became deprived of freedom of will and miserably enslaved. The dominion
of sin, ever since the first man was brought under it, not only extends
to the whole race, but has complete possession of every soul. Free will
does not enable any man to perform good works unless he is assisted by
grace. Yet, since man is by nature a social being, he is disposed, from
natural instinct, to cherish and preserve society; and, accordingly, we
see that the minds of all men have impressions of order and civil
honesty. So that, in regard to the constitution of the present life, no
man is devoid of the light of reason. And this gift ought justly to be
ascribed to the divine indulgence. Had God not so spared us, our revolt
would have carried with it the entire destruction of nature. But to the
great truth, what God is in Himself, and what He is in relation to us,
human reason makes not the least approach. The natural man has no
capacity for such sublime wisdom as to apprehend God, unless illumined
by His Spirit, and none can enter the kingdom of God save those whose
minds have been renewed by the power of the spirit.

It is certain that after the fall of our first parent, no knowledge of
God without a Mediator was effectual to salvation. Hence it is that God
never showed Himself propitious to His ancient people, nor gave them any
hope of grace without a Mediator. The prosperous and happy state of the
Church was always founded in the person of Christ. The primary adoption
of the chosen people depended on the grace of the Mediator, and Christ
was always held forth to the holy fathers under the law as the object of
their faith.

It deeply concerns us that He who was to become our Mediator should be
very God and very man. The work to be by Him performed was of no common
description, being to restore us to the divine favour so as to make us
sons of God and heirs of the heavenly kingdom. In Him the divinity was
so conjoined with the humanity that the entire properties of each nature
remained entire, and yet the two natures constitute only one Christ.
Everything needful for us exists in Christ.

When we see that the whole sum of our salvation, and every single part
of it, are comprehended in Christ, we must beware of deriving even the
minutest part of it from any other quarter. If we seek salvation, we are
taught by the very name of Jesus that He possesses it; if we seek any
other gifts of the Spirit, we shall find them in His unction; strength