Tracts & Letters (Vol 3) - Calvin - VI - Tract 2 commenced

Required reading
Tracts and Letters (Volume 3) by John Calvin (Available from Amazon or free here) - Commence Tract II (The Adultero-German Interim) by reading Chapters 1 to 18.

My summary
Now we commence the 'Interim, or declaration, of religion of his imperial majesty Charles V'.

Beveridge in his 'Translator's preface' at the front of the book says that the declaration was 'to regulate the interim state of religious belief, and possession of ecclesiastical property within Germany, until some more permanent arrangement could be made.'  Thus it is a rather toned down statement of Roman Catholic doctrine in comparison to the decrees of Trent which we finished reading last week.

Today we read the first eighteen chapters of the declaration and will read the other chapters next week.  Then after that we will get into Calvin's rebuttal.

The titles of the first eighteen chapters give a good summary of the doctrines we read about today:
(i) of the condition of man before the fall;
(ii) of the condition of fallen man;
(iii) of redemption by our Lord Jesus Christ;
(iv) of justification;
(v) of the utility and the fruits of justification;
(vi) of the means by which a man receives justification;
(vii) of charity and good works;
(viii) of confidence in the forgiveness of sins;
(ix) of the church;
(x) of the marks and signs of the true church;
(xi) of the authority and power of the church;
(xii) of the ministers of the church;
(xiii) of the supreme pontiff and bishops;
(xiv) of the sacraments in general;
(xv) of baptism;
(xvi) of confirmation;
(xvii) of the sacrament of penance;
(xviii) of the sacrament of the eucharist.

What grabbed me
I agreed with this last part of this statement: 'When the Catholic Church, who is the best interpreter of the mysteries of God, believes these things, and attests them in the administration of the Sacrament, he who thinks differently denies her to be the pillar and ground of the the truth.'

I do think differently.  And so, yes, I do deny the Roman Catholic church to be the pillar and ground of the truth.  The pillar and ground of the truth is the Bible.

Next week's reading
Continue Tract II (The Adultero-German Interim) by reading Chapters 19 to 26.

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.