But why did God thus deliver his commandments, as it were, by halves,
using elliptical expressions with a larger meaning than that actually
expressed? Other reasons are given, but the following seems to me the
best: - As the flesh is always on the alert to extenuate the heinousness
of sin, (unless it is made, as it were, perceptible to the touch,) and
to cover it with specious pretexts, the Lord sets forth, by way of
example, whatever is foulest and most iniquitous in each species of
transgression, that the delivery of it might produce a shudder in the
hearer, and impress his mind with a deeper abhorrence of sin. In forming
an estimate of sins, we are often imposed upon by imagining that the
more hidden the less heinous they are. This delusion the Lord dispels by
accustoming us to refer the whole multitude of sins to particular
heads, which admirably show how great a degree of heinousness there is
in each. For example, wrath and hatred do not seem so very bad when they
are designated by their own names; but when they are prohibited under
the name of murder, we understand better how abominable they are in the
sight of God, who puts them in the same class with that horrid crime.
Influenced by his judgement, we accustom ourselves to judge more
accurately of the heinousness of offences which previously seemed
trivial.
- John Calvin (Institutes of the Christian Religion, 2.8.10)
No comments:
Post a Comment