Golden Booklet of the True Christian Life , livre ebook

Baker Publishing Group - John Calvin ,
traduit par Henry Van Andel

Découvre YouScribe en t'inscrivant gratuitement

Je m'inscris

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

39 pages

English

Vous pourrez modifier la taille du texte de cet ouvrage

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

A propos
Informations
Extrait

Description

In this classic devotional, John Calvin urges readers to apply the Christian life in a balanced way to mind, heart, and hand. Rather than focusing on contemplative otherworldliness, the book stresses the importance of a devotedly active Christian life. In style and spirit, this book is much like Augustine's Confessions, Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, or Thomas à Kempis's Imitation of Christ. However, its intense practicality sets it apart, making it easily accessible for any reader seeking to carry out Christian values in everyday life. Chapter themes include obedience, self-denial, the significance of the cross, and how we should live our lives today.

Sujets

Philosophie et théologie

Informations

Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	01 décembre 2004
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781585581047
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0288€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

Golden Booklet of the T RUE C HRISTIAN L IFE

Copyright 1952 by Baker Books
Published by Baker Books a division of Baker Publishing Group P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287 www.bakerbooks.com
E-book edition created 2011
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-for example, electronic, photocopy, recording-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
ISBN 978-1-5855-8104-7
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Scripture is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
Contents
Preface
Prayer of Calvin
C HAPTER I Humble Obedience, the True Imitation of Christ
C HAPTER II Self-Denial
C HAPTER III Patience in Crossbearing
C HAPTER IV Hopefulness for the Next World
C HAPTER V The Right Use of the Present Life
Notes
Preface
T he Golden Booklet of the True Christian Walk was first published in 1550 in Latin and in French under the title De Vita Hominis Christiani, that is, On the Life of the Christian Man (the present heading of Chapter Six, Book III, of the Institutes ), and later also in English (1594) and in German (1857) under a similar name. In Dutch it appeared in 1858 with the first mentioned title. Originally the Golden Booklet was not a separate volume, but part of the Institutes. It was missing in the short first edition, but in the second, third, and fourth editions it occurred as the last or twenty-first chapter, called De Vita Christiana ( On the Christian Life ) . In the fifth and sixth editions Calvin rearranged the material of the Institutes under four headings: the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and the Church. He placed the thoroughly revised material On the Christian Life halfway through Book III and divided it into five parts, chapters six to ten inclusive. The Institutes were often reprinted both in Latin and in other languages, and some portions were published separately, but the Golden Booklet alone had the honor of being reprinted four times in Dutch, the last reprint being in 1938. The present American edition is a translation of Calvin s thoroughly revised copy and is based on the French and Latin texts of the Golden Booklet ( Inst. III, Chs. 6 to 10, sixth edition).
This Booklet was purposely written in a simpler style than the other parts of the Institutes. On account of its spiritual and realistic nature it made an indelible impression on the Dutch nation which had brought forth such famous writers as John van Ruysbroec and Thomas Kempis during the Christian Renaissance (1350-1500). But it must also have made a tremendous appeal to the Pilgrims and the Puritans and to all groups which felt the need of a balanced application of Christianity. Calvin directs himself to mind, heart, and hand, for he is the first one to elaborate on the three offices of Christ. He is intellectual, mystical, and practical. His basic principles satisfied many scholars, religious leaders, and statesmen. But there is, on the other hand, no other devotional book in the world like the Golden Booklet which is so profound and yet so universal. As to style, spirit, and graphic language it can vie with the great classics, like Augustine s Confessions, Thomas Kempis s Imitation of Christ, and Bunyan s Pilgrim s Progress. Only it is shorter, saner, sounder, more vigorous and to the point. It should, therefore, be welcomed by all people of a genuine religious nature, but especially by those who want to carry out the values of religion in everyday life.
Although this new translation is modern, the classical text has been adhered to as closely as possible. The editor has, however, taken the liberty of giving some chapters a title more in agreement with their content; he has also given every section a heading, divided the sections into smaller units, and added a few scriptural references in brackets.
A brief biographical note may be of interest here. John Calvin was born in 1509 in northern France, in the city of Noyon, and died in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1564. He was educated in the classics and philosophy, in law and theology in the colleges and universities of his native land. When persecution came he fled to Basel, in Switzerland, where he wrote the first edition of his Institutes when he was only twenty-six years of age. Then he went to visit the Duchess of Ferrara, the sister of the French king, in northern Italy because she gave shelter to a number of Reformed refugees. On his way back from Italy to Basel he was pressed into service by his friend Farel to help reform Geneva. Here Calvin founded not a new state but a new church, the Reformed or Presbyterian church, and a new school system with a famous university. In the Academy or graduate department of this new university he became a professor of theology.
In his short life Calvin wrote fifty-eight volumes, some in Latin and some in French. His works are not only of a theological nature, but many contain ethical and philosophical principles that laid the foundation for a new system of thought. His Institutes was a textbook for dogmatics, ethics, and philosophy for two hundred years. He found thousands of ardent followers in the western countries of Europe, but also in Hungary, the Ukraine, and Poland. His greatest influence was felt in Switzerland, the Rhine valley, the Netherlands, England and Scotland, and last, but not least, in North America. Calvin s commentaries on the Bible have become so famous that they have been newly reprinted in America. His Institutes has again become a textbook in many colleges and seminaries. His ideas are being studied by those who do not fully agree with his basic concepts. John Calvin was a man of a gentle nature and of colossal stature. He is now becoming the leading figure of Orthodox Protestantism in Europe and America.
Henry J. Van Andel Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1952
Prayer of Calvin
A lmighty God and Father, grant unto us, because we have to go through much strife on this earth, the strength of thy Holy Spirit, in order that we may courageously go through the fire, and through the water, and that we may put ourselves so under thy rule that we may go to meet death in full confidence of thy assistance and without fear.
Grant us also that we may bear all hatred and enmity of mankind, until we have gained the last victory, and that we may at last come to that blessed rest which thy only begotten Son has acquired for us through his blood. Amen.
C HAPTER I Humble Obedience, the True Imitation of Christ
I. Scripture is the rule of life.
1. The goal of the new life is that God s children exhibit melody and harmony in their conduct. What melody? The song of God s justice. What harmony? The harmony between God s righteousness and our obedience.
Only if we walk in the beauty of God s law do we become sure of our adoption as children of the Father.
The law of God contains in itself the dynamic of the new life by which his image is fully restored in us; but by nature we are sluggish, and, therefore, we need to be stimulated, aided in our efforts by a guiding principle.
A sincere repentance from the heart does not guarantee that we shall not wander from the straight path and sometimes become bewildered.
Let us then search Scripture to find the root principle for the reformation of our life.
2. Scripture contains a great number of exhortations, and to discuss them all would fill a large volume.
The church fathers have written big works on the virtues without prating; even a scholarly treatise cannot exhaust the profundity of one virtue.
For true devotion, however, it is not necessary to read the excellent works of the church fathers, but only to understand the one basic rule of the Bible.[ 1 ]
3. No one should draw the conclusion that the brevity of one treatise on Christian conduct makes the elaborate discussion of others superfluous, or that philosophy has no value.
Philosophers, however, are accustomed to speak of general principles and specific rules, but Scripture has an order all its own.
Philosophers are ambitious, and, therefore, aim at exquisite clarity and dexterous ingenuity; but Scripture has a beautiful conciseness, and a certainty which excels all philosophers.
Philosophers often make a show of affectation, but the Holy Spirit has a different method [direct and plainspoken] which ought not to be neglected.[ 2 ]
II. Holiness is the key principle.
1. The plan of Scripture for a Christian walk is twofold: first, that we be instructed in the law to love righteousness, because by nature we are not inclined to do so; second, that we be shown a simple rule that we may not waver in our race.
Of the many excellent recommendations, is there any better than the key principle: Be thou holy, for I am holy?
When we were dispersed like scattered sheep, and lost in the labyrinth of the world, Christ gathered us together again, that he might bring us back to himself.
2. When we hear any mention of our mystical union with Christ, we should remember that holiness is the channel to it.
Holiness is not a merit by which we can attain communion with God, but a gift of Christ, which enables us to cling to him, and to follow him.
It is God s own glory that he cannot have anything to do with iniquity and uncleanness; therefore, we must keep this in mind if we desire to pay attention to his invitation.
For why were we delivered from the quagmire of iniquity and pollution of this world, if we want to wallow in it as long as we live?
God s holiness admonishes us that we must inhabit the holy city of Jerusalem if we wish to belong to the people of God.
Jerusalem is hallowed ground, therefore it cannot be profaned by impure inhabitants.
The Psalmist says, This one shall abide in the tabernacle of the Lord who walks uprightly and works righteo