there are not onely vessels of gold and siluer but also of wood and earth and some to honour some to dishonour Apoc. 13. and 17. it is said of the beast that all the inhabitants of the earth whose names are not written in the books of life from the foundations of the world should worship and haue it in high estimation The reprobates and such as perish are expressed in many words against whome the elect are opposed whose names are written in the booke of life before the creation of the world and whom Gods mercie doth so defend that they cannot be seduced at the least finally Iude also in his epistle testifieth that seducers were of old ordained or forewritten to this condemnation which the Glosse and Aquinas least any man should blame our men to bee the makers of such Glosses do expound that they were from euerlasting in the fore knowledge of God foreseen for this iudgement of present reprobation that they should waxe vile themselues and cast others into vncleanenes In the bookes of the old Testament we read the same doctrine to be taught for the Lord saith to Moses Testimonies of the olde Testament Exod. 33. I will haue mercie on whom I will haue mercie and I will haue compassion on whom I will haue compassion And of Pharao the Scripture saith Exod. 9. for this cause haue I raised thee vp to shew in thee my power and that my name might be declared in all the earth Other such testimonies are mencioned in the disputation of Pauls epistle to the Romans Whereunto adde that which is Prouerbs 16. God made all things for his owne sake euen the vngodly against the euill day And 1. Sam. 2. it is said of Elies sonnes that they would not heare the voice of their father because the Lord would slaie them Again 2. Chron. 25 vers 16. the prophet saith to king Amasia I knowe that God hath purposed to destroie thee because thou hast not obeyed my worde By these and the like sentences of the sacred scriptures all men perceiue that loue the truth more than contention that election comprehendeth not whole mankind but that some among them are elected to saluation others are reiected from the same according to the eternal counsell and good pleasure of God The same men also vnderstand that the definition of predestination which is brought of some men is insufficient as though predestination of the Saints or election were nothing else than the decree of God touching the maner of obtayning saluation through Christ and reprobation were no other thing than his decree of the daÌ„ning of vnbeeleuers and such as abide without Christ There is no doubte but God hath so decreed and keepeth these things but the proofes and testimonies alledged do further strongly prooue that God hath also decreed to whom he will giue or not giue faith whereby wee are ingrafted into Christ for saluation in him and through him CHAP. IIII. A confutation of certaine obiections BVt what say the aduersaries to these things God say they would haue all men to bee saued 1. Tim. 2. 〈◊〉 obiection and to come to the knowledge of the truth Therefore on Gods part eternall life is prepared for all men neither doth anie perish because God will not bestow any grace vpon him but because he hath refused grace receiued In this opinion were those remnants of Pelagians in Prosper of whom hee writeth in his epistle to Augustine Answere I answere the Apostle saith not that he would saue al but he willeth all to be saued namely by inuiting all men to saluation How God would haue all men to be saued and the knowledge of the truth and also by approuing of the conuersion of all But he wil not effectually worke in all and euery one that they may beleeue and be saued For if he willed this his will should be altogether fulfilled and no man should be damned But now he hath mercie on whom he will and whom he will hee hardeneth and in his counsell hath appoynted whom and what maner of men he will haue to be partakers of mercie preached and offered vnto them as in these verie same words Cap. 107. Luther in ser arbit beateth into our heads where this and the like places I will not the death of a sinner Ierusalem how often would I gather Enchir. aâ—â—dur cap. 103. c. expoundeth after the same maner Augustine also teacheth that the saying of the Apostle is rightly so to be vnderstood he willeth that all men bee saued that is all kind of men howsoeuer differing kings princes rich poore base c. Cap. 117. The same man elsewhere expoundeth he willeth all men to be saued that all the predestinate be meant because all kind of men bee in them But of this place wee haue more largelie dealt aboue in the second booke and third chapter Obiection A place not vnlike to this there is 2. Pet. 3. The Lord is not slacke of his promises as some count slacknes but he is patient toward vs not willing that any should perish but that al should come to repentance If hee willeth none to perish it is false that in his eternall counsell hee hath decreed and therefore willeth that some yea very many should perish Againe if he willeth all to repent it shall be false that God wil not that all by repentance should be brought to Christ and liue In these Huber wonderfully delighteth himselfe Hub. thes 94. sequent but all in vaine so long as that of the Psalmist standeth Our God is in heauen he doth whatsoeuer he will and that of the Apostle on whom he will he hath mercie and whom he will he hardeneth But least we should seeme to set one Scripture against an other to reconcile them wee must know The meaning of Peters words that the saying of Peter is not without cause expounded by learned men of the vniuersalitie of the elect not onely because the like restraint is very often in the like phrases of the sacred Scriptures but also because the matter it selfe seemeth here to require it For what is the end of the world deferred for the reprobates sake and not rather for Gods elect sake In 1. Tim. 2. When they shall beleeue saith Ambrose that are predestinate vnto eternal life the resurrection shall come Which thing how truly it is spoken the answere testifieth in the Apocalyps chap. 6. vers 11. Yet if we stand in the generalitie of all men the sense will be that Thom. Com. in hunc locum aed Rom. 2. which Thomas and others doe assigne that hee willeth not that any should perish by his signified will as they speak as farre forth as hee inuiteth all men to repentance by precepts threatnings rewards and also by his patience and long sufferance as it is written Doest thou despise the riches of his mercie and long sufferance Doest thou not know that the bountifulnes of God
whereof heareafter we wil speake and it is another whether the firmenes of election serue to desperation rather than consolation Then this being now granted albeit it ought not to bee granted that Gods will is vncertaine vnto vs concerning our saluation is thy will concerning thy selfe certaine vnto thee De praedest sanct cap. 9. He that seemeth to stand let him take heed least hee fall Therefore seeing both Gods will and thyne owne that is thyne endeuor and perseuerance as from thy selfe as vncertayne why doth not man commit his faith hope and charity vnto the stronger rather than to the weaker And let these things bee spoken against the obiections of the first sort that is the consequences of humane reason CHAP. XXII Answeres to some places of scripture vsually obiected against the certainety of Predestination BVt they that make the grace of election common to all and will haue it made frustrate of many afterwards through vnthankefulnes for the most part obiect these places out of the sacred Scriptures First The Pharises and lawyers are sated to reiect the counsell of God against themselues The first place obiected is Luke 7. ver 30. Hub. thes 784. therefore they made frustrate vnto themselues election which was common to them and others I answere By the counsell of God in that place is not meant election or the ordination of the Pharisees to eternall life For if they had been ordayned thereto doubtles they had beleeued Acts 13.48 But the will of God reuealed by the ministery of Iohn Baptist is noted that such as desire to bee saued and to flee from the wrath to come should be baptized with the baptisme of repentance and beleeue in him that was to come after him that is in Christ Iesu Therefore this the Euangelist meaneth that the people and the Publicanes obeyed the doctrine of Iohn to saluation and that the Pharisees and Scribes did not obey to their great harme indeuoring to establish their owne righteousnes Acts 20. After this maner Paul to expresse his faithfulnes in his ministery which he had receiued to testify the Gospell of the grace of God saith that he eschewed nothing to the intent he might declare to the Ephesians all the counsell of God that is faith and conuersion as the text there sheweth Obiection 2 2. Obiection They to whom some of the epistles of the Apostles were written were Saincts and elect yet in them many 1. Thess 1. 1. Pet. 1. fell away from the faith and perished Therefore some elect doe perish Answere Vnto the Maior is answered that they were Saints and elect but not all because many are hypocrites in the assembly of the visible church Therefore the argument consisteth of pure particulars Further the name of the Elect is not vsed after one sort in the Scriptures Beside the speciall signification whereby such as before ordayned to eternall life are called Elect there is also this vse of the word that generally speaking after the rule of charity and not of faith they are called Elect whosoeuer by outward calling are numbered with the people of God whether in deed they bee already faithfull and sanctified and elect before God or not and according to this general signification we graunt the whole argument Obiection 3 3. Obiection of the booke of life is somewhat harder Psalm 69. Exod. 32. when Dauid saith Let them be blotted out of the booke of the liuing and not be written with the iust As also Moses intreating for the people praied Either forgiue their sinnes or if not blot me I praie thee out of the booke that thou hast written The booke of life To whom the Lorde answered Him that sinneth against me will I blot out of the booke of life Therefore some written in the booke of life may be thence blotted out and consequently some predestinate to life doe perish because the predestination of Saints and the booke of life are all one at the least in substance How predestination and the booke of life differ albeit they somewhat differ in reason For predestination is the very ordination of the Saintes to eternall life But the booke of life metaphorically is nothing else than the knowledge in the minde of God of them that be predestinate as Tho. in 4 cap. ad Phillip and others expound Answere I answere Augustine handling that place of the Psalme answereth this doubt after this sort that who so be in very deede written in the booke of life not one of them is blotted out How a man is blotted out of the booke of life but blotting out pertayneth to them onely that not in very deede but onely in their owne and other mens opinions are written therin and that such are said to be blotted out when it is manifest in this world or that which is to come that they were not in the number of the predestinate Some men make a distinction thus The booke of life taken two wayes that the booke of life is taken two maner of waies either for the catalogue of the elect vnto eternall life or els for the catalogue of them that professe the saith of Christ and are counted among the members of the Church whereof many doubtles are blotted out So Ezechiel 13. it is said of the false prophets They shall not be in the assembly of my people and shall not be written in the writing that is in the booke of the house of Israel He meaneth that albeit false prophets would seeme to bee the people and Church of God yea the piller thereof they should be so farre from beeing reckoned in that degree as that they should be accounted altogether strangers from Gods people The matter commeth all to one point Augustine confirmeth the said exposition partly by that that followeth in the words of Dauid and let them not he written with the righteous from whence he gathereth that such men as touching Gods iudgement were not yet written in the booke of the liuing partly by other places of Scripture concerning the booke of life as that which the spirit of God saith in the Apocal. Apoc. 13. 20. vers 15. 21.27 Act. 1. That they all shall worship the beast whose names are not written in the booke of life Therefore saith Augustine they shall not worship that are written Further Dauids prophesie is wholy directed against Iudas the traytor other obstinate enemies of Christ strangers from the grace of election reprobates and children of perdition as it is plaine by the interpretation of Paul For thus he saith Israel obtained not that which he sought for Rom. 11. but the elect haue obtayned it and the rest were hardened as it is written let their table be their snare let their eyes be darkened c. These bee Dauids very words out of this very Psalme which seeing the spirit of God expoundeth of the reprobate Iewes such as pertaine not to election it appeareth that their writing in the
booke of life cannot otherwise be taken than as farre forth as they gloried for a while in the title of the Church till they were blotted out that is were declared to be cast awaies no waie pertainnig to the body of the Church But Moses was one of the predistinate sonnes of God An instance and truely written in the booke of the liuing Therfore some truly written in the booke of life are blotted out of it or may be blotted out Answere I denie the consequence because the Maior which is omitted in the argument is false to wit that Moses was blotted out or could be blotted out of the booke of life He surely wished to be blotted out for the sin of Israel rather than the name of God should be blasphemed among the Gentiles but it was not done or could be done because he wished it Nether are we to maruell that Moses wished that that could not bee seeing this is vsuall in the praiers of the Saints that through a certaine vehement loue of God and their neighbor their will is caried away euen vnto things that cannot be done Example hereof we haue in this very wish of Moses who desired to drawe rather vpon himselfe the punishment and damnation of transgressors if God would not at all pardon their sin For the iustice of God doth not suffer him to punish an innocent for an offender but the soule that sinneth shall die Euen as Moses that wished such a thing was answered of the iudge of the worlde He that sinneth against me I will blot him out of the booke that I haue written So Dauid prayed 2. Sam. 18. Who will graunt me that I might die for thee sonne Absolom Whereas yet it could not be that hee should die for Absolom Christ also knew well enough that he must drinke of the cup yet he said Father if it be possible let this cup passe from me And to vse a most like example Paul wished to bee accursed from Christ Rom. 9. for his brethren the Israelites that is for the loue of Christ hee was ready if it were possible to lose the kingdome of heauen and to goe to hell De compunâ—t â—ora lib. 1. serm de nulla regni spe as often Chrysostome expoundeth that place But as touching the Lordes answere to Moses when hee saith That he will blot him out of his booke that hath sinned against him the answere is all one with that that we made before to the place of the Psalme which Ambrose also vpon the ninth to the Romanes plainely approueth by his iudgement and among the later writers Doctor Heerbrand subscribeth vnto him Heerb disp de elect praed thes 115. Hub thes 771. Equiuocos doctores Therefore let Huber rather consult with them than scorne the trueth and the louers of it and tauntingly terme them doubtfull Doctors when as he himselfe plaieth more truely the doubtfull disputer dallying with the doubtfull significations of wordes to deceiue others Obiection 4 Beside it is obiected out of the twelfth chapter to the Hebrewes Heb. 12. Yee are come to mount Sion the citie of the liuing God the heauenly Ierusalem and to thousands of Angels and to the companie of the first borne c. Take heede that yee despise not him that speaketh for if they escaped not that despised him that spake in Gods name in the earth much more wee if wee abhorre him who is from heauen Some of these of whome this speech is doe fall away and perish for euer because hee terrifieth them with eternall punishments if they resist the worde But these that are spoken of are written in heauen therefore some of such doe pertsh Answere I answere that of pure perticulars nothing is concluded Certainly the Minor is onely particular because it is spoken of those first begotten that are written in heauen and not of other whomsoeuer that pertaine to their societie and the Churches among whom it is not to be doubted that many are hypocrites that shall in their time be iudged of the Lord. But say they it is written keepe that thou hast that no man Obiection 5 take away thy crowne He that standeth Apoc. 3.11 let him take heed lest he fall If God spared not the naturall branches take heed 1. Cor. 11. Rom 11. Phil. 2. that he spare not thee also In feare and trembling worke your saluation These and the like exhortations and threatning pertaine to all euen to Gods elect Therefore the elect are not without perill of losing saluation Answere I answere There is a fallacie from that which is not the cause as if it were the cause for whereas such exhortations and threatnings meete vs in the Scriptures it is not therefore done because the saluation of the elect is not in good safetie as touching the grace of the chuser but seeing the elect carry about them and in them manifolde infirmities and endure sundry temptations of the world the holy Ghost thinketh good by those meanes to worke in them watchfulnes and perseuerance for their saluation But what shall we say to that of the Apostle I beat downe Obiection 6 my body bring it into subiection least by any meanes 1. Cor. 9. when I haue preached to others my selfe became a reprobate Paul doubtlesse was elected yet he laboured that he might not bee a reprobate Answere I answere Grammar vndoeth this knot For a reprobate is here opposed to one approued and the meaning is that hee went before others in example least by not doing what he taught he should bring himselfe into contempt So siluer is called reprobate Ieremie 6.30 And diuerse times this signification meeteth vs as 2. Cor. 13.6.7 Secondly though we should grant that reprobate here is taken for one that is to be condemned in eternall death what consequence is this Paul and other elected to life chastise their flesh and vse other exercises of faith and repentance that they perish not Therefore some of the elect doe fall away from grace Nay therefore they doe not fall away because they carefully shunne falles and vse the meanes vnto saluation WHETHER AND HOW WE MAY BE CERTAINE AND SVRE OF OVR Election in Christ CHAP. XXIII Of the certainety of saluation and therefore of Election against the Papistes THe elect of God as we haue seen haue an excellent prerogatiue and dignitie whom no creature can separate from his loue in Christ Iesu in whom before the world they were vnchangeably predestinated to eternall glory But that we may be partakers of this consolation we must consider 1. Whether and 2. how wee may be certaine of our election in Christ Where also we wil touch 3. what we must iudge in this point of our brethren in Christ and of our neighbour in generall The first of these three questions was wont to be in controuersie betweene vs and the Papistes The Papists say that election is certaine in it selfe but vncertaine to vs. For
vndertake the charge of them The first taught them the worship of the gods and kingly instructions The second aduised theÌ„ to affect fauour the trueth in their whole life The third that they would not be ouercome with any desire but accustome themselues to liue like freemen in very deed kings ruling themselues aboue al things not seruing any desires The fourth made theÌ„ stoute least through feare they should commit any thing not beseeming their dignitie and become seruants This instructioÌ„ of one that should be a Prince florished amoÌ„g the Persians And surely they rightly iudged that he ought to be trained vp in the precepts of wisedome that is of religion and of the kingdome but that being ignorant of Gods trueth they imbraced a false religion through the magical instruction of Zoroaster An instruction not vnlike albeit euery way farre better as being taken out of the cleerest fountaines of heauenly wisedome hath happened vnto your Highnesse most gracious Prince Neither haue the praiers of Salomon been wanting both of your Highnesse which from your childhood hauing taken delight in the knowledge of profitable and good things hath beene earnest in dayly prayers with God and is vncessantly instant desiring to be indued by him with an vnderstanding heart and also of all good men who publikely and priuately haue most regarded that thing and not without cause And how much hath been effected thereby manifest experiments doe testifie and such as shall be with thankefull hearts made knowne to posteritie to the honour of God First because that noble Prince and Lord the Lord Iohn Casimire Tutor and a second parent as it were to your Highnes being lately taken out of this life your flourishing age and already ripe to gouernment and your iudgement riper than your age most excellent Frederike haue afforded vs a refuge and solace in so hard a case Then because after you had taken vpon you the gouernment of most large Dominions wee â—oyfully haue seene such trials of your great vertue and such foundations haue beene layd of good gouernment although in a lamentable and wicked time that it hath lifted vp the mindes of all men vnto a singular good expectation Goe on forwarde therefore in this minde and vertue most noble prince Elector be strong in the Lord and in his mightie power remember the Lordes exhortation in old time to Ioshua I will bee with thee as I was with Moses I will not leaue thee nor forsake thee Be of good comfort that thou mayest doe according to the Law Let not the booke of the Lawe depart from thy mouth Then thou shalt deale wisely and prosperously in all things In like maner also the holy man Dauid as we read diligently exhorted his sonne Salomon 1. Kings 2. when being as yet a child hee was now consecrated to raigne The Lorde God who taketh away Dan. 2. and appointeth Princes and from whom commeth wisedome and fortitude endue your highnes more and more with vertue from aboue But most noble prince Elector and gracious Lorde seeing these foure bookes of the Redemption of mankinde and Gods Predestination being written by me a yeere agoe should nowe come abroad vnder the authoritie of your gouernment I thought that this my duety should be acceptable to your Highnes if I should intitle and offer them most humbly vnto you and that in respect of that thankefulnesse whereunto I am many wayes bound to your Highnes I know well inough that I am not able this way to make a full recompence yet freely to professe the same is the propertie of a thankefull person Further because in these and the like Ecclesiasticall controuersies that arise from restles wits it is meete that Princes especially should haue the knowledge and custodie of the trueth to the intent that malicious detractors and deprauers may doe the lesse hurt to Christian religion At this day we are slandered of malicious men with a new crime that is fained against vs as though wee should deny that Christ died for al men An impudent reproach For according to the Scriptures we also confesse the same but we denie that thereupon it followeth that all mankinde without exceptioÌ„ of any one are by the death of Christ indeed iustified saued and restored into the bosome of grace hauing receiued the pardon of their sinnes whether they beleeue or no. This is a deuise of man and therefore to be refused if wee will retaine the consent of the Prophets and Apostles Acts 10. Ioh. 3. to wit that euery one that beleeueth in Christ Iesu receiueth remission of sinnes through his name the wrath of God abiding vpon the vnbeleeuers Now the doctrine of Predestination according to which God saueth in mercie some of the damnable lumpe of mankind and in iustice punisheth others for their sinnes being in the same lumpe vtterly forsaken is of it selfe plaine if we desire rather to follow the direction of Gods spirit than the consequences of foolish reason But reason being troubled with the depth of Gods grace and his iudgement leaueth here nothing vnassayd as we may see by the example of the Pelagians old and newe the first Augustine of old time soundly confuted and Luther the latter De ser arb alibi Therefore let those men that would be counted Lutherans looke to it how they doe agree in iudgement both against Luther the truth it selfe also with the Pelagians But I make an end praying God that vnder your Highnes the studies of peace learning and pietie may alwayes florish Amen At Heidelberge the 12. of March 1592. Your Highnesse most humbly bounden IACOBVS KIMEDONCIVS D. A table of certaine places of Scripture expounded in these Bookes GEn. 3. The seede of the woman c. 100 I will put enmitie c. 101 Gen. 12. 22. In thy seede shall all nations c. 105.201 Leuit. 16. Of the Scape Goate 107 Deut. 7. God hath chosen thee to be a people 283 Esay 53. He hath laid the iniquities of vs all c. 103. 202 Esay 62. Tell the daughter of Sion 205 Ierem. 23. In his dayes Israel shall be saued 204 Ierem. 31. I will make a couenant with the house of Israel c. 203 Ezech. 18. I will not the death of a sinner c. 335 Osea 13. Thy destruction is of thy selfe 334 Zach. 2. Reioyce O daughter Sion 204 Zach. 3. I will take away the iniquitie of that land 105 Zach. 9. Thy king commeth vnto thee 204 Psalm 2. I will giue thee the heathen for c. 106 Wisd 1. God made not death 334 Ecclesiasticus 33. As one day excelleth another 285 Matth. 1. He shall saue his people 180 Matth. 7. I neuer knew you 210 Matth. 18. Of these little ones that beleeue in me 166 The parable of the debter 126 Matth. 26. Which is shed for many 181 Luk. 1. He hath redeemed his people 182 Luk. 2. I tell you of great ioy 183 A light to lighten the
11. and 7. vers 12. Augustine disputing against Porphyrie of the time of Christian religion in his booke de sex paganorum quaestionibus writeth that Christ did then come when he knew that men would beleeue But the enemies of grace wresting this speech Tom. 7. fol. 1228. 1243. 1269. caused Augustine to correct it partly by interpretation partly by calling it in againe CHAP. VIII The question of the redemption of the old fathers is handled and a double opinion about the same is confuted BVt hereupon another question ariseth concerning the fathers who dyed before the birth of Christ whether redemption appertained also to them The error of the Marcionits and Manichees The Marcionites and their like to wit the Manichees of old time denied it who held that no man was saued before the 15. yeare of Tiberius as Epiphanius reporteth Epiph. de haeres Manich. Whom that most filthie Seruetus followed and many other of the sect of the Anabaptists who foolishly say Tertul. lib 4. contra Marci vltra medium that the Israelites no otherwise thē as a heard of swine were satted of the Lord in the land of Canaan without any hope of heauenly immortalitie But this monstrous error is easily refuted by many places of the Scripture from which wee will onely choose a few Certainly the author to the Hebrewes tieth together a long rew of the olde fathers Heb. 11. who pleased God before Christ was exhibited to the world and were made heires of that righteousnes which is of faith Gen. 17. What meaneth that forme of the couenant I will be thy God and the God of thy seede Exod. 3. Matth. 22. and that which was said I am the God of Abraham God of Isaac and the God of Iacob do they not shew that they were partakers of grace whereof Christ is the onely foundation Whereto also tendeth that notable saying of the Lord Ioh. 8. Abraham desired to see my daie and he saw it and reioyced Neither is any kingdome promised vnto vs in the Gospell then that wherein wee should sit with Abraham Matth. 8. Isaac and Iacob and all the elect of God that come from East and West But those fathers dyed before the comming of Christ in the flesh What then They had in the meane while the promise of Christ to come the ground of their hope and confidence Neither doth the force of the death of Christ extend it selfe vnto our times only but to the fathers also euen from the beginning of the world For Iesus Christ yesterday Heb. 13. to day and for euer is the same as the Apostle saith Heb. 13.8 Hee meaneth that Christ was not onely in times past as touching his diuinitie as it is said of him elsewhere Before Abraham was I am but such as he is now such was he of olde and now is and shall remaine for euer mercifully to saue and defend his owne In which sense also the place Apoc. 13.8 is truly read of the lambe slaine before the foundations of the world were laid to wit as touching the counsell of God and the perpetuall vertue of this sacrifice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as also among the old writers Ambrose taketh that saying vpon the 5. to the Romanes Yet I denie not but the Greeke text in that place may thus also be construed Whose names are not writtē from before the foundations of the world c. because of the very like place Apoc. 17.8 We conclude therefore with Augustine August de na◠gra cap. 44. that the same faith healed the righteous of olde time which healeth vs euen the faith of Iesu Christ the Mediatour of God and men the faith of his blood the faith of his crosse And in another place he saith Lib. 1. de pecca merit remiss cap. 11. The only grace of the Sauiour destroyeth the kingdome of death in euery one which grace wrought also in the old Saints whosoeuer before Christs comming in the flesh leaned vpon his helping grace and not vpon the letter of the law which commandeth onely and helpeth nothing Yet here is not to be omitted Of the fathers Limbus that many doe so extend the benefit of redemption vnto the old righteous men that they notwithstanding denie that any one entered into the kingdome of heauen before the death of Christ whereby they vnderstand that the gate of heauen was at the length opened And if a man aske whither then were the soules of the godly in old time receiued they answere into Hell that is forsooth Limbus patrum Hereupon the booke de Ecclesiasticis dogmat which is fathered vpon Augustine chap. 78. and 79. defineth thus Before the passion of the Lord all the soules of the Saints were kept in hell vnder the debt of Adams transgression vntill through the vndeserued death of the Lord they were deliuered from that seruile condition but after his ascension into heauen all the soules of the Saints departing out of the bodie goe vnto Christ as the soules of sinners vnto hell And Hierome vpon Ecclesiast chap. 3. writeth that before the comming of Christ all went to hell to bee held in darknes and heauenly things were shut vp vntil Christ with the theefe vnlocked the dores of Paradise Basill also mentioneth this opinion vpon the 48. Psalme and many other of the old writers And this is almost the common opinion of the Schoolemen who adde this declaration that the holy fathers suffered in hell no punishment of sense but only punishment of losse to wit exclusion from the life of glorie And the cause of this detaining of the fathers in hell they make to bee the guiltines of all mans nature through originall sinne which none of the Saints faith or righteousnesse was able to remoue but it should bee remoued at length by the price of the blood of Christ Thomas part 3. quaest 42. artic 5. But this deuise of Limbus patrum though it hath manie founders yet it is nothing but a fained thing For there is but one way to loose vs from the guiltines of euery sinne as well actuall as originall 1. Ioh. 1. because the blood of Christ doth wash vs from all sin saith S. Iohn Not then from originall only as Paul also generally speaketh to Titus Tit. 2. He gaue himselfe to redeeme vs from all sinne or iniquitie Neither doth Thomas denie it in the place before cited part 3. q. 49. art 5. Cath. archiepis lib. Romae edit◠cum priuil pap 1552. which is to be noted against the horrible blasphemie of Catharinus and such like Papists who affirme that the passion of Christ doth purge onely originall sinne and those actuall sinnes which are committed of a man before Baptisme but all other sinnes which follow are not now to be purged by that sacrifice but by the Masse Certainly Thomas writeth flatly that by the passion of Christ we are deliuered not onely from the common sinne of
For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his sonne much more being reconciled we shall be saued by his life And a little after Neither that alone but also wee reioyce in God through our Lord Iesu Christ by whom wee haue now obtained reconciliation Againe If death raigned by one offence much more those who doe receiue that abundant grace gift of righteousnes shall raigne in life To Titus chap. 2. He gaue himselfe for vs to redeeme vs from all sinne and to purge vs a peculiar people for himselfe zealous of good workes Peter also ioyneth these things together 1. Epist chap. 2. when he saith that our Lord bore our sinnes in his bodie vpon the tree that we being dead to sinnes might liue to righteousnes Of these things there ought to bee a daily consideration The true vse of the former ends if they be well weighed Ephes 1. that we may vnderstand the greatnes of the gift of Christ and giue him thanks without ceasing weighing with ourselues what is the breadth and length and depth as Paul speaketh of the grace of God and what is the hope of his calling and the riches of his glorie in his Saints Further the daily meditation hereof is profitable and necessarie partly to nourish in vs faith and hope and partly to stirre vp and strengthen in vs more and more newnes of life Hauing saith the Apostle Heb. 10. libertie to enter into the holie place by the blood of Iesu and hauing an high priest who is ruler ouer the house of God let vs come with a true heart and a sure perswasion of faith and let vs hold the confession of hope without wauering And as touching the framing of our life we are commanded to walke worthie of the Lord Colos 1. who when wee were the seruants of sinne to death hath deliuered vs from sinne and made vs seruants of righteousnesse Hereupon are those exhortations of Paul Rom. 6. Let not sinne raigne in your mortall body and giue not your members weapons of vnrighteousnes vnto sinne but giue your selues vnto God as such as are aliue from the dead and your members weapōs of righteousnes vnto God Againe As you haue giuen your members seruants to vncleannes and iniquitie for iniquitie so now giue your members seruants of righteousnesse vnto holinesse Certainly seeing we are the freemen of Christ we ought to liue vnto him who hath redeemed vs Tit. 2. and would haue vs his peculiar people and followers of good workes neither ought we as forgetfull of our Redeemer retyre vnto the campes of Satan and the world our enemies and submit againe our bodies and soules vnto the yoke of our old bōdage frō whence we were redeemed with the blood of the Sonne of God O mad men O vile traytors and the wickeddest of all mortall men who so greatly reproch a Christian name nay Christ the Redeemer and doe little lesse then tread the blood of the couenant vnder their feete CHAP. XI WHO BE REDEEMED BY CHRIST The controuersie of the question propounded is rehearsed and briefly expounded For whom Christ died THese things being declared let vs come to the question reserued to the last place Who they be whom Christ the Mediatour of God and men redeemed by his death or for whom he died And this matter shall be more largely handled then the former questions as farre as the Lord shall assist vs for their sakes that are desirous to learne and for the defence of the truth of the Gospell seeing not long agoe by occasion of the Conference at Mompelgart the matter hath growne into a grieuous contention Huberus and a certaine man inflamed with anger and seeming to be mad hath too too bitterly and reprochfully in his writings which he hath spersed abroad both in Latine and Dutch blowne the same with the fanne of contention as though there had not been before discords and strifes more then enough in this our corrupt age in the Church of Christ with often and most grieuous offences of the weake He ouerwhelmeth such as dissent from him with all kinde of reproches and railing words as come into his mouth The shamefull reproches and slanders of Huber against vs the truth That they come neere to Mahometisme and Paganisme That they maintaine Satanicall blasphemie are franticke desire to extinguish the name of Christ and that they are hereunto inclined to driue away Christ first out of the hearts then out of the Scripture and lastly out of the Church it selfe And hee termeth them seducers Pharisees Scribes a subtill poysoned and false sort of men and grieuously abuseth innocent persons with other hard words as often as pleaseth him according to that his passing christian zeale towards the Church of God supposing by his brasen forehead as I thinke to get himselfe credit with the reader to thinke it written truly what he should write impudently forgetting altogether the admonition of the Apostle 2. Tim. 2.24 The dutie of a Diuine That the seruant of the Lord must not be contentious but gentle towards all apt to teach forbearing euill men with meekenes instructing those that are contrary minded This is the dutie of a Diuine As for reproches railing speeches mockes biting taunts ill reports back-biting and all other doggish eloquence let scoffers and iesters take them to themselues In 2. cap. 2. ep ad Timot. A notable speech of Ambrose against contention Conference saith Ambrose and not contention ought to be among the seruants of God For strife must needes wring out something nay many things which are spoken against conscience so so that inwardly he looseth in his minde when outwardly he goeth away with the victorie For no man suffereth himselfe to be ouercome although hee know the things to be true which hee heareth Therefore let vs speake of the thing itselfe For to railing words and reproches he will answere who hath said Vengeance is mine Deut. 32. Rom. 12. I will repay vnto whom for Christs sake who hath pardoned vs our sinnes wee heartily pray that hee would forgiue our aduersaries those grieuous wrongs they doe vnto vs that he would take away discord and plant loue and peace in the truth among the Churches that with one mouth wee may glorifie God the father of our Lord Iesus Christ and receiue one another as Christ hath receiued vs to the glorie of God Rom. 15. Therefore comparing matter with matter and cause with cause The state of the controuersie Huberus Thes 1. let vs begin at the state of the controuersie The question is Whether Christ suffered for the redemption of all or not Here straightway those men crie out that the Caluinists so they call vs for the hatred of the truth raging against the passion of the Lord Iesus Christ doe openly denie that hee died for the sins of the whole world Compend Thes 1. and his Dutch booke in the preface Againe
restraint is it to be taken as oft as it is read in our writers that Christ suffered not for all to wit in respect of the effect of his passion which belongeth to such as are to bee saued and not to them that shall be damned to the faithfull and not to Infidels And so Beza also declareth himself Colloq Mompelg pa. 217. And there is nothing in him which is not in so many words and in the same sense written by the old writers Neither are cauillers to be regarded which say what need is there to say Huberus thes 1154. that Christ is a price sufficient for the whole world why bewitch ye men with these termes I answere this is no bewitching but the ancient and right explication of this controuersie against them that loue to bewitch the world with new opinions Huber comp thes 5. 6. But say they the word sufficiently taken in that signification wherein sacred antiquitie tooke it we refuse not but rather approue it But our Caluinists say they deuising a wrong and doubtfull signification of the word doe deceiue the simpler sort For this they meane that Christs death is so mightie that if he would helpe all men by the same he could easily doe it thes 1152. But if they would vse the word of sufficiencie in another signification as when we say against the Papists that the death of Christ is sufficient for al men that is needeth no helpe of mans works to redeeme vs or els also in this sense when we say that Christs death is sufficient for all whether men beleeue and be saued or beleeue not and perish yet that Christ hath satisfied for al we would not refuse the vse of this terme in such a signification But I thinke it is plaine enough by the things which are recited before how antiquitie hath vsed those termes of sufficiencie and efficiencie neither that wee change any thing in the sense or deceiue any by doubtfull signification In the meane while the thing it selfe proueth that the simpler sort are here beguiled by our aduersarie who when hee would seeme to allow the terme of sufficiencie in that sense wherein antiquitie accepted it yet he deuiseth of his own head significations altogether vnknowne vnto antiquitie in his propounded opposition otherwise we defend also against the Papists that the merit of Christ needeth no helpe of mans workes neither deny we that he hath satisfied for al whether they bee saued or perish to wit as touching the sufficiencie and greatnes of the price so mighty and rich for redemption that if the vniuersalitie of captiues would beleeue in him the bands of the deuill should hold back none CHAP. XII Another maner of vniuersall redemption THis also we affirme that albeit not all All taken for all that bee Christs and of his Church as many as are borne of Adam are by the death of Christ effectually borne againe redeemed and iustified rightly neuerthelesse it may be said that Christ died for all euen in respect of the effect of his death iustification regeneration and such like benefits not that they redound to all and euery man but to all who are Christs as the Apostle saith If God be for vs Rom. 8. who can be against vs who also spared not his owne sonne but gaue him for vs all Who be those all in whose mouth that saying is and faith in their hearts If God be for vs who can be against vs Truly they whom he foreknew and predestinated whom he also calleth iustifieth glorifieth the elect of God whose is saluation and eternall life whom no creature can separate from the loue of God in Christ as there it is said Who shall lay any crimes against the elect of God The author of the bookes de vocat gentium a man surely very learned and eloquent Prosper Aq. whether he were Ambrose or rather Prosper of Aquitaine lib. 1. cap. 3. writeth notably in this sort Therefore saith he the people of God haue their fulnes and albeit a great part of men either reiect or neglect the grace of the Sauiour yet in the elect and soreknowne which are seuered from the generalitie of all there is a certaine speciall vniuersalitie that out of the whole world the whole world seemeth to bee set at libertie and out of all men all men seeme to be receiued Where let vs note a doubt A three-fold vniuersalitie nay a three-fold vniuersalitie namely the generalitie of all men then the generalitie of the elect who are saued and on the other side the vniuersalitie of the reprobates who perish Of these as well elect as reprobates as the same author well obserueth the diuine stile doth so order his speech Lib. 2. cap. 1. that both those things which are spoken of one part of men seeme to appertaine to all and also whereas there bee some who perish and some who are saued yet neither part is without the name of all men the portion of rebels bearing the losse of their saluation and the dignitie of the faithfull obtaining the account of fulnes But the matter shall bee made more cleere by examples When the Lord saith Ioh. 12. When I shall be lifted vp from the earth All taken for all the elect only I will draw all things or after another reading all men vnto me doth not the conuersion of all men seeme to be promised and yet many thousands to this day do serue the deuill and the world But rightly wee vnderstand with Augustine Aug. tract 53. all that is all men predestinate to saluation of all whom none shall perish So that which is written in the Prophets Esay 54.13 Esay 31.34 Ioh. 6. All shall be taught of God and all shall know me from the least vnto the greatest are alike true of the men of Gods kingdome according to the limitation of Augustine Athanasius Tract 26. See also Athanasius of these three sayings now alleaged in Euang. de pass cruce Domini What when it is said Esay 65. All flesh shall come into my sight and worship in Ierusalem saith the Lord. Or els that Ioel. 2. And in the last daies it shall come to passe that I will powre out of my spirit vpon all flesh Or this The Lord vpholdeth all that fall Psal 145.14 and lifteth vp all that are bowed downe Are not these so vttered as though no man were seuered from this gift of God Of this sort are these sayings also Vntill wee all grow into the vnitie of faith Ephes 4. 2. Cor. 5. and knowledge of the Sonne of God vnto a perfect man Old things are passed away behold all things are become new Matth. 26. Drinke ye all of this c. Are these things spoken of the vnbeleeuers also and such as be notoriously wicked Of the vniuersalitie of the vngodly the sacred Scriptures speake in like maner All taken for all the wicked only as
all things wherein there is found such consent ought to be blotted out of Christian Religion as erronious false foolish Turkish and heathenish As for example the Turkish religion acknowledgeth one God Almightie creator of heauen and earth also it teacheth that Christ the sonne of Marie was sent of God whose precepts euery seruant of the Gospell in iudging ought to follow and such like Therefore let Huber denie that there is one God let him denie him to be Almightie let him denie him to be the Creator of all let him denie Christ to be the sonne of Marie let him denie him to be sent of God let him denie his precepts to be kept of Christians and such like things least hee seeme to haue some thing in common with the Turkes Lastly let him goe on his head because the Turkes goe a foote And if this be ridiculous it is more than Turkish furie and madnes to condemne this proposition as Turkish A true godly proposition though the Turkes teach the same in effect That God is able surely to saue all men but he will not because he hath otherwise from euerlasting decreed What the Alcoron teacheth of this or not teacheth we nothing passe who haue not learned to draw the truth out of the stinking puddles of men but out of the cleere fountaines of Israel and we doe stand onely vnto the iudgement of the diuine Scriptures And they teach vs that God hath mercy vpon whom hee will Exod. 33. and hardeneth whom he will and that he hath raised vp Pharao Rom. 9. and by his example generally vessels of wrath conioyned vnto destruction and doth daily raise vp that in them he may shew his power and wrath as contrariwise he hath prepared vessels of mercie vnto glory that he might make knowne the riches of his glorie What that the Iudge at the last day shall say vnto them that shall be at his left hand Goe ye cursed into euerlasting fire Matth. 25. prepared for the diuell and his Angels Doe these things obscurely testifie if we would rather follow the iudgement of the spirit than of the flesh that albeit God is able to saue all yet he will saue some surely of the damnable masse of mankind and damne others according to the eternall counsell of his will A Dilemma prouing that some are saued and others damned and that by the will of God Further seeing it is without all doubt that some shall be saued and some damned it must needes be done either with or against the will of God Not against his will for so he should not be omnipotent therefore with his will and because he willeth it therefore from euerlasting he willeth it vnles we would thinke that God doth any thing by chance or rashly or else that some new thing falleth into his prescience and will Aug. Enchâ—r ad Laur. cap. 103. Augustine confirmeth this reason We are by no meanes to beleeue saith he that the Almightie God would haue any thing done which is not done because without any alteration or change he hath done whatsoeuer he would in heauen and earth Psalm 115.4 as the truth declareth and therefore certainely he would not doe whatsoeuer he hath not done The same man saith De cor grat cap. 14. No free will resisteth God when he is willing to saue for so to will and to be vnwilling is in the power of the willer or niller A notable saying that it hindreth not the diuine will nor doth ouercome his power For concerning those men who doe the things that God willeth not he himselfe doth what he will Luther Luther also in praefat ad Rom. plainely writeth That all things depend of predestination who shall beleeue who not who shall be saued who damned And addeth that which I leaue to be diligently obserued of the aduersaries that the sentence is stable and the necessitie immoueable of predestination that it cannot be changed nor ouerthrowne of any creature But chiefely in his booke de seruo Arbitrio he confesseth it at large that the saluation of some and the damnation of others doe wholy arise from hence that God will haue some saued and others damned according to that saying of Paul He hath mercie on whom he will and whom he will he hardeneth And as touching the reprobates he expressely writeth chap. 161. That God of his owne meere will forsaketh hardeneth and damneth men And addeth manifestly that this is it that greatly offendeth common sense and reason as though God were delighted with the paines and torments of miserable persons Also chap. 168. he saith that the loue of God is eternall and immutable and also the hatred of God toward meÌ„ euerlasting before the world was made And many such sayings doth that booke containe as that by his secret and fearefull will God ordaineth whom and what manner of men he will haue to be partakers of mercy that is preached and offered that the will of his maiestie reiecteth and leaueth some of purpose that they may perish that such as be forsaken or hardened by that secret will of his maiestie doe not receiue God willing speaking dooing and offering himselfe againe that willinglie he hardeneth by that vnsearcheable will c. And that admonition of his is very godly In such things it is not our parts to search out the cause of Gods will but to reuerence loue and adore it restraining the rashnes of reason seeing Christ also Matth. 11. bringeth no other cause why the Gospell is hid from the wise and reuealed vnto little ones than the good pleasure of the father This doctrine of Luther O Huber sauoreth more certainely of the spirite of God than those prophesies which thou hast drawne out of him and doest wish to be fastened vnto all the dores of the Temple and to be written in all mens hearts Why then doe ye not admit it into all your Churches and without contention engraue it in your owne and other mens mindes If yee shall doe it it is well but if yee continue to finde faulte with it in vs and after your wonted boldnes by your wicked stile and tongue banish it as Turkish or else opening the dore to Turcisme and other vnspeakeable mischiefe I aduise you consider in time whether you will cast downe the authoritie of Luther in the aduauncing whereof euen vnto heauen you haue hitherto so greatly laboured CHAP. XII Vnto the third accusation FVrthermore it is an impudent speech that the Catholike and true Church is condemned of vs which hath beleeued and alwaies with one mouth confessed that Christ died for all men The Catholike Church hath euer beleeued that Christ died for all men that beleeue in him and not otherwise Iohn 3. Acts 10. Heb. 11. We also confesse that Christ died for all men For who can denie that without distinction which diuers times is expressely set downe in the sacred Scriptures But hereof is the question
the effect for so he teacheth that the sinnes of many onely and not of all to wit of the beleeuers and not of vnbeleeuers are taken away by the oblation of Christ His words are these Why is he said to be offered to take away the sinnes of many and not of all Because all beleeue not He died surely as much as lay in him for all that is his death is of such moment as is the perdition of all Theophylact the abridger of Chrysostome expressed the same distinction ad Heb. 2. 9. and mentioneth that Basil also did so distinguish Whereupon also Chrysostome Hom. 39. in 1. ad Cor. vpon that saying of the Apostle that all shall be quickened in Christ plainly denieth that that can bee meant of the the righteousnes of all men as though whosoeuer were made sinners in Adam haue the free gift of righteousnes in Christ Of these things it is cleere to what opinion Chrysostome Theophylact Basill and other fathers doe leane In alleadging Augustine The 4. testimonie Augustine I know not whether I may blame craftines or grossenes in the aduersarie Augustine intituleth a booke Of articles falsely laid to his charge whereof the first article was that he was falsely charged as wee are also falsely by such as enuie vs at this day as if he should teach that our Lord Iesus Christ suffered not for the redemption of all men Therefore saist thou by Augustines iudgement it is a false and prophane opinion that Christ suffered not for the redemption of all But Huber by a sophisticall or deceitfull cunning passeth by those things which Augustine there largely writeth for the declaration of this article For he also vsing the distinctioÌ„ before alleadged out of Chrysostome saith Quod ad magnitudinem potentiam pretij c. that is As touching the greatnes and power of the price and as much as concerneth the onely cause of mankinde the blood of Christ is the redemption of the whole world and so all are rightly said to bee redeemed but whereas they are voide of redemption who passe through this world without the faith of Christ and without the Sacrament of regeneration doubtles the proprietie of redemption belongeth to them out of whom the prince of this world is cast forth and are now not the vessels of the deuill but the members of Christ whose death was not bestowed for mankind that they also who were not to be regenerated should belong vnto his redemption For the cup of immortalitie which is made of our infirmitie and the diuine vertue hath surely in it selfe that it can profit all but if it bee not drunke it doth no good These things he The 5. testimonie Maximus As for the saying of Maximus in Augustine serm 128. de tempore We reade in the Scriptures that the saluation of whole mankinde is redeemed by the blood of the Sauiour and the safetie of the whole world is euerlasting Those words may bee expounded as touching the greatnes and power of the price being so rich that if all would beleeue in Christ the chaines of Satan should hold none but all should enioy eternall safetie But the right meaning is that the author there speaketh of the generality of the beleeuers through the whole world which thing he shal coÌ„fesse whosoeuer shall consider his drift scope See also Ambrose in Lu. 23. de cassa prodit poenit For this he meaneth that the world is like a potters field bought with the price of the Lords blood for strangers that is saith he for Christians who are exiles in the whole world that they that haue not possession in the world may possesse a whole Sauiour Therfore that redemption belongeth nothing to the vnbeleeuers being the sonnes and possessors of the world And this is the constant doctrine of the fathers as at large shall bee shewed in the booke following The 6. testimonie Cypr. de ablut peâ—um Aug. serâ— in monâ—e lib 1. Chrysost hom â— 20. But concerning them who after faith receiued returne vnto their vomite againe it is little auailable how we vnderstand certaine sayings of the fathers wherein they are read to attribute to such persons the grace of pardon and clensing from sinnes adoption and such like For this is not the state of the controuersie whether they that haue once obtained by faith remission of sinnes doe chance to fall from that grace or no but whether all beleeuers and vnbeleeuers haue once receiued the grace of that pardon and clensing from sinnes or no Those very sayings of the fathers approue the negatiue part which we defend because they speake of such as are conuerted and baptized and to these onely they giue it that they are set free from sinnes and made the sonnes of God But how some afterward lose this grace and returne to their vomit wee haue aboue fully declared to wit that so farre as they are numbred with the Church they bee accounted and ought to bee accounted in the iudgement of charitie for reconciled and the sonnes of God although with God oftentimes they bee not such Serm. domin in monte lib. 1. as Augustine very well hath witnessed Whereupon also he ioyneth these together to bee made partaker of the spirit of grace whereby wee are reconciled to God and to hold the societie of the holy brotherhood Aug. in Leuit. whereas in the meane while many hypocrites euery where creepe into that societie hauing with Simon Magus visible sanctification onely and wanting the inuisible Furthermore touching the new writers The 7. testimonie who because of certaine phrases are drawne to the defence of this error wee are not greatly troubled because we follow not the preiudicate opinion of this or that Doctor but the trueth it selfe Answers to the sayings of the new writers cited by the aduersarie Yet for their sakes that are desirous of the trueth we think it good to giue some aduise Bullinger Gualter Musculus and others are cited and the confessions of one or two Churches in Heluetia out of whoÌ„ these and the like kinde of sayings are diligently drawne to wit that Christ as a Bulling ser 2. de Natiuit Chri. much as is in him is a Sauiour to all and came to saue all b The same vpon 1. Iohn 1. that he pleased God by sacrifice for all the sinnes of all times c Cat. ch minore Eccl. Tigur that his passion ought to satisfie for the sin of all men and that the whole world is quickened by the same d Musâ— in locis de remiss p. q. 2. that the grace of remission of sinnes is appointed for all mortall men and such like Vnto these I answere that howsoeuer and in what sense soeuer those writers vttered these and the like kind of speeches it is certaine that they were not of the aduersaries opinion that effectually and in very deed all without exception of any one and without any difference of
vpon Leuiticus quaest 84. witnesseth that visible Baptisme did him no good because he had not the inuisible Hitherto let Luthers sayings be referred Luth. in Gen. 17 that baptisme is erected for a signe of righteousnes to all that beleeue in Christ. That the vertue of Baptisme consisteth in the vse or faith of him that receiueth it Also De Cap. Basil in 3. Ioel. that holie Baptisme is the fountaine of saluation whereof they that drinke that is In Gen. 48. beleeue the promise added doe neuer thirst And that he generally elsewhere pronounceth that the Sacrament worketh not grace without faith and hee taxeth the dreame of the papists that Baptisme profiteth thee and iustifieth thee whether thou beleeuest or not Neither saith Brentius otherwise Brentius explicat Catechis de Baptis where among other things he writeth that Baptisme is a seale whereby Christ publikely confirmeth that he deliuereth and giueth those speciall heauenly good things that are promised in the Gospell to him that beleeueth Againe that Baptisme is a royall vnction the Sacrament confirming and publishing that thing which a man before had receiued by faith for man is not then first receiued into the Lords tuition seeing before he was receiued by faith but then his admission is first confirmed by an externall signe And handling that promise He that beleeueth c. plainely saith thus Baptisme as it profiteth much if in faith it be redeemed so it doth no good if it be without faith and he maketh mention of an example out of the tripartite History lib. 11. cap. 14. of a certaine Iewe a craftie fellow who would often receiue Baptisme not for that he beleeued in Christ but that by this meanes hee might get money of Christians who albeit hee was Baptized yet was not truely made a Christian by his Baptisme The same Brentius vpon Iohn fol. 119. expressely writeth that not euery one that is Baptized is regenerated for faith must be required not to the perfection of the Sacrament but to the profite of the receiuer Chytraeus Likewise Dauid Chytreus Tract de bapt printed at Wittenberge 1580. saith That ministers doe Baptize with water pronounce the word and giue water but Christ Baptiseth with the holy Ghost and regenerateth the beleeuers Againe many being washed in water and not bringing to Baptisme true faith are Baptized not with the inspiration of the holy Ghost but with water onely as Simon Magus Ia. Andr. Col. Momp pa. 486. thes 6◠30. These things largely set downe doe shew to whom belongeth the promise of grace in Baptisme against the error and more than a dreame of certaine men to wit that regeneration is giuen to all in Baptisme beleeuers and vnbeleeuers and that if an vnbeleeuing hypocrite be Baptized he is not onely outwardly Baptized in water but inwardly also by the holy spirit yea euen Simon Magus no lesse then others receiued grace in Baptisme This doubtles is to administer Baptisme not for a Sacrament of Christ but for Christ himselfe as the Apologie of the Confession of Wittenberge casteth in the papists teeth who say the same thing that these men doe to wit that remission of sinnes is wrought by Baptisme by the very vertue of the Sacrament and Gods promise and not onely by faith Let the papists then haue the victorie and the confession of the Duke of Wittenberge will lie in the dust being ouerthrowne by the very men that ought to defend it Obiection of infants faith But what shall we say of infants Baptized Cannot Baptisme saue them without faith I answer Although we haue some men in our time who thinke that euen infants beleeue and would haue all men so to thinke yet the contrarie opinion of Augustine and other olde writers is more sincere and safe Augustine For thus Augustine vpon Iohn tract 80. Infants cannot beleeue saith This word of faith onely is of force in the Church that euen neuer so little clenseth the infant by the Church beleeuing offering blessing and touching it though the infant cannot beleeue with the hart to righteousnes and with the mouth confesse to saluation Likewise in his fourth booke of Baptisme chapter 24. hee saith Infants through want of age can neither beleeue with the heart to righteousnes nor with the mouth confesse to saluation See also his 23. epistle to Bonifacius and Iustine Martyr question 56. Barnard also alloweth the same opinion Epist 77. Infants because their age hindred them cannot haue faith The reason is plaine And why they cannot for faith presupposeth knowledge of those things that are to be beleeued And that little children do know diuine things who as yet vnderstand not humaine if wee would by words declare saith Saint Augustine also Epist 57. we must be afraide least we be thought to doe iniurie to our very senses seeing that by speaking we endeuour to perswade a thing where the euidence of the trueth is greater than all the strength and force of speech Moreouer they that maintaine the faith of little children The contrary opinions of Brentius and Andr touching the faith of infants doe not a little disagree in opinions some thinking that faith is giuen them in Baptisme and others before Baptisme Of the later opinion is Brentius Explicat Catechis where hee maketh this argument God acknowledgeth none truely in the number of his people vnles he doe beleeue and maketh his assumption of infants The infants of Gods people in olde time were part of Gods people euen before they were circumcised and therefore our infants now also pertaine to the people of God euen before they be Baptized according to the promise made to Abraham Gen. 17. I will be thy God and God of thy seede after thee Contrariwise Iacob Andree Brentius his successor defendeth the former opinion Colloq Mompel fol. 458. Before infants saith he be Baptized I cannot affirme that they doe beleeue because faith is giuen vnto them in Baptisme And streight after Infants Baptized haue the grace of adoption freely giuen them with faith and the holy Ghost Likewise Luther in 17. Gen. albeit in his booke of praying he seeme to thinke otherwise hath left it written that the children of the Israelites had this blessing that on the eight daye faith was giuen them and they were made the people of God which thing he would haue in like manner vnderstoode of the Children of Christians in their Baptisme And this opinion surely is driuen to a great straight because of infants in olde time that dyed before the eyght day when they should be circumcised and depart this life daily as yet without Baptisme being depriued of it not of any contempt but of necessitie whom yet they both doe rather reckon in the number of such as be saued seeing the couenant of God is not transgressed or made frustrate Luth. in 17. Gē Col. Momp pag. 496. But after their opinion no man be he a childe or a man
respect of all and euery one who euer haue been are or shall be which how vaine it is is taught by many testimonies of the Scriptures Act. 14.16.17.30 Eph. 2.12 Psal 147.19.20 Besides looke what wee haue spoken in the sixt chapter of this booke Secondly the Apostle saying They that haue sinned without the law shall perish also without the law and they that haue sinned in the law shall be damned by the law doth not onelie grant that the Gentiles for the most part wanted the knowledge of the law written much more the knowledge of the promises of the grace of the Gospell published by Moses and the Prophets but also alleadgeth the reason of the iust damnation of the Gentiles from the breach of the law of nature making no mention of the contemned grace of the Gospell Thirdly what shall we say of so many millions of infants without the Church who haue bin preuented by death from the beginning of the world and are daily preuented before they can heare the least tittle of the grace of the Gospel what contempt is there of grace what lothing of saluation Fourthly the Lord in the Gospell saith Ioh. 15. If I had not come and spoken vnto them they should not haue had sinne but now they haue nothing to cloake their sinnes withall Augustine tract 89. Augustines iudgement of this question aduiseth vs to vnderstand this place not of euery sinne but of the great sinne of vnbeleefe and mouing the question whether they vnto whom Christ commeth not nor speaketh vnto them haue excuse for their sinne answereth not truly for euery one of their sinnes but for this sinne that they haue not beleeued in Christ they haue a plaine excuse and they cannot therefore auoide damnation according to the saying Whosoeuer haue sinned without the law shall also perish without the law and whosoeuer haue sinned in the law shall be iudged by the law And such he saith are they who when they heare contemne or else gainsaying resist or with hatred pursuing them by whom they heare Also Epist 99. ad Euod speaking of such as are in hell according to his owne and the common opinion of others maketh difference between such as here would not beleeue the Gospell preached those that haue not here contemned saith he that which they would not heare and are cast into hel without any guiltines of the contempt of the Gospell The like he writeth in his booke of nature and grace lib. 4. If with these sayings of ancient fathers we compare the phrases of new Sectaries we shall see a flat contrarietie And let these be spoken for confutation of those things so much as the state of our purpose seemed to require THE THIRD BOOKE OF CHRISTIAN REDEMPTION CONSISTING IN CONFIRMATION Or a demonstration of the true opinion who be partakers of Redemption CHAP. I. The proposition and partition NOw we are come to the confirmation of true doctrine And that is The summe of our opinion touching mans redemption by the death of Christ that albeit the death of the sonne of God our Lorde Iesu Christ as touching the greatnes of the price be the redemption of whole mankinde none excepted yet the proprietie of redemption belongeth to those who are not now the vessels of the deuils but the members of Christ by faith and the grace of regeneration the rest who liue without faith and regeneration not belonging to this redemption from sinne and death T it 1. And because faith and regeneration pertaine not to all but to the elect it is truly also auouched that redemption belongs to them and not to the reprobates This opinion we purposing to proue will vse also a threefold ranke or order of proofes The first shall be of certaine testimonies of Scripture out of the old and new Testament wherein spiritual redemption purchased by Christ is restrained to the Church which certainly is not the vniuersalitie of whole mankinde but a certaine companie of mankinde chosen to eternall life out of euery tribe language nation and people In the second ranke wee will produce diuerse arguments drawne from the analogie of faith or the apostolicall and catholike rule of faith whereunto euery Ecclesiasticall exposition and decision of whatsoeuer controuersies of saith ought to be agreeable Lastly the third ranke shall haue testimonies of godly antiquitie whereby it shall more cleerly than the light appeare that nothing is here taught or produced of vs that all the best and worthiest writers of old haue not with great consent taught according to the Scriptures CHAP. II. Certaine places of the new Testament with an admonition concerning Hubers maner of disputation VVE begin the more willingly our purposed confirmation from the expresse testimonies of Scripture because the aduersarie doubted not to blab it out Thes 627. The admonition touching Hubers maner of disputing as though we had no word of our opinion in the Scriptures and went about to draw and expresse it from consequences only And that thou maist the more marueile Christian reader at the negligence and follie of the man in so great a matter it appeareth that while he was writing and daily meditating of this controuersie yet he was long in this opinion to wit till being admonished by the positions of Doctor Tossan hee saw he had neede of an appendix as if all the proofe of our opinion would come to this Enthymeme There is an eternall predestination of God wherin he hath decreed in Christ to haue mercie vpon some vnto saluation and not vpon others Ergo Christ died not for all With which error afterward being carried away his chariot regarding no bridle he raiseth vp a great dust to darken the trueth of the doctrine of predestination and that not onely in place altogether vnfit and by very straunge expositions but also by an error so full of words that for one page of places of Scripture cited by M. Pareus touching Predestination he groweth into a 100. pages and 350. Theses or positions In which whole disputation it is his continuall sleight vnfaithfully and with a craftie head to propound the arguments of our side concerning Predestination for herein he onely sticketh as I said whereas he ought to handle redemption and in stead of answers hee singeth euery where his cuckowes song de repetitione principij which the schooles of Logicke vse not to call repetition but petition that is the begging of a thing as granted which is the chiefe point in controuersie It is a part of the same nay of grosser ignorance that in his appendix to D. Tossans reasons he wonderfully pleaseth himselfe in his other cuckowes song I deny the consequent We alwaies deny the consequent O miserable disputer as bad a Logitian as he is a Diuine He doth not yet vnderstand that we must neuer answer an Enthymeme by denying the consequent but either by distinguishing or deniall of the antecedent or els by denying the consequence For it is as foolish
very entrance we reade that redemption is declared and consecrated with these golden words Iesus Christ that faithfull witnesse and first begotten of the dead hath loued vs and washed vs from our sinnes through his blood and hath made vs kings and priests to God and his father They that be redeemed are kings priests to God and such onely the faithfull be To whom redemption belongs they are kings and priest to God the father but it belongs to the beleeuers and not to the vnbeleeuers witnesse Peter 1. Pet. 2. Ye are a chosen stocke a royall Priesthood a holy nation a people whom God hath purchased to himselfe as his owne that ye might shew forth his vertues who hath called you out of darknes into his marueilous light Therefore the vnbeleeuers are voide of redemption Lib. 1. coment in Apoc. Rupertus Tuitiensis saith very well Therefore he hath washed vs that is all his Church from our sinnes For he hath not only washed them who now were beleeuers or had bin but also who should beleeue and these surely hee washed not them actually but in power because they could not be washed who were not yet borne or else had not yet beleeued but he gaue them power to be washed The 6. place Apoc. 5. The like place meeteth vs Apoc. 5. where the 24. Elders and the foure beasts sing a new song vnto the Lambe saying Thou art worthie to receiue the booke and to open the seales thereof because thou wast slaine hast redeemed vs to God by thy blood The Catholike Church ment by the 24. Elders and foure beasts in the Apoc. out of euery tribe language people and nation and hast made vs kings and priests to our God and we shall raigne vpon the earth Here by the 24. Elders and 4. beasts is meant the vniuersall Church of men called Catholike as partly wee may see by the words out of euery tribe language people and nation and partly by the scope of the whole chapter For a threefold companie or armie is in that chapter brought in to blesse and praise the Lambe The first company is the whole Church of men represented as I said by the Elders and beasts The second is the blessed Angels The third is the creatures besides in heauen vpon the earth and vnder the earth Marke this reason Herevpon thus I reason This new song Thou wast slaine and hast redeemed vs is proper to the Church which is gathered out of all mankinde for in the two testimonies which follow of the multitude of Angels and of euery creature that forme is of purpose not obserued therefore the only Church of men is redeemed by the blood of Christ This is Ruperts argument vpon this very place Other things also concurre with this as that the redeemed by the blood of Christ are made to their God kings priests whereof we spake a little before Also that they shall raigne vpon the earth that is the land of the liuing as of olde when the Canaanites and Amorites were cast out for their sinnes the Israelites raigned in the land of promise But this raigne in the true land of promise wee know all shall not haue but the elect onely to whom the sonne of man will say when he commeth in his glorie Come ye blessed Matth. 25. possesse the kingdome prepared for you before the foundations of the world CHAP. V. Testimonies out of the Law and Prophets NOw also the bookes of the old Testament are full of testimonies concerning the grace of our Sauiour proper to the beleeuers and so farre foorth vniuersall as he hath his owne who feare him and worke righteousnes in euery nation and Tribe Hitherto first of all tendeth the promise made to Abraham and his seede The 1. place Gen 12. 22 Gen. 12. and 22. In thy seede all nations of the earth shall be blessed A Syllogisme It is certaine that they be counted strangers from the blessing of Abraham who are not the seed of Abraham But many among mankind and namely the vnbeleeuers are not the seede of Abraham Therfore they are strangers from the blessing of Abraham The Minor Paul very often proueth For manifestly Ro. 9. he teacheth that al the posteritie of Abraham are not accounted in this seede much lesse all the whole ofspring of Adam but onely the sonnes of promise Rom. 4. And in the fourth chapter of the same Epistle he referreth this whole seede to the beleeuers of the Iewes and Gentiles His words are Therefore is the inheritance by faith that it may be sure to the whole seede that is not onely to that which is of the law but also to that which is of the faith of Abraham who is the father of vs all to wit the father of all the beleeuers being vncircumcised and the father of Circumcision that is to them who are not onely circumcised but who also walk in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham Gal. 3. which he had being vncircumcised Likewise Gal. 3. he declareth that they who are of faith are blessed with faithfull Abraham because the Scripture foreseeing that God would iustifie the Gentiles through faith preached before hand the Gospell to Abraham saying In thee shall all nations be blessed Whereupon also in that place he saith to the faithfull All ye are one in Christ Iesu and if ye be be Christs Vers 14. then are ye Abrahams seede and heires according to promise See also the 14. verse of the same chapter Esay 53. The 2. place Among the Prophets Esay chap. 53. wherein he so euidently setteth out not onely the vse of the Lords passion but the historie also that he seemeth rather to be an Euangelist than a Prophet confirmeth the same thing saying Vs all in the Prophet taken for the faithful onely proued by the text We all like sheepe haue erred euery one hath declined after his owne way and the Lord hath laid vpon him the iniquitie of vs all It is spoken with limitation as concerning the vniuersalitie of the faithfull after that kinde of phrase wherein Abraham is called the father of vs all and Ierusalem which is aboue the mother of vs all that is of the beleeuers And that we may nothing doubt at all the Prophet addeth he was smitten for the transgression of my people Againe My righteous seruant shall by the knowledge of himselfe iustifie many and he shall beare their sinnes And aboue he hath borne the sinnes of many He expressely testifieth that the fruit of the Lords passion to wit righteousnes and redemption belongeth not to all indifferently but to many that is to the beleeuers Pet. Gal. de arcan Caâ—â—â—l â—erit lib. 8. ca. â—4 Euen as also Petrus Galatinus hath very well written vpon those words of Esay Albeit saith he the passion of Christ ought to be sufficient to blot out the sinnes of all yet it will not blot out all mens sinnes but theirs
503. 1097 lib. germ fol. 8. vnheard of before in the eares of Christians if it be lawfull to beleeue it it brake forth about sixe yeares a goe namely in a Conference held at Mompelgard in the yeare of our Lord 1586. O miserable ignorance of antiquitie ioyned with marueilous licentiousnes and malice and very true is that which is commonly said Ignorance is rash and bold First with what face doth he accuse of noueltie a doctrine so grounded in the Propheticall and Apostolicall Scriptures that is in the canon of the trueth that whosoeuer rusheth against this oke against this inuincible wall he is broken all to peeces himselfe We say nothing but such things which the Prophets and Moses Act. 10.23 26.18 Euangelists and Apostles haue testified with one accord to wit that euery one that beleeueth in the name of Christ and not the vnbeleeuers receiueth remission of sinnes and inheritance among them that are sanctified If this doctrine be slandered of noueltie by them that be themselues the authors and fauourers of new opinions wee must beare it with Paul Act. 17. whose doctrine also we reade in the Acts seemed new to the Athenians that were ignorāt of the truth and drowned in Idolatrie The consent of all antiquitie on our side Further that the vanitie of this fable may more appeare goe too indifferent readers bring hither your eyes and eares and weigh with me the agreeing consent of antiquitie Testimonies These be the words of the Church of Smyrna in the epistle of the martyrdome of Polycarpus their Bishop The church of Smyrna which is recited of Eusebius Hist Eccles lib. 4. cap. 15. Christ suffered for the saluation of the whole world of them that shall bee saued therefore he must bee worshipped and adored as the sonne of God but the martyrs must as disciples and followers of the Lord be worthily loued for their inseparable good will toward their king and master and not bee worshipped To what purpose is it that the world of them that shall be saued is speciallie expressed if as touching effect Christ suffered alike for all the damned and those that shall bee damned as for Peter Paul and all them that are saued or shall be saued Iustine the holy martyr of Christ of the same time and age with Polycarpus Iustine martyr and in the same heate of persecution crowned with martyrdome by M. Aurel. Antoninus and Lucius Commodus Ver. Emper. in the booke of the trueth of Christian religion saith Christ is made an oblation for all sinners that are willing to turne and repent And in the same booke beyond the middest Our Christ suffered and was crucified he lay not vnder the curse of the law but shewed cleerely that he onely would deliuer them that would not fall away from his land that is all the faithfull And as the blood of the Passeouer deliuered them that were saued in Egypt so the blood of Christ shall deliuer them that beleeue from death And in this sense in the same place anone he addeth that saluation happened to mankinde by the blood of Christ to wit as farre forth as all beleeuers throughout the world are freed from death by him but not as though all men without difference of faithfull and vnfaithfull were translated from sinne to righteousnes from death to life and saluation by him as our aduersaries dreame The same man about the end of the same booke denieth that sinnes are forgiuen to impenitent vncleane foolish and desperate persons alleadging the example of Dauid whose sinne was then forgiuen when he repented Againe in the beginning of the booke almost he witnesseth that such as repent are clensed through the blood of Christ by faith who died for the same cause Ireneus saith The word of God incarnate was hanged on the tree that he might briefly comprise all things in himselfe I Ireneus lib. 5. saith he when I shall be lifted vp from the earth will draw all things or all men vnto mee This he sayd signifying what death he should dye Christ in his passion hanging on the crosse alone saueth all men that doe not depart from the land of promise that is the faithfull continuing in grace to the end The same writer lib. 4. cap. 37. saith We are saued as Rahab the harlot by the faith of the scarlet signe that is by the passion and blood of Christ through faith They that make no account of this signe of scarlet like Pharisees haue no part in the kingdome of heauen And lib. 2. cap. 39. he saith Christ came to saue all men by himselfe all I say that by him are borne again in God infants children boyes yong men and old men Origene vpon Leuit. The high Priest and aduocate Christ praieth for them onely that be the Lords portion Origene who waite for him without who depart not from the temple where they giue themselues to fasting and praier Againe Ireneus lib. 4. cap. 24. Christ hath brought libertie to them that lawfully readily and heartily serue him and brought eternall perdition to such as contemne and rebell against God cutting them off from life Ambrose de fide ad Gratianum Augustum lib. 4. cap. 1. Ambrose If thou beleeuest not Christ came not downe for thee he suffered not for thee The same man vpon 1. Cor. 15. As Adam sinning found death and all that come of him die so Christ not sinning and hereby ouercomming death hath purchased life for all that are of his body The same restraint he vseth vpon the saying Rom. 5. that the righteousnes of one redoundeth vpon all men to the iustification of life The righteousnes saith he of Christ onely iustifieth all beleeuers and by his obedience many and not all are made righteous Neither saith he this onely but also he expressely reiecteth the deuise of the aduersaries of so generall a iustification as condemnation is generall Hub. thes 49. The same writer vpon the 8. of Luke saith Albeit Christ died for all yet for vs specially he suffered because he suffered for his Church How specially for the Church and yet for al but because the fruites of his passion reconciliation libertie adoption inheritance pertaine properly to the Church Hereupon Epist 20. the same father saith Christ is good meate for all faith is good meate mercie is sweete meate grace is pleasant meate the spirit of God is good meate forgiuenes of sinnes is good meate But the people of the Church eate these meates And more cleerely in 73. Epist After that the fulnes of time came and Christ is come wee are not now seruants but freemen if we beleeue in Christ Where faith is there is libertie For the seruant is vnder feare but a freeman is of faith where libertie is there is grace there is the inheritance But where is no libertie there is no grace where no grace no adoption where no adoption there is no succession Also in his first
doctrine or to slāder it either opēly or in corners much lesse to withdraw others from it as the little book testifieth which is intituled Ordinatio ceremonia pro ministris Ecclesiae Argentinensis c. A. ij pag. ij Which things seeing they stand thus with what forehead with what shame dare the aduersarie openly write that our opinion of Redemption was neuer heard of among the people of God vntill the time of the Conference at Mompelgard O whorish audacitie of falsely accusing and witnesse of extreame ignorance if not of malice CHAP. X. Wherein the originall and predecessors of our aduersaries opinion are laid open BVt truly he that speaketh what he will shall heare what he would not as the old prouerbe is Seeing therefore hitherto it hath been shewed that the opinion which we maintaine is plentifully taught in the word of God and hath been receiued in the Church in all times and faithfully euen vnto our daies continued I neither can nor ought I to ouerpasse and leaue out here on the contrary part the discouerie of the originall of our aduersaries opinion The Pelagian heresie is the father of the aduersaries doctrine Tom. 7. apud August I auouch therefore and professe that it hath not the spirit of God or the worthie sayings thereof vnderstood in their naturall sense but the spirit of Pelagian impietie to be the father of the birth and beginning of it Which thing that I seeme not to vtter without mine author Prosper of Aquitane in his Epistle to Augustine of the reliques of the Pelagian heresie among other errors of that naughtines The doctrine of the Pelagians concerning grace freewill and predestination assigneth this also namely that they would affirme that our Lord Christ died for whole mankinde and that no man at all is excepted from the redemption of his blood although he should leade his whole life in all impietie that is although he continue in infidelitie be damned because the sacramēt of Gods mercie belongeth to all men that is the promise of grace as now men speak Therfore in respect of God that life eternall is prepared for all but in respect of freewill that it is laid hold on by them that shall willingly and of their owne accord beleeue in God And he addeth That they are fallen to the extolling of such grace because they would auoide to confesse that God according to the purpose and counsell of his owne will in his secret iudgement but in his manifest work maketh one vessell to honour and another to dishonour neither would giue their assent that the predestinate number of the elect can neither be increased nor diminished These things hee euidently surely and in liuely colours not so much setting out the reliques of Pelagian heresie in that age as painting Pelagianisme in our aduersaries in this our time Hofman Now that wretch Hofman in the memorie of our fathers of whom lately I spake what was hee but a monster of Pelagian filthie dregges and of other heresies And him doth Huber so resemble in respect of our matter in hand as one egge is not more like to another For he auouched that all be elected all redeemed by Christ without exception of any one Both which Huber thes 1001. pleaseth to set downe thus That all men after Adams fall were in Christ elected and receiued into grace because of the blessed seede in whom the sinnes of all men were to be satisfied And not so onely but also that he may follow him throughly hee commeth foorth furnished with the same places of Scripture and testimonies naughtily wrested as Hofman did cloke his error withall as we haue before briefly shewed Moreouer Pacuuius in this our age one Parcuuius manifestly professing Pelagian impietie not onely maintaineth that Christ is alike as the creator so the redeemer of all and euery one and that all are borne in the state of saluation and grace and therefore happie so that they doe not bring vnto themselues destruction through vnbeleefe that election also and grace is generall c. but also he plainly professeth and boasteth that the Diuines of Wittenberge the successors of Luther but greatly reuolting from Luthers doctrine in this point doe consent with him in the substance of the matter But let them take to themselues all Pacuuians and Hofmans and Pelagians old and new wee haue the Prophets and Apostles of the Lord for our authors and the one agreeing consent of the best approued writers whosoeuer in all ages This is Christian reader the true simple and sound and modest exposition without bitternes and railing of the doctrine of the redemption of mankinde by Christ who is set forth vnto vs of the father to bee a propitiator and aduocate through faith for the pardon of our sinnes in his blood which the Prophets haue so deliuered the Apostles haue preached and the holy men of God haue confirmed Let vs therefore hold it also and abide therein constantly omitting oppositions of knowledge falsely so called and strife of wordes whereupon ariseth enuie strife euill speaking naughtie surmisings wicked practises of men of corrupt mindes and voide of trueth who count gaine to be godlines And specially seeing without faith it is impossible to please God let vs labour to goe to the throne of grace with a true heart and perswasion of faith that wee may obtaine mercie and finde grace to helpe in time of neede and also by the light of a true faith in Christ Iesu let vs so frame our whole life alwaies euery one of vs doing and meditating this that we may bee found acceptable to our common redeemer to whose glorie we ought wholly to bee consecrated with holines and righteousnes before him all the daies of our life To him bee honour and glorie and blessing for euer and euer Amen A BOOKE OF GODS PREDESTINATION CHAP. I. The preface and diuision of the doctrine in hand THE disputation of Predestination is of it selfe weightie and difficult and by reason of the curiositie and boldnes of mans wit it is besides not a little intricate and very dangerous while mans reason thrusting it selfe into the secrets of Gods iudgements and wisedome either seeketh into things forbidden or contemneth and scorneth those things he vnderstandeth not yea cannot surely perceiue because they be foolishnes vnto him and are as the Apostle saith spiritually discerned 1. Cor. 1. For who hath known the minde of the Lord that he might instruct him But we haue the minde of Christ who being in the bosome of his eternall father hath gratiously reuealed vnto vs in his worde all the counsell of God as much as concerneth vs to know in this point as in other things to our saluation Therefore following this rule of trueth and righteousnes and nothing fearing the ill report of detractors through the helpe of God Wisd 7.16 in whose hand both wee and also our words are we will consider of Predestination 1. What is predestination 2.
reason of the election of the one so of the reiection of the other but because it so pleaseth God for the manifestation of his mercie or iudgement Hereunto may be added the case of innumerable children without the Church who are preuented with death The 5. reason before they haue the iudgement of reason and cannot bee iustly reproued for the neglect of helping grace If such as dissent from vs be asked concerning these whether they thinke that none of them doe perish they dare not I suppose denie If they perish they are reckoned among those whom God hath reiected yet he could foresee in them no contempt of grace seeing they should not haue it yea he foreknew rather that they should not contemne grace Neither doth that deuice any thing helpe them that God saw what they would doe if they had recouered For God in punishing and pardoning respecteth not what any man would doe but what good or euill he hath done in his body Thus it is manifest that the reprobation of the vngodly no lesse than the election of the Saints dependeth vpon the only will of God and not vpon the foreseene good or euill wils of men Neither is it materiall that some persons defame this doctrine by this or that name and endeuour to make it odious It is the doctrine of the Scriptures and defended by Augustine constantly as we see Augustine and many other writers auouch and maintaine this doctrine of reprobatioÌ„ according to the Scriptures As also by Hilarie Prosper Primasius and others who long agoe well perceiued the naughtines of the Pelagian spirit Prospers words out of his epistle to Augustine of the remnants of Pelagian heresie are That according to Gods purpose before the world there was made a difference betweene them that were to bee elected and reiected and that some were created vessels of honor and others vessels of dishonor according to the good pleasure of the creator And againe he saith that God according to the purpose and counsell of his owne will in his secret iudgement but yet in a manifest worke made one vessell to honour another to dishonour whereas no man is iustified but by grace and no man is borne but in sinne And this saith he they of necessitie graunt that confesse that all good merits are preuented by grace and by it haue this free gift that they might be Lib. 1. dist 4â— Thom. part 1. q. 23. in 9. ad Rom. Neither is the doctrine any other of the Master of Sentences as they call him for he saith He chose whom it pleased him of his free mercie not because they would be faithfull but that they might be faithfull So also he reprobated whom he would not for future merits which he foresaw yet in most vpright trueth and beyond our vnderstanding The same opinion Thomas Aquinas and other Schoolemen of no obscure account doe follow and doe confirme it with strong reasons Looke also Luthers iudgement in his booke of seruile will where vpon the place of Malachie hee boldlie writeth these wordes Eternall and vnchangeable is the loue of God Luther de seruo arbis eternall is the hatred of God towards men before the world was made not onely before the merite and worke of frewill And he manifestly reiecteth it as a fained thing that God should bee said to hate them while they were yet vnborne because hee foreknewe that they would commit things worthy of hatred Rom. 11. Neither is this anie hindrance saith he because we reade that the Iews for the merits of their vnbeliefe were cut off from the oliue tree and that the Gentiles were graffed in by faith We knowe that men by faith are ingraffed and by infidelity cut off and that they are to be exhorted to beleene leaest they be cut off The very poynt of the controuersie of predestination But we dispute not what followeth beleeuers or vnbeleeuers but by what merite by what helpe doe men attaine to faith whereby they are ingraffed or to vnbelief whereby they are cut off This merite Paul describing vnto vs teacheth that by no worke of ours but by the onely loue hatred of God it commeth to passe All these words are Luthers The same man afterward vpon the similitude of the potter and claie answering the cauill that this potter as Erasmus in his Diatribe did interperet maketh a vessell to dishonour through precedent merits as he reiected the Iewes for vnbeliefe and receiued the Gentils for their faith If God saith he do thus why murmure they and find themselues grieued why saie they wherefore doth he complaine who shall resist his will Marke this wel what neede had Paul to represse them further where is the power that the potter hath to do what he will if being subiect to merites and lawes he is not suffered to doe what he will for the respect of merites fighteth with the power and libertie to doe what he will c. Therefore what vnreasonable dealing is it and what enuie against the truth to cast in our teeth Caluinisme because we auouch that neither the righteousnes nor maliciousnes of men but the secret will of God is the cause why grace plucketh some out of the common destruction whereunto we are all subiect by nature and doth not plucke others If this be Caluinisme what shall be done to Luther to saie nothing of the auncient writers Yet it is to be obserued that we doe not maintaine as our aduersaries spitefully doe imagine of vs The slaunders of Hub. thes 350. Zanch de nat Deâ—fol 669. Visi admon Neost pag. 113. Bez. resp 2. ad Col. Momp fol. 223. That no man is condemned for sinnes or vnbeliefe as the foregoing cause We teach the contrary and our men with one consent haue alwaies taught that God taketh punishment of none and no man shal be damned of him but for sin For punishment hath no place but in respect of sin Moreouer this is also true That as God damneth not anie but sinners and such as deserue damnation for sins so also he hath not decreed to damne anie but for sin For whatsoeuer God doth in his time also he determined froÌ„ euerlasting to do after the very same way as it is done Therefore because he damneth the reprobates and wil damne them for sins doubtles he also decreed from euerlasting to damne them for sins And from hence againe the deprauing of our doctrine by the aduersaries appeareth when they faine that wee teach that God without respect of sin Note God decreed to condemne none but for sinne of his sole and absolute will hath appointed some men to damnation Yea Gods decree is of the condemnation of sinners onely and that for sins But seeing wee bee all sinners and worthy of damnation why God hath predestinated these men to bestowe vpon them freely glory and hath predestinated others to bee punished in his iust iudgement for sins hereof wee haue
eternall fire which is prepared for the deuill and his angels And chap. 10. of Matth. Chap. 10. Feare not them that kill the bodie but cannot kill the soule but rather feare him who is able to destroy the bodie and soule in hell 2. Pet. 2. 2. Pet. 2. The Lord knoweth to deliuer the godly out of temptation and to reserue the vniust vnto the day of iudgement to be punished If therefore the damnation of hell be the worke of God he hath also foreknowne that is predestinated from euerlasting them Fulgent lib. 1. 2. ad Moâ—â—â— vpon whom he will inflict the same For his predestination is the preparation of his workes which in his eternall decree he did foreknow that he would either in mercie or iustice bring to passe Apoc. 20. Apoc. 20. The bookes were opened and iudgement was giuen of euery one according to their workes and he that was not found written in the booke of life was cast into the lake of fire What that the reprobates are called vessels of wrath and prepared for destruction For to bee a vessell of wrath as Augustine expoundeth is Epist 10â— for a man to be appointed to be punished for sinnes What a vessell of wrath is who was created for the benefit of nature And Fulgentius saith Hereunto God formed the vessels of wrath whereunto he predestinated them that is not to sinne but to destruction for sinne Therefore the destruction of them that perish is the worke of God reprobating them and therefore it is the effect of reprobation Obiection 1 But thou wilt say Perdition is to bee ascribed to themselues that perish as Hos 13. saith Thy perdition is of thy self O Israel but onely in me is thy helpe Answere That is true speaking of the fault and not of the punishment For they that are damned haue in themselues the fault deseruing damnation but it is his part to punish that iudgeth the world who can tell how to condemne iniquitie but not to doe it And this is the meaning of the Prophet that God doth not punish but for sins which men haue of themselues as for deliuerance from sinne it commeth from him freely Obiection 2 and not for any workes As Paul also saith The reward of sin is death but the gift of God is eternall life through Iesu Christ our Lord. Those sayings also are wont to bee obiected God made not death Wisd 1. 2. Eze. 18. Through the enuie of the deuill death came into the world Againe I will not the death of him that dieth c. But here with a deafe eare wee must not forget what elsewhere wee reade Eccles 11. Wisd 16. Deut. 32. that death and life good and euill come of God Which shew of contrarietie to take away we must vnderstand that death as well as life may bee vnderstood not two only but also three maner of waies For in the first man God created both the soule and flesh also immortall But while man sinned Three deaths of the soule bodie and hel the soule dyed and that death of the soule to wit sinne is the beginning and cause of another double death corporall and infernall The sacred Scriptures call it the first and second death Therfore God made not the death of the soule because he made not sinne but the deuill is the author of it by suggesting of sinne and by consequence he is the author also of the other kindes of death which arise from sinne to wit in respect of the vehement stirring vp of it and not that he hath power to punish as God hath Augustine distinctly saith Cont. Iulian. lib. 7. cap. 7. The deuill the deceiuer of man is the cause of death which God inflicted not as the first author but as the punisher of sinne Some vnderstand the place of the Prophet Ezechiel of that death of the soule as Fulgentius I will not the death of a sinner others referre it to the punishment of sinne vsing the distinction of the will of God hidden and reuealed So Luther de ser arbit cap. 109. He will not the death of a sinner to wit by his word while by the word of saluation he commeth to all and so he will haue all men to bee saued But he willeth the same by his vnsearchable will Which will saith he in the same booke chap. 107. is not to be searched into but with reuerence to be aâ—ored as the highest secret of Gods maiestie Againe He will not the death of him that dieth simply and as it bringeth destruction but as it is a punishment for the Lord delighteth not in the perdition of the liuing Wisâ— 1.13 as it is written But he is the punisher of sinners Now as touching the matter of forsaking blinding Of forsaking hardening and blinding Rom. 9. 11. and hardening I will produce a few testimonies of many Wee reade in the sacred Scriptures He hath mercie on whom he will and whom he will he hardeneth The elect haue obtained it but the rest were hardened as it is written God hath giuen them the spirit of slumber eyes that they should not see cares that they should not heare See the prophesie of Esay 29. vers 10. and chap. 6. Goe and say to the children of Israel In hearing ye shall heare and shall not vnderstand and seeing ye shall see and shall not perceiue harden the hearts of this people and make their heires heauie and smeere ouer their eyes least they should see with their eyes and heare with their eares and vnderstand with their hearts and so bee conuerted and I should heale them Which prophesie S. Iohn alleadging affirmeth Ioh. 12. that the Iewes beleeued not in the Lord albeit they had seene many signes neither that they could beleeue because he had blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts To the same vnbeleeuing Iewes the Lord said Ioh 10. Ye doe not beleeue for ye are not of my sheepe My sheepe heare my voyce and I know them and they follow me Againe to his disciples Matth. 13. To you saith he it is giuen to know the mysteries of the kingdome of heauen but to others it is not giuen therefore in parables I speake vnto them Neither came it to passe without cause that in so many hundred yeares before the comming of Christ Acts 14. no light of sauing doctrine was reuealed to the Gentiles but as Paul witnesseth the liuing God that made heauen and earth passing ouer the former ages suffered all nations to walke in their owne waies vntill the comming of the time of grace he was found of them that sought him not And in Israel that was fulfilled that the Prophet saith Esay 65. All the day long I haue stretched out my hands vnto a rebellious and gainsaying people By these things it is euident that they that were not ordained to life are also reiected from the grace of faith and conuersion and are
left in their owne obstinacie while they either bee depriued of the meanes to heare the word or else if they doe heare it are not so called as that they are become fit to follow it Wee speake now of totall blinding as I may so call it which hath ioyned with it finall impenitencie and not of euery particular one which happeneth to the predestinate also whom God now and then before and after their conuersion suffereth to fall into sins yet so as all things worke vnto their saluation The vse of these things is that wee may vnderstand what great thankes are to bee giuen to God for his mercie Aug. ad Simpl. lib. 1. q. 2. The vse of all who sheweth in the punishment of some what he freely bestoweth vpon others CHAP. XVII How God is said to harden and blinde IT remaineth now that we consider how blinding and hardening of the vngodly is attributed vnto God For vnlesse this be rightly vnderstood God shall seeme to bee accused of iniustice and contrariwise sinners excused according to the saying Why is hee yet angrie for who shall resist his will Some to auoide these rockes doe expound Diuerse opinions of Gods hardening a man that God hardeneth by permitting onely and all seeme not to take this permission after one sort some referre it to the long suffering and lenitie of God so that he is said to harden when he doth not forthwith chasten sinners and to haue mercie when by and by he inuiteth them to repentance by afflictions Others say that permission here is the priuation of grace so that to harden is all one with not to soften by grace The former exposition is referred of Erasmus to Origene and Hierome Collat. de lib. arbit De ser arbit ca. 139. seq But it is confuted by Luther by most strong reasons For that ouermuch libertie of interpreting tendeth to confound all things by a new and vnheard of Grammer as when God saith I will harde the heart of Pharao The first opinion confuted as false changeing the persons a man should take it Pharao hardeneth him selfe by my lenitie God hardeneth our heart that is wee harden our selues while God deferreth punishment So that God sheweth mercie doth not signifie to giue grace to forgiue sinnes to iustifie or to deliuer from euils but contrarily it signifieth to punish and to chastise This is nothing else than of mercie to make wrath of wrath mercie by an altogether crosse kinde of speech And if then God bee said to harden when hee doth good and forbeareth and to haue mercie when he afflicteth and chastiseth then God shall not bee said to haue hardened Pharao but contrariwise to haue had mercie on him For what omitted hee in afflicting chastening and calling Pharao to repentance These and many other things saith Luther in that place Augustine also reproueth Iulian the Pelagian of an error for this Lib. 5. cap. 3. that he thought that hardening pertained onely vnto Gods patience and not to his power as God did not harden but by shewing his patient goodnesse when euils bee done What is it saith he that we daily say Leade vs not into tempration but that we bee not deliuered ouer vnto our lusts Doe we happely aske this of God that his goodnes be not patient towards vs What man in his right wits so meaneth Because so wee should not call for his mercie but rather prouoke his anger The second opinion better but vnperfect Their iudgement is somwhat fuller who albeit they also make mention of permission in this matter yet they take hardening for the withdrawing and depriuing of grace And this is it that is read in Augustine De prâ—â—l graâ—ca 4. Epist 1â—5 Lib. 1. cap 2. God is saide to harden to blinde to turne away him whome hee will not soften inlighten and call Neither doth God harden by bestowing malice but in not bestowing mercy Also to Simplician Gods hardening is that he is vnwitting to shew mercie so that he giueth not any thing to a man to make him worse but onely giueth him nothing to make him better And by and by he bestoweth not vpon some sinners his mercie to iustifie them and therefore he is said to harden some sinners because he hath not mercie on them and not because he compelleth them to sinne In this sense Lombard also and Aquinas speake of induration oâ— hardening Lom lib. 1. dist 4. c. 4. q. â— 2. q. 29. God moueth mens hearts to good and euil but diuerslie yet alwaies iustly Albeit this exposition be tollerable yet the same Aquinas in his exposition vpon the 9. to the Rom. vpon the saying he hardeneth whom hee well freely confesseth that something more must bee vnderstood herein and he addeth that men are moued of God to good or euill by a certaine inward motion but diuersely For a man is stirred vp to good of God directly and of him selfe as of the author of goodnes but vnto euill by occasion Here with may those things be compared that Luther hath in his booke of seruile free will cap. 150. and 154. and Brentius vpon 1. Sa. 2. of Elies sonnes writeth thus Brentius To the intent they might be punished worthily according to their deserts the Lord by his secret power brought it to passe that they should not repent at their fathers admonition and should perish to wit inwardly working what outwardly hee forbiddeth by his word And this is not to be the author or cause of maliciousnes but it is to inflict iust punishment for the same These things he De gra lib. arâ— cap. 1. But especially Augustine at large proueth and declareth that God worketh as pleaseth him euen in the hearts of wicked men by rendring vnto them according to their deserts So God saith he wrought in the heart of Amasia 2. King 14. with whome doubtles God was iustly angrie for his Idolatrie that he should not heare good counsell but contemning it should goe to warre where with his whole army he might be destroyed And in the Psalmes it is said of the Egiptians what God did vnto them Psalm 105. He turned their hearts that they hated his people and dealt deceitefully with his seruants Of these and such like places of the holy Scripture he afterward concludeth God worketh in mâ—ns hearts to bow their wills to good or euill that God worketh in the hearts of men to bowe their willes whither soeuer it pleaseth him either to good of his mercy or to euill according to their deserts in his iudgement doubtles sometime manifest sometime hidden but alwaies iust In like maner against Iulian Lib. 5 cap. 3. Many things saith he we could rehearse wherby it might plainely appeare that by the secret iudgement of God the hart is made peruerse God punisheth sinne with sinne that a man heareth not the truth and therupon sinneth for a punishment of some former sin And
the beginning is of the vnchangeablenes of predestination Where wee must consider that election and reprobation namely the decree of God concerning the either sauing of men in mercie or the punishing of them in iustice cannot be changed so that of the number of the elect any one perisheth or contrarily any of the reprobates be saued but as well the one be vnfallibly saued as the other be vnfallibly damned This opinion may be confirmed by many testimonies of the sacred Scriptures Ioh. 6. the Lord saith The elect cannot perish not the reprobates be sauâ—d because Gods decree is vnchangeable towards both proued by many places euery one that the father giueth me shall come vnto me and all that commeth vnto me I will not cast forth And chap. 10. My sheepe heare my voice and I know them and I giue vnto them eternall life neither shall they perish for euer and no man shall plucke them out of my hand My father who gaue them me is greater then all neither can any man pull them out of my fathers hand 1. Ioh. 2. They went of from vs but they were not of vs. For if they had been they had surely continued with vs. 2. Tim. 2. The foundation of God standeth sure hauing this seale God knoweth who are his As also Apoc. 7. there is mention made of the seale of the liuing God and of the certaine number of them that are sealed in their foreheads to wit of the seruants of God whom his grace preserueth harmeles and vntouched among the midst of the stormes of calamities vpon sea and land So afterward in the same booke chapter 13. and 17. power is giuen to the Dragon and beast to seduce the whole earth yet the elect are excepted whose names are written in the booke of life from the foundation of the world Therefore the elect cannot be deceiued at the least finally As also Mat. 24. False Christs and Prophets shall arise and shall worke great signes and miracles to seduce if it might bee the very elect What meaneth that saying of Paul Rom. 8. Wee know that all things worke for good to them that loue God that is that are called of purpose In Soliloq c. 28. All things he saith euen euill things yea sinnes themselues as Augustine witnesseth And most plainly the Apostle confirming the same addeth For whom hee foreknew them hee predestinated also to bee made conformable to the image of his sonne Whom he predestinated them he hath iustified and glorified also What shall we say then to these things If God be for vs who can be against vs euen he who spared not his owne sonne but gaue him for vs all how shal he not with him giue vs all things also Who shall accuse the elect of God who shall condemne who shall separate vs from the loue of Christ Neither death nor life c. And in the 9. chapter of the same Epistle It cannot bee that the word of God should faile On whom he will he hath mercie and whom he will hee hardeneth Who shall resist his will And chap. 11. God hath not cast away his people whom he foreknew which thing he there sheweth by the example of Elias times and of the Iewes of his time among whom albeit farre degenerate and enemies to the Gospell yet God reserued to himselfe a remnant according to the election of grace And he annexeth a saying worthie to bee remembred Israel obtained not that he sought for but the elect attained it and the rest were hardened And a little after Therefore as touching the Gospell they are enemies for your sakes but in respect of election they are loued for their fathers sakes For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance that is surely fixed without changing as Augustine expoundeth who also warneth vs to vnderstand this saying not of that calling whereof it is sayd Many are called c. but of that whereby the elect are called Secondly Predestination is vnchangeable The 1. reason the propounded sentence leaneth on most effectuall reasons For what things God from eternitie foreknoweth they must needes certainly and vnfallibly come to passe as they be foreknowne of him For foreknowledge is the knowledge of a thing that shall be And that which shal come to passe must needes bee done And it is confessed already that God foreknoweth who shall be saued and who shall be damned Ergo c. Further the decrees of God are vnchangeable The 2. reason But election and reprobation as it is said be the decrees of God of sauing whom he will in mercie and condemning whom hee will in iustice Therefore it cannot be but both election and also reprobation is firme and immutable so that neither the elect can perish nor the reprobates be saued For of the immutabilitie of Gods secrets it is said 1. Sam. 15 2â— Numb 23.23 The strength of Israel will not lye nor repent For he is not a man that he should repent Also God is not as a man that he should lye nor as the sonne of man that he should be changed He hath said and shall he not doe he hath spoken and shall he not accomplish And in Esay The Lord of hosts hath decreed and who can breake it Esay 14. â—4 27. The hand of the Lord is stretched out and who shal turne it away And My counsell shall stand and I will doe all my will Cap. 46.10 But in that God now and then denounceth and threatneth some things which yet afterwards he doth not A doubte by the example of the Niniuites and of Ezechias wee must vnderstand that therein the Scripture speaketh according to the nature of second causes or els with the condition secretly vnderstood of repentance and prayer as Iere. 18. such like sayings are expounded and not in respect of Gods simple and absolute decree In which sense it is well said of Gregorie The Lord knoweth how to change his saying but neuer knoweth how to change his counsell And of Augustine God knoweth how to change his saying if we would change our life Thirdly The 3. reason examples manifestly proue the infalliblenes of predestination Pharao Sehon and the kings of the Canaanites with their subiects were appointed to destruction What was done their hearts were hardened that they might fight against Israel and perish for their sinnes And it is expressely written Exod. 4. Deut 2. â—s 11. 1. Sam. 2. 2. King 12. It came of the Lord to harden their hearts to fight with Israel that he might destroy them So Elies sonnes hearkened not to the voyce of their father because the Lord had appointed to destroy them Roboam heard not the people because it pleased the Lord by that meanes to rent the kingdome 2. Sam. 7. and to pull it away from Salomons race Absalom and euery man of Israel despised the good counsell of Achitophel and heard Husai because the Lord minded to destroy Achitophels counsell to
punish Absalom Likewise nothing of the word of the Lord against Ahabs house fell to the ground 2. King 10. but the Lord accomplished as hee had spoken by his seruant Elias Gen. 37.39.41.50 On the other side how wonderfully was Ioseph when his brethren went about to kill him sent into Egypt and aduanced to the gouernment of the kingdome that the counsel of the Lord might be fulfilled What was of lesse hope in the eyes of men than Dauids raigne Yet he rose to the dignitie of the kingdome out of all his persecutions and gouerned the people by the knowledge of his hands that the Lords counsell might stand when all the deuises and counsels of the people were scattered These things are plaine and cleere Acts 2. 4. But that is more notable that wee reade of Christ himselfe Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and people of Israel were gathered together against him to doe whatsoeuer the hand and counsell of the Lord had before determined to bee done Chap. 13. And when by the determinate counsell and prouidence of God they had taken him being yeelded vnto them with wicked hands they crucified and slue him and fulfilled all things that the Prophets had written of him albeit all the while they went about another thing What shall we say of the Apostle and teacher of the Gentiles 1. Tim. 1. who first was a blasphemer and a persecutor and an oppressor how mightily and miraculously was he called to the Gospell Gal. 1. when it pleased God who had separated him from his mothers wombe Râ—â— 9 10. Esa â—â— And to vse not so much examples of persons as of nations the Gentiles who sought not after righteousnesse attained vnto it and the Lord was found of them who sought him not and made manifest to them that did not enquire after him But Israel did gainsay Rom. 11 and seeking his owne righteousnes was not subiect to the righteousnesse of God For the elect obtained it the rest were hardened as it is written He gaue them the spirit of slumber eyes that they should not see and eares that they should not heare Fourthly The 4. reason the same doctrine of the vnchangeablenes of Gods predestination is in sundrie places mentioned of Augustine as cap. 7. de correp grat If any of the elect perisheth God is deceiued and is ouercome by mans sinne but none of them perisheth because God is not deceiued nor ouercome by any thing But he speaketh of such as be elected to raigne with Christ and not in that sense as Iudas was elected to the worke whereto he serued And in his answere to the Articles falsely laid to his charge The predestination of God albeit it be vncertaine with vs yet with him who made the things that shall come to passe it abideth vnchangeable neither doth he darken the things that he inlighteneth nor destroyeth what he doth build nor plucketh vp what he hath planted For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance and the foundation of God standeth sure hauing this seale The Lord knoweth who are his And most notably in Soliloq cap. 28. All of vs are as a menstruous cloth comming out of a corrupt and filthie lumpe but thou that only art cleane doest purifie them in whom it pleaseth thee to dwell whom without their merits thou hast predestinated before the world and chosen for thy selfe to be a holy temple whose names and number thou knowest and who cannot perish to whom all things worke for the best The Lord knoweth from euerlasting the names and number of elect and reprobates yea euen their very sinnes For when they fall they shall not fall downe because thou puttest vnder thine hand keeping all their bones that none of them bee broken But yet the death of sinners is most miserable those I meane whom before thou madest heauen and earth according to the great depth of thy iudgements being secret yet alwaies iust thou didst foreknow for eternall death whose names and merites are numbred with thee who hast numbred the sand of the sea and fadomed the bottome of the depth All things worke for the worst to reprobates yea euen their prayers whom thou hast left in their vncleannes to whom all things worke for euill yea their very praier is turned into sin that if they should ascend into heauen and make their neast among the starres they might as dunge perish and not in the end Likewise the Author of the calling of the Gentils lib. 2. cap. 10. saith All the sonnes of adoption not onely are elect at the time of their calling here in this life but also before the world was made in which election what man soeuer was not in Christ foreknowne shall by no meanes be made partaker of him And by and by The foreknowledge of God looseth nothing of the fulnes of the members of Christs bodie and the whole summe forknowne and in Christ before the world forechosen cannot bee by any hurt diminished No man can doubt that this is Luthers verie doctrine Cap. 148. that readeth his booke of seruile will where he often mentioneth that the elect are builded vp by the word Cap. 40. and made better and that the reprobates are offended and become worse that they amend their life by the holie Ghost and that the other perish without amendment Cap. 59. and if the elect bee in an error yet that before their death they do come into the right way Cap. 152. that this is necessary and that they cannot finally bee offended And praefat ad Rom. he writeth that the decree is stable and the necessitie vnmoueable of Gods predestination and he saith that this necessitie is verie necessarie for our saluation and consolation because we be so weake in our selues that if saluation stoode in vs verie few or none should be saued for the deuill would conquer all But now seeing this sure and most certaine decree of God cannot bee chaunged nor abolished by any creature wee haue hope that at length we shall ouercome sin To say that the elect may be increased or diminished is Pelagiâ—nisme Epist his ad â—â—â—st albeit now it rage in our flesh These things in that place saith Luther But as it is a point of sound doctrine to hold that the predestinate number of the chosen can neither be increased nor diminished so not to rest therein is Pelagianisme as Prosper testifieth Which Hilarie also confirmeth reporting that the remnants of the Pelagians tooke it hardly that such as were of sound faith preached that men were so predestinated both to the one and the other state that none could go from one to the other By these things then it is manifest The elect cannot perish that such as be predestinate to eternall life doe not perish yea cannot possibly and that because of the counsell of Gods will that cannot be infringed or hindred by any creature
Iupiter saith Thinkest thou alone O daughter deare from thee to put away vnconquerable fate And afterward The fates that stable be and do abide for aye feare neither planets thunderbolts nor any great decay The stoicall sate De Ciuit. Dei lib. 5. cap. 5. Also this opinion is commonly attributed to the Stoicke philosophers albeit Augustine doeth mitigate their opinion because they said that the knitting together of things by fate doth depend vpon Iupiter whom they supposed to be the soueraigne God For in Aulus Gellius li. 6. cap. 2. there is Chrysippus his definition of fate or destinie What fate is that it is the naturall and vnchangeable coniunction order of all things froÌ„ euerlasting Cicero de fato As Cicero also noteth the opinion of such meÌ„ as say that all things are brought to passe by a naturall binding and coupling together without interruption These dotings not only the Church but also sounder phylosophie reiecteth and condemneth both because they take from God his libertie and omnipotencie and also because they abolish the order and manner of working ordeined by Gods wisedome in second causes For some second causes bee ordeined of God to certaine and determined effectes other be not but of their owne nature are indifferent to bring forth this or that effect Fate for Gods prouidence Lib. epist 18. Other men doe terme the connexion and order of all causes hanging on the wil of God by the name of fate which we vse to call Gods prouidence So Anneus Seneca The fates leade him that is willing draw him that is vnwilling most euidently called that fate which in the same place hee had called the will of the highest father And Apuleius saith In dogmaâ—e Platonis that fate is a diuine Lawe whereby the ineuitable purposes and entreprises of God are brought to passe De caus lib 4. After the same maner Boëtius spake many things of fate For he will haue a fatall order to depend vpon the simplicitie of the diuine prouidence How Gods prouidence and fate doe dister by Boetius so that prouidence is a diuine way disposing all things but fate is a disposition inherent in moueable things that is the execution of that eternall prouidence in God And seeing fate proceedeth from the beginning of an immoueable prouidence he writeth that hence it commeth to passe that it also is immutable With such men as these bee if we credite Augustine De Ciuit. lib. 5. cap. 7. wee must not greatly contend about the worde seeing they attribute the very order of causes whereby euery thing is done that commeth to passe to the will and power of the Soueragne God whom most truely wee beleeue both that hee knoweth all things before they be done and also leaueth nothing vndisposed and all powers are from him Euill wils are not from God albeit not all wils proceede from him For euil wils are not from him because they are against nature which commeth from him Christians must not haue the word fate or destinie in their mouthes Yet because wee must speake of diuine things according to the rule of pietie it is beter to abstaine from the word fate or destinie as Augustine in the same place notably aduiseth vs chapter 1. Humane kingdomes are altogether appointed by the diuine prouidence which if a man therefore attribute to fate because he vnderstandeth thereby the very will and power of God let him hold his iudgement still but let him reforme his tongue But it is an vngodly sacrilegious thing Marke this well that some endeuour to finde fault with that order of causes which are coupled together which order is certaine with God foreknowing disposing it such men must at length needs fall to this point that they will both deny Gods foreknoweldge and also all prophecie that is clearer then the light as Cicero did de diuinat 2. For if all future things be foreknowne that they shall in that order come to passe as they are foreknowne that they shall bee And if they shall come to passe by this order the order of things is certaine with God foreknowing them And if the order of things be certaine the order of causes also is certaine For not any thing can be done before which there went not some efficient cause Obiection 3 Of freewill But in this order of causes that are ioyned one with another is there any libertie of our free will Doeth the chaine of predestination constraine the very motions also of mens mindes Answere Libertie threefold I answere there is a threefold libertie according to the common distinction libertie from coaction from sinne and from miserie Of these three libertie from coaction or compulsion is the propertie of the will that cannot be lost as Bernard sayeth that is that whatsoeuer it willeth whether it bee that which is good by the grace of God or that which is euill of it one nature it alwayes willeth it freely that is with a voluntary motion and not by compulsion Wee doe surely many things against our will and compelled yet the will it selfe can desire or chuse nothing vnwillingly and forced because if it should wil by constraint it should vnwillingly wil which implyeth a contradiction Euchir cap 30. Otherwise as it is in Augustine man naughtily vsing freewill lost both himselfe and it and hereby hee that is the seruant of sinne is at libertie to sin but to doe right cously he is not free vnles being deliuered from sinne he begin to be the seruant of righteousnesse Moreouer if by free be meaÌ„t that which is subiect to none nor dependeth vpon any other thing Libertie from subiection the will hath not or is limited in that sense wee must not doubt that there can be no libertie of mans will but that all things are done of necessitie as God hath foreknowne and worketh by his vnfallible counsel Cap. 16â— and power as Luther often mentioneth in many places in his booke of seruile will For as other things so the elections of the wils of angels and men are subiect to Gods prouidence Acts 17. in whom we liue bee and are mooued and who inclyneth the heart of a king whither souer he will Gregorie Nyssene in his booke that he wrote of man saith prouidence is of such things as be not in vs And Damascene lib. 2. orth fid writeth Damascene that God foreknoweth only the things that are in vs and doeth not foreordaine them But these are daungerous speeches and ought not or cannot be admitted but very warily as Thomas aduiseth vs Tho. cont gent. lib. 2. cap. 90. Aug. de Ciuit. Dei lib 5 cap â— And Augustine much better All wils are subiect to the wil of God euen all wils because they haue no power but what he granteth them Obiection But thou wilt say What is determined of God necessarily so commeth to passe as it is determined
taught to the common people in sermons may easily bee confuted For it becommeth vs not to bee wiser than Christ himselfe his holy Apostles and Prophets who all haue freely witnessed to learned and vnlearned the true doctrine of predestination how hard soeuer it may seeme to the flesh As for example Christ said Many are called and few chosen And again Al that the father giueth me coÌ„meth vnto me My sheep heare my voyce but you beleeue not because ye are not of my sheepe Paul certainly not in a corner but publikely and before the whole world saith It is not in the willer nor in the runner but in God that sheweth mercie c. And againe God willing to make knowne his goodnes c. All these things forsooth are such if wee beleeue these moderators as nothing can be spoken more vnprofitably Marke this speech if the â—â—â—tiâ—oâ— well But say I If God will haue such things spoken and published abroad and that it is not to bee respected what may follow or what carnall wisedome shall inferre thereupon who art thou O man that doest forbid them As who say thy creator shall learne of thee his creature what is profitable what is vnprofitable to be preached Or what shall seeme tolerable in the iudgement of men vnskilfull surely I will not say commonly most vngodly that onely shall be profitable and what is contrariwise that shall straight be reputed vnprofitable and pernicious What is more foolish than to make Gods word so subiect to the pleasure of men Let rather the whole earth bee silent before the Lord and let all the inhabitants of the earth reuerence the words of his mouth CHAP. XXVII That the doctrine of predestination is profitable and necessary with the answers to such obiections as haue been made against it Obiection WHat profit then or what necessity moueth men to publish such things seeing so many euils and offences seeme to arise from thence to the troubling of the hearts of such as be simple and vnlearned Answere I answere It were sufficient to say because so it pleased God in whose will we must simply rest ascribing the glorie to him that seeing he is most wise and most iust he doth no man wrong â— Cor. 1. and cannot doe any thing foolishly and rashly whatsoeuer the flesh supposeth For the foolishnes of God is wiser than men and likewise the vnrighteousnes of God is more righteous than men With this answere the godly are content Yet for the greater confusion of this error alreadie ouerthrowne Predestination is profitable and necessarie to be taught The 1. reason and that we may be the more instructed in the trueth I will briefly shew it not onely to bee profitable but also necessary that the doctrine of predestination be taught and preserued among Christian people And first it is profitable and necessarie for this cause that the true God may be rightly knowne as he reuealeth himself in his word that is to say how that he hath mercie on whom he will and hardeneth whom he will and of the same lumpe maketh one vessell to honour and another to dishonour that is he hath decreed to bestow vndeserued grace vpon vessels of mercie prepared of himselfe by whom being seuered from the corrupt and damnable lumpe of mankinde they might be saued while the rest in the same masse of perdition are forsaken and shall bee condemned for sinne whereof the one belongs to his mercie the other to his iustice whose iudgement mercie the Church often singeth Psalm 101. Dan. 4.32 Rom 9. Matth. 20. De ser arbit cap. 143. And who is he that may say vnto him why dost thou so Shall the pot say to the potter why doest thou make me thus Hath not the pottter power ouer the clay Is thine eye euill because the Lord is good Such a God doth the sacred Scripture declare vnto vs. But God being spoyled as Luther auoucheth of power and wisedome to chuse what shall he be but an Idoll of fortune by whose power all things should come to passe at all aduentures And at length it will come to this that men are saued and damned God not knowing it as one that hath not appointed by a sure election such as shall be saued and shall be damned but offering to all his generall goodnes and mercie hath left it at mens pleasures whether they will bee saued or damned while he in the meane space perchance goeth to the Ethiopians banket as Homer speaketh of his Iupiter The doctrine of predestination is profitable and necessarie to be preached to know the grace of God against the â—elagians The 2. reason and Semipelagians and so to humble vs that he that glorieth may glorie in the Lord. Augustine saw this when he sayd Either predestination must so be preached as the sacred Scripture euidently speaketh of it De bono perseu cap. 16. that the gifts and calling of God in them that bee predestinate may be without repentance or els it must bee confessed that the grace of God is giuen according to our merits which sauoureth of Pelagianisme And in the next chapter Exhortations are not hindred if faith and perseuerance and good workes themselues be said to be Gods gifts and that foreknowne that is predestinated to be freely giuen but rather that dangerous error is hindered and subuerted by the preaching of predestination when the grace of God is sayd to be giuen according to our merits that he that glorieth may glorie not in the Lord but in himselfe Hereupon the same father chapter 20. of the same booke testifieth that he was vrged of necessitie to write largely of predestination because of the Pelagians who sayd that the grace of God was giuen according to our merits which thing saith he is nothing els than a flat deniall of grace The opinion of the Pelagians The Pelagians imagined that grace was offered indifferently to all men and that in respect of God eternall life was prepared for all but that it was in the power of men to refuse or receiue grace and saluation offered And that some are saued because they imbrace grace as of themselues and through their owne free will And that others be damned because when they may yet they will not receiue grace when it is offered What other thing is this than to make warre both against grace and predestination The doctrine of the Semipelagians Now such among them as would seeme more moderate and did not so much make a shew of Pelagianisme as secretly and a farre off onely follow it as those reliques of the Pelagians of whom Prosper and Hilarie write did confesse surely that no man is sufficiently able of himselfe euen to begin any good worke much lesse to performe it the nature of man is so ouerthrowne but they would haue yet some endeuour and will which onely may seeke after the Phisition and is not able of it selfe to doe any thing to remaine in