Against the persecution of a tyrant the godly have no remedy but prayer.
John CalvinRead
Man with all his shrewdness is as stupid about understanding by himself the mysteries of God, as an ass is incapable of understanding musical harmony.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Humans, despite their intelligence, often struggle to comprehend the divine mysteries, just as an animal cannot grasp complex concepts like music.
This quote from John Calvin highlights the limitations of human understanding when confronted with the divine or the mysteries of God. Even the most astute and clever individuals can find themselves lost and bewildered in their attempts to grasp the ineffable nature of a higher power, much like a donkey's inability to appreciate the nuances of musical harmony. It suggests that there are depths of knowledge and experience that transcend human comprehension.
Themes
UnderstandingMysteriesGodWisdomHuman Limitations
In practice
Example use cases
In a religious sermon to emphasize humility in human understanding.
More from John Calvin
All quotes →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.
John CalvinRead
Man is never sufficiently touched and affected by the awareness of his lowly state until he has compared himself with God's majesty.
John CalvinRead
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.
John CalvinRead
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.
John CalvinRead
When God wants to judge a nation, He gives them wicked rulers.
John CalvinRead
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