Tracts & Letters (Vol 3) - Calvin - IX - Tract 2 continued

Required reading
Tracts and Letters (Volume 3) by John Calvin (Available from Amazon or free here) - Continue Tract II (The Adultero-German Interim) by continuing 'John Calvin on the true method of giving peace to Christendom and reforming the church' and reading up to the paragraph beginning 'I have already shewn in what sense Meclhisedec is said to have offered bread' (Page 307 in the Banner edition).

My summary
Today we continue Calvin's rebuttal of the 'Interim, or declaration, of religion of his imperial majesty Charles V'.

While roughly following the chapters of the declaration, Calvin now turns his hand to dismissing the Roman Catholic teaching on their seven sacraments:
(i) baptism;
(ii) confirmation;
(iii) penance;
(iv) the Eucharist;
(v) sacred unction;
(vi) orders;
(vii) matrimony.

Calvin's affirms that there are only two sacraments, baptism and the Lord's supper.  But even these two are not properly taught in the Roman Catholic church.

What grabbed me
I enjoyed Calvin's objection to only anointing with oil those who are most certainly dying: 'Now, however, none are anointed but the dying, so that when any one afterwards recovers, they are not far from thinking that the unction has been profaned. And our moderators repeat the caution not to apply the oil till death is evidently approaching. But let them answer me : When James assigns this relief to the sick indiscriminately, how dare they restrict it to perilous and mortal diseases ? If the authority of James is of such weight with them, why do they hesitate not to depart from it ? But allowing them to use this license with impunity, with what face do they bring forward James, whose words expressly overthrow what they would establish ? He declares that the sick man will be relieved. How many recover health by the oil ? Scarcely one in a hundred lives after unction. Nay, they do not administer it to cure their sickness, but to send them fatter to the grave. And still they charge us with cruelty for refusing this most admirable solace to the sick ; as if one was ever seen who had experienced any benefit from it. I omit the many frivolities with which this histrionic unction is accompanied, nay, the impious superstitions with which it is stuffed, for I have said enough already to demonstrate their folly. '

Rather than the oil being used to heal, it is used to send the poor person to their death!

Next week's reading
Continue Tract II (The Adultero-German Interim) by concluding 'John Calvin on the true method of giving peace to Christendom and reforming the church'.

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