This is the fourth work in the well-known series known as The Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin. In our Pure Gold Classics series, this book follows God the Creator, God the Redeemer, and Obtaining the Grace of Christ. These books form what has been called the Magnum Opus of Christian Theology. Relying heavily on the Scriptures, Calvin addresses three primary topics in this book: The universal Church of Jesus Christ, its unity, government, power, and discipline. The sacraments of the Church, baptism, and the Lord's Supper. The role of civil government, magistrates laws and the people. The foreword to the book states, "To read John Calvin is to study the work of some of the finest and sharpest pens in Christendom. Calvin was extremely well read and drew heavily from the writings of Tertullian, Origen, the apostles, Saint Augustine, and Bernard, to name only a few....you will hear Calvin as he thunders. We bed your indulgence, and assure you that the occasional challenge us well worth the result.