The Piety of John Calvin: A Collection of His Spiritual Prose, Poems, and Hymns (Calvin 500)

French men always get a bad rap, however, John Calvin was the most careful thinker and earnest believer in the presence of God. Dr. Battles uncovers some of his spiritual piety and passion, his soft side. This is a useful tool for our own meditation and reflection. No need to feel like you are coming before a stern judge. Stanley Tagg was a superlative teacher and performer of the Pipe Organ. He was also recognized as an excellent choral conductor and lead choral preformances with members of the Pittsburgh Symphony, was director of the famed "Bach Choral" of Pittsburgh. These musical writings by Stanley Tagg are rare! Dr. Ford L. Battles was the scholar of the Reformed Thinkers and none got his attention more than John Calvin.

During his life, John Calvin was ridiculed, slandered, and hated by those who misunderstood him. After 500 years, not much has changed. He is often thought of as no more than a cold and unaffectionate theologian. The goal of The Piety of John Calvin is to give readers a glimpse of the true Calvin--a man who was much different than his caricature.As the title says, The Piety of John Calvin is "a collection of his spiritual prose, poems, and hymns." Other than the preface and a lengthy introduction, the author lets the reformer speak for himself.Chapter one, "The Spiritual Pilgrimage of Calvin," is an autobiographical piece taken from the introduction to Calvin's commentary on the Psalms. Calvin's story is interesting, encouraging, and edifying.The next three chapters are portions from the Institutes: "The Kernel of Calvin's Faith," "Calvin on the Christian Life," and "Calvin on Prayer." These writings reveal Calvin the pastor. Far from being interested in theology as an end in itself, he viewed theology as a means to rightly living the Christian life. "No doctrine of tongue the gospel is, but of life itself." "On the Christian Life," is the longest chapter, and is worth the price of the book.Calvin was a man of prayer, and he believed it to be one of the greatest blessings and responsibilities of a believer. "As children fly to the protection of their parents, He bids us, urges us to seek in Him our every need." Chapter 4, "Calvin on Prayer," is Calvin's exposition of the Lord's Prayer. Chapter 5 is composed of many of the prayers he used in worship. There are prayers for Sunday, Wednesday, workdays, and any other occasion.For the reader who loves hymns and music, there is a chapter of "Metrical Psalms Translated by Calvin." Not only are the Psalms arranged for music, but the notes are even included in the book. The book concludes with prose-poems adapted from Calvin's works and an epilogue: "Calvin on Christ and the Church."For those not interested in John Calvin the man, the writings in The Piety serve their original purpose: to direct the reader's attention to the Lord. The book makes the perfect devotional, music and all. But the reader will also come away with a better grasp of the reformer from Geneva--a man full of devotion and love for God.The author, Ford Lewis Battles, is considered one of the great Calvin scholars. He spent years translating Calvin's work, including an edition of the Institutes. One of his lifetime goals "was to balance the systematic strain of Calvin with the poetic strain." He achieved that in this book, which I highly recommend. It is one that you'll keep.