Magnalia Dei

Chapter 1

1. The Highest Good.

Man's highest good is God, and God alone. Taken in a broad sense, we may say that God is the highest good for all creatures. For God is the Creator and Sustainer of all things, the origin of all being and life, the abund

Chapter 2

2. The Knowledge of God.

God the highest good for mankind - that is the testimony of the whole of Scripture. It begins with the account that God created man in His image and likeness, so that he might know God his Creator, love Him wholeheartedl

Chapter 3

48. There is a calling of Lord, Lord, that in no way opens the

entrance to the kingdom of heaven, Matthew 7: 21. There is a faith, like that of the devils, which does not arouse love, but fear and trembling, James 2: 19. There are hearers of the word, who do not wish to be doers and

Chapter 4

3. General Revelation.

If in truth there can be any knowledge of God with man, it presupposes that God from his side has made Himself known to him in one way or another. We do not owe the knowledge of God, nor can we owe it to ourselves, to ou

Chapter 5

36. But this is not and cannot be the last and highest goal of

revelation. God cannot rest in mankind. But man must know and serve God, that he, with and at the head of all creatures, may bring glory to God for all his works. In revelation, whether through or by man, God prepares Hi

Chapter 6

4. The Value of General Revelation.

In determining the value to be assigned to general revelation, there is great danger of being guilty either of underestimation or of overestimation. When we draw attention to the rich grace that God has bestowed in His s

Chapter 7

Genesis 6:5, 12, 13, 8:21. Although God in His forbearance granted a

postponement of one hundred and twenty years, Genesis 6: 3, 1 Peter 3: 20, and in the preaching of Noah still indicated a way of escape, old man walked towards his doom and finally perished in the waters of the flood. -

Chapter 8

Genesis 14:1, made Babel his capital and subjugated all Sinear. The

tenth chapter of Genesis also expresses this itself, because in verse 11 it is said that Nimrod the Chamite went to the land of Assur and founded cities there, but in verse 22 we read that Assur, that is, the population

Chapter 9

5. Special Revelation.

(The manner of Revelation). -- 76 of 862 -- The inadequacy of general revelation brings into focus the necessity of special revelation. But this necessity must be properly understood. It does not imply, nor is it inten

Chapter 10

30. Some times He speaks with an audible voice, Ex. 19: 9, Deut. 4:

33, 5: 26, Matt. 3: 17, 2 Peter 1: 17, or writes His own law on the tablets of the testimony, Ex. 31: 18, 23: 16. -- 86 of 862 -- To this group of means of revelation are also to be counted the miracles, which occupy s

Chapter 11

21. This last revelation, by means of intervention in the

consciousness of man, already occurs several times in the Old Testament, but there it is still always presented as a working of the Spirit, which comes from above and for a moment strikes the prophet. But in the New Test

Chapter 12

6. Special Revelation II.

(The content of revelation). After having been acquainted with the different ways in which special revelation has taken place, we now turn our attention to its contents. As with the general revelation, we can best unders

Chapter 13

26. In the generation of Shem, as before the flood in that of Seth, the

knowledge of God was preserved the longest and the purest. Therefore, when the Lord calls Abraham, He does not present Himself as another God, but as the same God whom Abraham already knew and confessed. From elsewhere,

Chapter 14

Genesis 15: 6, and that the fourteen-year institution of circumcision

that followed in Genesis 17 underlined the righteousness of faith and was a sign and seal of it. Thus the forgiveness of sins, and with it the whole of salvation, is independent of the Law and all its demands. And the sa

Chapter 15

1. It is a religious law through and through. Not only in some parts,

e.g., when it regulates worship, but in its entirety, also when it gives instructions for moral, civil, social and political life. Above the whole -- 114 of 862 -- Law is written: I am the Lord your God, who brought yo

Chapter 16

2. It is a moral law through and through. In the Law of Moses we

distinguish three elements: moral, civil and ceremonial laws. And this distinction is good. But we must not lose sight of the fact that the whole law is inspired and sustained by moral principles. The application of thes

Chapter 17

3. The Law of Moses is a holy law, by no means only in that part

which is called the holy law (Lev. 17-26), but in all its parts. Again, there is no law in antiquity which conceives of sin as sin so deeply and so seriously. Sin is called by different names; it is not only called sin i

Chapter 18

4. Finally, the Mosaic Law is also a law of freedom; it preserves and

gives a great deal of freedom. This is immediately evident from the remarkable fact that the people, on the one hand, voluntarily agree to God's covenant and accept His law. God does not force His covenant and law on Isr

Chapter 19

23. Besides these public assemblies the people of Israel had two

other kinds of officials, first of all ״officers" or ״schrij- vers", who -- 117 of 862 -- had to regulate everything concerning the civil status and who already existed in Egypt, Ex. 5 : 6, 10, 14, 19, Num. II : 16, De

Chapter 20

7. The Holy Scriptures.

With the revelation, both general and special, we are acquainted by the Holy Scriptures. It is important to see clearly the distinction and the connection which exist between the two. On the one hand there is an importan

Chapter 21

genesis of all these books has taken place gradually, in the course of

many centuries, under very different circumstances, through the labors of very different men. In the science of theology there is a special subject which is concerned with the investigation of the circumstances under whi

Chapter 22

21. And the book of Psalms is sometimes attributed in its entirety to

-- 144 of 862 -- David, because he is the founder of psalmody, although several psalms are not by David, but by others. On the basis of this Mosaic legislation, that is to say, on the basis of God's covenant, which God

Chapter 23

8. Scripture and Confession.

-- 160 of 862 -- In the time of the apostles and afterwards there was no lack of all kinds of differences concerning the nature of Christianity and its relationship to Judaism and paganism. But all the more surprising i

Chapter 24

9. The Being of God.

Hitherto we have discussed the character of the revelation which God has given us in His grace, and described the manner in which that -- 178 of 862 -- revelation came about and was brought to our knowledge in Holy Scr

Chapter 25

26. The knowledge is too wonderful for us, it is high, we cannot reach

it, Ps. 139 : 6. And yet, that same high and exalted God has a very close relationship with all His creatures, even the smallest and smallest. Scripture does not give a deductive conception of God, as philosophy does, bu

Chapter 26

3. Only then is God the one and only God, when nobody or nothing

can be above, beside or below Him, what He is. And then also only, when He is independent and unchangeable, eternal and omnipresent, can He be the God of our unconditional faith, of our absolute trust, of our complete sa

Chapter 27

10. The Trinity of God.

Richer and more vivid still than in its characteristics, the Eternal Being comes to us in the revelation of its triune existence. In the holy trinity, the Divine Being and every perfection in that Being, so to speak, fir

Chapter 28

11. Creation and Providence.

The practical significance of the doctrine of the Trinity for the life of the Christian makes it beyond all doubt that Scripture does not wish to give us a deductive concept of God, but to bring us all personally into co

Chapter 29

14. These works include the creation and maintenance of all things,

the heavens and the earth, mankind and his people, the miracles performed on Israel and the works which he accomplishes through his servant, Gen. 2: 2, 3, Ex. 34: 10, Job 34: 19, Isa. 19: 25, John 9: 4 etc. And all these

Chapter 30

12. The same idea is expressed elsewhere in Scripture, that God

brings about everything according to His counsel. Only here it is more clearly and powerfully expressed that all God's works, in creation and re-creation, are not only a revelation of His thought, but also a product of H

Chapter 31

3. Man's righteousness gives him nothing, and his wickedness takes

nothing from him. He is not served by the hands of men, as if in need of anything, since He gives to all life, breath and all things, Acts 17:25. There was no compulsion or necessity in the nature of God to create the wo

Chapter 32

Genesis 1:3-10, put an end to the desolation of the earth.

And likewise it is said that the original earth was empty; it still lacked all ornamentation of plant and tree, and was not yet inhabited by any living creature; the works of God, which are enumerated in Genesis 1:11ff,

Chapter 33

Exodus 20: 11, 31: 17, the entire work of creation was completed in

six days. Nevertheless, there has always been great freedom of -- 246 of 862 -- thought and a remarkable difference of opinion regarding the conception of these days. No one less than Augustine was of the opinion that

Chapter 34

12. Origin, Being and Destiny of Mankind.

The story of the origin of heaven and earth ends in the first chapter of Genesis with the creation of mankind. The creation of the other creatures, of heaven and earth, of the sun and moon and stars, of plants and animal

Chapter 35

numbers; also the much desired and diligently pursued transitional

form of monkey and man has so far not been found anywhere. The study of the development of the human body in the mother's womb does show some external similarity to the development of other animal bodies before birth; bu

Chapter 36

17. To all the commandments a single prohibition is added. The

commandments were known to Adam partly from his own heart, partly from the spoken word of God. They were not invented by him, but were inculcated and communicated to him by God. Man is not religiously and morally autonom

Chapter 37

13. Sin and Death.

Already the third chapter of Genesis tells us of man's fall and disobedience. It was probably not long after his creation that he was guilty of violating the divine commandment. Creation and fall do not coincide and must

Chapter 38

14. The Covenant of Grace.

To that question mankind at all times and in all places has given the answer that they, as they were, should not appear before God nor dwell in His presence. Is there no one who can say or dares say: I have purified my h

Chapter 39

20. He has a perfect right to do so; for the counsel of God establishes

not only the outcome, but also the means; it records not only the effects, but also the causes, and establishes between the two such a connection as the reality of life itself reveals. It does not destroy the rational an

Chapter 40

15. The Mediator of the Covenant.

The counsel of redemption is not a human design, whose execution depends on all kinds of unforeseen circumstances and is therefore at the most uncertain. But it is infallibly certain, because it is the decision of God's

Chapter 41

4. Peter says, that the Spirit of Christ in the prophets testified

beforehand of the sufferings that were to come upon Christ ׳and of the glory afterwards, 1 Pet. 1 11 .-. And all the books of the New Testament show directly or indirectly that the whole Old Testament has come to its ful

Chapter 42

16. The Divine and Human Nature of

Christ. The testimony of Christ, given of Himself according to the Gospels, is developed and confirmed by the preaching of the Apostles. The confession that a man called Jesus is the Christ, the One-born of the Father, i

Chapter 43

I. Love presupposes the duality and brings about nothing but a

mystical and ethical unity. If the union of the Son of God with humanity had this character, it would be different, at best in degree but not in essence, from that which God establishes with His creatures, especially His

Chapter 44

17. The Work of Christ in His

Humiliation. The Incarnation is the beginning and the introduction of Christ's work on earth, but it is not the whole nor the main content of that work. It is good to form a correct idea and a clear understanding of this

Chapter 45

28. It was not until the cross that Christ could say that all was

accomplished and that He had finished the work that the Father had given Him to do, John 17: 4, 19: 30. While the life of Jesus is sketched relatively briefly in the Gospels, His last suffering and death are recounted at

Chapter 46

2. And likewise the death of Christ is a revelation of His royal power,

for His death was not a fate that He had to suffer, but an act that He Himself willingly and voluntarily performed, John 10: 17, 18; His death on the cross was an exaltation above the earth and a triumph over His enemies

Chapter 47

18. The Work of Christ in His Exaltation.

The benefits, which Christ has acquired for us by his great love, are so rich, that they are almost impossible to enumerate and never to estimate at their full value. They comprise nothing less than complete and total sa

Chapter 48

19. The Gift of the Holy Spirit.

The first activity exercised by Christ after his exaltation at the right hand of the Father is the sending of the Holy Spirit. At that exaltation He received from His Father the Holy Spirit promised in the Old Testament,

Chapter 49

17. On the other hand, the Holy. On the other hand, the Holy Spirit

exercises an entirely different activity in the world, namely, that He, dwelling in the church and acting from it on the world, convinces it of sin, righteousness and judgment, and in all three respects rules it out, Joh

Chapter 50

20. The Calling.

To make us partakers of this communion with his person and his benefits, Christ makes use not only of the Spirit, whom he poured out in the congregation, but also of the Word, which he gave to instruct and instruct it. H

Chapter 51

5. The Gospel may be for man, but it is not according to man, not in

accordance with his wishes and thoughts, Gal. 1:11; and therefore, if left to himself, it is always rejected and opposed by him. But herein lies the riches of God's grace, that, notwithstanding, He links the calling by w

Chapter 52

Genesis 4:13, an Esau, Hebrews 12:17, a Judas, Matthew 27:3, are

proof of this; such sorrow does not lead to true conversion, but it works death, it brings about doubt, bitterness, hardening. But true conversion does not consist in such a repentance, deploring only the consequences of

Chapter 53

21. The Justification.

Regeneration, revealed in the fruits of faith and conversion, opens the entrance to the kingdom of God. And whoever is a citizen of this kingdom immediately receives all the goods that are its contents, and which can be

Chapter 54

3. But now Christ came in the fullness of time, put Himself under the

law and bore its curse, that He might redeem those who were under the law, and that we might obtain the adoption of children (4:4, 5). Christ redeemed us from the servitude of the law and of sin through His death, so tha

Chapter 55

24. They see in the trials that befall them, not a punishment, but a

chastisement, and a proof of God's love, Heb. 12:5-8. They are free towards all creatures because nothing can separate them from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, their Lord, Romans 8:35, 89. Yes, everything is

Chapter 56

22. Sanctification.

Since the image of God existed not only in knowledge and righteousness, but also in holiness, the re-creation must restore man to his right relationship to God, and at the same time renew his inner self according to the

Chapter 57

8. In a word, holiness indicates God in His distinction from and

exaltation above all creatures; He is the Holy One, because He is God; and especially Isaiah prefers to use this name, Isa. 5 : 16, 6 : 3, 29 12 ,11 : 30 , 23 .- etc. cf. Ezek. 37: 28, 39: 7, Hab. 1: 12, 3: 3 etc. -- 71

Chapter 58

21. The chain of salvation is unbreakable, because it is God's work

from beginning to end; whom He has known, called and justified, He also glorifies, Rom. 8: 30. On the basis of this work of sanctification, which God accomplishes in the congregation through the Spirit of Christ, the bel

Chapter 59

Genesis 8: 22, Jeremiah 31: 28. But the moral law goes far beyond all

these orders, for, in distinction to all of them, it is directed to man's will, or rather to man himself as a willing being, and thus to the innermost part of his existence, to the core of his personality. And it makes t

Chapter 60

Genesis 15:6, Romans 4:18ff, a Jacob, Genesis 49:18, a David, 2 Sam.

22:2ff, a Habakkuk, 3:17-19, but also all the faithful, whose situations are described by psalmists, proverbs and prophets. They are often in deep misery, oppressed by their enemies, persecuted, scorned: where -- 768 of

Chapter 61

6. He does not do according to their sins, nor reimburse according to

their iniquities, Ps. 103 : 10. He forgives their transgressions and covers their sins, Ps. 32 : 1. The Lord is their rock and their fortress, their tower and their high place, their shield and the horn of their salvatio

Chapter 62

30. The Holy Spirit, who is given to the believers, who has planted

the faith in them and constantly sustains it, who testifies in them, who leads them, etc., is the Holy Spirit. In and through all this He also serves as a pledge and guarantee for believers that they will be preserved un

Chapter 63

23. The Church of Christ.

All those rich benefits which Christ bestows on His believers on earth receive their consummation and crown in the glorification that awaits them partly after death, but fully after Judgment Day. But we cannot yet discus

Chapter 64

24. The Eternal Life.

The end and destination of things, as well as their origin and being, are veiled in an impenetrable darkness to the inquiring mind of man. Whoever expects science to shed light on these mysteries must sooner or later com

Chapter 65

22. Everything that bears the name of life ceases there; God and man

are no longer seen, Is. 38: 11; the Lord is no longer believed and thanked, Ps. 6:6,115: 17, His virtues are no longer proclaimed and His miracles no longer seen, Ps. 88: 11-13. The dead know no more, they have no wisdom

Chapter 66

14. But at the same time He says just as clearly and powerfully that

He, by the light that He lets shine, brings about a judgment, a separation in the world, John 3 : 19, 9 : 39, 1 John 4 : 28, and 1 John 5 : 39. 3: 19, 9: 39, and will one day return to judge all the living and the dead,

Chapter 67

20. Even the New Testament repeatedly expresses the expectation

that towards the end of the centuries wickedness will increase, temptation and apostasy will spread, - Matt. 24: 37 f., Luke 17: 26 f., 18: 8 etc. The day of Christ is preceded by the great apostasy, the revelation of th

Chapter 68

46. There is a heaven of glory, but there is also a Gehenna, a hell,

where the worm does not die and the fire is not extinguished, Mark. 9:44, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, Matt. 8:12, -- 856 of 862 -- where there is darkness and destruction and death for all eternity, M

Chapter 69

12. The judgment will be so perfectly righteous that no one will be

able to make a comment on it; his own conscience will have to say yes and amen to it. Just as Christ fights with spiritual weapons here on earth, so He will also justify Himself in the consciences of all people on judgme