To imbue our hearts with love to himself, and, at the same
time, with hatred to iniquity, he has added promises and threatening.
The eye of our mind being too dim to be attracted by the mere beauty of
goodness, our most merciful Father has been pleased, in his great
indulgence, to allure us to love and long after it by the hope of
reward. He accordingly declares that rewards for virtue are treasured up
with him, that none who yield obedience to his commands will labour in
vain. On the other hand, he proclaims not only that iniquity is hateful
in his sight, but that it will not escape with impunity, because he will
be the avenger of his insulted majesty. That he may encourage us in
every way, he promises present blessings, as well as eternal felicity,
to the obedience of those who shall have kept his commands, while he
threatens transgressors with present suffering, as well as the
punishment of eternal death. The promise, "Ye shall therefore keep my
statutes, and my judgements; which if a man do, he shall live in them,"
(Lev. 18: 5,) and corresponding to this the threatening, "The souls that
sinneth, it shall die," (Ezek. 18: 4, 20;) doubtless point to a future
life and death, both without end. But though in every passage where the
favour or anger of God is mentioned, the former comprehends eternity of
life and the latter eternal destruction, the Law, at the same time,
enumerates a long catalogue of present blessings and curses, (Lev. 26:
4; Deut. 28: 1.) The threatening attest the spotless purity of God,
which cannot bear iniquity, while the promises attest at once his
infinite love of righteousness, (which he cannot leave unrewarded,) and
his wondrous kindness. Being bound to do him homage with all that we
have, he is perfectly entitled to demand everything which he requires of
us as a debt; and as a debt, the payment is unworthy of reward. He
therefore foregoes his right, when he holds forth reward for services
which are not offered spontaneously, as if they were not due. The amount
of these services, in themselves, has been partly described and will
appear more clearly in its own place. For the present, it is enough to
remember that the promises of the Law are no mean commendation of
righteousness as they show how much God is pleased with the observance
of them, while the threatening denounced are intended to produce a
greater abhorrence of unrighteousness, lest the sinner should indulge in
the blandishments of vice, and forget the judgement which the divine
Lawgiver has prepared for him.
- John Calvin (Institutes of the Christian Religion, 2.8.4)
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