Day 126 — Book 1, Chapter 15, §1

New chapter, new subject: from the cosmos to the creature who studies it. Chapter 14 ended with a Parent stocking the nursery. Chapter 15 introduces the child. But look at what Calvin does in the very first paragraph: he does not rush to Adam's glory. He spends most of the paragraph on a defensive job — making sure that when we later talk about man's ruin, nobody can pin it on God. This is a lawyer's opening statement before the trial.

Why examiners love it. A correlative not only because… but… whose second because has vanished (S1). Three absolute constructions (impiety deeming…, nothing being more absurd…, God having not only deigned…) — the kind of phrase that hides its logical subject. A lest clause with a bare subjunctive (S6). A giant S8 with Seeing, therefore, that… and in such a way as may…. And two traps in vocabulary: liberality (= generosity) and pretend (= claim).

Today's 3 Big Points

1. not only… but… with gapped parts — S1 (not only because… but, as we observed…, we cannot…), S10 (who not only dwell… but are themselves…), S11 (not only deigned to animate… but to make…). Formula 1.
2. Absolute constructions (noun + participle, no finite verb) — S6 impiety deeming…and not hesitating…, S10 nothing being more absurd…, S11 God having… deigned…. Formula 2.
3. lest + bare subjunctive, and Seeing… that… — S6 lest we attend… and… seem, S8 Seeing, therefore, that the flesh is…, we must…. Formula 3.

Text traps. ⚠️ liberality (S11) = generosity, not political liberalism. ⚠️ pretend (S6) = claim, allege (L. praetendere), not "act falsely in play". ⚠️ quarter (S8) = direction, source. ⚠️ ills (S6) = evils. ⚠️ integrity (S4) = wholeness, uncorrupted state. ⚠️ avail (S3) = help, profit. ⚠️ impugn (S8) = attack as false or unjust. ⚠️ tabernacles of clay (S10) = bodies (a biblical image).

We have now to speak of the creation of man, not only because of all the works of God it is the noblest, and most admirable specimen of his justice, wisdom, and goodness, but, as we observed at the outset, we cannot clearly and properly know God unless the knowledge of ourselves be added. This knowledge is twofold,—relating, first, to the condition in which we were at first created; and, secondly to our condition such as it began to be immediately after Adam’s fall. For it would little avail us to know how we were created if we remained ignorant of the corruption and degradation of our nature in consequence of the fall. At present, however, we confine ourselves to a consideration of our nature in its original integrity. And, certainly, before we descend to the miserable condition into which man has fallen, it is of importance to consider what he was at first. For there is need of caution, lest we attend only to the natural ills of man, and thereby seem to ascribe them to the Author of nature; impiety deeming it a sufficient defence if it can pretend that everything vicious in it proceeded in some sense from God, and not hesitating, when accused, to plead against God, and throw the blame of its guilt upon Him. Those who would be thought to speak more reverently of the Deity catch at an excuse for their depravity from nature, not considering that they also, though more obscurely, bring a charge against God, on whom the dishonour would fall if anything vicious were proved to exist in nature. Seeing, therefore, that the flesh is continually on the alert for subterfuges, by which it imagines it can remove the blame of its own wickedness from itself to some other quarter, we must diligently guard against this depraved procedure, and accordingly treat of the calamity of the human race in such a way as may cut off every evasion, and vindicate the justice of God against all who would impugn it. We shall afterwards see, in its own place (Book 2 chap. 1 sec. 3), how far mankind now are from the purity originally conferred on Adam. And, first, it is to be observed, that when he was formed out of the dust of the ground a curb was laid on his pride—nothing being more absurd than that those should glory in their excellence who not only dwell in tabernacles of clay, but are themselves in part dust and ashes. But God having not only deigned to animate a vessel of clay, but to make it the habitation of an immortal spirit, Adam might well glory in the great liberality of his Maker.

[OPENING]     S1        Man = noblest work of God; AND self-knowledge is part of knowing God (cf. 1.1.1)
[DIVISION]    S2–S4     Self-knowledge is twofold: (a) as created, (b) as fallen. (a) alone would
                          "little avail" (S3); but today's topic = (a), the original integrity (S4)
[WHY (a) FIRST] S5–S8   Before the misery, see what man was: otherwise we blame the Author of nature (S6),
                          even the "reverent" do it more subtly (S7); the flesh hunts excuses → cut them off (S8)
[FORWARD]     S9        Later (Book 2, ch. 1, sec. 3): how far man has fallen from Adam's purity
[FIRST LESSON] S10–S11  Formed from dust → a curb on pride (S10) — but dust made home of an immortal
                          spirit → Adam may glory in his Maker's generosity (S11)

Examiner's Eye. - ⚠️ Reason trap (S1): man is treated first not only because he is the noblest work but also because self-knowledge is needed for the knowledge of God. An option keeping only one reason is incomplete; an option reversing them is wrong. - ⚠️ Scope trap (S3–S4): the knowledge of our fallen condition is not dismissed; S3 says knowing creation without knowing the corruption would "little avail us". Today's topic is only the first half (S4). - ⚠️ Direction trap (S6–S7): the target of Calvin's warning is the person who blames God (or "nature") for human evil — the blasphemer (S6) and the "more reverent" excuse-maker (S7) — not the person who admits nature is now corrupt. - ⚠️ Subject trap (S10): when he was formed out of the dust — he is Adam (named in S9 and S11), and the curb was laid on pride, not on his knowledge or his freedom. - ⚠️ Balance trap (S10 vs S11): dust humbles; the immortal spirit dignifies. An option that stops at dust and ashes (S10) misses the turn of But in S11.

Formula 1 — Correlative not only A but B (with a gapped part)

not only A , but (also) B
not only because (of all the works of God) it is the noblest…, but, … we cannot… know God…   (S1)  → but (because)…
who not only dwell in tabernacles of clay, but are themselves in part dust and ashes          (S10)
God having not only deigned to animate a vessel of clay, but to make it the habitation…       (S11) → but (deigned) to make
⚠️ A and B must be parallel (two clauses / two verbs / two infinitives). In S1 the second `because` is gapped; in S11 the second `deigned` is gapped.
⚠️ `also` is optional; an interrupting phrase (`as we observed at the outset`) can hide the gap.
⚠️ B is the climax: S10 (housed in dust → partly dust), S11 (animate clay → house an immortal spirit).

Drill: We study the creation of man not only because he is the noblest work but because we cannot know God without knowing ourselves. → Restore the gap: …not only because he is the noblest work but (because) we cannot know God without knowing ourselves.

Formula 2 — Absolute construction: N + participle, …

N + V-ing / V-ed … , main clause (own subject)       = Since/Because N V's … ,
impiety deeming it a sufficient defence…, and not hesitating…            (S6)  = for impiety deems… and does not hesitate…
nothing being more absurd than that those should glory…                 (S10) = since nothing is more absurd…
God having not only deigned… but…, Adam might well glory…               (S11) = since God had deigned…, Adam…
⚠️ The participle's noun is NOT the subject of the main clause (S11: God ≠ Adam). If it were, it would be an ordinary participle phrase.
⚠️ In S6 the absolute follows a semicolon and has no main verb of its own — read it as an explanatory comment on the lest-clause before it.
⚠️ Meaning is usually CAUSAL ("since") or explanatory; context decides.

Drill: The soul being immortal, the body's dust is no cause for despair. → Adam having been formed from dust, pride was out of place.

Formula 3 — lest + bare subjunctive; Seeing that = since; such… as may

lest + S + V(base) / S + should + V       = for fear that … (no extra "not")
there is need of caution, lest we attend only to the natural ills of man, and thereby seem to ascribe them…   (S6)
Seeing that + clause, S + V               = Since … , …                                                      (S8)
in such a way as may cut off every evasion                                                                   (S8) = in a way that will cut off…
⚠️ `lest` already carries the negative meaning: never `lest we do not attend`.
⚠️ `Seeing that` is a conjunction (like `considering that`); don't read it as `seeing` = looking.
⚠️ In `such a way as may…`, `as` works as a relative pronoun (subject of `may cut off`).

Drill: Let us take care lest we blame the Creator for our own sin. → Seeing that the flesh seeks excuses, let us treat the fall in such a way as may leave no evasion.

The doctrine at stake. Calvin's anthropology starts with a moral firewall: the evil in man is not from the Maker. This answers two audiences at once — the Manichaean-style tradition that put evil in created matter, and the practical blame-shifter of Genesis 3 ("The woman whom thou gavest to be with me…"). The structure is "twofold knowledge" (cf. 1.1.1: knowledge of God and of ourselves; here: man as created vs. man as fallen). Order matters: the glory comes before the ruin, so that the ruin has a culprit (man), not an author (God).

Lineage. The creation-then-fall order is the standard Augustinian pattern; Calvin's insistence that the humbling dust and the dignifying spirit go together (S10–S11) draws on the biblical imagery gathered in Period 7. Beveridge's note 66 (attached to Maker in S11 and removed from the text above) points the reader to Calvin's treatise against Pighius, his Psychopannychia, and the Instructio adversus Libertinos — works that defend the soul's immortality, which is exactly what the next section (printed §2) takes up. As far as I know, the doctrine of man was expanded progressively across the editions from 1536 to 1559; this is the 1559 shape in Beveridge's English of 1845.

Later reception. Reformed confessions keep the same order: creation "very good" before the fall (Belgic Confession art. 14; Westminster Confession ch. 4 and 6). The "blame the Author" problem becomes a major theme in theodicy debates (Barth's Nothing — das Nichtige — and Plantinga's free-will defence are, loosely, later attempts to answer the same question Calvin raises in S6–S8, from different angles). Treat these as later echoes, not as readings of S1–S11.

Over-reading guardrail. ⚠️ S1 calls man the noblest work, but S10 immediately humbles him; do not quote S1 alone as "Calvin's high view of human nature" — this paragraph is explicitly bracketed by the fall (S3, S9). ⚠️ S6–S7 do not claim every natural evil is man's doing; they claim that the moral guilt of man cannot be charged to the Author of nature. ⚠️ S11's glory is doxological (boasting in the Maker's gift), not self-congratulation. ⚠️ The details of the image of God, the soul, and free will belong to later sections (§§2–8), not this one.

1. S1 — Gen 1:26–27; Ps 8:5–6. Man as the crown of the works of God, made in the image of God and set over the works of his hands. Calvin starts with the worth before he turns to the ruin.
2. S6 — Jas 1:13–14; Rom 9:20. "God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man"; "Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God?" Calvin uses these to refute the impious who plead against God.
3. S7 — Rom 9:19–20; Gen 3:12. The "reverent" excuse-maker repeats Adam's blame-shift (the woman whom thou gavest to be with me), which implicitly charges the Giver. Calvin shows the shape of the original excuse.
4. S8 — Gen 3:12–13; Rom 8:7 (the carnal mind is enmity against God). The flesh in the Pauline sense: fallen nature, never at a loss for subterfuges.
5. S10 — Gen 2:7; Gen 3:19; Gen 18:27; Job 4:19; Ps 103:14. The dust of the ground (Gen 2:7); dust and ashes (Abraham's phrase, Gen 18:27); them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust (Job 4:19); he remembereth that we are dust (Ps 103:14). Calvin gathers the Bible's dust imagery into one sentence to curb pride.
6. S10–S11 — 2 Cor 4:7; 2 Cor 5:1; 2 Pet 1:13. We have this treasure in earthen vessels (2 Cor 4:7) and tabernacle for the body (2 Cor 5:1; 2 Pet 1:13) are the New Testament counterpart: clay vessel + precious content. Calvin's vessel of clay / tabernacles of clay echoes both.
7. S11 — Gen 2:7 (breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul); 1 Cor 1:31 / Jer 9:23–24. The breath is the immortal spirit; glory in the Maker, not in self — "he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord".

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

(A) In S1, the second member of not only because… but, as we observed at the outset, we cannot… lacks because, which must be understood. (B) In S10, nothing being more absurd than that those should glory… is an absolute construction with a causal sense. (C) In S6, lest we attend only to the natural ills… and thereby seem to ascribe them… means for fear that we attend… and so seem to ascribe. (D) In S8, Seeing, therefore, that the flesh is continually on the alert… means that Calvin is looking at the flesh with his own eyes.

Answer: (D). Rationale: Seeing that is a conjunction, since (Formula 3); it is not a perception verb. (A) Formula 1: gapped because. (B) Formula 2. (C) correct: lest carries its own negative and takes a bare subjunctive/should.

② Comprehension — which statement is consistent with §1?

(A) Calvin says that knowledge of our fallen condition is useless once we know how we were created. (B) Calvin says that, to prevent blaming God for human evil, we must first consider what man was at the creation, before turning to his misery. (C) Calvin says that Adam was formed from the dust so that he might have no cause for any glorying at all. (D) Calvin says that only open blasphemers, never the reverent, bring a charge against God by appealing to nature.

Answer: (B). Rationale: (A) direction flip — S3: knowing creation would little avail us without knowing the corruption. (C) scope-overreach — S11: Adam might well glory in the great liberality of his Maker; only boasting in himself is excluded (S10). (D) direction flip — S7: those who want to be thought more reverent also, though more obscurely, bring a charge against God.

③ Composition — apply Formula 1:

Combine with not only… but…: Adam was made of dust. Adam was given an immortal spirit. (Use God having …)

Model answer: God having not only formed Adam from the dust but given him an immortal spirit, Adam might well glory in his Maker's generosity. (Or: Adam was not only made of dust but also given an immortal spirit.) Rationale: parallel members after not only … but; the absolute God having… has its own subject, different from Adam.

One-line summary: Calvin opens the doctrine of man by calling him God's noblest work and by tying self-knowledge to the knowledge of God (not only because… but…), divides that knowledge into before-and-after the fall (S2), insists on seeing man's original state first so that no blame falls on the Author of nature (lest we attend…; Seeing that the flesh is on the alert…), and sets dust and spirit side by side (nothing being more absurd…; God having not only deigned… but…): dust curbs pride, the immortal spirit allows glorying in the Maker.

Homework (10 min).

1. Structure restoration. Restore the S1 correlative: not only because (of all the works of God) it is the noblest…, but, as we observed…, we cannot… → … not only because it is the noblest…, but also because, as we observed…, we cannot…
2. Composition. Write one absolute construction (N + participle, S V) about Adam and one lest-clause about blaming God.
3. Preview (tomorrow). Printed §2 begins Moreover, there can be no question that man consists of a body and a soul… — watch the definition of soul as an immortal though created essence, and the five proofs of its immortality.

Where we stopped: Book 1, Ch. 15, §1 끝. 다음은 Book 1, Ch. 15, §2.