John Calvin. 
 
Institutes of the Christian Religion. 
 
Book Fourth. 
 
Of the Holy Catholic Church. 
 
 
A new translation by Henry Beveridge, Esq. 
 
Edinburgh: 
printed for the Calvin Translation Society. 
M.DCCC.XLVI. 
 
 
 
Contents 
 
Argument. 
Book Fourth. 
Of the Holy Catholic Church. 

Chapter 1.  Of the true Church. Duty of cultivating unity with her, 
            as the mother of all the godly. 
Chapter 2.  Comparison between the false church and the true. 
Chapter 3.  Of the teachers and ministers of the Church. Their 
            election and office. 
Chapter 4.  Of the state of the primitive Church, and the mode of 
            government in use before the papacy. 
Chapter 5.  The ancient form of government utterly corrupted by the 
            tyranny of the papacy. 
Chapter 6.  Of the primacy of the Romish see. 
Chapter 7.  Of the beginning and rise of the Romish papacy till it 
            attained a height by which the liberty of the church 
            was destroyed, and all true rule overthrown. 
Chapter 8.  Of the power of the church in articles of faith. The 
            unbridled license of the papal church in destroying 
            purity of doctrine. 
Chapter 9.  Of councils and their authority. 
Chapter 10. Of the power of making laws. The cruelty of the pope and
            his adherents, in this respect, in tyrannically oppressing
            and destroying souls. 
Chapter 11. Of the jurisdiction of the church and the abuses of it, 
            as exemplified in the papacy. 
Chapter 12. Of the discipline of the Church, and its principal use 
            in censures and excommunication. 
Chapter 13. Of vows. The miserable entanglements caused by vowing 
            rashly. 
Chapter 14. Of the sacraments. 
Chapter 15. Of Baptism. 
Chapter 16. Paedobaptism. Its accordance with the institution of 
            Christ, and the nature of the sign. 
Chapter 17. Of the Lord's Supper, and the benefits conferred by it. 
Chapter 18. Of the Popish mass. How it not only profanes, but 
            annihilates the Lord's Supper. 
Chapter 19. Of the five sacraments, falsely so called. Their 
            spuriousness proved, and their true character explained. 
Chapter 20. Of civil government 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Argument. 
     
    In the former Books an exposition has been given of the three 
parts of the Apostles' Creed concerning God the Creator. the 
Redeemer, and the Sanctifier. It now remains to treat, in this last 
Book, of the Church, and the Communion of Saints, or of the external 
means or helps by which God invites us to fellowship with Christ, 
and keeps us in it. 
    The twenty Chapters of which it consists may be conveniently 
reduced to three particular heads, viz., 1. Of the Church. 2. Of the 
Sacraments. 3. Of Civil Government. 
    The first head occupies the first thirteen Chapters; but these 
may all be reduced to four, viz., 1. Of the marks of the Church, or 
the means by which the Church may be discerned, since it is 
necessary to cultivate unity with the Church. This is considered in 
Chapters 1. and 2. - 2. Of the rule or government of the Church. The 
order of government, Chap. 3. The form in use in the primitive 
Church, Chap. 4. The form at present existing in the Papacy, Chap. 
5. The primacy of the Pope, Chap. 6. The gradual rise of his 
usurpation, Chap. 7. - 3. Of the power of the Church. The power in 
relation to doctrine as possessed either by individuals, Chap. 8; or 
universally as in Councils, Chap. 9. The power of enacting laws, 
Chap. 10. The extent of ecclesiastical jurisdiction, Chap. 11. - 4. 
Of the discipline of the Church. The chief use of discipline, Chap. 
12. The abuse of it, Chap. 13. 
    The second general head, Of the Sacraments, comprehends three 
particulars, - 1. Of the Sacraments in general, Chap. 14. - 2. Of 
the two Sacraments in particular. Of Baptism, Chap. 15. Of 
Paedobaptism, Chap. 16. Of the Lord's Supper, Chap. 17. Of profaning 
the Lord's Supper, Chap. 18. Of the five Sacraments falsely so 
called, Chap. 19. 
    The third general head, Of Civil Government. This considered 
first generally, and then under the separate heads of Magistrates, 
Laws, and People.


Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Volume 4
(continued in part 2...)





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