Table of Contents

ABOUT THE VINTAGE SPIRITUAL CLASSICS
by John F. Thornton and Susan B. Varenne, General Editors

PREFACE TO THE VINTAGE SPIRITUAL CLASSICS
EDITION by Marilynne Robinson

CHRONOLOGY OF THE LIFE OF JOHN CALVIN

A NOTE ON THE TEXTS

From THE NECESSITY OF REFORMING THE CHURCH (1543)

From THE INSTITUTES OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION
Of the Knowledge of God the Creator (Book 1, Chapters 1–5)
The Life of a Christian (Book 3, Chapters 6–10)
Of Prayer (Book 3, Chapter 20)

COMMENTARY ON SCRIPTURE
The Old Testament
—The Author’s Preface to the Commentary on the Psalms
—Psalm 16
—Psalm 23
—Psalm 51
—Psalm 90
—Isaiah 55:1–13
The New Testament
—Matthew 5:1–12 / Luke 6:20–26 (The Beatitudes)
—Matthew 7:1–5 / Mark 4:24 / Luke 6:37–42 (Judge not . . .”)
—Matthew 8:5–13 / Luke 7:1–10 (The Cure of the Centurion’s Servant)
—Luke 7:36–50 (The Woman Who Was a Sinner)
—Matthew 27:45–56 / Mark 15:33–41 / Luke 23:44–49 (The Crucifixion)
—Matthew 28:1–7 / Mark 16:1–7 / Luke 24:1–8 (The Women at the Tomb of Jesus)
—John 14:15–18 (“If you love me, keep my commandments.”)
—Romans 1:16–17 (God’s Righteousness)
—James 2:14–26 (Faith and Good Works)

SELECTED PRAYERS AND SERMONS
Prayers
Sermon on the Fourth Commandment (Deuteronomy 5:13–15)
Sermon on the Fifth Commandment (Deuteronomy 5:16)
The Lord Answers Job (Job 38:1–4)
When Curse Becomes Blessing (Galatians 3:13–18)
Sermon on the Doctrine of Election (2 Timothy 1:9, 10)

THE DEATH OF JOHN CALVIN

SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING

About the Author

John Calvin, born in 1509 and designated for the Catholic priesthood by his father, became the great French Protestant reformer famous for his doctrine of predestination and his theocratic view of the state. When he died in Geneva in 1564, he left both a city and a world transformed by the impact of his ideas and beliefs.

Marilynne Robinson is the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Gilead. Her previous novel, Housekeeping, was nominated for the Pulitzer and has made numerous lists of the best novels of the twentieth century. She is also the author of a collection of essays, The Death of Adam- Essays on Modern Thought, which deals with Calvin's legacy.

John F. Thornton is a literary agent, former book editor, and the coeditor of Dumbing Down- The Strip-Mining of American Culture and Tongues of Angels, Tongues of Men- A Book of Sermons. He lives in New York City.

Susan B. Varenne is a New York City high school teacher with a strong avocational interest in and wide experience of spiritual literature. She holds an M.A. from the University of Chicago Divinity School and a Ph.D. from Columbia University.