THE PROVENANCE OF JOHN CALVIN'S EMPHASIS ON THE ...

preaching, as far as God uses the instruments ordained by himself for the
unfolding of his spiritual grace. . . . 176
For Calvin, Word and Sacrament bear the same "office," namely, to "offer and set forth
Christ to us." 177 But such communication is not received unless the Holy Spirit prepares
the heart, soul, and mind to appropriate Christ (as Calvin emphasized in his 1536
Institutio), and literally "accompanies" the Word and the Sacrament in order that they
might make their way in to the heart, soul, and mind (as he is wont to add now). With
such locutions, is Calvin perhaps anticipating his late claim that "through the agency of
the Spirit there is a present exhibition of the thing"? 178
Calvin's next significant statement of his doctrine of the Lord's Supper comes by
way of revision. While still in Geneva, probably during the latter half of 1537 and the
first quarter of 1538, 179 Calvin undertook a major revision of his 1536 Institutio,
176 Institutio 1543, per Inst. 1559 LCC 4.14.11, emphasis added. "Utrumque Paulus diversis locis
optime explicat, dum Corinthiis reducere in memoriam vult, quam efficaciter usus sit Deus sua opera,
gloriatur se habere ministerium spiritus (1 Cor.2, 4); perinde ac si individuo nexu cum sua praedicatione
coniuncta esset vis spiritus sancti, ad mentem intus illuminandam et permovendam. . . . Spiritus ergo
potentiam exserunt in sua praedicatione apostoli, quatenus Deus ordinatis a se organis ad spiritualis
gratiae suae explicationem utitur" (CO 1:946).
177 Institutio 1536, as in Inst. 1559 LCC 4.14.17. "Quamobrem fixum maneat, non esse alias
sacramentorum quam verbi Dei partes: quae sunt, offerre nobis ac proponere Christum. . ." (CO 1:107).
178 Tracts and Treatises 2:517. ". . . quum ubique asseram praesentem in spiritus virtute
exhibitionem rei . . ." (CO 9:477).
179 Gilmont, Calvin and the Printed Book, 40 and 137. Calvin and Farel were driven out of
Geneva in April 1538. According to Lane, Calvin more likely revised his Institutio after leaving Geneva
(Lane, Student of the Church Fathers, 116). Lane's argument rests on Calvin's claim to Pighius—who had
taken Calvin to task for his teaching of free-will in the 1539 Institutio and his omission of many possible
references to the fathers there—that he had had only one borrowed volume of Augustine at hand at the
time. If he had revised the work while still in Geneva, Calvin would have had his recently acquired,
substantial library at hand (Gilmont, Calvin and the Printed Book, 135ff). Or perhaps Calvin revised all
but the passages on the will before leaving Geneva, and then added or extensively revised the passages on
the will after having left Geneva. However, Gilmont writes: "Calvin probably finished this first revision
in Geneva in 1537-38, and gave the task of retranscribing a clean copy of his first drafts to Antoine du
Pinet. This hypothesis is supported by Calvin's impatience in waiting for the final product shortly after his
arrival in Strasbourg in October 1538" (Gilmont, Calvin and the Printed Book, 136, with reference to a
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