Exhortations to steadfastness in the faith--acknowledgment of
liberality.
_The 12th of January 1549._
MADEMOISELLE MY SISTER,--I am very glad that your letter has
afforded an occasion for my writing to you, so that without further
excuse access and freedom have been given me, were it for nought
else than to declare the affection I have for you. Therein, that
is in your letter, I can perceive evident and clear signs of
spiritual vitality; and I have not a doubt but the heart speaks
therein quite as much, or rather more than the mouth. Besides, you
shew convincingly that you have no longer mere passing convictions,
such as many people have now-a-days, but that you have been touched
to the quick, and moved with the desire of dedicating yourself
wholly to God and to his will. It is very true, as you say, that
while clinging from worldly fear to the superstitions which in the
world reign paramount, you are still very far from that perfection
whereto our gracious God doth call us. But yet it is to have made
some progress even to acknowledge our sins, and to be displeased
with them. You must now advance farther, and condemning your own
weakness, set yourself in earnest about getting rid of it; and
if you cannot succeed all at once in compassing your wish, yet
nevertheless you must persevere in seeking the remedy for it, until
you have been completely cured. To do this, you will find it to
be of advantage to call yourself to account day by day, and while
acknowledging your faults, to groan within yourself, and mourn
over them before God, so that your displeasure against whatsoever
is evil may become more intense, until you are quite confirmed and
resolved to renounce it as you ought, even as indeed I feel assured
you labour hard to do. And it is not in vain that you beg of me to
join my prayers with yours, to seek with importunity to God that he
would be pleased to have compassion upon you, and to deliver you
from this unhappy captivity. Let us continue then with one accord
to put up this request, and he will at length make manifest that
you have not altogether lost your time. True, sometimes he lets us
grow faint, and before declaring effectually that he has heard our
prayers, he seems to keep at a distance, as much to sharpen our
desire, as to make trial of our patience; and, therefore, you need
not reckon that hitherto your prayers to him have been in vain,
but much rather take encouragement, and strive even more and more,
knowing that if perseverance be required throughout our whole life,
it is specially desired in prayer. And, besides, you must also take
care in real earnest to fan the flame which God has already begun
to kindle within you; for all the gracious affections he breathes
into us, are just so many sparks which we must not extinguish, or
allow to go out by our heedlessness. Since, then, God has already
opened your eyes so far, that you admit we ought to be his peculiar
ones, and dedicated to him in righteousness, so as to glorify him as
well in our bodies as in our souls; seeing also that he has touched
your heart, so that you have some feeling of our unhappiness in
alienation from him, unquestionably you must not now go to sleep
or trifle away at your ease, but even as we stir fire when it does
not burn as it ought to do, it is quite right that you be upstirred
yet more and more, until the longing desire to devote yourself
wholly to him and to his righteousness, overcomes all hindrances
either from the flesh or from the world. I see, or at least take
into view, the very great difficulties you have where you are; but
since these considerations do not excuse you in the sight of God,
when the question is of obedience to his word, and also in a thing
of so great importance as the rendering unto him the glory which is
due, and the making confession of your Christianity,--if I desire
your salvation as I ought, as God is my witness that I do, it is my
duty to awaken you, so far as I possibly can, not that I can teach
you any new thing, but that on my part I may assist you in making a
right use of that knowledge which God has vouchsafed you; to wit,
how reasonable it is that his honour be preferred to our life, and
also that we endeavour to put away all those subterfuges, which our
flesh suggests to us, for turning aside from the path which he
points out. That we may do so, we must learn a habit of forgetting
ourselves, for the allurements of the world are no less dangerous
than open war. The most humble have their share. You, on the other
hand, owing to the high condition wherein God has set you, have a
larger portion. But you must consider that this is a discipline
God sends you, in order that you may all the better manifest the
strength and vigour of the savour of our heavenly life, when you
shall have surmounted those great obstacles, following out in spite
of them your heavenly calling. However, Mademoiselle, when you feel
your own infirmity so great, that in the midst of dangers you are
unable to give glory to God, do not neglect the remedy, which is to
betake yourself to the cross, where you may be joined to the flock,
and hear the voice of the Shepherd; whatever may happen, shun to
be as a sheep straying in the wilderness. When you are in such a
disposition, there is no doubt that God will have compassion upon
you, that himself will provide when you shall see no means of doing
so; for it is thus that he withdraws his own not only from the
mouths of wolves, but from the very depths of hell.
I have received the ten crowns which you have sent for the support
of the poor believers who have need of it.[217] I have intrusted
them to a discreet hand, to make distribution according to your
intention. May the Lord vouchsafe acceptance of this alms at your
hands, as a sacrifice of a sweet savour, and cause you one day to
rejoice in the spiritual benefits which he has imparted to those you
are thus helping in their earthly poverty.
[217] The donations which a pious liberality daily multiplied at
Geneva, gave rise to the foundations known by the name of French,
German, and Italian _Bourses_. The names of Margaret de Valois, and
the Duchess of Ferrara, shine in the first rank upon the list of
foreign contributors.--Bolsec, _Life of Calvin_, c. xi.
And now, Mademoiselle, having commended me humbly to your kind
favour, with prayer to our good Lord to uphold you in his
protection, to govern you always by his Spirit, and to assist you in
every way and evermore, I shall conclude for the present. My wife
also desires to be humbly commended to your kind favour.
Your servant and humble brother,