317See Preface to the third volume. — Ed.
JOHN CALVIN bles; and hence Christ reminds his disciples, ``In me ye have peace; but in theworld''
--- what? Sorrows and troubles. (John 16:33)
We now, then, see why the Prophet joined safety or security to salvation, even because we cannot otherwise know that we shall be saved, except we be fully persuaded that God so cares for our salvation as to protect us by his power, and that his aid will be always ready whenever needed.
He in the last place adds, And this is the name by which they shall call her, Jehovah our righteousness In chapter 23 (Jeremiah 23) this name is given to Christ, and to him alone it properly belongs; but it is here transferred to the Church, for whatever belongs to the head, is made common to all the members. For we indeed know that
Christ has nothing as his own, for as he is made righteousness, it belongs to us, according to what Paul says,
is made to us righteousness, and redemption, and sanctification, and wisdom.''
(1 Corinthians 1:30)
As, then, the Father conferred righteousness on his own Son for our sake, it is no wonder that what is in his power is transferred to us. What, then, we found in the twenty-third chapter was rightly declared, for it belongs peculiarly to Christ, that he is God our righteousness. But as we partake of this righteousness, when he admits us into a participation of all the blessings by which he is adorned and enriched by the
Father, it hence follows, that this also belongs to the whole Church, even that God is its righteousness. 317 Hence it is wisely said by the Prophet, that this would be the name of the whole Church, which could not be, except it had put on Christ, so that
God might reign there in righteousness, for the righteousness of Christ extends to all the faithful; and Christ also dwells in them, so that they are not only the temples of Christ, but, as it were, a part of him; and even the Church itself is by Paul called
Christ,
there are,'' he says, ``many members in the human body, so is Christ.'' (1 Corinthians 12:12)
This cannot be applied to Christ personally, but he thus calls the Church by a metonymy, on account of that participation which I have mentioned.
PRAYER
Grant, Almighty God, that since thou hast been pleased to perform to the Jews what thou didst promise, by sending the Savior, and hast also designed, by pulling down the middle wall of partition, to make us partakers of the same invaluable blessing, --- O grant, that we may embrace him with true faith, and constantly abide in him, and so know thee as our Father, that, being renewed by the Spirit of thy Son, we may wholly devote ourselves to thee, and consecrate ourselves to thy service, until at length that which is begun in us be completed, and we be filled with that glory to which thy Son, our Lord, daily invites us. --- Amen.
Lecture One Hundred and Thirty-Fifth
Jeremiah 33:17-18
17. For thus saith the LORD; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne
317See Preface to the third volume. — Ed.