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

transforming his work from a lay-person's catechetical handbook of Christian doctrine
and life to "the repository of the loci communes and disputationes that might otherwise
[appear] in the commentaries." 180 Like the work as a whole, Calvin's chapters on the
sacraments expand exponentially. 181
In his discussion of the sacraments in general (which is now a distinct chapter,
entitled De sacramentis), Calvin retains—unedited—each of his initial expressions of
the Holy Spirit as the one who illumines believers' minds and softens their hearts in
order that the sacraments might have their effect, namely, to "make us more certain of
the trustworthiness of God's Word." 182 Indeed, he not only retains these expressions, he
actually increases their number with several references in one particular passage. In this
passage, Calvin reemphasizes and elaborates on the necessity of the Holy Spirit's work
within one's heart in order that the sacraments might "properly fulfill their office" for
"the confirmation and increase of faith." 183 With respect to the work of the Holy Spirit,
Calvin's concern here regards the reception of what the sacrament grants. It is only by
the presence and power of the Spirit within that "hearts are penetrated and affections
letter found in CO 10/b:261). Later Gilmont notes that "one cannot rule out revision done during his
sojourn in Basel, since it was from Basel that he wrote to Du Pinet urging him to transcribe the text as
well as possible" (Gilmont, Calvin and the Printed Book, 137). In any case, the revision and addition of
the passages here discussed likely occurred either in Geneva or in Basel.
shift in genre.
180 Muller, Unaccommodated Calvin, 119. See Muller 119-120 for a fuller description of this
181 See Gilmont, Calvin and the Printed Book, 40ff; Muller, Unaccommodated Calvin, 119ff.
182 Inst. 1536, 88; CO 1:103. For emphasis on the sacraments as "confirmations of our faith," see
also Inst. 1536, 89; CO 1:104.
183 Institutio 1539, which here, except for the final sentence, is identical to Inst. 1559 LCC
4.14.9. See respectively CO 1:944 and CO 2:947-48.
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