The institutions of Christian religion, written by the reverend father, M. John Calvin, compendiously…The institutions of Christian religion, written by the reuerend father, M. Iohn Caluin, compendiously…

13 The fourth place of their arguments is, where is showed, that God sometimes withdrawing the succour of his grace, trieth men, and waiteth ⟨p. 57⟩to see to what end they would apply their endeavours:¹ that also maketh nothing for them. The Lords going far away, signifieth the taking away of prophecy: His looking what men will do, signifieth that he keeping silence, and as it were hiding him self, doeth for a time exercise them with divers afflictions: both those things he doth to humble us the more. For we should sooner be dulled then amended with the scourges of adversity, unless he did frame us to the tractableness by his spirit.

13 The fourth place of their argumentes is, where is shewed, that God sometymes withdrawing the succour of his grace, tryeth men, and wayteth ⟨p. 57⟩to sée to what end they woulde apply their endeuours:¹ that also maketh nothing for them. The Lordes goyng farre away, signifieth the takyng away of prophesie: His lokyng what men will doe, signifieth that he kéepyng silence, and as it were hyding him selfe, doeth for a tyme exercise them with diuers afflictions: both those thinges he doth to humble vs the more. For we shoulde sooner be dulled then amended with the scourges of aduersitie, vnlesse he did frame vs to the tractablenes by his spirite.

1. 1O•r. 5.1•

14 The fifth and last of their arguments is, which they bring of a continual manner of speaking (which is used both in the Scriptures and in the talk of men) that good works are called ours; and they no less say that we do the thing that is holy and pleasing to God, then that we commit sins. Neither kind of speech doeth make any thing for them. For it were against reason that it should be said, that we do those things, to the doing whereof, being unable of our own motion,