Against the persecution of a tyrant the godly have no remedy but prayer.
John CalvinRead
Faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is not alone.
Interpretation
True faith leads to actions that reflect that belief; it cannot exist in isolation.
This quote by John Calvin emphasizes that while faith is essential for salvation, authentic faith naturally expresses itself through actions and deeds. It suggests that genuine belief will manifest in a person's life through good works, illustrating the interconnectedness of faith and actions in the journey of redemption.
In practice
During a sermon on the importance of living out one's faith.
Against the persecution of a tyrant the godly have no remedy but prayer.
The pastor ought to have two voices: one, for gathering the sheep; and another, for warding off and driving away wolves and thieves. The Scripture supplies him with the means of doing both.
Man is never sufficiently touched and affected by the awareness of his lowly state until he has compared himself with God's majesty.
Whomever the Lord has adopted and deemed worthy of His fellowship ought to prepare themselves for a hard, toilsome, and unquiet life, crammed with very many and various kinds of evil.
For as the aged, or those whose sight is defective, when any book, however fair, is set before them, though they perceive that there is something written, are scarcely able to make out two consecutive words, but, when aided by glasses, begin to read distinctly, so Scripture, gathering together the impressions of Deity, which, till then, lay confused in our minds, dissipates the darkness, and shows us the true God clearly.
When God wants to judge a nation, He gives them wicked rulers.
At first it seems obvious, but the more you think about it the stranger the deductions from this axiom seem to become; in the end you cease to understand what is meant by it.
Behaviour arises from the level of one's consciousness.
Because philosophy arises from awe, a philosopher is bound in his way to be a lover of myths and poetic fables. Poets and philosophers are alike in being big with wonder.
The three wishes of every man: to be healthy, to be rich by honest means, and to be beautiful.
You do not explain the tree by telling of the water it has drunk, the minerals it has absorbed, and the sunlight that strengthened it.
The belief that there is only one truth, and that oneself is in possession of it, is the root of all evil in the world.
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