Institutes 4.2.1 — COMPARISON BETWEEN THE FALSE CHURCH AND THE TRUE.

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**COMPARISON BETWEEN THE FALSE CHURCH AND THE TRUE.**

How much the ministry of the word and sacraments should weigh with us, and how far reverence for it should extend, so as to be a perpetual badge for distinguishing the Church, has been explained; for we have shown, first, that wherever it exists entire and unimpaired, no errors of conduct, no defects should prevent us from giving the name of Church ; French, “Secondement, qu’encore il y ait quelques petites fautes, ou en la doctrine ou aux sacremens qu’icelui no laisse point d’avoir sa vigeur.”—Secondly, that though there may be some little faults either in doctrine or in the sacraments, the Church ceases not to be in vigour. 109 D109 Calvin here answers the question, “How far into error can the (visible) Church go before it ceases to deserve the name?” Minor defects or trivial errors, whether in doctrine or in conduct, do not bring the Church to that point. But if the fundamental articles of religion are injured or suppressed, and the essential elements of the sacraments are destroyed, then the Church dies, and ceases to exist.

Source

• source-manifest/institutes — Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, tr. Beveridge 1845 (PD)
• evidence_grade: D_doctrinal_textbook