Calvinism - pagina 59

— CALVINISM AND RELIGION. attained to the

full

realization of the ideal of pure spiritual

Religion,

religion.

he

as

mediis interpositis'\

conceived

must

it,

''^millis

without any creaturely interces-

i.e.,

sion, realize the direct

human

55

communion between God and

the

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

heart.

as such,

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,

and abso-

he waged war,

lutely devoid of all yielding or wavering,

with holy indignation, against everything that interposed itself

between the soul and God.

Of

course he clearly

perceived 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.

only

God Himself

mediatorship

could be such a mediator.

could be

from the side of God,

Holy

Only the God-man,

confirmed not by

us,

by the indwelling

of

And

this

but only

God

the

Spirit in the heart of the regenerated.

In

all

power.

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

the religious disposition, nothing being

power

to give

left

to us but the

form and expression to 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 Atignstinus rediviviis. 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 the Bishop.

time,

he

had so

little

insight into the real claims of

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