Required reading
Institutes of Christian religion by John Calvin (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read Chapter 13 of Book 4.
My summary
Today Calvin teaches us about vows.
Firstly Calvin gives us three things which must be attended to when making a vow:
(i) to whom the vow is made (God);
(ii) who we are that make it;
(iii) with what intention we make it (what ends are intended).
Then Calvin examines the common vow made by believers at baptism and confirmed in communion.
The rest of the chapter is a discussion of the vows of monks. Calvin discusses:
(i) early church monasticism commended by Augustine;
(ii) the moral corruption of modern monks;
(iii) the argument that monasticism is the perfect Christian life based on Jesus' command to the rich young ruler;
(iv) the freedom to break monastic vows as they are of no account with God and should be regarded as null.
What grabbed me
Monasticism is an interesting subject.
I thought these comments were most helpful:
'It is fine to philosophise in seclusion, far away from the intercourse of society; but it ill accords with Christian meekness for any one, as if in hatred of the human race, to fly to the wilderness and to solitude, and at the same time desert the duties which the Lord has especially commanded. Were we to grant that there was nothing worse in that profession, there is certainly no small evil in its having introduced a useless and perilous example into the Church. '
'But what have those men [monks] done in erecting a private altar for themselves but broken the bond of unity? For they have excommunicated themselves from the whole body of the Church, and contemned the ordinary ministry by which the Lord has been pleased that peace and charity should be preserved among his followers.'
It is impossible to fulfil many of God's commands if you are no longer in contact with the wider church.
Next week's reading
Read Chapter 14 of Book 4.
Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
2 comments:
Knowing little about monasticism, I was intrigued with Calvin's comment relating those vows to baptism. "For that sacrilegious doctrine had not yet arisen which compares the profession of monasticism to baptism, and even openly declares it a form of second baptism". Interesting in the light of pentacostal teaching on the subject of a second baptism or blessing by the Holy Spirit, and how our sinful flesh seems ever to seek something more special in appearance than the good ordinances our Father has given us. May He give me strength to guard against such failings in myself!
And I am still following slowly along with Calvin :)
Good to know you're still chewing on Calvin, CJ.
Yes, you can see the desire for more ordinances in the Roman Catholic church by the fact that they have seven sacraments, not simply baptism and the Lord's supper.
Keep going! :)
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