Calvinism a life-system - pagina 59

CALVINISM AND RELIGION. attained to the

full

realization of the ideal of pure spiritual

Religion,

religion.

as

conceived

must

it,

'•''nullis

without any creaturely interces-

i.e.,

realize the direct

human

he

as

mediis hiterpositis'\ sion,

55

communion between God and

the

Not because of any hatred against priests, such, not because of any undervaluing of the martyrs, heart.

nor underestimating the significance of angels, but solely because

Calvin

felt

bound

to vindicate the essence of

and the glory of God

religion

in that essence,

lutely devoid of all yielding or wavering, he

and abso-

waged war,

with holy indignation, against everything that interposed

between the soul and God.

itself

Of

course he clearly

23erceived that in order to be fitted for the true religion,

man

fallen

needs a Mediator, but such a mediator could

not be found in any fellow-man.

God Himself

only

mediatorship

Only the God-man,

could be such a mediator.

could be

God,

confirmed not by

us,

the

Holy

Spirit in the heart of the regenerated.

In

all

power.

of

but only

religion God Himself must be the active He must make us religious, He must give us

the religious disposition, nothing being

power

this

by the indwelling of God the

frorn

side

And

to give

form and expression

left to

to the

us but the

deep religious

sentiment wich He, Himself, stirred in the depth of our

There we see the mistake of those who regarded

heart.

Calvin as only an Augustmus redivivus. ing

his

Notwithstand-

sublime confession of God's holy grace, Au-

He kept his intermediate position between the Triune God and the layman. And although prominent among the most pious men of his

gustine remained

time,

he

had

so

tJie

Bishop.

little

insight into the real claims of

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