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The Institutes of the Christian Religion

John Calvin

Beveridge translation

Translated by Henry Beveridge

First published 1845.

Public domain. The McNeill–Battles edition remains in copyright and is not included.

Introduction

  1. Introduction

Contents

  1. Prefatory Material
    1. The Printers to the Readers
    2. The Original Translator’s Preface
    3. Prefatory Address
    4. The Epistle to the Reader
    5. Subject of the Present Work
    6. Epistle to the Reader
    7. Method and Arrangement, or Subject of the Whole Work
    8. General Index of Chapters
  2. Book I. Of the Knowledge of God the Creator
    1. Argument
    2. 1. The Knowledge of God and of Ourselves Mutually Connected — Nature of the Connection
    3. 2. What It Is to Know God,—tendency of This Knowledge
    4. 3. The Knowledge of God Naturally Implanted in the Human Mind
    5. 4. The Knowledge of God Stifled or Corrupted, Ignorantly or Maliciously
    6. 5. The Knowledge of God Conspicuous in the Creation, and Continual Government of the World
    7. 6. The Need of Scripture, as a Guide and Teacher, in Coming to God as a Creator
    8. 7. The Testimony of the Spirit Necessary to Give Full Authority to Scripture. the Impiety of Pretending That the Credibility of Scripture Depends on the Judgment of the Church
    9. 8. The Credibility of Scripture Sufficiently Proved in So Far as Natural Reason Admits
    10. 9. All the Principles of Piety Subverted by Fanatics, Who Substitute Revelations for Scripture
    11. 10. In Scripture, the True God Opposed, Exclusively, to All the Gods of the Heathen
    12. 11. Impiety of Attributing a Visible Form to God — The Setting Up of Idols a Defection from the True God
    13. 12. God Distinguished from Idols, That He May Be the Exclusive Object of Worship
    14. 13. The Unity of the Divine Essence in Three Persons Taught, in Scripture, from the Foundation of the World
    15. 14. In the Creation of the World, and All Things in It, the True God Distinguished by Certain Marks from Fictitious Gods
    16. 15. State in Which Man Was Created. the Faculties of the Soul—the Image of God—free Will—original Righteousness
    17. 16. The World, Created by God, Still Cherished and Protected by Him. Each and All of Its Parts Governed by His Providence
    18. 17. Use to Be Made of the Doctrine of Providence
    19. 18. The Instrumentality of the Wicked Employed by God, While He Continues Free from Every Taint
  3. Book II. Of the Knowledge of God the Redeemer, in Christ, as First Manifested to the Fathers, Under the Law, and Thereafter to Us Under the Gospel
    1. Argument
    2. 1. Through the Fall and Revolt of Adam, the Whole Human Race Made Accursed and Degenerate. of Original Sin
    3. 2. Man Now Deprived of Freedom of Will, and Miserably Enslaved
    4. 3. Every Thing Proceeding from the Corrupt Nature of Man Damnable
    5. 4. How God Works in the Hearts of Men
    6. 5. The Arguments Usually Alleged in Support of Free Will Refuted
    7. 6. Redemption for Man Lost to Be Sought in Christ
    8. 7. The Law Given, Not to Retain a People for Itself, But to Keep Alive the Hope of Salvation in Christ Until His Advent
    9. 8. Exposition of the Moral Law
    10. 9. Christ, Though Known to the Jews Under the Law, Yet Only Manifested Under the Gospel
    11. 10. The Resemblance Between the Old Testament and the New
    12. 11. The Difference Between the Two Testaments
    13. 12. Christ, to Perform the Office of Mediator, Behoved to Become Man
    14. 13. Christ Clothed with the True Substance of Human Nature
    15. 14. How Two Natures Constitute the Person of the Mediator
    16. 15. Three Things Briefly to Be Regarded in Christ—viz. His Offices of Prophet, King, and Priest
    17. 16. How Christ Performed the Office of Redeemer in Procuring Our Salvation. the Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Christ
    18. 17. Christ Rightly and Properly Said to Have Merited Grace and Salvation for Us
  4. Book III. The Mode of Obtaining the Grace of Christ. the Benefits It Confers, and the Effects Resulting from It
    1. Argument
    2. 1. The Benefits of Christ Made Available to Us by the Secret Operation of the Spirit
    3. 2. Of Faith. the Definition of It. Its Peculiar Properties
    4. 3. Regeneration by Faith. of Repentance
    5. 4. Penitence, as Explained in the Sophistical Jargon of the Schoolmen, Widely Different from the Purity Required by the Gospel. of Confession and Satisfaction
    6. 5. Of the Modes of Supplementing Satisfaction—viz. Indulgences and Purgatory
    7. 6. The Life of a Christian Man. Scriptural Arguments Exhorting to It
    8. 7. A Summary of the Christian Life. of Self-denial
    9. 8. Of Bearing the Cross—one Branch of Self-denial
    10. 9. Of Meditating on the Future Life
    11. 10. How to Use the Present Life, and the Comforts of It
    12. 11. Of Justification by Faith. Both the Name and the Reality Defined
    13. 12. Necessity of Contemplating the Judgment-seat of God, in Order to Be Seriously Convinced of the Doctrine of Gratuitous Justification
    14. 13. Two Things to Be Observed in Gratuitous Justification
    15. 14. The Beginning of Justification. in What Sense Progressive
    16. 15. The Boasted Merit of Works Subversive Both of the Glory of God, in Bestowing Righteousness, and of the Certainty of Salvation
    17. 16. Refutation of the Calumnies by Which It Is Attempted to Throw Odium on This Doctrine
    18. 17. The Promises of the Law and the Gospel Reconciled
    19. 18. The Righteousness of Works Improperly Inferred from Rewards
    20. 19. Of Christian Liberty
    21. 20. Of Prayer—a Perpetual Exercise of Faith. the Daily Benefits Derived from It
    22. 21. Of the Eternal Election, by Which God Has Predestinated Some to Salvation, and Others to Destruction
    23. 22. This Doctrine Confirmed by Proofs from Scripture
    24. 23. Refutation of the Calumnies by Which This Doctrine Is Always Unjustly Assailed
    25. 24. Election Confirmed by the Calling of God. the Reprobate Bring Upon Themselves the Righteous Destruction to Which They Are Doomed
    26. 25. Of the Last Resurrection
  5. Book IV. Of the Holy Catholic Church
    1. Argument
    2. 1. Of the True Church. Duty of Cultivating Unity with Her, as the Mother of All the Godly
    3. 2. Comparison Between the False Church and the True
    4. 3. Of the Teachers and Ministers of the Church. Their Election and Office
    5. 4. Of the State of the Primitive Church, and the Mode of Government in Use Before the Papacy
    6. 5. The Ancient Form of Government Utterly Corrupted by the Tyranny of the Papacy
    7. 6. Of the Primacy of the Romish See
    8. 7. Of the Beginning and Rise of the Romish Papacy, Till It Attained a Height by Which the Liberty of the Church Was Destroyed, and All True Rule Overthrown
    9. 8. Of the Power of the Church in Articles of Faith. the Unbridled Licence of the Papal Church in Destroying Purity of Doctrine
    10. 9. Of Councils and Their Authority
    11. 10. Of the Power of Making Laws. the Cruelty of the Pope and His Adherents, in This Respect, in Tyrannically Oppressing and Destroying Souls
    12. 11. Of the Jurisdiction of the Church, and the Abuses of It, as Exemplified in the Papacy
    13. 12. Of the Discipline of the Church, and Its Principal Use in Censures and Excommunication
    14. 13. Of Vows. the Miserable Entanglements Caused by Vowing Rashly
    15. 14. Of the Sacraments
    16. 15. Of Baptism
    17. 16. Pædobaptism. Its Accordance with the Institution of Christ, and the Nature of the Sign
    18. 17. Of the Lord’s Supper, and the Benefits Conferred by It
    19. 18. Of the Popish Mass. How It Not Only Profanes, But Annihilates the Lord’s Supper
    20. 19. Of the Five Sacraments, Falsely So Called. Their Spuriousness Proved, and Their True Character Explained
    21. 20. Of Civil Government
  6. One Hundred Aphorisms,
    1. Book 1
    2. Book 2
    3. Book 3
    4. Book 4
  7. Indexes
    1. Index of Scripture References
    2. Index of Pages of the Print Edition