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AND THEIR REFUTATION. 267
mitted will be forgiven. This interpretation, however, is false,
because the Greek expression comprehends both past and future
sins, and the Greek text is explained in the Latin translation by
past sins. St. Paul surely had a knowledge of his Faith, and
although he did not feel his conscience laden with any sin, and
saw himself favoured by God with revelations and extraordinary
gifts, still he did not consider himself with certainty justified.
God alone, he says, knew in truth whether he was or not :
am not conscious to myself of anything, yet I am not hereby
justified, but he that judgeth me is the Lord" (I. Cor, iv, 4).
40. Our adversaries object, that the Apostle : says
" The
Spirit himself giveth testimony of our Spirit, that we are the
sons of God" (Rom. viii, 16). Hence Calvin concludes that it is
Faith which assures us of being the children of God. We
Ghost is infal
answer that, although the testimony of the Holy
lible in itself, still as we are concerned, and know anything about
it, we can only have a conjectural certainty of being in a state of
Grace, but never can be infallibly certain of it, unless by a spe
cial revelation from God. And, moreover, as far as our know
ledge goes, we cannot know if that Spirit be surely from God,
for many times the angel of darkness transforms himself into an
angel of light,
to deceive us.
41. Luther said, that a faithful man, by means of justifying
Faith, though he may be in sin at the time, ought to believe
with an infallible
certainty, that he is
justified by reason of the
justice of Christ, imputed to him ; but he afterwards said that
this justice might be lost by any new sin. Calvin (4), on the
contrary, made an addition to this heresy, for he insisted on the
inadmissibility of this imputative justice.
If we could suppose
Luther s false principle of
justifying Faith to be true, we should
admit that Calvin had more reason at his side than he. He said,
if any one of the Faithful is sure of his justification, when he
prays for it, and believes with confidence that God, by the
merits of Christ, justifies him, this petition then, and this cer
tainty of Faith, regard no less the remission of sins committed,
than the future perseverance in Grace, and, consequently, eternal
salvation. Calvin adds (5), that when the faithful man relapses
(4) Bossuet, Var. t. 3, I. 14, n. 16. (5) Calv. Ant. ad Con. Trid. *. 6, c. 13.
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