men in making choise of whom hee list to bee his vessels of honour and temples for his Spirit to inhabit And finally it teacheth vs to loue our brethren who are elected by the same God and for the same ends that we our selues are Fourthly Ministers are by Pauls example bound to teach their people the whole counsell of God and to keepe backe nothing which is commodious therefore they must teach them this doctrine Lastly Ministers must not suppresse or keepe backe that which is reuealed but rather proclaime and diuulge it For things reuealed as this is belong to vs and to our children for euer as Moses writeth Yea they ought to do it the more diligently that they may preserue them froÌ„ those infectious errors which many turbulent and erroneous spirits doe publish to the world and stay them from abusing this so holy a doctrine as many doe to licentious luxurious liuing The iudgement of Caluin is worthy to bee embraced who saith We shall neuer be throughly perswaded that our saluation â—oth flow from the Fountaine of Gods free mercie vntill we bee acquainted with his eternall Election The Scripture is the Schoole of the holy Ghost wherein as nothing is omitted necessarie to be knowen so nothing is taught but that which is expedient for a man to know We must therefore beware that we do not keepe the faithfull from that which the Scripture deliuereth concerning Predestination leâ—t we seeme maliciously to defraud them of that which God doth affoord vnto them or reprooue his Spirit as if hee had reuealed things fit for some considerations to be concealed The fift and last thing to be considered is the maner of propounding and handling of this doctrine Here these duties must be obserued First that this doctrine bee deriued onely from the word of God and not fetcht from the forge of mans braine For the word is a sure Rule to direct our vnderstanding And it is the cheifest point of sobrietie to make GOD our Schoole-master when we learne and then to leaue learning when he leaues teaching When he leaues speaking then wee should leaue inquiring Hee which curiously pries into Gods secrets runnes himselfe into an inextricable labyrinth and findes not that wherewith his curiositie may be satisfied Secondly this doctrine ought to bee deliuered in conuenient and fit tearmes that the trueth thereof may be discerned and no point obscured and that the sublimitie and maiestie thereof be not eclipsed and debased Thirdly it is fit that before this doctrine be preached to the people the Minister do first acquaint them with more familiar points of Religion that his labours may be more prosperous and beneficiall These things haue beene deliuered by way of a Preface I will now speake of the decree of Election and of the Execution of it CHAP. 2. What Election is There bee two distinct acts thereof The causes of it Efficient Materiall and Formall Three ends thereof Sixe effects of it Two subiects of it Fifteen prerogatiues of the Elect. 〈◊〉 properties of Election Many signes thereof are set downe ELECTION to euerlasting life is the speciall decree of God touching the conferring of eternall saluation by Christ the Redeemer to certain men of meere mercie and good will Or The degree of Election is that whereby God hath appointed some vnto his glorious grace in the obtaining of their saluation and celestiall life by Christ. Or it is as Augustine teacheth the preparation of a free donation whereby God hath made vs vessels of mercie before the creation of the world vnto the adoption of the sonnes of God by Iesus Christ In the decree of Election there are two distinct preordinations or acts of the diuine counsell the former concerning the end the latter concerning the meanes tending vnto the end This the holy Ghost seemeth to haue taught most clearely Rom 9.11 where he saith That the purpose which is according to Election might remaine firme By which we see a distinction put betwixt the purpose of God his election And in Rom. 8.29 30. The decree is expresly distinguished from the execution of it which the Apostle placeth in vocation iustification and glorification The first act in the decree of Election is a part of the diuine purpose whereby God doth assume certaine men to be created passing by all other vnto his euerlasting loue and fauour and by assuming them doth make them vessels of mercy and honour The second act is the purpose of sauing or of conferring glorie whereby God doth ordaine and separate the same men being to fall in Adam vnto saluation and celestiall glory These two acts must not be seuered but distinguished The former is of men to be created and the latter is of men that are both created and corrupted By the former men are ordained vnto grace and by the latter the meanes are subordained whereby grace may be conferred and declared For this latter prepares a way for the complement and execution of the former The efficient cause of Election or the Electour is God Almightie Father Sonne and Holy Ghost For such workes as are wrought by God vpon the creature are common to the three persons the maner of working peculiar to each of them being reserued And the Scripture expresly sheweth that the Father the Sonne did elect vs Eph. 1.4 Iohn 15.16 For howsoeuer Christ himselfe is elected as hee is our Mediatour yet as hee is the eternall Word or Sonne of the Father he doth elect as well as the Father Now seeing the worke of election belong to them we may not exclude the holy Ghost who hath one common Godhead with them The cause which mooued God to elect those which are elected was his meere good will and nothing els as appeareth by these reasons First by the word of God Hee hath saith Paul predestinated vs according to the good pleasure of his will At this time also a reseruation is made according to the election of grace Secondly if Christ did not merite as he was a man to bee vnited to the person of the word and to bee borne wholy voyd of sin there is no cause for vs to thinke but that our election vnto life is of the free grace of God But Augustine doth confidently and most truely teach that the man-head of Christ was thus aduanced for no merit of worke thereof but freely had it Therefore it is absurde to thinke that we were not elected of Gods free grace Thirdly if the Patriarch Iacob was elected by grace then Election is of grace but the former is true as Paul doth witnesse Rom 9. â—1 Before the children were borne and when they had neither done good nor euil that the purpose of God might remaine according to election not by works but by him that calleth it was said vnto her the elder shall serue the yonger Therefore we also are elected of grace Fourthly God hath
represent the whole realme in the Parliament euen so did Adam represent the person of his whole posteritie Whatsoeuer he receiued of God he receiued it for himselfe and for all his progeny and what he lost he likewise lost for himselfe and for them all as wee see a man by high treason doth taint his blood and disgrace his posteritie Iustine saith By sinning Adam made his posteritie obnoxious vnto death made them vniuerso All guiltie of his first offence The Lord saith Gregorie did so make Adam as that he might procreate children without sinne if hee continued in the obedience of his Creator but because the soule of man refused to obey her Lord the procreation of children is in sinne Wee see now that Creation is a meane of the execution of Gods election For a man must first be before he can be saued Yet it is no speciall or peculiar meanes For all that are created shall not be saued some shall be damned All men saith Prosper are of God created but of this vniuersalitie or companie some are to bee damned with the Diuell others shall raigne with Christ The Permission of the fall is that whereby God suffred Adam and his sonnes to reuolt fall into sinne and did not hinder the fall which he could haue done if it had so pleased him But hee would not hinder it because such was his pleasure for certaine causes best knowne vnto himselfe In the meane let no man thinke that God was iniurious For 1. he was not indebted to vs to confirme vs by his grace to keepe vs from declining 2. this fall was by God permitted for the greater benefit of all his Elect. For their glory procured by Christ which had neuer been if man had neuer fallen doth farre surpasse the glorie which was giuen them in their creation Great are the euils saith Gregorie which wee suffer by reason of that first offence but what faithfull man would not indure greater rather then want so great a Redeemer Thirdly though God not bound to let did permit this fall yet it is not to be ascribed vnto him as to the cause thereof For hee did not incline his heart to sinne hee did not infuse the least corruption into his soule neither did hee with-draw any grace before inspired into him but hee fell by his free-will through his owne default at the perswasion and suggestion of the Diuell Tertullian saith truely As God brought man into the state of life so man brought himselfe into the state of death The beginning and root of sinne is in our selues saith Basil It cannot be saith Austen that hee which raiseth vs from sinne should make vs fall into sinne Thou art not a God saith Dauid that loueth wickednes neither shal euil dwel with thee Man therefore as Fulgentius saith hath the cause of his iniquitie in his owne proper will not froÌ„ Gods predestination If any man decline from iustice and pietie he runnes head-long of his owne will hee is drawne by his owne concupiscence he is beguiled through his perswasion Nihil iâ—i Pater the father hath no oare in this boat the Sonne is no agent of this sinne the holy Ghost is no worker of this wickednesse And though we should say that God willed that reuolt yet we must know that God did not will it positiue so as to produce effect or giue being to it but negatiuè desereâ—do because his will was to leaue Adam to himselfe and not to preserue him from reuolting that he might bee prooued by temptation and that it might appeare what the creature is able to doe when the Creator shall with-draw the staffe of his grace and cease to support Therefore we conclude with Clemens That the fault of mans chusing of that which was forbidden is not to be transferred or ascribed vnto God Thus we see the second meanes of the Execution of Election Which is a very necessary meane For if a man had not fallen then had there been no place for vocation iustification by Christ and sanctification by the Spirit But though this meane is necessarie yet it is not appropriated to Election because then all that fell should be restored But as Ambrose saith Liberatur parâ— hominum parte pereunte as some are deliuered so some are destroyed The wicked saith Iob are kept vnto the day of destruction The righteous onely shall be saued CHAP. IIII. What effectuall Calling is the parts causes effects subiects place time maner properties and signes of it are declared THvs much concerning the common meanes seruing for the execution of Gods Election The speciall are these three Effectuall Vocaâ—ion Iustification and Glorification that is as Trelcarius saith The gracious beginning proceeding and the glorious accomplishing and consummation of the blessings of God For the first Effectuall vocation or calling is an action of God translating men from the kingdom of darkenesse to his owne Kingdome And it is two-foldeâ— Extraordinary and Ordinary Extraordinary vocation is an immediate and speciall worke of the Spirit whereby without outward meanes hee smiteth the heart and inwardly speaketh to the soule and by the infusion of grace doth make the heart to answere his call and drawe neere vnto him This calling without the ministerie of the word is very rare and vnusuall But the Lord that is aboue meanes is not tyed to meanes but can worke without meanes when it pleaseth his Maiestie so to doe Effectuall vocation which is ordinary is that Whereby God calleth out of darkenesse into his marueilous light from the power of Sathan vnto God those whom he knew from eternitie and predestinated vnto life of his meere fauour by the promulgation of the couenant of grace or preaching of the Gospell Or It is when grace is not onely offered but giuen also by God through the effectuall working of his Spirit in our heartes which is the beginning of grace in vs hee himselfe laying the first foundation of it by giuing power to receiue the word to mingle it with faith and to bring foorth the fruites of new obedience This ordinary effectuall calling hath two parts Inuitement and Admission Inuitement is when God offers remission of sinnes and life euerlasting to them that beleeue Outwardly by the preaching of the Gospell Inwardly by the inspiration of heauenly desires Admission is when men are entred into the kingdome of grace and it is either outward or inward Outward admission is made in Baptisme Inward admission is when men are taken out of old Adam and by faith ingraffed in to Christ For by this insition into Christ men are made reall members of Gods kingdome Haec ille For the better conceiuing and vnderstanding of this Calling these points ensuing are worthy our consideration The efficient cause of effectuall Calling is Almightie God By him we are called vnto the fellowship of his Sonne He hath called vs vvith an holy calling
truely though not so firmely as the hand that is whole and sound And further this sauing faith is the onely hand whereby wee doe receiue Christ and his merites No man is iustified by the workes of the Law but by the faith of Iesus Christ Basil saith This is to glorie in the Lord when a man doth not boast of his ovvne righteousnesse but doth acknowledge that hee is destitute of true righteousnes that he is iustified by faith alone in Christ Chrisostom saith Without faith no man hath obtained life but I am able to shew that a faithfull man both liued and obtained the kingdom of heauen without workes For the thiefe did onely beleeue and was iustified It was well said by Roffensis Fides faeta bonis operibus iustificat ante partum Faith being bigge with good works doth iustifie a man before it bring them forth For as S. Augustine saith Good works doe not goe before him that is to be iustified but follow him that iâ— already iustified And though good workes must neuer bee seuered from faith in the person iustified yet they must be sundred in the act of iustification Though the eie bee not alone yet it sees alone and though the head consult inuent alone yet it is not alone but ioyned to the body so though faith be not alone in the faithfull man yet it alone doth iustifie And thus wee see how to esteeme of faith the Sacraments and the Ministers of God alwaies remembring to ascribe our iustification vnto God Father Sonne and Holy Ghost as the proper and principall efficient thereof as the Scriptures teach vs and confessing with Primasius that God doth iustifie the wicked per solam fidem by faith alone and not by workes The internall impulsiue cause of Iustification which mooueth God to iustifie vs is his grace and meere beneuolence and not our works past present or to come how glorious so euer Paul saith we are iustified freely by his grace And Augustine saith that it is the ineffable grace â—f God that hee which is guilty should be iustified Because all men are shut vp vnder sinne the saluation of man as Anselme saith doth not now consist in the merits of men but in the mercie of God Yea Bellarmine himselfe ingeniously confesseth that by reason of the vncertenty of our owne righteousnesse and the danger of vaine glory Iutissimum est it is the safest course to repose our fiduciam Whole confidence in solu Deâ— misericordia in the Sole mercie and goodnesse of God Now then we must not imagine that this grace of God is procured by our workes but that it doth proceed freely from the Lord. No merit of man saith Anselme doth goe before the grace of God Thou hast done no good saith Augustine and yet remission of sinnes is giuen thee Let thy works be marked and they are found euill If God should reward those workes according to their due he should condemne them But God doth not giue thee the punishment that is due but giues thee grace which is not due And againe he saith The grace without which neither Infants nor men of yeares can be saued is not payed by deserts but giuen without desert and thereupon is called grace The externall impulsiue cause or meritorious efficient of our iustification is not our owne workes virtues or obedience First because they bee the Lords due by vertue of many bonds When we haue done all that is biddeÌ„ vs we haue done but our due no more then wee were bound to due Now shall wee thinke that the discharging of one duetie can satisfie Gods iustice for the omission of many dueties and the commission of many faults Secondly all our righteousnesse is as a stained cloth Gregorie saith All mâ—ns righteousnâ—s iâ— found to be vnrighteousnes â—f God strictly iudge it Our very iustice being brought to the rule of Gods iustice is iniustice that stinketh in the sâ—uerity of the Iudge which shineth in the estimation of the Worker And albeit our good works are perfit in respect of the Spirit from whom thee first flow yet are they polluted when they passe from vs because they ruÌ„ through our corrupted hearts and wils as faire water which runnes through a dirty channell Shall wee now say that our perfect righteousnesse can merit any thing of that righteous Iudge before whose iustice nothing polluted can stand vncondemned Wo vnto the laudable life of men sath Aâ—gustine if God should examine it and lay aside his mercie Thirdly our best actions are not answerable to the benefits of iustification But in reason hee which meanes to merit any thing must bring that which is equal to that which hee seekes to merit fourthly he that wil merit of another must not thinke to merit of him vnâ—esse he bring some thing of his owne to merit with and not that which is his of whom hee doth intend to merit But all our vertues our Faith and good workes are Gods so farre as they bee good and not ours For what haue we which wee haue not receiued Without me saith Christ Ye can dâ—e nothing Of our selues we are not able to thinke one good thought When we eâ—ther beleeue or worke though that faith be ours and albeit the workes â—e ours yet when we haue them we haue them not of our selues but they are giuâ—n of God Whatsoeuer saith Augustine Cornelius wrought well Totum Dâ—o dandam est it must all be ascribed vnto God lest any maÌ„ happily should exalt himself Therfore it is absurde to think we merit any thing by good deedes Fiftly good workes in nature follow Iuâ—tification Augustine saith Iustification goes before the doers of the law Mâ—â— being iustified by beleeuing begin afâ—erwards to liue righteously And Saint Paul saith that God doth iustifie the Vngodly By which then it is plainâ— that no man is iustified for his works Finally wee haue the sentence of the Scriptures with vs and the iudgement of the auncient Church Wee haue beleeued in Iesus Christ saith Paul that we might be iustified by the faith of Christ and not by the workes of the lame because that by the workes of the law no flesh shall be iustified God both saued vs not according to the workes of righteousnesse which we haue done but according to his mercie Ambrose saith Let no man glorie in works because no man is iustified by his works Augustine faith The vngodly is iustified by faith without the merits of good workes Primasius saith It is Gods purpose to iustifie the wicked by faith alone without the workes of the law or any other merits of ours whatsoeuer Hâ—miniâ— iustitia indulgentia Deâ— Gods pardon saith Bernard is mans righteousnesse My merit saith hee is Gods mercie Wee conclude therefore saying with Ambroâ—e Wee are not iustified by works but by faith because fleshly 〈◊〉 is an impedimeÌ„t to
sins and Gods accepting of vs as righteous men Remission of sins is a gracious act of God whereby for the merit and satisfaction of Christ he doth perfectly forgiue both the fault and punishment Therefore Paul saith that by him wee haue redemption through hiâ— blood euen the forgiuenes of sinnes according to his rich grace and that there is no condemnation to theÌ„ that are in Christ Iesus who hath by himself purged our sins and by whom the Father hath reconâ—iled vâ— vnto himselfe Now it were absurd to thinke that the punishment is retâ—ined when the sin is remitted For if the proper cause bee defaced then the effect thereof must needs be also abolished If the bodie bee remoued the shadow thereof remaines not So if sin bee pardoned the punishment is remitted As for the crosses which the faithfull suffer they are to bee reputed curses or penalties of vengeance inflicted of God as of an ireful direful Iudge but they are to be esteemed onely as tryals or as punishmeÌ„t of castigatioÌ„ imposed of god as a louing father desiring the welfare weldoing of his childreÌ„ As many as I loue saith the Lord I rebuke chasten He scourgeth euerie sonne vvhich he receiueth If therefore ye be vvithout correction whereof all are partakers then are ye bastards and not sonnes Novv no chastening for the present seemeth to bee 〈◊〉 but grieuous yet afterward it bringeth the 〈◊〉 fruit of righteousnes vnto theÌ„ which are thereby exercised The Lord tries vs by afflictions as gold is tried in the furnace with fire He keeps vs by the crosse within our limits as water is held in with bankes And with the thorny hedge of troubles vexations hee keepes vs within our owne walkes and pastures being by nature giuen to break out and stray Therefore Dauid saith Before I was afflicted I went astray but now I keepe thy word it is good for mee that I haue beene afflicted that I may learne thy statutes Blessed is the man whom thou chastisest For it is certaine God scoureth away the infirmities of his Saincts by many afflictions It is the Lord which sendeth crosses to his children to saue theÌ„ that they freese not with the wicked world in their dregs For this end saith Cyprian the Lord rebuketh that hee might amend vs to this end he mends that he might saue vs. Augustine saith that sorrowes before pardon of sins are the punishments of sinners but after pardon they are the trials and exercises of iust men And so for death it selfe the sting and strength thereof which is sin is abolished by the death of Christ vpon the crosse therefore is to bee reputed but as a triall or chastisement whereby the Lord doth teach vs humilitie and the flight of sinne and doth exercise and proue our faith fortitude and patience And though in respect of sinne it be the entrance of Hell yet through the death of Christ it is become the gate of heauen and as Cyprian speaketh Ianua vitae the dore of life It doth as it were conuey vs out of the wildernes into Canaan out of a troublesome Sea into a quiet hauen and out of earth into heauen from woe to weale and from men to God yea it becomes the death of sinne that first gaue life to it We conclude therefore this truth with Vrsinus saying God doth not hate vs neither hath he a will to punish vs for those sins for which Christ hath sufficiently satisfied in whom also we haue remission of those sins of omission and all other our sins so that by his onely merit we are reputed righteous before God The second part of Iustification is Gods gracious acceptation wherby he doth for the merit of Christs actiue obedience by faith receiued of vs account vs iust and pure and honours vs with the crowne of life And in this respect we may truely be sayed to be iust perfect and holie men because we stand clothed with the most perfect righteousnes of Christ which is reputed ours in which appearing before our heauenly father wee doe receiue a blessing as Iacob did of Isaack hauing on his elder brothers garmeÌ„ts Neither must it seeme strange vnto vs that we should be accepted righteous for the righteousnes of an other For albeit this righteousnesse be Christs primarily and by way of inherence yet it is ours by Gods donation and by the application of faith As the paiment of our debt is another mans so farre forth as it is discharged by him but it is our payment as it is imputed to vs. Aquinas saith well The head and the member is as one mysticall person and therefore the satisfaction of Christ pertaineth to all the faithfull as to his members The forme or formall cause of Iustification is not faith loue nor any other vertue neither is it an infused quality or habituall sanctity inherent in vs. For this were to confound iustification and sanctification which are very different acts as wee shall hereafter shew But the righteousnesse of Christ imputed considered as it is imputed of God is the forme of iustification Or the proper and onely true forme of iustification is the free imputation of the righteousnes of Christ by which the merit and obedience of Christ are applied to vs by vertue of that neare communion whereby he is in vs and we in him Now God is said to impute the righteousnes of Christ vnto a man when hee doth adiudge decree and giue it to him and account and reckon it as his owne and for the merit and worthines of it doth pardon acquite him and repute him righteous O sweete exchange saith Iustin Martyr O vnsearchable vvorkemanship O benefits surpassing all expectation that the iniquity of manie should be couered in one iust person and that the iustice of one should make manie that are vniust to be reputed iust If one saith Bernard did die for all then all died to wit that the satisfaction of one might be imputed vnto all as that one bare the sins of all Now Christ bare our sins and was made sin for vs not as if our sins had beene infused into him and had beene inherent and inhabitants in him but because they were imputed to him and reputed his as if they had beene committed by him he supplying our place as our Surety and Mediator euen so his righteousnes is made ours not as though it were infused or translated into vs as a thing inherent and inhabiting in vs but because it is reputed ours and imputed freely to vs as if wee our selues had wrought it in our owne persons And of this opinion was S. Augustine We are the righteousnes of God in him as he is sin in vs to vvit by imputation With whom consenteth Vrsinus the imputation of the righteousnes of Christ is not the transfusion of righteousnes or of qualities into vs but the absolution from sins in the iudgement