“We take nothing from the womb but pure filth [meras sordes]. The seething spring of sin is so deep and abundant that vices are always bubbling up form it to bespatter and stain what is otherwise pure.... We should remember that we are not guilty of one offense only but are buried in innumerable impurities.... all human works, if judged according to their own worth, are nothing but filth and defilement.... they are always spattered and befouled with many stains.... it is certain that there is no one who is not covered with infinite filth.”
More from John Calvin
“The torture of a bad conscience is the hell of a living soul.”
“Those who are extremely anxious wear themselves out and become in a sense their own…”
“The most important thing in a blessed life is to be always tranquil and at peace,…”
“The old adage that the life of men is like a being at the point where two roads meet…”