Caluine vpon the Epistle of Saincte Paule to the Galathians

Whereto then shall Jesus Christ serve? He shall serve for to fill up a void room: for he is not utterly unprofitable: but when men have so discharged and cleared themselves, then if there be any want, Jesus Christ shall supply that. After that manner did those Cozeners speak, which were Saint Pauls adversary party. And what says the Pope? He saith that in stead of the Ceremonial law of Moses, we must keep his ordinances, and the things that are decreed by Councils, or by this man or that man: and that the same bindeth us upon pain of deadly sin, so that if we offend God, we must make him amends for it by our own satisfactions, and not by the things that God hath commanded. For the amends that we must make is not any of the things appointed by Gods law: but an addition of an overplus of our own device besides, and so are we discharged to Godward, and God must needs take it a worth. We see then that the Pope holdeth the same devilish foundation which those Cozeners laboured too bring in. Howbeit that this is yet worse, that whereas they enforced the law of Moses which ought too bear some sway: the Pope bringeth in his own inventions, and the forgeries of his own brain. But contrariwise Saint Paul saith that Jesus Christ shall profit us nothing at all: when we will needs indent with God after that fashion. And why? For it is all one to pull Christ in pieces, and too give him but the one half of that which belongeth fully and wholly unto him alone.¹ He is given us to be our righteousness, & he is called our peace, & what betokeneth the word Righteousness?² That God accepteth us freely for our Lord Jesus Christs sake. Now then if we say that we win Gods favour by our own deserts, and that Jesus Christ is but a supplier of wants: is it not a rending of him in pieces, and a dismembering of him as much as in us lieth? But that cannot be done nor suffered. Moreover, our Lord Jesus Christ is given for our satisfaction or amendsmaking: for there is none other means to set God and us at one, ⟨p. 233⟩but by knowing that we be quite and clean discharged, and freely quit of the bond of endless death. For if we think to ransom our selves by our own deserts, and say that if there be any want in us, Christ shall make it good as a small matter: it is a flat mockery, and that is in no wise to be borne with.