32 quotes
French Protestant reformer (1509–1564)
“However many blessings we expect from God, His infinite liberality will always exceed all our wishes and our thoughts.”
"The torture of a bad conscience is the hell of a living soul."
on Mental Health
"True knowledge of God is born out of obedience."
on Faith
"Our true wisdom is to embrace with meek docility, and without reservation, whatever the holy scriptures have delivered."
"True wisdom consists in two things: Knowledge of God and Knowledge of Self."
on Wisdom
"We are not to look to what men in themselves deserve but to attend to the image of God which exists in all and to which we owe all honor and love."
on Compassion
"Faith consists not in ignorance but in knowledge and that not only of God but also of the divine will."
"Faith is a knowledge of the benevolence of God toward us and a certain persuasion of His veracity."
"The knowledge of ourselves, therefore, is not only an incitement to seek after God, but likewise a considerable assistance towards finding him."
"There is no worse screen to block out the Spirit than confidence in our own intelligence."
on Philosophy
"Is it faith to understand nothing, and merely submit your convictions implicitly to the Church?"
"Without the fear of God, men do not even observe justice and charity among themselves."
on Justice
"When God descends to us he, in a certain sense, abases himself and stammers with us, so He allows us to stammer with Him"
"There is not one blade of grass, there is no color in this world that is not intended to make us rejoice."
on Nature
"We shall never arrive at true meekness by any other way than by humiliating ourselves and by honoring others from the depth of our hearts."
"The worship of God is…the only thing which renders men superior to brutes, and makes them aspire to immortality."
"When the same qualities which we admire in ourselves are seen in others, even though they be superior, maliciously lower and carp at them."
on Character
"We unlearn the art of speaking well when we cease to speak with God."
"The answer of our prayers is secured by the fact that in rejecting them God would in a certain sense deny His own nature."
"There is no knowing that does not begin with knowing God."
"A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God's truth is attacked and yet would remain silent."
on Truth
