Day 116 — Book 1, Chapter 14, §13

Yesterday: angels must lead us to God. Today: the mirror image — devils must drive us to our guard. §12 ended with "Away with Platonic mediation." Now Calvin turns to the enemy side, and he does it with a single organizing claim: every statement in Scripture about Satan has a use — vigilance. Not speculation, not a demonology chart. A weapon-check.

Why examiners love it. Eight sentences, and every one is a syntax drill: a long-subject The tendency of all that… is to V (S1), a list of appositive titles inside For when… , the object… is to V (S2), a short pass-through sentence (S3), after V-ing…, immediately adds participial frames (S4, S5), a let this be the use to which we turn pied-piped relative (S6), a massive fronted Being forewarned… let us not… but… let us… hortative chain with a superlative list (S7), and a since it is his alone to V cleft-possessive (S8). The traps are scope-flips: Calvin is not asking us to catalogue Satan; he is not saying the fight is optional; and the weapons are God's, not ours.

Text traps. ⚠️ tendency (S1) = direction, purpose. ⚠️ machinations (S1) = schemes, plots. ⚠️ provide ourselves with (S1) = equip ourselves with. ⚠️ Wherefore (S6) = therefore. ⚠️ indefatigable (S7) = tireless. ⚠️ engines (S7) = devices, siege-machines. ⚠️ study (S7) = take pains, strive. ⚠️ want of skill (S8) = lack of skill (want = lack). ⚠️ counsel (S8) = wisdom, advice.

Today's 3 Big Points

1. The tendency of all that Scripture teaches concerning devils is to put us on our guard… that we may provide ourselves with… (S1) → long relative-laden subject + is to V infinitive complement + that… may purpose clause. Formula 1.
2. Being forewarned of the constant presence of an enemy the most daring, … let us not allow ourselves to be overtaken by sloth or cowardice, but, on the contrary, … let us stand ready to resist (S7) → fronted participle + superlative list + let us not… but let us… hortative pair. Formula 2.
3. Above all, fully conscious of our weakness…, let us invoke the help of God, and attempt nothing without trusting in him, since it is his alone to supply counsel… (S8) → it is X's alone to V (possessive predicate + infinitive) with a since ground. Formula 3.

The tendency of all that Scripture teaches concerning devils is to put us on our guard against their wiles and machinations, that we may provide ourselves with weapons strong enough to drive away the most formidable foes. For when Satan is called the god and ruler of this world, the strong man armed, the prince of the power of the air, the roaring lion, the object of all these descriptions is to make us more cautious and vigilant, and more prepared for the contest. This is sometimes stated in distinct terms. For Peter, after describing the devil as a roaring lion going about seeking whom he may devour, immediately adds the exhortation, “whom resist steadfast in the faith,” (1 Pet. 5:9). And Paul, after reminding us that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places, immediately enjoins us to put on armour equal to so great and perilous a contest (Ephes. 6:12). Wherefore, let this be the use to which we turn all these statements. Being forewarned of the constant presence of an enemy the most daring, the most powerful, the most crafty, the most indefatigable, the most completely equipped with all the engines and the most expert in the science of war, let us not allow ourselves to be overtaken by sloth or cowardice, but, on the contrary, with minds aroused and ever on the alert, let us stand ready to resist; and, knowing that this warfare is terminated only by death, let us study to persevere. Above all, fully conscious of our weakness and want of skill, let us invoke the help of God, and attempt nothing without trusting in him, since it is his alone to supply counsel, and strength, and courage, and arms.

[PURPOSE]    S1       All Scripture on devils aims to put us on guard, that we may arm ourselves
[PROOF 1]    S2       Satan's titles (god of this world, strong man armed, prince of the air, roaring lion) → cautious, vigilant, prepared
[BRIDGE]     S3       Sometimes Scripture says this in so many words
[PROOF 2]    S4–S5    Peter: roaring lion → "whom resist steadfast in the faith"; Paul: principalities → put on armour
[USE]        S6       Wherefore: let this be the use we make of all these statements
[APPLICATION] S7      Forewarned of the superlative enemy: no sloth or cowardice; stand ready; persevere till death
[RESOURCE]   S8       Conscious of weakness: invoke God, attempt nothing without trusting him — counsel, strength, courage, arms are his alone

Examiner's Eye. - ⚠️ Purpose trap (S1–S2): the point of the titles is practical vigilance, not a description of Satan's rank or nature. Any option calling the passage a "demonology" or "ranking of demons" is wrong. - ⚠️ Source trap (S4–S5): Peter's text is 1 Pet 5:9, Paul's is Eph 6:12; Calvin says Scripture itself attaches the exhortation — he is not adding it. - ⚠️ Self-reliance trap (S7–S8): the soldier-language is not triumphalism. S8 fully conscious of our weakness, attempt nothing without trusting in him: the weapons are supplied by God. - ⚠️ Duration trap (S7): this warfare is terminated only by death — no retirement from the fight. - ⚠️ Possession trap (S8): it is his alone to supply — counsel, strength, courage, arms are God's to give, not ours to produce.

Formula 1 — The tendency / object of [all that S V] is to V…, that S may V (S1, S2)

The  TENDENCY / OBJECT / PURPOSE  of  [X]  is  to V ...  (, that S may V ...)
  → heavy abstract subject + `is to V` infinitive complement (= "consists in / aims at V-ing")

⚠️ Trap. (a) is to V here is not future/obligation; it names the aim. (b) that… may = purpose. (c) The relative all that Scripture teaches… is inside the subject; the main verb is arrives late. (d) The superlative the most formidable is attributive, not comparative. Drill. The aim of Calvin's teaching on providence is to comfort believers, so that they may trust God. → The tendency of all that Calvin teaches concerning providence is to comfort believers, that they may trust God.

Formula 2 — Being V-ed of X, let us not V…, but, on the contrary, (with N Ved), let us V…; and, V-ing that…, let us V… (S7)

Being forewarned of [N the most A1, the most A2, ... ],
    let us not V ... ,  but, on the contrary, (with N Ved and A),  let us V ... ;
    and, V-ing [that ...],  let us V ...

⚠️ Trap. (a) The participle Being forewarned modifies the subject of the later let us — the runway is long. (b) not… but, on the contrary,… pairs two postures; keep let us repeated. (c) with minds aroused and ever on the alert = absolute with + N + adj/participle. (d) study to V = strive to V. (e) is terminated only by death = passive with limiting only. Drill. We are warned that temptation is constant. We must not be lazy. We must be vigilant, and we must pray. → Being warned of the constant presence of temptation, let us not allow ourselves to be overtaken by laziness, but, on the contrary, with minds alert, let us stand watch; and, knowing that it is not overcome except by grace, let us pray.

Formula 3 — since it is X's alone to V (S8)

since  it  is  [POSSESSIVE] alone  to V ...          =  since  to V ...  belongs to [X] alone

⚠️ Trap. (a) it is dummy; the real subject is the infinitive. (b) his alone = his only (sole owner), not "by himself". (c) A list counsel, and strength, and courage, and arms (polysyndeton) can be the object of supply. (d) since = ground ("because"), not time. Drill. Only God has the right to forgive sins. → It is God's alone to forgive sins.

The doctrine at stake. Chapter 14 is Calvin's doctrine of creation with a side-chapter on spirits. §§3–12 handled angels; §13 begins the treatment of devils (§§13–19) with a method statement: everything Scripture says about demons has a pastoral use — vigilance. This is the same rule as §4 (restrain curiosity: "nothing beyond edification") applied to the dark side. Satan's origin, rank, and activity are described only so far as they help us fight.

The argument shape. Purpose (S1) → proof from titles (S2) → proof from explicit exhortation (S3–S5: Peter, Paul) → application rule (S6) → soldier's response (S7) → the soldier's dependence (S8). §14 will add the numbers of enemies (Mary Magdalene's seven devils, the legion), and §§15–19 will teach Satan's origin as a fallen creature, God's sovereignty over him, and the use made of him.

Historical lineage. The armour imagery reaches back to Eph 6:10–18 and 1 Thess 5:8, and was classically elaborated in Augustine's anti-Manichaean writings and Gregory the Great's Moralia in Job (the devil as hunter and warrior). Luther's Ein feste Burg (1529) draws the same picture: der alt böse Feind… gross Macht und viel List sein grausam Rüstung ist — "great might and craft are his cruel armour." Calvin's distinct emphasis: no speculative demonology, only vigilance and dependence on God.

Later reception. The Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 127 and the Westminster Larger Catechism (Q&A 195) in the Lord's Prayer exposition bring the same petition (deliver us from evil) under the same dual logic: our weakness and God's strength. Barth (CD III/3, §51) is wary of treating the demonic as an independent power; Calvin's parallel guard is that all this is for use, not for knowledge of Satan. Later Reformed writers (Gurnall, The Christian in Complete Armour, 1655–62) turn S5–S8 into a whole devotional literature.

Guardrails against over-reading. (1) Calvin does not claim Satan is an equal opponent; the opposition is under God's rule (S8, and §§17–18). (2) The weapons are given by God (S8), not generated by the believer. (3) terminated only by death is a statement about the duration of the fight, not about despair — the victory language comes from Christ (§§17–18). (4) The passage is not a catalogue of demon types; the titles are used only for the lesson (S2). (5) Calvin cites Peter and Paul with their own exhortations — the application is Scripture's own, not Calvin's invention.

1. S2 — 2 Cor 4:4. "the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not." Calvin's god and ruler of this world.
2. S2 — John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11. "the prince of this world." Parallel to ruler of this world.
3. S2 — Luke 11:21–22; Matt 12:29. "When a strong man armed keepeth his palace…" The strong man armed is Satan, bound by Christ.
4. S2 — Eph 2:2. "the prince of the power of the air" (Gk ton archonta tēs exousias tou aeros).
5. S2/S4 — 1 Pet 5:8–9. "your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist stedfast in the faith." Calvin's S4 quotes v. 9 exactly (KJV).
6. S5 — Eph 6:12. "we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Gk palē "wrestling".
7. S5 — Eph 6:11, 13–17. "Put on the whole armour of God" — the armour equal to so great and perilous a contest.
8. S7 — 2 Tim 4:7; Rev 2:10. warfare is terminated only by death — "I have fought a good fight… be thou faithful unto death."
9. S8 — Ps 18:32, 34; 144:1; Eph 6:10. God as the one who "girds me with strength" and "teaches my hands to war" — behind it is his alone to supply counsel, and strength, and courage, and arms.
10. S8 — Matt 6:13; John 15:5. invoke the help of God, attempt nothing without trusting in him — "deliver us from evil"; "without me ye can do nothing."

How Calvin uses Scripture: he lets the texts themselves carry the exhortation (Peter and Paul each add resist / put on armour right after naming the enemy), so the pastoral use is not imposed but read off the text.

① Grammar — which statement about the grammar of §13 is wrong?

(A) In S1, is to put us on our guard is an infinitive complement of the tendency of all that Scripture teaches…, and that we may provide ourselves… is a purpose clause. (B) In S7, the participle Being forewarned… is followed by three hortatives (let us not allow…, let us stand ready…, let us study…). (C) In S8, it is his alone to supply counsel… means that only God is able to hold counsel and strength, and that human beings have none of their own. (D) In S6, the use to which we turn all these statements is a pied-piped relative clause.

Answer: (C). Rationale: it is his alone to supply = only he has the prerogative of supplying (Formula 3); it does not say humans "have none" — it says they must receive them from God. (A) Formula 1. (B) Formula 2. (D) correct.

② Comprehension — which statement is consistent with §13?

(A) Calvin says that Scripture's descriptions of Satan are mainly meant to rank demons and satisfy curiosity about their order. (B) Calvin says that Scripture's descriptions of Satan aim to make believers more cautious and prepared, and he cites Peter and Paul as adding exhortations to resist and to put on armour; the believer must depend on God for counsel, strength, courage and arms. (C) Calvin teaches that, since the enemy is so powerful, the believer should avoid conflict and rely on rest from the contest. (D) Calvin teaches that the believer, once armed, no longer needs to depend on God.

Answer: (B). Rationale: (A) scope-flip — S1–S2 to put us on our guard; (C) direction-flip — S7 let us stand ready to resist; (D) direction-flip — S8 attempt nothing without trusting in him. (B) integrates S2, S4–S5, S8.

③ Composition — use Formula 1 and Formula 3.

Compose one English sentence (≈25 words): The aim of the Church's discipline is to keep believers from falling, so that they may persevere. Only Christ can supply grace and mercy.

Model answer: The tendency of all that the Church's discipline requires is to keep believers from falling, that they may persevere; for it is Christ's alone to supply grace and mercy. Examiner's intent: The tendency of… is to V, that… may V (Formula 1) + it is X's alone to V (Formula 3). Alternative accepted (Formula 2): Being forewarned of the constant danger of falling, let us not be overtaken by pride, but, with watchful minds, let us stand ready to pray.

One-line summary: Everything Scripture says about devils has one use — to put us on our guard and make us ready to resist (Peter's “resist”, Paul's “armour”), persevering until death while invoking God, whose alone it is to supply counsel, strength, courage and arms; the grammar keys are The tendency of… is to V, that… may (S1), the participle-runway hortative chain (S7), and it is his alone to V (S8).

Homework (10 min).

1. Structure restoration. Restore the base pattern of S8's it is his alone to supply counsel, and strength, and courage, and arms. (Answer shape: To supply counsel and strength and courage and arms belongs to him alone.)
2. Composition. Write one sentence using Being forewarned of X, let us not V…, but, on the contrary, let us V… about the temptations of ministry.
3. Preview (tomorrow). §14 opens That we may feel the more strongly urged to do so, the Scripture declares that the enemies who war against us are not one or two, or few in number, but a great host. — watch the fronted purpose That we may feel the more strongly urged to do so, the not one or two, or few…, but a great host ladder, and the Mary Magdalene… seven devils / Legion examples.

Where we stopped: Book 1, Ch. 14, §13 끝. 다음은 Book 1, Ch. 14, §14.