Against the persecution of a tyrant the godly have no remedy but prayer.
John CalvinRead
Wherever we see the Word of God purely preached and heard, there a church of God exists, even if it swarms with many faults.
Interpretation
True churches exist where the Word of God is preached, despite human imperfections.
John Calvin emphasizes the idea that the essence of a church is rooted in the faithful preaching and hearing of God's Word. Even if the people within the church are flawed, the presence of authentic teachings creates a legitimate church community, highlighting the centrality of divine truth over human imperfections.
In practice
In a sermon about community and grace, a pastor might reference this quote to remind congregants of the importance of faith over perfection.
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.
In this world of ours, a world of powerful centers and subjugated outposts, there is no wealth that must not be held in some suspicion.
We shake with joy, we shake with grief. _x000D_ What a time they have, these two _x000D_ housed as they are in the same body.
The poor are great! The poor are wonderful! The poor are very generous! They give us much more than what we give them.
No matter how much we try to run away from this thirst for the answer to life, for the meaning of life, the intensity only gets stronger and stronger. We cannot escape these spiritual hungers.
I cry very easily. It can be a movie, a phone conversation, a sunset - tears are words waiting to be written.
Try not to associate bodily defect with mental, my good friend, except for a solid reason
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