Institutes of the Christian Religion (1845)/Book

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CHAPTER II.

WHAT IT IS TO KNOW GOD.—TENDENCY OF THIS KNOWLEDGE.

Sections.

1. The knowledge of God t he Creat or defined. The subst ance of t his knowledge, and t he use t o be
made of it .

2. Furt her illust rat ion of t he use, t oget her wit h a necessary reproof of vain curiosit y, and refut at ion
of t he Epicureans. The charact er of God as it appears t o t he pious mind, cont rast ed wit h t he absurd
views of t he Epicureans. Religion defined.

1. By t he knowledge of God, I underst and t hat by which we not only conceive t hat t here is some
God, but also apprehend what it is for our int erest , and conducive t o his glory, what , in short , it is
befit t ing t o know concerning him. For, properly speaking, we cannot say t hat God is known where
t here is no religion or piet y. I am not now referring t o t hat species of knowledge by which men, in
t hemselves lost and under curse, apprehend God as a Redeemer in Christ t he Mediat or. I speak only
of t hat simple and primit ive knowledge, t o which t he mere course of nat ure would have conduct ed
us, had Adam st ood upright . For alt hough no man will now, in t he present ruin of t he human race,
perceive God t o be eit her a fat her, or t he aut hor of salvat ion, or propit ious in any respect , unt il Christ
int erpose t o make our peace; st ill it is one t hing t o perceive t hat God our Maker support s us by his
power, rules us by his providence, fost ers us by his goodness, and visit s us wit h all kinds of blessings,
and anot her t hing t o embrace t he grace of reconciliat ion offered t o us in Christ . Since, t hen, t he Lord
first appears, as well in t he creat ion of t he world as in t he general doct rine of Script ure, simply as a
Creat or, and aft erwards as a Redeemer in Christ , a t wofold knowledge of him hence arises: of t hese
t he former is now t o be considered, t he ​lat t er will aft erwards follow in it s order. But alt hough our
mind cannot conceive of God, wit hout rendering some worship t o him, it will not , however, be
sufficient simply t o hold t hat he is t he only being whom all ought t o worship and adore, unless we are
also persuaded t hat he is t he fount ain of all goodness, and t hat we must seek everyt hing in him, and
in none but him. My meaning is: we must be persuaded not only t hat as he once formed t he world, so
he sust ains it by his boundless power, governs it by his wisdom, preserves it by his goodness, in
part icular, rules t he human race wit h just ice and judgment , bears wit h t hem in mercy, shields t hem by
his prot ect ion; but also t hat not a part icle of light , or wisdom, or just ice, or power, or rect it ude, or
genuine t rut h, will anywhere be found, which does not flow from him, and of which he is not t he
cause; in t his way we must learn t o expect and ask all t hings from him, and t hank fully ascribe t o him
what ever we receive. For t his sense of t he divine perfect ions is t he proper mast er t o t each us piet y,
out of which religion springs. By piet y I mean t hat union of reverence and love t o God which t he
knowledge of his benefit s inspires. For, unt il men feel t hat t hey owe everyt hing t o God, t hat t hey are
cherished by his pat ernal care, and t hat he is t he aut hor of all t heir blessings, so t hat nought is t o be
looked for away from him, t hey will never submit t o him in volunt ary obedience; nay, unless t hey
place t heir ent ire happiness in him, t hey will never yield up t heir whole selves t o him in t rut h and
sincerit y.

3. Those, t herefore, who, in considering t his quest ion, propose t o inquire what t he essence of God is,
only delude us wit h frigid speculat ions,—it being much more our int erest t o know what kind of being
God is, and what t hings are agreeable t o his nat ure. For, of what use is it t o join Epicurus in
acknowledging some God who has cast off t he care of t he world, and only delight s himself in ease?
What avails it , in short , t o know a God wit h whom we have not hing t o do? The effect of our
knowledge rat her ought t o be, first, t o t each us reverence and fear; and, secondly, t o induce us, un
der it s guidance and t eaching, t o ask every good t hing from him, and, when it is received, ascribe it t o
him. For how can ​t he idea of God ent er your mind wit hout inst ant ly giving rise t o t he t hought , t hat
since you are his workmanship, you are bound, by t he very law of creat ion, t o submit t o his aut horit y?
—t hat your life is due t o him?—t hat what ever you do ought t o have reference t o him? If so, it
undoubt edly follows t hat your life is sadly corrupt ed, if it is not framed in obedience t o him, since his
will ought t o be t he law of our lives. On t he ot her hand, your idea of his nat ure is not clear unless you
acknowledge him t o be t he origin and fount ain of all goodness. Hence would arise bot h confidence in
him, and a desire of cleaving t o him, did not t he depravit y of t he human mind lead it away from t he
proper course of invest igat ion.

For, first of all, t he pious mind does not devise for it self any kind of God, but looks alone t o t he one
t rue God; nor does it feign for him any charact er it pleases, but is con t ent ed t o have him in t he
charact er in which he manifest s himself, always guarding, wit h t he ut most diligence, against
t ransgressing his will, and wandering, wit h daring presumpt ion, from t he right pat h. He by whom God is
t hus known, perceiving how he governs all t hings, confides in him as his guardian and prot ect or, and
cast s himself ent irely upon his fait hfulness,—perceiving him t o be t he source of every blessing, if he
is in any st rait or feels any want , he inst ant ly re curs t o his prot ect ion and t rust s t o his aid,—
persuaded t hat he is good and merciful, he reclines upon him wit h sure confidence, and doubt s not
t hat , in t he divine clemency, a remedy will be provided for his every t ime of need,—acknowledging
him as his Fat her and his Lord, he considers him self bound t o have respect t o his aut horit y in all
t hings, t o reverence his majest y, aim at t he advancement of his glory, and obey his commands,—
regarding him as a just judge, armed wit h severit y t o punish crimes, he keeps t he judgment -seat
always in his view. St anding in awe of it , he curbs himself, and fears t o provoke his anger.
Nevert heless, he is not so t errified by an apprehension of judgment as t o wish he could wit hdraw
himself, even if t he means of escape lay before him; nay, he embraces him not less as t he avenger
of wickedness t han as t he rewarder of t he ​right eous; because he perceives t hat it equally
appert ains t o his glory t o st ore up punishment for t he one, and et ernal life for t he ot her. Besides, it is
not t he mere fear of punishment t hat rest rains him from sin. Loving and revering God as his fat her,
honouring and obeying him as his mast er, alt hough t here were no hell, he would revolt at t he very idea
of offending him.

Such is pure and genuine religion, namely, confidence in God coupled wit h serious fear—fear, which
bot h includes in it willing reverence, and brings along wit h it such legit imat e worship as is prescribed
by t he law. And it ought t o be more carefully considered, t hat all men promiscuously do homage t o
God, but very few t ruly reverence him. On all hands t here is abundance of ost ent at ious ceremonies,
but sincerit y of heart is rare.

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