albeit the eyes of all are not inlightened so Christ hath in himselfe the redemption of all The new writers allow the distinction of sufficiency and efficiency not sufficient for vs only but to redeeme innumerable worlds also albeit all through their owne peruersenes are not made partakers thereof Neither otherwise doth Caluin Beza Grineus and other Diuines of our confession who are hatefully spoken of by our aduersaries as though simply without al distinction they should auouch that Christ died not for all Which to be falsely layd to their charge he shall confesse whosoeuer shall weigh the places of the authors of whom now we haue spoken Caluin in 1. Ioh. 2. Beza in 2. Cor. 5.15 and often in the second part of his answer to the Acts of the Conference at Mompelgart fol. 217. 221. Gryneus in Thesauro the fium class 1 thes 13. Tossan thes 31. in disput de loco Pauli 1. Cor. 15.22 Zanch. lib. 2. Miscel pa. 312. Pet. Mart. loco de praedest ad Rom. 9. In these places the forenamed writers as many other writers of our side in their bookes doe retaine with one accord the common distinction of Sufficiencie and Efficiencie not to be refused doubtles in this disputation Onely let the termes sufficiently and efficiently bee rightly and truly vnderstood Sufficiently Sufficiently that is by Augustines interpretation as touching the greatnes of the price or as Thomas sheweth as farre forth as hee exhibited that which was sufficient to take away all sinnes Effectually Efficiently or as others speake effectually let it bee vnderstood in respect of the effect which is found in the onely members of Christ all the rest being without redemption who liue without faith and regeneration as Augustine also hath learnedly left in writing The opinion of our aduersaries But this is the opinion of our aduersaries that Christ without any difference died for the sinnes of all men and that all the sinnes of all men are satisfied and clensed by sacrifice not onely sufficiently but also effectually Which thus they doe declare that our heauenly father hath instituted and ordained in very deede a reconciliation with all and euery man without any respect of faith or vnbeleefe But in them it abideth effectuall who by faith receiue that reconciliation with God ratified by Christ his sacrifice and in those who refuse it by vnbeleefe The aduersaries simile it is abolished and taken away no otherwise then if a common bath were erected for many sick persons wherin all in very deed are restored to health and some of thē by intemperance do lose againe their former health which continueth in others which liue soberly Which similitude truly much differeth in sense from those which Augustine and Stapulensis vsed before Furthermore they professe and write plainly that Christ suffered was crucified dead and hath satisfied no lesse for the sinnes of all which alreadie are damned and hereafter to bee damned then for the sinnes of Peter Paul and of all the Saints that is to say that Christ not onely gaue that which was sufficient to haue taken away the sinnes of all men but also that in very deede the sinnes no lesse of the damned Marke this strange doctrine and such as shal be damned then of those that are saued and shal bee saued are washed away in his blood And they auouch that it commeth to passe that neuerthelesse the former sort are condemned not for their sinnes for they are indeed clensed by Christ but for vnbeleefe alone whereby they destroy againe and make vneffectuall that reconciliation which was made and done for them This was the opinion of Iacob Andreas in the Conference at Mompelgart which Huberus thes 19. setteth downe in this maner to wit That Christ suffered and died not for some men only but for al the posteritie of Adam none and to speake it most plainly none at all excepted out of the whole vniuersalitie of mankinde whether he receiue to himselfe saluation by faith and continue in saluation obtained or els through vnbeleefe refuse saluation wrought for him and therefore perish againe for euer We see that he boldly auoucheth that indifferently all and euery one beleeuers and vnbeleeuers haue obtained in very deede saluation in Christ but that some in beleeuing continue in saluation receiued others are depriued againe of the same by not beleeuing The same man in compendio thes 10. saith Wee boldly affirme that Christ by his death hath mercie vpon all men in very deed and in truth and gaue himself a sacrifice for sins no lesse for euery infidell then for euery faithfull man to wit that he may deliuer from death the deuill and hell all men whosoeuer they be he meaneth in very deede and in truth as wee vse to speake and not sufficiently onely And that nothing may be obscure he maintaineth that the worke of saluation by Christ belongeth to all sinners and that such as by Adā haue sinned thes 49. haue righteousnes by Christ imputed vnto them and that all iudgement thes 60. and wrath of God is taken away and abolished from all men in very deede and properlie thes 65. and that all are truly and vndoubtedly together deliuered by the death of Christ from all sinne and condemnation and whole mankinde receiued in deede into the fauour and bosome of the father thes 168. and that all doe belong to the communion of saluation and kingdome of grace lastly thes 270. that all reprobates and elect are alike saued by Christ whether they beleeue or not and other like things altogether raw new and strange doe meete vs here and there dispersedly in reading him Vnto this opinion as new and vnheard of and many waies erronious as it shall appeare we cannot subscribe but following the old distinction wee affirme that Christ surely exhibited that which was sufficient to haue taken away all sins and so they are taken away Our opinion of the death of Christ for all men and that all are redeemed as touching the sufficiencie or greatnes and power of the price as Augustine expoundeth But as touching efficiencie we say that by the death of Christ the sinnes onely of the elect are blotted out who beleeue in him and sticke vnto him as the members to the head Christ effectually died for the elect and faithfull onely proued but such as are not incorporated into Christ cannot receiue the effect of his passion For as the Lord saith God so loued the world that he gaue his sonne that euery one that beleeueth in him should not perish but haue eternall life He that beleeueth is not condemned but he that beleeueth not is condemned alreadie Ioh. 3. Which in that place Iohn Baptist confirming testifieth He that beleeueth in the Sonne hath eternall life but he that beleeueth not in the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him And in this sense and not absolutely and without
his name among all nations Luk. 24. Ioh. 3. that whosoeuer beleeueth in the Sonne should not perish but haue euerlasting life By this precept there is no difference made of any nations De vocat gent. lib 2. cap. 1. or any men Vnto all men is the Gospell of the crosse of Christ sent who hath excepted no man hath separated no man because of his stocke or condition saying Preach the Gospell to euery creature he that beleeueth and is baptized shall be saued but he that beleeueth not shall be damned Hereupon the Lord in the Gospell cryeth Come vnto me all ye that are wearie Matth. 11. and I wil refresh you In which words one thing is commanded and another thing is promised Let vs doe what hee commandeth let vs goe all to the Lord and follow him so we shall haue what he hath promised For he casteth not foorth but receiueth and refresheth such as come vnto him In the meane while who shal come and who shall not come he doth know of whom the Sonne witnesseth Ioh. 6.44 No man commeth vnto me except the father draw him as it is written in the Prophets They shall be all taught of God Whosoeuer therfore hath heard of the father and hath learned commeth vnto me For men as Augustine discusseth that place preach outwardly and beate into the eares the sound of words and so men doe heare of men But that they vnderstand it is giuen inwardly it shineth inwardly it is reuealed inwardly by him who giueth increase Aug. tract 26. in Ioh. pluribus tract 3. in 1. Ioh. And Prosper lib. 2. cap. 9. de vocat gent. saith They who come are directed by the helpe of God they who come not resist through their owne obstinacie Lastly learned interpreters do admonish All taken for all sorts or kinds and the examples of phrases in the Scriptures confirme that the particle All often times ought to bee expounded not for a thing simplie vniuersall but indefinite so that All doth note whatsoeuer and rather All kinds or sorts then all particulars of euerie kinde So Augustine tract 53. in Ioh expounding that saying I will draw all vnto me when I am exalted By all saith he all the predestinate vnto saluation may be rightly vnderstood of all whom nothing shall perish Or certainly saith he all that is all kinds of men whether in all tongues or in all ages or in all degrees of men and whatsoeuer other thing can be spoken according to the innumerable differences whereby excepting onely sinnes men doe differ among themselues from the highest vnto the lowest from the king vnto the beggar I will draw all vnto me This maner of speech he at large teacheth Enchir. ad Laurent cap. 103. and de Correp gratia cap. 14. In both places hee bringeth this Luk. 11.42 Ye tithe mint and rew and all herbes For saith he the Pharisees did not tithe all strange herbes of all strangers through all lands but by all herbes wee must vnderstand all kind of herbes And many places agreeable to this kinde of speech doe meete vs in the Scriptures Matth. 4.23 and 10.1 as that Christ and his Apostles healed all sicknes and disease in the people and all that were possessed with the deuill Act. 10.38 And that all foure footed beasts and creeping things were shewed to Peter in the sheete that was let downe from heauen Act. 10.12 Act. 20.27 and 21.2 Ephes 3.9 And that Paul shewed to the Ephesians all the counsell of God That he taught all the Iewes euery where not to circumcise their sonnes and which is more that he hath made cleere to all men c. and that wee are commanded to shew all gentlenes to all men that is to whomsoeuer Tit. 3.2 Infinite such like places there be which euery where meet them that search the holie Scriptures What is more harsh and inconuenient then for a man to vrge precisely the vniuersall particle in such places And that no man should marueile at this our speech let a man weigh these kind of speeches also All Iudea went out to Iohn Baptist Mark 5. Matth. 10. Ioh. 16. 2. Tim. 1. and all were baptized in Iordan Ye shall be hated of all men for my name All that shall kill you shall thinke they serue God All in Asia are turned from Paul Here the meaning is not that all the Iewes none excepted came to Iohn and were baptized of him but many euerie where out of all Iewrie And vnles the same figures Synecdoche be applied to other sayings monstrous and strange interpretations will arise Those we shall auoide by obseruing the maner of the Scripture whereof August epist 59. saith It is the maner of the Scripture to speake so of a part as of the whole which custome of diuine Scripture spersed vsuallie throughout all the bodie of the doctrine of it whosoeuer shall diligently marke shall plainly vnderstand many things which seeme to be contrarie one to another What should be then the cause that a man should not according to the vsuall custome of the Scriptures here also expound the vniuersall note All after the like maner to wit that Christ died for all that is speaking of the efficacie of redemption for whomsoeuer that rightly and without any hainous offence it bee referred not so well to euery one as vnto all sorts of men of whom without doubt the vniuersalitie of the elect doth consist But of the whole matter by setting downe a new principle it seemeth we must more diligently intreate THE SECOND BOOKE OF CHRISTIAN REDEMPTION CONSISTING IN CONFVTATION CHAP. I. A transition vnto the examination of the arguments of the Aduersarie and the distribution of them into certaine rankes or orders THose things being briefelie laied open which we thought good first to handle touching the summe of the controuersie let vs now goe to examine the arguments particularly whereupon the Aduersarie resteth for the defence of his opinion afterward also we will confirme our opinion by fit testimonies and reasons of the sacred Scriptures Therefore that Christ dyed for all Adams posteritie not one at all excepted of the whole vniuersalitie of mankinde and so truely that he hath satisfied for the sinnes of all efficiently as they say and not sufficiently onely and that all whether they doe beleeue or not beleeue or neuer will beleeue are equallie by the death of Christ from sinne and damnation redeemed restored into the bosome of grace iustified quickened and lastly saued they indeuour to proue and conuince by a threefold order or ranke of reasons The first order containeth those reasons wherein vniuersalitie is expresselie set downe The second produceth such arguments as speake expresselie of reprobates and testifieth if we beleeue them that Christ died no lesse effectuallie for them then for Peter Paul and euery Saint The third ranke hath wonderfull as they say absurdities which they would make to follow of the contrarie opinion The
I answere The answer twofold They do not plainly proue by this testimonie the thing that they would though this were granted as we with Augustine doe willingly graunt it that those many ought to be taken for all For the answere is twofold First Augustine very often entreating of these words constantly expoundeth that all are iustified in Christ not that all are meant to bee iustified by Christ who are borne sinners of Adam but because all who are iustified cannot otherwise bee iustified than by him euen as all who die doe die in Adam August de nat grat cap. 40. Augustine contra Iulianum lib. 6. cap. 12. De peccatorum meritis lib. 1. cap. 28. Epist 57. In Enchir. cap. 51. Further in that hee saith all and all it appertaineth vnto the multitude of both parts and so there is a iustification of all through Christ to wit of all those who belong vnto Christs posteritie by spirituall regeneration This exposition Hierome approueth in Comment and among the Schoolemen Thomas Aquinas Exposit ad Romanos Hierome Thomas Aq. Whom if the disputers at Tubinge little regard let them beware least they reproue their friend and Colledge Heerbrand of a false exposition For so he Disput de iustific thes 148. expounding the antithesis of the first and second Adam saith Both haue merited something for their owne All taken not generally but for the multitude of both sides that is of Adam and Christ Adam sinne and death for such as are borne of him Christ righteousnes and life for those that beleeue in him And the grace of Christ hath abounded aboue sinne because Christ hath obtained for vs the forgiuenes not of one sin onely but of all together as the words of the Apostle testifie These things he godly and soundly But it is most false and farre from the minde of Paul that to whomsoeuer sinne is ascribed to them also righteousnesse should be imputed by the Apostle For the Apostle speaketh expressely not of any righteousnesse which afterward againe may be made ineffectuall and that such as haue obtained it may neuerthelesse after bee damned foreuer but he entreateth of that righteousnes which whosoeuer haue shal raigne for euer For he saith If by one offence death raigned through one much more they that receiue that exceeding grace and gift of righteousnes shall raigne in life through one Wherevpon also he calleth it the iustification of life But not all as many as died in Adam shall raigne in an heauenly life Ergo neither all simply do receiue the gift of righteousnes through Christ This Hierome weighed saying When he saith all are iustified he speaketh not generally but meaneth the multitude of each side Otherwise if all men be found iustified in Christ as in Adam they are condemned there shall be none beside to be punished Obiection But thou wilt say if more perished in Adam than are saued in Christ his grace shall be weaker than Adams sinne which is against the Apostle in that comparison Answere I denie the consequence because the greatnes and the power of grace aboue sinne ought not to bee esteemed according to the multitude of those that are cōdemned in Adam and of those that are iustified and glorified in Christ for so grace should be equall onely and nothing at all stronger then sinne yea euen if they should be made righteous in Christ as many as are borne sinners in Adam But now the grace of the Sauiour is infinitly mightier then the sin of the first man and can doe so much more as God can doe more then man But in these things consisteth that largenes of grace aboue sinne Sinne brought forth death Grace righteousnes and life for it is easier to destroy and condemne innumerable How grace aboundeth aboue sinne then to quicken and saue one seeing no not all men gathered in one could effect this but the other the offence of Adam onely could bring to passe In Adam all of vs are wrapped vnto condemnation by one only offence but Christ doth deliuer his not only from that one originall sinne but also from all actuall sinnes Neither is there any righteousnes beside Christ as there bee some sinnes beside the sinne of Adam Augustine saith August de peccat merit lib. 1. cap. 15. And how mightie is this gift which innumerable sinnes cannot withstand And this the Apostle specially respecteth commending the abundance of grace aboue sinne For he saith Not as the offence so is also the free gift of God for guiltines entered in vpon one offence vnto condemnation but the gift that God bestoweth is giuen vpon many offences to iustification And after another maner declaring the abundance of grace he straightway addeth For if by one offence death raigned through one much more they who receiue that exceeding grace gift of righteousnes shal raigne in life by one Iesus Christ As if he should say if sinne be so effectuall to death how much more grace to life nay to a kingdome in an heauenly life Which comparison truly is weakned and grace is now ouercome of sinne if it bee a certaine thing that they also haue receiued that exceeding grace and gift of righteousnes who shall be with the deuils for euer tormented In these things therefore the largenes of the grace of Christ and his dominion is properly seene and not in the comparison according to number of those who perish and who are saued To these it may bee added that it falleth out not through the penurie of redemption or some insufficiencie of grace and obediēce of Christ that many are not saued but through their owne vnbeleefe For the effusion of that righteous blood as before we related out of Leo is so rich in price that if the whole number of captiues would beleeue in Christ no chaines of Sathan could hold them The 2. place of the aduersarie out of 1. Cor. 15 21 22. A like place is brought out of 1. Corin. 15.21.22 By man came death and by man came the resurrection of the dead because as in Adam all die so in Christ all shall bee made aliue Therefore all none excepted are redeemed and once saued by the death of Christ I answere that this argument is easily dissolued and hath not so much as a shew of truth because Paul doth not speak of that quickening which is alreadie made in the crosse of Christ but of that which shall be at the last day And that quickening is meant according to sound interpreters either of the common resurrection of some to life and of others to condemnation or els which is better liked of of the blessednes and glorie of the godly If the first sense be allowed no argument can thence bee drawne for the vniuersall redemption and saluation of all men If the later it is certaine that that quickening shall not bee of all men simply but of all the elect onely August ep 28. Augustine vnderstandeth quickening in that
their prince and the children of Israel marking their doore posts with the sacred blood of the Lambe and so escaping so much differeth the world of the vnbeleeuers from the world or people of the faithfull that with their king the prince of darknes the deuill they may sooner be drowned in the bottome of hell than that the redemption by Christ that true Lambe of God should do them any good at all Esay 43.3 Also as the redeemer of Israel tooke his seruant Iacob and the seede of Abraham and brought them out of Babel into the land of the forefathers giuing the Egyptians the Ethiopians and other wicked people as it were the price for the redemption of the people of God Ier. 30. v. 11.23 so the Lord is with his Church to saue it while the storme abideth still vpon the head of the vngodly The brasen serpent Num 21. Againe in the desert the brasen Serpent lifted vp by Moses at the commandement of God was the onely remedie against the fierie serpents that whosoeuer should looke vpon it should not die but liue and that not for the thing seene but for God the sauiour of all whose word did heale as the Wiseman saith Sap. 16.7 As therefore they that were stung of Serpents then did not liue vnles they looked vpon the signe of health so the crosse of Christ is redemption and life to such as beleeue in him but not to vnbeleeuers And this is it that Christ auoucheth of himselfe Ioh. 3. As Moses lift vp the Serpent in the wildernesse so must the sonne of man be lift vp that whosoeuer beleeueth in him should not perish but haue eternall life Moreouer Exod â—1 The 〈…〉 in the yeare of Iubilie among the Iewes there was a general freedome of all seruants in the yeare of Iubilee as farre forth as the law of libertie gaue leaue to all Hebrewes But as then they that willingly continued in bondage felt not the force of offred libertie so they feele not the efficacie of Christs redemptioÌ„ who abide addicted vnto the world Lib. 1. Ep. 1. Ambrose rehearsing this figure saith excellently He that is a true freeman a true Hebrew is wholly Gods all that he hath is libertie hee hath nothing of his who refuseth libertie saying I loue my master his wife and children I will not be free Hitherto tendeth the scape goate The scape goate Leuit. 16. vpon whose head the high Priest euery yeare vsed to lay the curse of all the iniquities of the children of Israel and all their sinnes and trespasses and so sent him out into the wildernes and he bore all the sinnes of the people of Israel If this was a figure of Christ to come and of the attonement that he should make as truly it was we must needes confesse that Christ properly maketh satisfaction for the sins of his people as the goate was properly appointed for the people of God the children of Israel to make an attonement for all their iniquities For this cause also Heb. 2. Heb. 2. he is called mercifull and a faithfull high priest to appease Gods wrath for the sins of the people And in the 13. chapter Cap. 13. the Apostle respecting the whole legall sacrifice saith And Iesus suffered without the gate to sanctifie the people by his blood so that we that are his people may boldly say he hath borne our sinnes in his body vpon the tree and with his stripes wee are healed 1. Pet. 2. Concluding therefore the first ranke of our arguments The summe of all that hath been said and it is worthie to be obserued we affirme beleeue and confesse that the Sauiour promised to the world the Christ of God preached alwaies in the Church by the mouth of all the holy Prophets and Apostles is appointed by the father to be a propitiation through faith in his blood in all and vpon all that beleeue and that this benefite of the restoring and redemption of mankinde albeit it bee proper and peculiar to the Church as touching the efficacie of it yet it is vniuersall altogether in that sense wherein wee beleeue and confesse the holy Church of Christ to bee vniuersall CHAP. VII Of the second order of proofes The first reason drawne from the definition of redemption IN this ranke we will vse reasons drawne from the analogie of faith and first I reason from the definition Iustification belongeth to the beleeuers and not to vnbeleeues But Redemption is the same that Iustification is Therefore Redemption belongeth to beleeuers and not to vnbeleeuers The Assumption is proued out of Paul Ephesians 1. Col. 1. where he defineth redemption to be remission of sinnes In another place to wit Rom. 4. he will haue the iustification of a man before God to consist in the forgiuenes of sinnes alleaging that of the Psalme Psal 32. Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiuen and whose sinnes are couered The Maior or first proposition is the doctrine of the Apostle largely handled and proued Rom. 3 4 and 5. chapters and Gal. 2. and 3. chapters to wit that man is iustified by faith in Christ Iesus To which doctrine nothing is more contrary than to imagine iustification to be so generall and largely spreading as condemnation is generall in all and vpon all men simply Thouching the words Ro. 5. we haue answered before least any should thinke that they may be obiected to maintaine so generall a iustification Ambroses exposition of all men Rom. 5. which also Ambrose vpon that place openly reiecteth and expoundeth that grace aboundeth vpon all men to the iustification of life as touching the beleeuers of whom there is a certaine proper vniuersalitie subiect to Christ and partaker of his grace no lesse than the vniuersality of mankind draweth from Adam sinne and death The second argument The 2. reason There is no remission of sinnes out of the Church Therefore neither redemption which Paul as I said defineth to be remission of sinnes The Antecedent Augustine proueth saying In 1. Epist Io. tract vlt. Where there is remission of sinnes there is the Church And from thence in the same place hee gathereth against the Donatists who shut vp the Church in a part of Africa that the Church of Christ is scattered through the whole world because remission of sinnes in the new Testament is despersed through all nations beginning at Hierusalem What is the Catholike Church For this is the Catholike Church that is the people of God throughout all nations accounting and reckening all the saints withal that were before the birth of Christ who yet were knit to the same body whereof he is the head while they beleeued in him who was preached of before Cap. 3. de cate Ruâ—iâ—bus as the same Augustine writeth in another place Here the same illation is of force If redemption be so vniuersall that as our aduersaries suppose all are truely and vndoubtedly
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
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
this benefit of God we receiue not but through faith by the preaching of the Gospell For albeit Christ hath redeemed mankinde from sinnes and reconciled with God yet this benefit had nothing profited mankinde if it were not preached vnto them by the Gospell And the Gospell requireth faith and is to be receiued by faith He that beleeueth not shall be condemned and he that beleeueth shall be saued Wherefore remission of sins purchased by Christ and preached in the Gospell is receiued of vs and applied vnto vs no otherwise then by faith Huber thes 19. Hereunto the assertion is contrarie that all haue receiued reconciliation and saluation whether they beleeue or not beleeue CHAP. III. Peculiar answers vnto those sayings of the Scripture which affirme that Christ died for all THe former generall answere is plaine and sound and may suffice alone yet we think good particularly to examine the sayings of the holie Scriptures touching the death of Christ for all The first place then let this be in this order 1. Tim. 2.4 5 6. The first place 1. Tim. 2. God will that all should be saued and come to the knowledge of the truth for there is one God and one Mediatour of God and men the man Christ Iesus who hath giuen himselfe a raunsome for all Here they first vrge the words that God will that all be saued whereof they will haue gathered that therefore once all men none excepted are in deede saued by the redēption of Christ without any respect of faith or vnbeliefe although many afterward lose againe through vnbeleefe saluation that was obtained But the Apostle entreateth of that saluation which is by faith as Theophilact well expoundeth and the matter it selfe sheweth and not of a certaine vniuersall saluation of beleeuers and vnbeleeuers Further the Apostle knitteth saluation and the knowledge of the truth together as things most neerely ioyned between themselues He will saith he that all men be saued and come to the knowledge of the truth After the like maner therfore let them inferre that all men also none excepted come to the knowledge of the truth that is to faith and by consequence to eternall life which consisteth in the knowledge of God and Christ Thus the argument is fully answered Yet as touching the minde of Paul the place needeth interpretation as Ambrose also admonisheth For if God who verily is Almightie and doth whatsoeuer he will in heauen and earth will haue all men to be saued and to come to the knowledge of the truth why is not his will fulfilled Neither say as the Pelagians vsed to except as Augustine witnesseth that therefore this will of God is not fulfilled because men will not For no free will doth withstand God being willing to saue as he teacheth de correp grat cap. 14. for so to will or not to will is in the power of the willer or niller that it hindereth not Gods will nor ouercommeth his power For he himselfe doth the things that he willeth concerning those men who doe not his will seeing euen of the very willes of men he doth what he will Therefore many waies surely that Apostolicall and diuine sentence may rightly be vnderstood that the very beginning of our faith shake not wherein wee professe that wee beleeue in God the father almightie Of which waies we will recite one or two First albeit none but the elect come to saluation and that effectually called by the holy Ghost The first exposition of 1. Tim. 2.4 by that vocation which is according to the purpose of God yet God by his word calleth al to beleeue and to conuert that they may be saued and not iudge themselues vnworthie of the kingdome of God For this is that good acceptable and perfect will of God that all heare the Sonne repent and beleeue the Gospel vnto saluation As also Ezechiel testifieth chap. 18. EZec. 18. 37 Why will ye die O house of Israel Turne from all your iniquities because I will not the death of a sinner Turne and ye shall liue And chap. 33. As I liue saith the Lord I will not the death of the wicked but that he turne from his way and liue For God reioyceth not in the destruction of such as perish Wised 1. Act. 17. neither approueth an vnfaithfull and vnrepentant heart but as Paul testifieth warneth all men to repent But why this gift of grace to wit conuersion without which none can be saued is not bestowed vpon all by him who would haue all to bee saued it must be referred to the hidden iudgements of Gods iustice For who hath knowne the minde of the Lord or who first gaue to him that he should recompence him This exposition Luther alloweth de seruo arbit handling the place of Ezech. chap. 18. Luther In that saying saith he I will not the death of a sinner we see no other thing handled then that the grace of God is preached and offered in the world which they only receiue in whom the law hath already wrought his dutie that is the knowledge of sinne The rest contemne mercie promised in that saying But why some are touched by the law and others are not touched so that they receiue these refuse grace offered it is another question and is not handled here by Ezechiel who speaketh of the preached and offered mercie of God and not of that hidden and reuerend will of God ordaining in his counsell whom and what maner of men he will haue to bee capable and partakers of the mercie preached and offered Which will is not to be sought after but with reuerence to be honoured as the secret of Gods maiestie reserued to himselfe alone and forbidden vs. And anone after God doth many things which he doth not shew vnto vs by his word and he willeth many things also which in his word he sheweth not that he willeth So he will not the death of a sinner to wit in his word but he willeth it by that his vnsearchable will But we must respect his word and leaue his vnsearchable will Againe comparing this present place of the Apostle with the place of the Prophet hee addeth If thou speake of God preached vnto vs he will that all men should be saued while he commeth to all in the word of saluation and it is the fault of our will which doth not admit him as it is said Matth 23 How oft would I gather thy children and thou wouldest not But why the diuine maiestie doth not take away this fault of our will or change it in all seeing it is not in the power of man or why he imputeth that vnto him seeing man cannot want it it is not lawfull to enquire and though thou shouldest seeke after it yet thou shalt neuer finde it These things so largely I am not ashamed to produce out of Luther because of our aduersaries The second exposition of 1. Tim 2.4 Augustine Secondly this may be the
place in the later sense and sheweth that therefore it is said both there all and here all because as all who die die not but in Adam so all who shall be quickened shall not be quickened but in Christ Ambrose Ambrose in Comment referreth that word all vnto the vniuersalitie of the elect As death saith he held all who came of Adam so also Christ purchased life for all who bee of his bodie To whom also Hierome subscribeth in the exposition of this place Yea this is apparantly the declaration of Paul himselfe who when hee had said that all shall be quickened in Christ immediatly added these words but euery one in his owne order the first fruits is Christ then such as are Christs at his comming Therefore he speaketh of the quickening of all those that belong to Christ The 3. place of the aduersarie Ephes 1.10 A third place is alleadged out of the first chapter to the Ephesians where it is read that it was the good purpose of the father to renew or to restore all things in Christ both which are in heauen and which are in earth Which very sentence Paul repeateth and more fully vrgeth to the Colos chap. 1.19.20 saying Colos 1.19 20. This was the good pleasure of the father that in Christ all fulnes should dwell and that he might reconcile to himselfe all things in heauen and earth making peace by that blood of his crosse And the Apostle applying that generall doctrine to the Colossians who had now admitted the faith of Christ he further saith Vers 21. to 25. Therefore you being in times past strangers and enemies hauing your mindes set on euill workes hath he now recōciled in that bodie of his flesh through death that he might present you holie and blameles and without fault before himselfe if ye continue grounded and rooted in faith and be not moued from the hope of the Gospell which ye haue heard which hath been preached vnto euery creature vnder heauen whereof I Paul am a minister reioycing now of those things which I suffer for you and fulfilling likewise the remnants of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his bodie which is the Church The aduersarie vrgeth the generall note all things because all things are reconciled and restored that there is nothing at all omitted among men which is not reconciled and restored by the death of Christ But he cutteth his throate with his owne sword For if wee must sticke to vniuersalitie without any restraint why doth he restraine the generall note to mankind alone and expoundeth all things that is all men Before those words of the reconciliation of all went that saying All things which are in heauen and earth were made by Christ and all things consist in him and that he was before all things and hath the rule ouer all things Why doth hee now goe from that vniuersalitie of all things repeated so often in so few words and expoundeth it of the humane nature alone that all things are said to be reconciled by Christ Doth he confesse at the length that the generall particle doth now and then require a limitation according to the circumstance of the place and matter whereof is entreated But as touching the sense of this place of the restoring and reconciliation of all things by Christ many men haue spoken diuers things of this matter yet none of the old interpreters that I know tooke the words of the Apostle in that sense wherein they are produced by the aduersarie But three expositions of any moment are brought foorth to omit other of lesse account The first is that the whole creature simplie needed the remedie of the death of Christ men truly that sinne and death being destroyed they might obtain through faith euerlasting saluation and Angels that by the repayring of men and the coniunction of earthly things with heauenly they may fully reioyce lastly the Elements and the visible creature for the deliuerie of it selfe from destruction and corruption Rom. 8. for the very creature it selfe also as Paul witnesseth shall be freed from the bondage of corruption into the libertie of the glorie of the sonnes of God This exposition is Theodorites in Comment ad Eph. 1. Col. 1. Heb. 2. Other expound it of Angels and men Hereupon August Ench ad Laur. c. 62. In Christ saith he the things in heauen are restored when the full of Angels is recompenced out of mē And the things in earth are repaired when men themselues who were predestinated vnto eternal life are renued from their old corruption And in the same place expounding the words to the Colos 1. How saith he are heauenly things pacified but in vs that is in agreeing with vs For earthly things were separated from heauenly for the contrarietie of life as Hierome hath noted vpon that place Thirdly by those things which are in heauen other vnderstand the soules of the Saints Heb. 12.23 which be now in the kingdome of heauen and by earthly things the elect who as yet are pilgrimes in the banishment of this present life as Anselme expoundeth in so many words Rightly truly For Paul saith not that peace was made betweene heauenlie and earthlie things betweene Angels and men but that God had reconciled to himselfe both the things which are in heauen and which are in earth And that so it ought to bee construed the Greeke text doth proue albeit others construe it with the verbe that is translated making peace Further the application which is added Therefore vs truly hath he now reconciled who were in times past strangers and enemies doth sufficiently declare that the proprietie of reconciliatiō belongeth to the faithfull and that the vnbeleeuers as long as they bee such are void of reconciliation and enemies of God But the aduersarie The 4 place Colos 1.23 that he may leaue no stone as they say vnmoued would faine establish his opinion of the vniuersalitie of reconciliation by this also Thes 101. that Paul exhorteth all the Colossians to continue stable in the hope of the Gospell and so signifieth that they also are reconciled who fall away or may fall away from hope and faith I answere seeing wee are to iudge charitably of others such are counted and reckoned for faithfull and elect and therefore reconciled and heires of righteousnesse and eternall life whosoeuer professe with vs the faith of Christ but then they be truly that which they are called if they continue in that for which they are so called But if they haue not perseuerance they are not truly so called as Augustine writeth de Correp grat cap. 9. But of this more at large afterward in the arguments of the second ranke or order The aduersarie also warneth vs to marke well in the words of the Apostle ad Col. 1. that he not onely said that the Gospell was preached to all the Colossians but the hope of the Gospel And yet it is in the
any man of sound iudgement he malapertly saith Thes 489. that the Caluinian ministers are the hangmen of the reprobates who draw them vnto exquisite torments that were from euerlasting condemned and doe hew them in peeces if that bee true that they heare the word of God vnto condemnation What then In what reckoning will he haue the Prophet Esay to bee to whom it was said when he saw the glorie of God Esay 6. Goe make fat the heart of this people and shut their eies Which place surely of the Prophet is repeated not rashly in the New Testament sixe times of the blinding of the Iewes Shall we therefore with a Huberian scoffe call either the Prophet or Christ Iesus whose glorie then Esay saw hangmen Farre be this malapertnes from a Christian heart 2. Cor. 2. But rather by the witnes of the Apostle we are the sweet sauour of Christ to God both in them that perish and in those that are saued to the one the sauour of death to death but to the other the fauour of life to life yet alwaies to God the sweete sauour of Christ in both respects Lastly it must be noted that it maketh no matter here whether it so come to passe either by the foreappointment or by the foreknowledge onely of God that the preaching of the Gospell vnto the reprobates turneth vnto their iudgement For both the foreknowledge and also the foreappointment of God is vnfallible Wherefore seeing the aduersarie cannot denie at the least foreknowledge in God for their more grieuous condemnation who will not obey the word the cauils already alleadged must of necessitie fall vpon his owne head And of these enough CHAP. XV. To the sixt absurditie I Proceed to that which was obiected of the Sacraments to wit Thes 37. The 6. absurditie that Baptisme is taken away That the Sacraments are taken away vnlesse with hand and foote as they say we bee of Hubers opinion touching the vniuersalitie of redemption Of Baptisme he giueth this reason that no certaine grace and saluation is promised to the baptized His argument will be thus By whose opinion no certaine grace and saluation is set forth vnto such as are baptized by their opinion Baptisme is taken away But by their opinion who think that by the death of Christ all men are sufficiently but not effectually redeemed so as al and euery one haue remission of sinnes and are receiued into the grace of God iustified and saued whether they beleeue or not by the opinion of these I say no certaine grace and saluation is propounded to such as are baptized Ergo by their opinion Baptisme is taken away Vnles the argument bee thus framed I see not how any thing can bee concluded to the purpose But the minor is denied Huber surely thes 1019. sendeth vs vnto the things which hee hath from his 386. thes vnto the 431. but if those be looked into and examined it will appeare that nothing is there contained sauing an extrauagant and idle heape of certaine questions ilfauouredly tumbled together concerning Baptisme But without such long circumstances O Huber this thou shouldest proue that vpon the setting downe of the contradictorie of thine opinion of the generalitie of redemption there would follow the ouerthrow of Baptisme and that therefore because no certaine grace and saluation can then bee promised to them that bee baptized This this shew if thou canst omitting thy manifold digressions whereby thou vsest miserably to intangle thy reader and turne him away from the point Surely as for vs The principall vse of Baptisme wee haue learned out of the diuine Scriptures and do constantly teach that the vse of sacred Baptisme tendeth to this end and that principally that it may seale and confirme vnto vs the promise of grace and eternall life For take away the promise of grace from baptisme and thou shalt take away the nature of a Sacrament because according to the vsuall definition of Augustine Augustine dâ—fition of it A Sacrament is a visible forme of inuisible grace Hereupon are those promises He that beleeueth and is baptized shall be saued Mar. 16. And in the words of Peter Act. 2. Repent ye and be baptized euery one of you in the name of Iesu Christ for the remission of sinnes and ye shall receiue the gift of the holy Ghost Also 1. Pet. 3. Baptisme saueth vs. And Tit. 3. Of his mercie he saued vs through the lauer of regeneration and the renewing of the holy Ghost and such like which are read in the Scriptures of the vertue of Baptisme Which things Basill in his exhortation to Baptisme wittily seemeth to comprehend Baptisme saith he is the releasing of captiues and debt the death of sinne the renuing of the mind the shining garment the way of heauen the getting of the kingdome of heauen and the grace of adoption For holy Baptisme is the seale of so many things to the faithfull Rom. 4. as the Apostle speaketh of Circumcision that it was giuen to Abraham for a seale of the righteousnes of faith teaching that Circumcision was not giuen for righteousnes but for a seale of righteousnes which is by faith And I say to the faithfull because neither the word nor Baptisme promiseth any thing to or profiteth the vngodly and vnbeleeuers For it is a word of promise He that beleeueth and is baptized Vnbeleeuers are not partakers of the grace of Baptisme although they be Baptized shall be saued but he that beleeueth not shall be damned whether he be baptized or not And Ephes 5. wee reade that the Church is sanctified of Christ the bridegrome and washed in the fountaine of water in the word Why in the word Because euen in the water the word cleanseth and not the water it selfe as Augustine Tract 80. vpon Iohn expoundeth And the same man addeth Whence commeth so great force of water that it toucheth the bodie and washeth the heart but by the word which doth it and that not because it is spoken but because it is beleeued The same man vpon the 77. Psalme writeth thus of the Iewes Whereas the Sacraments were common to all grace was not common which is the vertue of the Sacraments So now also the lauer of regeneration is common to all that are baptized but grace it selfe whereby the members of Christ with their head are regenerated is not common to all Againe lib. 5. cont Donatist cap. 24. he saith that Baptisme may be without the spirit and that some of those that are baptized doe put on Christ while they are receiuing of the Sacrament others by continuing in holines of life That is common to good and euill and this is proper to the good and godly And truely it is in the schooles receiued and allowed Many testimonies prouing that Baptisme doth profit the beleeuer onely that such as come without faith and fainedly receiue the Sacrament and not the thing by the example of Simon Magus of whom Augustine
shall raigne vpon the earth The Minor But vnto the Church properly belongeth this dignitie to be a chosen stocke a royall priesthood a holy nation witnes Peter 1. Epist 2. which also the words out of the Reuelation chap. 5 now cited doe confirme where the voice and confession of the Church is Thou hast made vs to our God kings and priests The conclusion Therefore it followeth that the proprietie of redemption is in the possession of the Church The 12. reason From the vse of the Sacraments The 12. argument from the vse of the Sacraments Vnto whom nothing is sealed in he vse of the Sacraments vnto them the promise of grace in the word belongeth not For the nature of the promise is all one both in the audible and visible word But in the Sacraments Baptisme and the Lordes Supper nothing is sealed to such as be aliants from Gods couenant and vnbeleeuers Therefore neither doeth the promise of grace in the word belong vnto them For the proofe of the assumption let the things be considered that we haue of that matter spoken before in the Confutation The 13. reason The 13. and last argument If all men wholy bee receiued into the grace and fauour of God by the death and grace of the Sauiour Hub. Thes 157. 536. so that no man shall euer perish now after his redemption vnles he despise the grace of God Hub. thes 157. 136. Marke this reason agaynst the aduersarie and through vnbeliefe shake off and forsake his redemption It will follow that all the children of al Thalmudists Mahumetists Turks Tartarians and such as feed on mens flesh called Anthropophagi and such like as long as they want the vse of reason and therefore actuall sinne and be not yet subiect to the contempt of grace are in the state of saluation and dying in that age of what nation soeuer they be in the Church or out of it are eternally saued which thing is manifestly and Anabaptisticall dotage of those men I say that follow the pauilions of Mennon Mennon Theod Phil. Hofman and Theodorike Philip vp and downe the Low Countries which they haue drawen vnto them from the sinke as it seemeth of Melchior Hofman For Theodore Phillippi is of this opinion and plainely writeth Lib. de baptismo Because Christ the Lambe of God hath taken away the sinnes of the world by his death and blood that no man can be damned for the sinne of Adam and therefore that the kingdome of heauen belongeth to all children indifferently that al are innocents and reputed without sinne before God seeing no sinne beside Adams can be imputed vnto them and that the same is satisfied and taken away vniuersally by the death of Christ so that infantes for Adams transgression cannot be iudged or condemned And the Pelagians also as Augustine witnesseth laboured to bring some such thing in to wit August lib. 2. de nuptijs concup cap. 33. that litle children are innocent and without all guiltines after that Christ had died for them But the Scripture teacheth vs to put here a difference betweene the infants of Gods people Infants of the faithfull differ from others and the infants of vngodly nations and reiected of God And the infantes truely of Gods people Gen. 17. 1. cor 7. Math. 19. albeit as the rest by their carnall natiuitie they bee borne vnder sinne and wrath haue a promise that they belong to the number of Gods people and of the Saints and so to the inheritance of the kingdome of heauen More arguments I will not here alledge A doubt wheÌ„ redemption beginnes in vs. for by those which haue beene brought our purpose I trust is more than sufficiently declared Onely one doubt remaineth If the beleeuers onely are to be accounted for the redeemed of Christ doeth therefore their redemption begin when they begin to beleeue Answere I answere The redemption of the Church by Christ may diuersly be considered Tit. 1. 1. Tim. 1. First in respect of Gods purpose and predestination according to which grace is giuen vs in Christ Iesu before the world Secondly in respect of the merite and satisfaction perfourmed of Christ Foure waies redemption is to be considered Comment in Apoc. 1. when vpon the altar of the crosse hee tooke away enmities and reconciled the whole Church of Iewes and Gentiles to God in one body through the crosse as Paul testifieth Ephesians 2. Then surely as Rupertus writeth he redeemed and washed in his blood from their sinnes not onely these men that now are beleeuers or had beleeued but also those that should beleeue in time to come as farre foorth as hee gaue them power to be washed For he washed them not then actually but in power For they could not in very deed be washed who were not yet borne or els as yet had not beleeued Thirdly redemption is considered as farre foorth as we are made partakers of it by faith whose force and necessitie is so great for reconciliation before and after the worke of redemption performed in the flesh of Christ that as it hindred not the olde fathers which beleeued from their deliuerance in that Christ had not as yet suffered so now it nothing profiteth the vnbeleeuers for their deliuerance that Christ long agoe the iust for the vniust was deliuered to death Lastly redemption is considered as farre forth as we enioy full and perfect redemption for euer all our enemies being vtterly destroyed and euen death it selfe which is of the Apostle called the last enemie of which redemption Christ witnesseth Luke 21.28 and Paul Ro. 8.23 But of this enough THE THIRD RANKE OF PROOFES CONTAINING THE TESTIMOnies of Antiquitie CHAP. VIII TO these things hitherto alleadged out of the Scripture whereunto as to the anchor and prop of our faith wee must flye in all things Atâ—â—â—s in Synopsi that we may be in safetie the testimonies of antiquitie seeme now needfull to bee brought in to this end that the trueth may more and more cleerly appeare by that consent and the mouthes of the aduersaries may bee stopped who reasoning and debating I know not what vngodly nouelties endeuour to reproue vs as though wee spake some new thing Tom. 10. de verb. apost ser 14. as Augustine of old complained of his and the Churches aduersaries For a man may see them grow to such craking if not ignorance that they boldly complaine that our opinion of this controuersie was neuer heard in any time among that people Hub. thes 18. where the name of Christ hath been preached that what they auouch leaneth vpon the consent of all Christianitie forsooth Thes 19. for that the Catholike and true Church hath alwaies beleeued and with one mouth euer confessed that Christ died for all men vnderstand effectually Compend thes 27. whereof the question is betweene vs and our aduersaries As touching this new opinion Thes
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
power of the deuill yet through Christ alone none but they all are set free that be regenerated by spirituall grace In the same booke chapter 18. he saith The Christian kinde That he that ouercame the first Adam and held mankinde captiue was ouercome of the second Adam and lost the Christian kinde which was out of Mankinde set free from the sinne of man through him who had no sinne though he was of our kinde The same in his 53. treatise vpon Saint Iohn saith The deuill therefore possessed mankinde and held them guiltie of punishment through the hand writing of sinnes But by the faith of Christ which was ratified by his death and resurrection through his blood which was shed for the remission of sinnes thousands of beleeuers are deliuered from the deuill An argument and are coupled to the body of Christ In all these places there is this or the like argument What kinde of freedome redemption is Redemption is a freedome from the power of the deuill and such a freedome as whereby it commeth to passe that the deuill cannot draw any of these with him to the destruction of eternall death through the snares of sinnes whom Christ hath redemed with his blood But all men haue not freedome from the power of the deuill Therefore almen are not redeemed but as freedome so redemption is proper to the beleeuers and predestinate according to Augustine and the trueth of this point The world that is precestinate to life Christ came to saue but not the world predestinate to damnation Hitherto belongeth that which in the fore mentioned treatise as also in the 110. and 111. Treatises the same writer constantly expoundeth the world that Christ came to saue and reconcile to God of the good and such as bee predestinate to eternall life being dispersed throughout the whole world that this world of an enemie is made a friend but that the worlde that is predestinate to damnation abideth an enimie neither of this world must it be vnderstood that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himselfe So in the 48. Treatise vpon the saying ye beleeue not for ye are not of my sheepe he saith This he spake because he saw them predestinate to eternall destruction and not prepared by the price of his blood to eternall life And a litle after he is assured of the number of his sheepe because hee knoweth what hee gaue for them And elsewhere Whom God redeemed by the blood of the Mediator he maketh for euer after good De corrept gra cap. 11. But these bee testimonies inough out of Augustine For who can rehearse euery thing hee writeth of this matter Hieromie Furthermore the Commentaries vpon Marke ascribed to Hieromie expresly say that the blood of the newe Testament is sayd to be shed for Many because it doth not cleanse all that there is euen in the Church some whom no sacrifice clenseth As Remigius also as Thomas citeth him Cate. aurea vpon this very place warneth vs to obserue that hee saith not for few or for all but for Many my blood shal be shed because he came not to redeeme our nation onely but Many of all Nations Hilarius in Matthew cap. 7. Hilarie The saluation of the Gentiles saith he is wholly of faith and in the Lordes commandements is the life of all men He saith not the reprobates and vnbeleeuers are as well saued by Christ as any other as these newe sectaries thinke good to speake Chrysostome homil 39. vpon 1. Chrisost Cor. expounding the words of the Apostle touching the quickening of all men by Christ denieth that it is to be vnderstood of the righteousnes of all men as though whosoeuer are made sinners in Adam are made righteous in Christ Hub. thes 49. 53. which yet our aduersaries would haue The same maner homil 17. vpon the Hebrewes confirmeth the distinction that Christ died for all as touching Sufficiencie and not for all as touching Efficiencie His words are these Why is hee said to be offered to take away the sinnes of Many and not of all because all beleeue not He died for all as much as in him lay that his death is of that waight as is the perdition of all and it is of force enough that no man might perish His arbidger Theophylact vseth the same distinction in 2. and 9. ad Heb. and vpon the saying Iohn 6. Theophylact the bread which I giue is my flesh which I will giue for the life of the world where he writeth albeit all haue not receiued sanctification and a spirituall life yet Christ may bee vnderstood to die for the satisfaction of all as touching the vertue of his death Of the same opinion is Basil as Theophylact sheweth in 9. ad Heb. for thus hee writeth All of vs that beleeue Basil Exhort ad baptis how many soeuer we be are redeemed by the grace of God from sins through his onely sonne who said this is my blood euen the blood of the new Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sinnes The exposition is also twise repeated in the next sermon of Baptisme for Many that is the beleeuers was the blood of Christ shed Notwithstāding in respect of the sufficiencie of his merite it is true that elswhere he saith in Psalme 48. For all men wholly was there one onely worthie price found euen the blood of our Lord Iesus Christ which he shed for vs al. Cyrill Cyrill in Io. li. 11. ca. 19. reconciling that shew of repugnancie that is between the words of Christ I pray not for the world and the wordes of Iohn He is the propitiation of the whole world consenteth to our opinion after this sort Saint Iohn saith he because he was a Iewe least the Lord should seeme to be with his father an aduocate for the Iewes onely cessarily hath added that hee is the propitiation of the whole world that is saith he for all who are called and through faith attaine to righteousnes and sanctification But the Lord Iesus separating his owne from such as be none of his for them saith he onely doe I pray who keepe my words and receiue my yoke For whose mediator and high Priest he is to them onely not without cause doth he attribute the benefite of meditation 2. Cor. 5. In the same place he doth alleage for that matter the saying of Paul God was in Christ reconciling the world to himselfe that is saith he Christ as the Mediator receauing all that come to God by faith and offering himselfe to the father reconcileth the world to God But let vs returne to the Latine writers among whom Prosper of Aquitaine answering the Articles of the French men Prosper chap. 9. plainely approueth this phrase or maner of speaking that Christ died onely for them that shall be saued which our aduersaries slander as blasphemous and Saracenicall His wordes are these Therefore although our
himselfe into all men by his spirit and the fulnes of his Godhead For wee all haue receiued of his fulnes that we might know his most excellent loue Which all Not all Christians And elsewhere de his qui initiantur cap. 4. In the poole of Ierusalem one was cured euery yeare now all are healed or certainly one Christian people alone Infinite such sayings are in the writings of the fathers and in the common speech of men CHAP. IX Testimonies of the Schoolemen and other new Diuines BVt that wee may throughly bring to an end the report of our witnesses let vs proceed to the Schoolmē as they cal them who also haue spread abroad the doctrine which in this point they receiued from their forefathers Pet. Lomb lib. 3 distinct 18. Peter Lombard called the Master of Sentences speaketh of his own others opinion that Christ merited for his members redemption from the deuill and sinne and the opening of the kingdom of heauen that his fierie sword being taken away they may boldly enter thereinto In the same distinction about the end He deserued for vs by the suffering of death and passion the entrance into Paradise and redemption from sinne and the deuill For he by dying was made the sacrifice of our deliuerie But restraining this whole benefit of redemption vnto those that be Christs a little after he addeth If Adams pride was the ruine of all much more was the humilitie of Christ wherby he tasted of death able to open the gate of the kingdome of heauen for all his owne after he had fulfilled the decree of God The same man in his next distinction We are said to be iustified by the death of Christ because we are iustified by faith in his death and as in old time such as looked vpon the brasen Serpent lifted vp vpon the pole were healed of the bitings of Serpents so if we looke vpon him by a true faith who did hang vpon the crosse for vs we are loosed from the bands of the deuil that is from sinnes And in other words at large in the same place he teacheth that deliuerance from the deuill belongs to them that beleeue in Christ Innocent 3 lib. 2. de offic missae cap. 41. Innocentius 3. maketh this distinction◠that the blood of Christ was shed for the predestinate onely as touching efficiencie but for all men as touching sufficiencie and he bringeth the words of Leo before by vs recited And there is nothing more common among the Schoolmen then this distinction Hereupon Thomas in 1. Tim. 2. saith Thomas Christ is the propitiation for our sinnes for some effectually but for all sufficiently because the price of his blood is sufficient to saue all but it hath not effect but in the elect because of an impediment And more cleerely vpon 5. Apoc. he saith We speake of the Lords passion two maner of waies Either according to sufficiencie and so his passion redeemed all for it is sufficient to redeeme and saue all although there were more worlds as Anselme saith lib. 2. Cur Deus c. homo cap. 14. Or according to efficiencie and so not all are redeemed by his passion because all cleaue not to the redeemer and therefore not all haue the efficacie of redemption The same man saith Idem summ de veritate materia 26. quaest 7. The merit of Christ as touching sufficiencie is alike to all but not as touching efficiencie which happeneth partly through freewill partly through Gods election by the which the effect of Christs merits is bestowed vpon some of mercie but it is withdrawne from others by the iust iudgement of God Against the Gentiles lib. 4. cap. 55. he alleageth this cause of the foresaid distinction betweene sufficiencie and efficiencie The death of Christ saith he is as a certaine vniuersall cause of saluation as the sinne of the first man was as it were the vniuersall cause of damnation But the vniuersall cause must be applied to euery one particularly that he may receiue the effect of the vniuersal cause The effect of the sin of our first parents commeth to euery one by our fleshly birth But the effect of the death of Christ commeth to euery one by spiritual regeneration whereby man is after a sort ioyned vnto Christ and incorporated vnto him Other testimonies of this author we haue before alleaged Petrus Galatinus a most learned man Pet. Galatin de arcam Cath. verit lib. 8. cap. 14. following the same distinction writeth after this sort Albeit the passion of Christ ought to be sufficient to blot out the sinnes of all men yet it will not blot out the sinnes of all but theirs onely who shall beleeue in him and repent Therefore saith the Prophet he bare the sinnes of many Also Stapulensis Stapul in 5. Ro. Christ hath truly in himselfe the redemption of all sufficient not onely for vs but to redeeme innumerable worlds beside but not al are partakers therof because of their owne peruersnes as the light of it selfe is able to driue away the darkenes of all men albeit not all mens eies be inlightened Among our Diuines Martyr Caluin Zanchie and others admit and follow the same distinction as wee haue largely noted in the 1. booke chap. 11. Likewise in the 2. booke cha 12. we haue prooued I thinke sufficiently that the most famous and best learned Diuines of Heluetia Zuinglius Musculus Bullinger Gualther Wolfius Simlerus Lauaterus and others are in very deede of the same opinion that we defend touching the vniuersality of grace Luther tom 3. in Isa 53. To these also let vs adioyne Luther So great saith he is the righteousnesse of Christ that it is able to iustifie infinite worlds and Christ offereth his righteousnesse to all men but all that beleeue in him doe obtaine it according to that He that beleeueth and is baptised shall be saued Others abide vnder sinne and wrath And in the same place Christian righteousnes saith he is not receiued vnles Christ be knowen before Againe Christian righteousnesse touching the substance is nothing els then the knowledge of Christ that is faith wherewith Christ is apprehended in the hart that he hath giuen himselfe a ransome for vs and for our sinnes as Paul saith 1 Tim. 2. The word surely offereth and preacheth Christ to all as the sacrifice for our sinnes but vnlesse the holy Ghost inlighten the hearts no man can giue assent vnto this word And we assent when we apprehend the promise that in Christ is the blessing of Nations and this is the glorie of a Christian to know that it is his righteousnes to beleeue in Christ The same man as we haue seene aboue expoundeth those sayings farre otherwise then our aduersaries doe to wit God will haue all men to be saued I wil not the death of a sinner whereupon being naughtily vnderstood leaneth the opinion of our aduersaries hee vnderstandeth them of God will reuealed in his word which he
OF THE REDEMPTION OF MANKIND THREE BOOKES Wherein the controuersie of the vniuersalitie of Redemption and grace by Christ and of his death for all men is largely handled HEREVNTO IS ANNEXED A TREAtise of Gods Predestination in one booke Written in Latin by IACOB KIMEDONCIVS D. and professor of Diuinitie at Heidelberge and translated into English by HVGH INCE Preacher of the word of God BY WISDOME PEACE BY PEACE PLENTY AT LONDON Imprinted by FELIX KINGSTON for HVMFREY LOVVNES 1598. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE SIR THOMAS EGERTON KNIGHT LORD Keeper of the Great Seale of England and one of her Maiesties most honorable priuie Councell HAuing finished the translation of this volume Right Honorable I was in doubt whether I might safely send it forth as a matter that would as it ought to be imbraced fauored of eueryone into whose hands it should come or to offer it to the view of some honorable person and to commend it to his fauourable protection and in his name to publish it If I had resolued vpon the first way as I doubt not but it should haue found many friends euen all the louers of the trueth that would gladly haue accepted it so I know it should haue had many aduersaries among vs in this land as it hath had in other countries alreadie and commeth now abroad in our owne tongue from thence greatly reproched and withstood with a spitefull enemie albeit to his shamefull foyle and disgrace in the end And therefore I thought it best to follow mine author as he offereth the knowledge and custodie of the trueth which he here maintaineth vnto a high and mightie Prince so I am bold to offer my translation of so worthie a worke vnto your honorable protection and defence against euill tongues and erronious spirits The cause that is handled here is Gods the ground that it hath is the trueth of his holy word the witnesse and testimonie thereof is the vniforme consent of the Church of Christ beleeuing and confessing the same the matter hereof is the redemption of our soules the comfort of our consciences the stay of our faith and the anchor of our hope If the certaintie of these things right Honourable be called in question and taken from vs that are mortall men what ioy can we haue in any thing that here for a time wee enioy What hope can wee haue of a better life when this fraile one shall be taken from vs and wee all shall be called to giue our account But as Satan the enemie of our saluation hath alwaies heretofore sowed tares among the wheate and corrupted the sinceritie of the trueth with errors and lyes and that vnder a faire pretence so at this day when he could not effect his purpose so farre as he desired by the late and lamentable strife that he hath raised among vs though thereby he hath quenched the zeale of many and made them fall from their first loue hath euen now in our Church as he hath done in others raised a doubt and broâ—hed a controuersie in the maine grounds of our Religion and faith to wit in the doctrine of mans Redemption by the death of Christ and of Gods eternall predestination Wherein as he doth not greatly preuaile because the gouernours of our Church and the consent of all that bee godly and learned for the most part therein are against him so that hee may proceede no further in time to come and that the mindes of men may bee setled in the trueth of their saluation I haue thought it my dutie to the Church of God to testifie my loue of the trueth and my vnfained care of the knowledge of the fame among vs and continuance thereof in our posteritie by taking paines to translate into our vulgar tongue these bookes Herein you shall plainly see that albeit the death of Christ the sonne of God as touching the greatnes of the price be sufficient for the redemption of whole mankinde in the world yea if there were many worlds of them as Anselme saith yet the proprietie of redemption belongeth to those that are not the vessels of the deuill 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 Or which is all one you shall see it proued by infallible testimonies of Scripture by generall consent of antiquitie and of new writers and by substantiall arguments that redemption from sinnes righteousnes and saluation are benefits proper to the Church and not common to all and euery one elect and reprobate beleeuer and vnbeleeuer to the saued and damned You shall plainly see I say that the Sauiour promised to the world and preached of alwaies in the Church by the mouth of all the holy prophets and Apostles is appoynted by the father to be a propitiation through faith in his blood in all and vpon all that beleeue onely and that this benefite of the restoring and redemption of mankinde albeit it be proper and peculiar to the Church as touching the efficacie of it yet it is vniuersall altogether in that sense wherein we beleeue and confesse the holy Church of Christ to be vniuersall Against this trueth the aduersarie fighteth eagerly and impudently with bitter reproches and lyes grieuous blasphemies flat contrarieties grosse absurdities peruerting the naturall sense of the sacred Scripture and abusing the ancient writers But all these his weapons wins him not the victory for either they be blunt and cannot hurt our cause or else the edge of them is turned against himselfe and his owne masters in whom he glorieth Luther Brentius and the rest whose disciple and follower he would faine be leaue him in his bad cause nay are brought in plainely reprouing and condemning his opinion as erronious and speaking for the trueth on our side Nay further it is here flatly auouched that the olde Pelagian heresie and impietie which Augustine long agoe confuted and the Church of God then condemned is the father of the birth and beginning of our aduersaries opinion As for the treatise of Predestination annexed hereto it serueth specially for the fuller euidence and greater certaintie of those things that are handled in the former bookes concerning the vniuersalitie of grace and redemption For the remnants of the Pelagians of old and at this day affirming none at all to bee excepted from the redemption of Christs blood and in respect of God maintaining eternall life to bee prepared for all are therefore fallen to the extolling of such grace because they would in no case confesse that God according to the purpose couÌ„sel of his own will in his secret iudgement but manifest worke maketh one vessell to honor and another to dishonour nor will assent hereto that the number of the predestinate can neither be increased nor diminished Both which points are fully handled and plainly proued against them in this booke Praefat. ad Rom. Luther saith notably
Gentiles 184 Luk. 11. Of the strong man armed 103 Luk. 24. The Gospell must be preached c. 95 Ioh. 1. He lighteneth euery man that commeth 42 Of his fulnes we all receiue Behold the Lambe of God that taketh c. 76 Ioh. 3. So God loued the world 74 The wrath of God abideth c. 184 Ioh. 3. 12. I came to saue the world 79 Ioh. 6. I will giue my flesh for the life 77 My father giueth you a heauenly bread 78 Ioh. 10. I lay downe my life for my sheepe 185 Ioh. 11. That he might gather the sonnes of God 186 Ioh. 12. When I am lifted vp I will draw 187 Ioh. 15. That a man should lay downe his life for his friends 187 If I had not come they had had no sinne 175 Ioh. 17. I pray not for the world 188 For them I sanctifie my selfe 190 Thou hast giuen me power ouer all flesh 70 None of them is lost but the lost childe 71 Act. 5. To giue remission of sinnes to Israel 199 Act. 10. To him giue all the prophets witnesse 199 Act. 20. God hath redeemed his Church with his owne blood 9 Rom. 2. Whosoeuer sinned without the Law 175 Rom. 3. The righteousnes of God vpon all that beleeue 191 Rom. 5. He died for his enemies 188 Vers 19. Through the obedience of one c. 8 Vers 18. The benefit redounded to all men to the iustification of life 63 Rom. 8. He gaue him for vs all 58 192 Rom. 9. The place of predestination is discussed 286 The elder shall serue the younger 291 Iacob I haue loued Esau I haue hated 293 O man who art thou c. 313 Rom. 11. He hath not cast away his people whom he foreknew 297 Of the Iewes cut off through vnbeleefe 125 That he might haue mercy vpon all 69 Rom. 14. Destroy not him with meate for whom Christ died 116 Rom. 14. According to the things he hath done in the body 282 Rom. 16. The Gospell declared to all nations 96 1. Cor. 3. If any destroy the temple of God 116 1. Cor. 8. Thy brother shall perish for whom Christ died 117 1. Cor. 12. He worketh all in all 42 1. Cor. 15. All shall be quickened 66 2. Cor. 5. Reconciling the world 79 One died for all 56 Galath 3. When ye began in the spirit 122 Galath 5. Stand in the libertie 124 Ye are fallen from grace 122 Ephe. 1. As he chose vs in him 297 All things are restored in Christ 66 Ephe. 5. He gaue himselfe for his Church 194 Col. 1. I fulfill the afflictions of Christ 12 He hath reconciled all things in heauen 66. 67 He hath deliuered vs from the power of darknes 195 Ye that were sometime strangers 195 If ye continue stable in the hope 69 1. Tim. 1. 4. Of such as fall from faith 109 1. Tim. 2. He will haue all men to be saued 51. 53. 54 He gaue himselfe for all 56 1. Tim. 4. He is the Sauiour of all specially of the faithfull 196 2. Tim. 2. If any man purge himselfe 306 Tit. 3. The grace of God hath appeared to all men 96 Heb. 2. All things subiect to Christ 59 He that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified 60 He tasted death for all 61 Heb. 5. He is made the author of saluation to all that obey him 196 Heb. 6. It is impossible for them that were once inlightened to be renued by repentance 113 Heb. 9. Of Redemption of sins vnder the former Testament 2 If the blood of goates c. 197 That the Called might receiue c. 197 He tooke away the sinnes of many 198 Heb. 10. Seeing therefore brethren we receiue libertie 115 1. Pet. 1. Elect according to foreknowledge 308 Reuealed for the beleeuers 199 1. Pet. 2. Whereunto they were appointed 122 2. Pet. 1. He is blinde and hath forgotten 119 2. Pet. 1. Make your election sure 307 2. Pet. 2. They deny the Lord that bought them 117 Of such as returne to filthines 117 2. Pet. 3. He will haue none to perish 261 1. Ioh. 1. The blood of Christ clenseth vs. 199 1. Ioh. 2. We haue Christ our aduocate 80 For the sinnes of the whole world 80 They were not of vs. 111. 333 1. Ioh. 3. That he might destroy the workes of the deuill 212 1. Ioh. 5. They that beleeue not make God a lyar 127 Apoc. 1. He hath washed vs from our sinnes 200 Apoc. 5. He hath redeemed vs to God 200 OF THE REDEMPTION OF MANKIND BY CHRIST The first Booke CHAP. I. Wherein is shewed the summe and diuision of this doctrine THE mysterie of the Redemption of mankinde by the onely begotten Son of God our Lord Iesus Christ the Apostles faithfullie and most sincerelie haue testified at large The summe of the Catholike saith and confession of the redemption of man first by liuely voyce and then by writings both to the Iewes and Gentiles to wit that the eternall word Rom. 15.8.9 which is the eternall Sonne of God to confirme the promises made to the fathers and that the Gentiles should glorifie God for his mercie in the last daies when the fulnes of time was come Galath 4.4 took vpon him the true nature of man of the Virgin Mary his mother by the operation of the holy Ghost and in the forme of a seruant Phil. 2 7. was obedient to his father vnto the death euen the death of the Crosse that by his precious blood 1. Pet. 1.19 as of a Lambe vndefiled and without spot he might redeeme vs from all iniquitie and purifie vs a peculiar people vnto himself Tit. 2.14 zealous of good workes The same Apostles haue also witnessed that to the end we may be partakers of this redemption a true faith in Christ is required of vs whereby as it were by a hand we may apprehend him and apply him with all his merits and benefits vnto our selues This is the Catholike faith and confession which the Apostles taught the Martyrs confirmed and the faithfull as yet do keepe For so the holie Apostle Paul describing this whole mysterie in few but cleere words saith Rom. 3.23 24 25 26. All haue sinned and are depriued of the glorie of God and are iustified freely by his grace thorow the redemption which is in Christ Iesu whom God hath set forth to bee a reconciliation thorow faith in his blood to declare his righteousnes by the forgiuenes of the sinnes past that he might be iust and a iustifier of him which is of the faith of Iesu And the Author to the Hebrewes writeth on this maner Heb. 9.11 to 16 But Christ comming a high priest of good things to come by his owne blood entred once into the holy place and obtained eternall redemption For if the blood of buls and goates sanctifieth the vncleane to the purifying of the flesh how much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternall spirit offered himselfe without
spot to God purge your consciences from dead works to serue the liuing God Therefore he is the Mediatour of the New Testament that through death which was for the redemption of the transgressions which were vnder the former Testament they which were called might receiue the promise of eternall inheritance Where by the way is to be considered that by sins past in the saying of the Apostle to the Romanes are properly vnderstood the sinnes committed vnder the old Testament which could not be purged with the blood of goates and calues but the righteous did expect a better oblation Heb. 10.14 which should consecrate for euer those that are sanctified Acts 15.11 Whereupon Peter also said By the grace of our Lord Iesu Christ wee beleeue to be saued as well as our fathers But this whole place of redemption is large and worthie of great cōsideration to wit 1. Whence 2. By whom 3. How 4. When 5. For what cause 6. Whereto and 7. Who are redeemed All these truly haue a profitable and necessarie consideration and bee euery where taught in the Scriptures Of these propounded questions the sixe former wee will brieflie touch but the seuenth and last for which cause chieflie wee vndertake this labour wee will more fully and largely expound as the Lord shall permit CHAP. II. Whence we are redeemed THerefore as touching this question Whence we are redeemed the holy Scriptures sufficiently teach vs Our redemptiō is not corporal but spirituall and eternall from Satan sin and death that the redemption whereof we speake is not temporall from some corporall bondage or tyrannie such as the redemption was of Israel from Egypt from the house of bondage and the hand of Pharao by Moses and after from the hand of the Canaanits and Midianits and other their enemies by Gedeon and other Iudges and specially from the most grieuous 70. yeares captiuitie in Babylon by Cyrus the king and Monarch of Persia but this redemption is spirituall and eternal shadowed of old by those corporall deliuerances to wit from the power of darknes and the slauerie of sinne death Coloss 1.13 Heb. 2.14 and of him who had the power of death that is the deuill And these be the enemies and haters whereof Zacharie the father of Iohn Baptist maketh mention in his song greatly extolling this redemption Blessed be the Lord God of Israel Luk. 1.68 to 76. for he hath visited and redeemed his people and hath raised vp a horne of saluation for vs in the house of Dauid his seruant as he spake by the mouth of his holy Prophets that hee would saue vs from our enemies and from the hand of all that hate vs that being deliuered from the hand of our enemies wee might serue him without feare in holinesse and righteousnesse before him all the daies of our life And albeit this benefit of spirituall and eternall redemption is vsually contemned of carnall men who sauour nothing but the things of the flesh and to whom the slauerie of sinne and the world is so sweet as Satan the God of this world hath blinded their minds yet such is the greatnes and so inestimable is the dignitie thereof that they who haue rightly tasted the redemptiō of Christ whereby libertie to captiues saluation to them that perished and life to the dead is repaired do easily vnderstand that euen the riches kingdomes and pleasures of the whole world are to bee esteemed as nothing in comparison of it For what doth it profit a man Matth. 16. if he gaine the whole world and lose his owne soule or what recompence shall a man giue for his soule CHAP. III. By whom this redemption came Our redeemer is Christ true God and man holy and righteous 1. Tim. 2.5.6 BVt now the Redeemer who hath deliuered vs from the slauerie of sinne death and the power of Satan is none other then the Mediatour of God and men our Lord Iesus Christ true God and true man like vnto vs in all things except sinne For there is one God and one Mediatour also of God and men the man Christ Iesus who gaue himselfe a price of redemption for all as the Apostle saith And to the Romanes chap. 3. Rom. 3.24 he teacheth that wee are iustified through the redemption wrought in Christ Iesu And elsewhere the same Apostle affirmeth 1. Cor. 1.30 that Christ is made vnto vs of God wisedome righteousnes sanctification and redemption that as it is written He that reioyceth let him reioyce in the Lord. Iohn who from the breast of the Lord had receiued hidden mysteries 1. Ioh. 2.1.2 likewise testifieth If any man sinne wee haue an aduocate with God Iesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sinnes and not for ours onely but also for the sinnes of the whole world But euery where such testimonies meete vs in the diuine Scriptures Eph. 2.20 1. Cor. 3.11 Acts 4.12 For Iesus Christ is the foundation of the Scripture of the Prophets and Apostles neither is there saluation in any other nor any other name giuen vnder heauen among men whereby wee must be saued Whereupon their error is worthily to bee detested who not contented with the onely and perfect redeemer Christ seek part of their redemption and saluation elsewhere in themselues or in the Saints where as yet the holiest men vnlesse the grace of Christ had saued and redeemed them could neuer haue been able to satisfie no not for themselues Therfore also Iohn as Augustine well considered said not Augustine If any sinne ye haue an aduocate nor said ye haue me ye haue not Christ but both named Christ and not himselfe and also said we haue and not ye haue He would rather put himselfe in the number of sinners that he might haue Christ his aduocate then put himselfe aduocate in Christs stead and be found among the proud that be condemned Brethren saith he we haue Iesus Christ the righteous an aduocate with the father and he is the attonement of our sinnes Hitherto Augustine tractatu primo in 1. Epist Ioh. CHAP. IIII. Of the maner of the redemption finished NOw the maner of our redemption by Christ The maner is his abasing of himselfe to the death of the crosse and to the shedding of his blood Phil. 2.7 being a mysterie altogether and wonderfull but wholly agreeing to the iustice and trueth of God the Scripture setteth downe on this wise to wit that the eternall Sonne of God for vs and our saluation a based himselfe taking the forme of a seruant being made like vnto men and found in shape as a man and submitting himselfe became obedient vnto the death euen the death of the crosse that by his passion and death and shedding of his most sacred blood as by the onely propitiatorie sacrifice he might redeeme our body and soule from eternall damnation and purchase for vs the grace of God righteousnes and eternall life For this cause
saith the Apostle 1. Cor. 6. Ye are not your owne 1. Cor. 6.20 ye are bought with a price be net the seruants of men But with what price S. Peter answereth not with siluer and gold 1. Pet. 1.18.19 or other transitorie things which nothing at all profit vs to the eternall redemption of our soules but with the precious blood of Christ as a lambe without spot who did no sin neither was any guile found in his mouth and who bare our sinnes in his bodie on the tree 1. Pet. 3.18 and suffered the iust for the vniust that he might bring vs vnto God being dead in the flesh but quickned in the spirit Which opinion these sayings also confirme Ephes 6.2 Ephes 1.7 He gaue himselfe for vs an oblation and sacrifice of a sweete sauour to God In him we haue redemption through his blood Tit. 2.14 euen the remission of sinnes of his rich grace He gaue himselfe for vs to redeeme vs from all sinne and to purge vs a peculiar people vnto himselfe zealous of good works Heb. 9.14 Also By the eternall spirit he offered himselfe to God without fault that wee being purged from dead workes should serue the liuing God And in the same chapter Once in the end of the world hath he been made manifest by the sacrifice of himselfe to put away sinne Vers 26. And many other things pertaining to this point doth the Apostle in that place exactly debate as that he gathereth from the proprietie and nature of a Testament that Christ must needes dye because the death of the Testator is required that the Testament may be ratified And confirming the same from the rite of the old Testament he addeth that that was not dedicated without blood and that all things almost according to the Law were purified with blood and that the paternes of heauenly things were purged with the blood of sacrifices but the heauenly things themselues required a better sacrifice and a better blood namely the same whereof Christ himselfe purposing forthwith to fulfill the New Testament witnessed This is my blood of the New Testament Matth. 26. which is shed for many for remission of sinnes Likewise his beloued disciple saith The blood of the Sonne of GOD clenseth vs from all sinne 1. Ioh. 1.7 But now wee speake of the meanes of redemption accomplished in the first comming of Christ For there is another to be performed in his second comming whereof is spoken Luk. 21. Lift vp your heads for your redemption draweth nigh And Paul speaketh of the same Rom. 8.23 and 1. Cor. 1.30 This shall be as the fulfilling and consummation of the former for now wee are saued in hope but not as yet in deede as the Apostle writeth Rom. 8.24 CHAP. V. The answering or taking away of certaine Questions about the maner or meanes of redemption BVt there is a question in this place 1. question Why he must needs redeeme vs by a price not take vs out of Satans power by force who did vniustly hold vs captiues what neede was there of the paiment of a price by the Sonne of God that wee might be redeemed who were the slaues of Satan for it seemeth more conuenient that he who is violently and vniustly detained of another bee taken away from him by a superiour power euen without any price And the deuill had vniustly inuaded vs. I answere this price was not paied to the deuill but to God who had power ouer vs to condemne vs and had made vs subiect to the power of the deuill by his iust iudgement For as touching the deuill he vniustly possessed man but man in the meane while was iustly made subiect as a slaue to Satan through his owne sinne and the righteous iudgement of God Therefore Christ satisfied God and reconciled vs offering himselfe vnto him by his eternall spirit Heb. 9. and so now the kingdome of Satan is necessarily destroyed concerning vs that be reconciled to God whom by our sins we had offended Notwithstanding Ambrose lib. 9. epist 77. writeth that the price of our deliuerance by the blood of our Lord Iesu was paied vnto him to whom we were sold by our sinnes that is to the deuill But that is a very hard saying For whereas it was not lawfull to offer sacrifice but vnto God alone how much more ought this peculiar sacrifice to be offered to none but to God alone which the eternall high priest offered vpon the Altar of the crosse by the sacrifice of his flesh and effusion of his blood and which onely is the propitiation for the sinnes of the world Further it is a question 2. question Why his death is a price sufficient for redemption from whence that dignitie of the passion and death of Christ ariseth that it is a price sufficient for the redemption of mankind There be many causes concurring to that effect I. Cause 1. His willing obedience The willing obedience of the Sonne to the death of the crosse Phil. 2.8 for the passion of Christ had not been satisfactorie vnlesse it had been voluntarie Hereof the Apostle Rom. 5. saith As by the disobedience of one many are made sinners so by the obedience of one many are made righteous And he speaketh as Theophilact well expoundeth of the obedience of Christs death by which obedience death being destroyed wee are deliuered from the damnation of death And for this cause the Euangelists with one consent describing the historie of Christs passion haue diligently noted many circumstances which declare that he suffered willingly For hee was offered Esay 53.10 because hee was willing as Esay saith chap. 53. II. The death and whole humiliation of Christ was not onely voluntarie His innocency 1. Pet. 2. 2. Cor. 5.21 but also he suffered death when he was altogether innocent as a man who had committed no sinne and in whose mouth there was found no guile For such an high priest became vs Heb. 7.26 as was godly innocent vndefiled separated from sinners who had no neede to offer first for his owne sinnes and then for the sinnes of the people Therefore because the iust suffered for the vniust 1. Pet. 3. his blood as of a lambe vndefiled and without spot is worthily counted precious to worke our redemption as it is in Peter 1. Epist 1. Augustine largely vrgeth this cause in his 13. booke of the Trinitie chap. 14. He died saith he who alone was free from the debt of death Therefore it was iust that debters should be let goe free beleeuing in him who died without any debt The same man chap. 15. The blood of Christ because it was his who had no sinne at all was shed for the remission of our sinnes And in the chapter following The deuill held our sinnes and for them worthily bound vs in death he who had none of his owne discharged them and was by him vnworthily drawne vnto death Also Pope Leo
saith very cleerely The band of death drawne together by the sinne of one was loosed by the death of one who alone owed nothing vnto death His personall dignity in that he was both God and man III. The third cause which is greatest of all the death of Christ was not a meere mans death although innocent and iust but it was his death who is both true God and man in one and the same person And this exceeding great dignitie of this person is the cause that this price of his blood death although it was temporall if the continuance of it be respected yet it is of infinit force to saue them for euer who come vnto God by it Which the Author to the Hebrewes chap. 9. teacheth saying If the blood of buls and goates and the ashes of a yong heifer sprinkling the vncleane do sanctifie to the puritie of the flesh how much more doth the blood of Christ who offered himselfe by the eternall spirit without blame to God purge your consciences from dead workes to serue the liuing God And Acts chap. 20. Paul is witnesse that God by his owne blood redeemed his Church Not that the deitie hath flesh or blood for God is a spirit but that person which suffered death for vs is both God and man and so this blood is and is truly called the blood of God whose excellencie therfore and dignitie is exceeding great To these this is annexed that beside his power diuine His Lordship ouer vs and his neerenes in blood vnto vs. and abundantly sufficient to deliuer our commō Redeemer had also the full and perfect right of redemption both because he is Lord of all also because he is neere vnto vs in blood For by the right of Lordship it is meete that the seruant bee redeemed of the master and the subiect of his prince and by the right of kindred the father doth well redeeme the sonne one brother another and one kinsman another And hither may be referred that which we reade Leuit. 25.25 to be specially ordained touching the right of neerenes of kindred Thirdly also this hath been a question 3. question Why must we be redeemed by his death rather than by some other meanes as touching the meanes of redemption whether the deliuerance of vs could not possibly haue been by some other meanes then by the death of the Sonne of God Wee answere with Augustine lib. 13. de trinit that another way was possible to God vnto whose power all things are subiect but this was the meetest way and most fit with God to heale our miserie Or as Thomas part 3. quaest 46. decideth this doubt we do distinguish betweene possible or impossible simply and that which is after a sort To speake simply and absolutely it was possible to God to deliuer man by another meanes then by the death of Christ because nothing is impossible with God Luk. 1.37 But after a sort Because no other was possible or by supposition of Gods foreknowledge and fore appointment it was impossible as the Lords words do plainly shew Matth. 26. Father if this cup cannot passe away vnles I drinke of it thy will be done Whereupon Hilary saith Therefore the cup cannot passe vnles he drinke it because we cannot be restored but by his passion because of the decree of Gods will Moreouer it is plaine that that way is most fit with God and meetest to cure our miserie Because this way was most iust with God which God vsed through the passion of his Sonne For it was a iust thing that for the sinnes of mankinde the iudgement of God should be satisfied thorow punishmēt and that the same nature which had sinned should also giue a recompence for sin Further it was agreeable to the trueth and goodnes of God Most agreeable to his truth Gen. 2.17 to the trueth because a threatning had gone before What day so euer thou shalt eate of the tree of knowledge of good and euill thou shalt die the death and it was promised and euer by continuall testimonies shewed and by diuers ceremonies shadowed that the sonne of God borne of a woman should dye for vs and so should confirme the new couenant by his blood To his goodnes and mercy And to the goodnes of God it agreeth because seeing man of himselfe could not satisfie for sinnes God of his exceeding great mercie gaue vnto him a satisfier euen his only begotten sonne Whereupon it was said of Christ himself Iohn 3. Rom. 5. Ioh. 3. So God loued the world that he gaue his sonne c. And Paul God doth set out his loue towards vs that when we were as yet sinners Christ died for vs. And truly this was a token of a farre more abounding mercie that he did not spare his owne sonne for vs then if he had remitted our sins without satisfaction Ephes 2. so that wee may worthily now say with the same Apostle God who is rich in mercie because of his great loue wherewith he hath loued vs euen when we were dead thorow our offences hath quickned vs together through Christ by whose grace we are saued This was most expedient to money to loue God again Besides that way of deliuerance was most expedient for our saluation For so we know by the greatest experiment of all how much God loueth vs and we are prouoked to loue God againe Then an example is giuen vnto vs of obedience loue humilitie sufferings and glorie which when all miseries are ouercome we doe expect as Peter saith 1. Epist 2. Christ suffered for vs and left vs an example that wee should follow his steps Likewise Paul Phil. 2.5 and 2. Cor. 8.9 and elsewhere To suffer afflictions for his sake propounding the example of Christ exhorteth vs to the duties of loue and other vertues Further because we are redeemed by the death of the Sonne of God To keepe our selues from sinne 1. Cor. 6. A notable saying and washed from our sinnes in his blood a greater necessitie lieth vpon vs To keep our selue from sinne 1. Cor. 6. A notable saying that we should keepe our selues to God vndefiled in bodie and soule as the Apostle saith Ye are bought with a price therefore glorifie God in your bodie and spirit which are Gods And thus much of the meanes of redemption a mysterie altogether wonderfull and vnspeakeable which the Author of Meditations in Augustine chapter 7. excellently setteth out in these words O state of wonderfull reformation A notable saying and disposition of vnspeakeable mysterie the vniust sinneth and the iust is punished the guiltie transgresseth and the innocent is beaten the vngodly offendeth and the godly is condemned what the euill deserued the good doth endure what the seruant hath done the master doth pay what man doth commit God doth suffer and abide This is a heauenly medicine O good Iesu this is the preseruatiue of thy loue CHAP. VI. 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
loueth and that we might be this thing for this cause he loued vs before wee were For he began not to loue vs since we were reconciled to him by the blood of his son but before the world was made he loued vs that with his onely begotten we might also be his sonnes before we were any thing at all Therefore that we are reconciled to God by the death of his son let it not so be receiued nor so be vnderstood as though therefore the sonne hath reconciled vs that now he might begin to loue whom hee had hated as one enemie is reconciled to another but wee are reconciled to him that already loueth vs with whom for sinnes wee were at enemitie and yet it is most truly said vnto him Thou hast hated all that worke iniquitie Marke this Hitherto Augustine The summe of all is that seeing GOD hath loued vs as his worke but especiallie as the members of his Sonne before the foundations of the world were laid he of his meere and free loue being moued gaue vs his Sonne that being redeemed by his grace from sinne whereby wee were put away from the presence and fruition of God we might bee made heires of eternall life Bernard Serm. 20. of the 9. verse of the Psalme He that dwelleth c. very well saith Christ according to the time died for the wicked but in respect of predestination he died for his brethren and friends CHAP. X. Of the finall cause of redemption THere followeth that question whereunto are we redeemed wherein the question now is concerning the end of our redemption And the end is two-fold to wit Two ends of redemption the glorie of God and our saluation The former end the Apostle extolleth Ephes 1. where hee saith The first end is Gods glorie that God hath chosen vs in Christ before the foundations of the world were laid hath foreordained to adopt vs for his sonnes through the same Iesus Christ in himselfe according to the good pleasure of his owne will to the praise of his glorious grace whereby he hath made vs acceptable in that his beloued in whom wee haue redemption through his blood euen the forgiuenes of sins In which words he not only teacheth that the end of the eternall and free election of God is the praise of his glorious and rich grace but also sheweth that the redemption of vs by Christ is subordinate vnto the same end Prou. 16. For God hath made all things for himselfe euen the wicked against the euill day that both the benefit of their healing who are deliuered and also the iudgement of damnation in the deserued punishment of such as perish should further his glorie Wherefore wee are here warned Coloss 1. that with Paul wee giue thankes without ceasing vnto the father who hath made vs meete to be partakers of the portion of the Saints in light and hath deliuered vs from the power of darknes and hath translated vs into the kingdome of his beloued sonne in whom wee haue redemption through his blood c. 1. Pet. 2. As Peter also admonisheth vs of our dutie in this point that wee should preach the vertues of him who hath called vs out of darknes into his marueilous light It is well knowne what Moses and the children of Israel did when the sea yeelded a readie passage for all his people to goe through how being protected by Gods hand and beholding that wonderfull redemption Exod. 15. Sap. 19. they leaped like lambes and sung his praise Thou O Lord art our deliuerer thou art our strength But what speake I of the old people and of the old song we haue a new song the song of the Lambe let vs standing vpon the glassie sea of this world and hauing the harps of God sing it vncessantly with the vniuersall Church Apoc. 5. 15. to him that sitteth vpon the throne and to the Lambe because hee was slaine and hath redeemed vs vnto God by his blood out of euery tribe and language people and nation and hath made vs vnto our God kings and priests and we shall raigne vpon the earth The song of the vniuersall Church in the honour of Christ To thee O Sonne of God the louer of mortal men O good Lord O pacifier O rich Sauiour and a king in deed the creator and maker of all things the word and wisedome of the father the light and brightnes of the father the power arme and right hand of the father to thee be blessing and honour and glorie and strength for euer and euer Thou hast redeemed vs being captiues and seruing sinne thou hast deliuered vs by thine owne death Thou hast giuen vs the adoption of sonnes Thou becamest poore that by thy pouertie thou mightest enrich vs. Thou hast freely giuen vs the kingdome of heauen Thou hast fashioned vs a new in darknes hast inlightened vs and being dead men thou hast quickened vs thou vnloosedst the sorrowes of death and brakest the gates of brasse and doores of iron and hast broken in peeces the yoke of sinners Eccle. 15. And because praise is vncomely in the mouth of fooles and this wonderfull and altogether diuine redemption is to be published of vs not so much in words as in deedes themselues goe to let vs so be affected let vs so frame our life maners actions counsels and all our affaires that wee bee not found foullie vnthankfull to our common Redeemer to whose glorie wee ought wholly to bee consecrated and nothing better yea euery way worse then those obstinate Iewes through whom the name of God was euil spoken of among the Gentiles as it is written But let that sharpe reproofe of Moses neuer goe out of our mindes in the song in Deuteronomie Chap. 32.6 Will ye giue this recompence vnto the Lord O yee foolish and vnwise people Is not he thy father who oweth and possesseth thee hath not hee made and prepared thee The second end of redemption is our saluation The 2. end is our saluation which containeth many benefits which comprehendeth many and sundrie benefits albeit knit together in one and the same band as these especially Iustification which consisteth in the free remission of sinnes Sanctification and newnes of life Consolation yea reioycing in aduersitie vnder the hope of the glorie of God and lastly Entrance into the eternall kingdome of our God and Sauiour Iesu Christ and euerlasting ioyes in life eternall These so many and so great benefits of God are purchased for vs by the abundant grace of the death of Christ as the sayings of the Scriptures doe shew Rom. 3. We are iustified freely by the redemption made in Christ Iesu whom God set forth to be a reconciliation thorow faith in his blood by the remission of sinnes And chap. 5. When wee were as yet sinners Christ died for vs. Therefore being iustified by his blood wee shall be saued now much more from wrath by him
that the Caluinists both dissemblingly and plainly denie that Christ suffered and died for all men But in the very entrance as it is said they run on ground fastning vpon vs a false opinion against which afterwards they perpetually fight For we willingly acknowledge these maner of speeches 1. Iohn 2. 1. Tim. 2. That Christ is made the propitiation for the sinnes of the whole world and hath giuen himselfe the price of redemption for all men For who can denie that which the Scripture would haue to bee expressed in so many words But the question is of the meaning of the words For as hee shall not escape the note of impudencie who shall denie what the Scripture expresseth so wee are to take heede least not vnderstanding what is written we should thinke there is some repugnance in the Scripture For the same Canonicall Scripture which saith that Christ died for all and so maketh redemption after a sort common to all doth restraine in other places the proprietie of redemption vnto the Church The words of Paul are Ephes 5. Christ loued his Church and gaue himselfe for it to sanctifie it and present it glorious vnto himselfe And in the same place Christ is the head of the Church and the Sauiour of the bodie And 1. Tim. 4. He is called the Sauiour of all men but specially of the faithfull Also Heb. 9. For this cause he is the Mediatour of the new couenant that through death which came for the redemption of transgressions the called might receiue the promise of eternall inheritance Of which called also that is rightly taken which is read in the end of the same chapter Christ was once offered to take away the sinnes of many What doth not Christ in his solemne intercession pray for his owne expressely and not for the world I pray not for the world Ioh. 17. saith he but for them whom thou hast giuen me Now the intercession and sacrifice of Christ for vs be inseparable parts of his priesthood Other testimonies of this sort I conceale which shall be produced in their place Therefore seeing the holy Scripture here as elsewhere requireth not contentious disputers but vnderstanding readers the ancient fathers for the explication of these Of the distinction of sufficiencie and efficiencie Aquinas haue vsed the distinction of Sufficiencie and Efficiencie Thomas Aquinas the best schooleman who florished 300. yeares agoe vpon the 5. chapter of the Apocalyps writeth of this matter thus Of the passion of the Lord saith he we speake after two sorts either according to sufficiencie and so his passion redeemed all For it is sufficient to redeeme and saue all Of the meaning of the sufficiencie of Christs death although there had been many worlds as Anselme saith lib. 2. cur Deus homo cap. 14. Or according to efficiencie and so all are not redeemed by his passion because all cleaue not vnto the redeemer and therefore all haue not the efficacie of redemption The same man part 3. summae quaest 1. artic 3. when he had said that Christ came to blot out all sinnes expounding himselfe he addeth these words Not that the sinnes of all men are blotted out which is through the fault of men who cleaue not to Christ but because he exhibited that which was sufficient to haue abolished all sins Whereunto also may be referred the things which he writeth quaest 49. art 1.3.5 Christ hath deliuered vs saith he as his members from sinnes and his passion hath his effect in them who are incorporated into him as the members into the bodie and so are partakers of his passion But such as are not ioyned vnto the passion of Christ can not receiue the effect thereof But let vs heare others also more ancient then Thomas Innocentius 3. Innocentius 3. Pope of Rome Anno Dom. 1200. repeating the same distinction lib. 2. de officio Missae cap. 41. saith The blood of Christ was shed for those only that are predestinated as touching efficiencie but for all men as touching sufficiencie For the shedding of that righteous blood was so rich in price that if the vniuersalitie of captiues would beleeue in their redeemer the tyrannicall bands of sinne and Satan could withhold none because as the Apostle saith where sinne abounded there grace did superabound This later whole sentence is Pope Leos Epist 83. and 97. which seeing Innocentius alleadgeth Leo. he sheweth apparantly that Leo was of the same minde Vnto these that is not much vnlike which Basil writeth in Psal 48. Basill Man cannot giue a propitiation for himselfe to God yet one worthie price was found out for all men euen the blood of our Lord Iesus Christ which he shed for vs all And that he speaketh of the sufficiencie and dignitie of the price it appeareth by the words themselues and by that which he faith elsewhere very oftē respecting the effect that the blood of Christ was shed not for all men without exception but for many Chrysost Theoph. that is for the beleeuers Chrysostome also and Theophilact who abridged him acknowledge the same distinction as we shall see Augustine Moreouer Augustine the chiefest of the ancient sound writers doth not onely acknowledge that distiction but also doth expound it largely Tom. 7. answering vnto Articles that were falsely fathered vpon him whereof the first was that he was reported to maintaine that our Lord Iesus Christ suffered not for the redemption of all men But he distinguisheth after this maner As touching the greatnes and might of the price saith he and as touching the onely cause of mankind the blood of Christ is the redemption of the whole world and so all are well said to bee redeemed Yet because all are not pulled out of captiuitie and many are not redeemed the proprietie of redemption without doubt belongeth to them out of whom the prince of this world is cast forth and now are not the members of the deuill but of Christ whose death was not bestowed for mankind that euen they should appertaine vnto the redemption of it who should not bee regenerated but so that what was done by one example for all should be magnified in euery one by one sacrament giuen vnto them This is as much as if he had sayd As touching the sufficiencie of the price the redemption belongeth to all but as touching the effect it belongeth not to all but to the members only of Christ And anone he setteth out the matter by a similitude saying Augustines similitude The cup of immortalitie which is made of our infirmitie and the diuine power hath power in it selfe to profit all but if it bee not drunke it doth no good The new writers also allow this distinction as vsuall very ancient and profitable in this poynt diligently to be retained Stapulensis vpō the 5. to the Romanes Stapulensis similitude declaring the matter by a similitude saith As light is able to driue away infinit darknes
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
Champion of this conflict trusting to this triple ranke dealeth no more modestlie nor lesse boasteth himselfe and singeth the triumph before the victorie then euen that fierce Goliath 1. Sam 17. 2. Paral. â—2 1. â—eg 20. arrogant and stout by reason of his sworde speare and shield or that proud Sanherib or glorious Benhadad trusting in their horses and chariots to the reproach of Israel For he boasteth boldly that all attempt is in vaine of ouerthrowing those rankes Comp. thes 14. vnles first they that assaie it doe accuse and conuince the scripture of falsehoode But oh sirtha of good fellowship 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sing not your triumph before the victorie and as it is set downe in the sacred Scriptures Let not him that putteth on his armor boast as he that putteth it off as we learne that Ahab long agoe wisely answered Benhadad 1. Reg. 20.21 The Scripture with vs is of vndoubted credit and constant authoritie But the question is not of the trueth of the Scriptures which who so beleeueth not is a Pagan and no Christian but of the trueth of mans opinion which too boldly truely thou doest defend vnder pretence of Gods word as we shall see Wherefore we nothing regarde as well thine armies as thy triumphs CHAP. II. VNTO THE ARGVMENTS OF THE FIRST ORDER A generall answer to testimonies of the death of Christ for all THe first order or ranke as farre as I obserue consisteth in a fourefold kinde of testimonies as a foureparted rescuing armie of souldiers for the places of Scripture of the olde and new Testament are brought wherein either Christ is said to die for all or the fruite of his death seemeth to be extended to all without exception or mention of the world is made in the matter of saluation or lastlie the gospell is said to appertaine vnto all Of all these we will speake in order First of all as touching the testimonies of the death of Christ for all we graunt also after a sort that Christ suffered and died for all men as many as haue been are and shall be What then Shall it thereof follow that all and euery one whether they beleeue or not beleeue are in very deede reconciled iustified quickened renewed saued and that all iudgement and wrath of God is truely and properlie taken away in all men and that all together are set free from all sinne and condemnation vndoubtedly and receiued as sonnes into the fauour and bosome of God This thing this stout defender maintaineth in these very words in his Theses but we denie and vtterly denie these consequences For that they may be admitted this of necessitie must be the Maior of the Syllogisme For whomsoeuer Christ suffered and dyed The opinion of the aduersarie drawne into a syllogisme they vndoubtedly are freed from all sinne and condemnation and are in deede made partakers of saluation reconciliation iustification regeneration and other benefits purchased by Christs death without any respect of faith and vnbeliefe The assumption followeth Christ is dead for all Therefore c. Answere But the Maior taken so absolutely is most false and full of reproach euery way against all the trueth of Christian religion and the very passion and death of the sonne of God But it is true conditionally that they for whom he died be partakers of the rehearsed benefits if they beleeue in Christ and obey him For it is impossible that a man should please God Heb. 11. who is without faith And Christ plainely maketh such a difference As Moses lift vp the serpent in the wildernes Ioh. 3. so must the sonne of man be lift vp that euery one that beleeueth should haue euerlasting life And straight waies So God loued the world that he hath giuen his only begotten sonne that whosoeuer beleeueth in him should not perish but haue eternal life Againe in the same place For God sent not his sonne into the world to condemne the world but that the world by him might be saued He that beleeueth is not condemned but he that beleeueth not is condemned alreadie And about the end of the chapter Iohn Baptist saith He that beleeueth in the Sonne hath life but he that beleeueth not in the Sonne shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him Neither doth Paul acknowledge any to be iustified by the redemption of Christ Rom. 3. but such as beleeue All saith he haue sinned and are depriued of the glorie of God and are iustified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Iesu whoÌ„ God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood This answere vseth Theophilact vpon Heb. 2. Theoph. whom Anselmus there seemeth to follow His words are these He tasted death not for the faithfull only but for the whole world For albeit all are not saued in very deed yet he a Peregit quod suâ intererat wrought that which was his part to do See how it doth not follow that if Christ died for all all are straightway saued which is the diuinitie of Huberus thes 270. Vpon the 9. chapter to the Hebr. the same interpreter hath left it thus written He hath taken away the sinnes of many Why said he of many and not of all Because all mortall men haue not beleeued The death of Christ surely was equiualent to the perdition of all that is was of value sufficient that all should not perish and it was paied for the saluation of all and * Quantum in eo fuit as much as lay in him he died for all yet he tooke not away the sinnes of all because they that resist him make the death of Christ altogether vnprofitable vnto themselues These things he Stapulensis The foresaid answere Stapulensis an interpreter among the late writers not to bee despised confirmeth vpon the 2. chapter to the Hebr. in these words Christ truly suffered for all men and his death is of value for the redemption of all but then his death hath freed vs from the feare of death and from the feare of bondage hath restored vs into the libertie of life when wee follow him willingly And vpon the 10. chapter he writeth that by the oblation of Christ there is a most full satisfaction for all the sinnes of the world which haue been are and shall be but their sins are remitted who comming vnto Christ doe aske grace which he vouchsafed to obtaine of the father for them but their sins are not pardoned who refuse his grace and contemne the vniuersal fountaine of the washing away of sinnes not knowing or being vnwilling to purge themselues in him And Brentius doth so declare it Brentius Catechis artic de remiss peccat We are iustified saith he by the meere mercie of God only for the redemption wherwith Christ hath redeemed mankind from sinnes and for that reconciliation which he hath obtained and not for any merit of man But
sense and so Augustine Euchir ad Laur. cap. 103. expoundeth He will that all men be saued that is all kinde of men seuered by what differences soeuer kings priuate men noble high and low learned vnlearned wise foolish rich poore males females children and infants in all ages in all professions and if there bee any other differences among men And this exposition agreeth throughly with the purpose of Paul For thus he reasoneth Whom God would haue to bee saued for their saluation the Church ought to pray But God would haue all that is whomsoeuer to bee saued without difference of nation sexe age order and dignitie Therefore for all that is whomsoeuer euen for kings and other kinds of men faithfull and vnfaithfull the Church ought to pray Thus rightly is that expounded which he saith that we must pray for all men For if wee should pray for all simply and without exception of any one in vaine had Iohn said There is a sinne to death I say not for that that thou shouldest pray 1. Ioh. 5. Augustine Elsewhere Augustine expoundeth these words he will that all be saued saying that all the predestinate may bee vnderstood by them because all sorts of men bee in them saith he de correp grat cap. 14. But of those words enough which if the aduersaries continue to abuse let them also call to minde the exposition of Heerbrandus Heerbrand Bidenbac Osiander Disput de praedest th 93. and of Bidenbacchius and Osiander Respons ad assertiones Iesuitarum Dilingensium where they also allow the receiued distinction of the Schoolemen of the double will of God which their Schmidlinus afterward endeuoured to confute and they interprete the words of Paul with Augustine to wit that he speaketh not of euery person of men but of all the orders of men or not of euery singular one of all sorts but of the sorts of euery one Further that which is an other reason of the aduersaries out of that place of the Apostle they captiously catch at in that he saith one Mediatour of God and men that is all men whomsoeuer that come from Adam say they because also by the name of God is vnderstood whatsoeuer is in God But this is a meere shift Paul speaketh indefinitly that Christ is the Mediatour of God and men he addeth not all and if he had added it the same restraint should take place wherof was spoken before For it is the part of a Mediatour Ambrose as Ambrose obserueth in his exposition vpon the 1. of Timothie to bee an vmpire betweene him who hath sinned and him against whom the sin is committed that this party may pardon and that man may hereafter abide in the faith of God which thing certainly Christ did not take vpon him for the reprobate world for whom he vouchsafed no not so much as to pray vnto the father Ioh. 17. Of which place also Cyrill discoursing Cyril in Ioh. lib. 11. cap. 19. plainly testifieth that Christ is the Mediatour and high Priest not of the world but of his owne and that vnto them alone is attributed rightly the benefit of the Mediatour But see the mans wit Huber thes â—3 By the word God is vnderstoode doubtles whatsoeuer is in God therefore also by men ought to be meant whatsoeuer is borne of Adam I denie the consequence they bee onely loose broomes and cords made of sand hanging no more together then if I should say God hath made a couenant with man of grace and eternall life therfore as by the word God is meant whatsoeuer belongeth to God therfore by men also ought to be meant all men that be or shall be euery where so al shall be eternally saued By this kinde of reasoning or rather trifling many things most absurd may be gathered Betweene God and the seede of Abraham there was a couenant of Circumcision Now if a man vnderstood it of whatsoeuer seede Abraham should haue because by the word God may bee meant whatsoeuer belongeth to God as well women as men should haue been circumcised in Israel What is more foolish But what shall we say to that which followeth 1. Tim. 2. Who gaue himselfe a raunsome for all The answere is plaine by the things that haue been spoken before For he truly gaue himselfe a price of redemption sufficient for all none excepted at all of the whole vniuersalitie of men but because the vnbeleeuers do not applie redemption to themselues the wrath of God abideth on them Note how Christ may be said to giue himselfe a price for all Also he gaue himself the price of reconciliation for all that belong to the vniuersalitie of the elect and to his owne bodie Again for al indefinitly that is for whomsoeuer Iewes and Gentiles high and low masters and seruants as it hath been often already said Vnto which opinion also Theophilact inclineth The â— place of the aduersarie examined out of 2. Cor. 5.15 16 17. Another place is 2. Cor. 5.15 If one died for all surely all are dead and he died for all that they which liue should hereafter not liue to themselues but to him who died for them and rose againe Therefore wee hereafter know no man after the flesh If wee haue knowne Christ after the flesh yet now know we him so no more Therefore if any man be in Christ let him be a new creature Old things are passed behold all things are become new Here it is twise said that Christ died for all Well who denieth it we say so too but the doubt is of the sense Our aduersarie saith that Christ effectually died for all so that the heauenly father in very deede hath receiued into grace all mankinde and euery one is passed from death to life from sinne to righteousnes from oldnes to newnes but Paul saith not so nay he manifestly impugneth the words of Paul For in the words following he defineth reconciliation by this that God doth not impute sinnes and that wee be made the righteousnes of God in Christ And this is done by faith For that sinnes bee not imputed Rom. 4.5 c. and that faith is imputed for righteousnes Paul vseth for one and the same thing neither will he haue any other righteousnes of God to be meant but that which is by the faith of Iesu Christ in all Rom. 3 2â— and vpon all that beleeue and not vpon all simplie whether they beleeue or not What meaneth that saying of the ministers of reconciliation in this very chapter doth it not euince the same thing We being embassadors in the name of Christ Acts 3.29 doe pray you in his steede that ye would be reconciled to God Which what other thing is it then repent and turne ye that your sinnes may be done away and so ye shall in deede be partakers of the purchased reconciliation Further it is new and vnheard of Huber thes 90. that euery man is made a new
a Sauiour to saue them but as to him who hath receiued all power in heauen and earth Secondly he vrgeth the words that he that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are said to be all of one that is partakers of one and the same nature whereof he inferreth that Christ suffered vnderstand alwaies effectually for the whole nature of mankinde and as many as are partakers of the same But here there is no consequence at all And he boldly writeth that this is so cleere as nothing can bee more cleere Trifles For the Apostle saith not that Christ sanctifieth all who are partakers with him of the same humane nature neither can this bee gathered of his words vnles a man altogether vnskilfull of Logicke should think that that affirmatiue he that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are all of one may simply bee conuerted More rightly the writer of the calling of the Gentiles in the last booke first chapter saith Nature being euill and miserable in all men before reconciliation is not made righteous in all and among such as should perish there is a difference made in some part thereof by him who came to seeke and saue that which was lost Thirdly he thus reasoneth Christ hath abolished him who had the power of death the deuill Ergo by dying he hath pulled all and euery one out of his power I answere that the deuill is destroyed by the death of Christ vnto the faithfull Coloss 1.13 vnto whom all the assault of Satan is in vaine and of none effect vntill the God of peace doe at length vtterly tread him vnder their feete Rom. 16. Ioh. 3. But the wrath of God abideth vpon the vnbeleeuers and consequently the power of Satan who is as a certaine executioner of Gods wrath to punish In the meane while we confesse with Leo that the death of Christ is so rich in value that if the vniuersalitie of captiues should beleeue in Christ no bands of Satan could hold them Obiection 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But thus the deuill shall not bee abolished while his power remaineth ouer very many I answer that it is a fallacie à dicto secundū quid that is from a saying spoken in part For as we rightly say that Christ doth abolish and take away sinnes that is the workes of the deuill by iustifying and gouerning his owne albeit in the meane while sinne ceaseth not to raigne in very many so the deuill is worthily said to bee abolished by the death of Christ Ephes 2.2 2. Tim. 2.26 although his power continueth towards the children of disobedience Let other places be compared wherein the Greeke word is extant as 1. Corint 1.28 Romanes 6.6 and 2. Tim. 1.10 Fourthly they be the expresse words of the Apostle That Christ tasted death for all that he might set them at libertie as many as were all their life subiect vnto bondage To this we answere if this saying be meant of the efficacie of Christs death the vniuersall particle doth not comprehend all men and euery one but all who are sanctified as here and somewhat after the Apostle himselfe declareth For when he had made mention of death which he tasted for all straightwaies he annexeth a declaration of the sonnes of God as it were painting out a certaine companie or armie of them before whom being to be brought from the kingdome of that hellish Pharao into the true land of promise and the glorie of the heauenly kingdome goeth cheerfully that first begotten sonne of God the prince and author of their saluation who died for them all and rose againe and being crowned with glorie and honour carieth before them his crosse as it were for a standard and prepareth and fortifieth the way for thē And a little after They that are sanctified saith he and hee that sanctifieth are all of one Where by those that are sanctified he noteth such as are appointed to the saluation of their soules and must be brought vnto glory as he had said before In these surely the efficacie of Christs death is extant and not in those who are not sanctified as after also in the 10. chapter he saith that Christ by one offering hath made perfect for euer them that are sanctified And these bee they of whom Christ himselfe speaketh Ioh. 17. Father I sanctifie that is offer my self for thē that they may be also sanctified through the truth to wit they who are giuen to the sonne by the father and are his people as the Apostle also saith vers 17. of this chapter to the Hebrewes Christ was in all things made like to his brethren that he might be mercifull and a faithfull high Priest in the things of GOD to satisfie for the sinnes of the people And as for that which is mentioned of deliuerance from bondage and the horror of death by the death of Christ wee may finde this effect also in the godly who being armed against corporall and spirituall death Ioh. 5.24 with the death of Christ as with a remedie against all euill haue passed from death to life And so Brentius himselfe in Expli Catech. expresseth this saying page 164. Christ saith he hath abolished death by his death not that we should not die bodily but that the bodily death should not bee the destruction of him who beleeueth in Christ for he is preserued in death to eternall life Albeit as touching this later member wee are to know that the text may be indefinitly read as the old translation hath it and after that Luther in the Dutch that he might deliuer them who through feare of death were all their life subiect to bondage For the Grecians as Stephanus in his Thesaurus warneth doe take 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 often for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is as many as for who And thus much of this kinde of testimonies which say that Christ our Lord died for all with the answers also added to the reasons gathered out of the circumstances of those testimonies Such places follow wherein the fruite of Christs death and passion seemeth to be extended to all without exception CHAP. IIII. HEre first the words of the Apostle are obiected comparing the fall of Adam and the redemption by Christ together Rom. 5.18 where among other things hee writeth Huber thes 48. The first place of the aduersarie out of Rom. 5.18 alleadged to proue that the fruite of Christs death belongs to all that as by one offence guiltines came vpon all men to condemnation so by one iustification the benefit of Christ redoundeth vnto all men to the iustification of life Both there is all men and here also all therefore as many as perished in Adam are iustified by Christ Neither is it any matter say they that it followeth straightway that many are made righteous by the obedience of one for by many is not vnderstood some onely but all because in like maner it is sayd that in Adam many are made sinners
world is spoken of whereupon God hath bestowed his grace they maintaine that the word cannot otherwise bee taken then indifferently for all men beleeuers and vnbeleeuers For of many significations of the World they acknowledge onely three chiefe wherein they say the rest may easily be included as that the word World is taken for the frame and vniuersall compasse of heauen and earth then for the common multitude of all men good and bad lastly for that part of men which comprehendeth the reprobates and vnbeleeuers Of these significations the first and the third agree not with those places It remaineth then that all those places bee taken in the second signification I answere that the reckoning was insufficient in the maior For as the world in the holie Scriptures is taken for the reprobates and vnbeleeuers only so also it is often vsed for the elect and faithfull dispersed throughout the whole world There be many plaine testimonies to proue this Ioh. 14.31 he ioyneth both those significations together in those words of Christ The prince of this world commeth and hath nothing in me but that the world may know that I loue the father and that I doe as the father hath commanded rise let vs goe hence Of this world also is that Ioh. 17.21 that the world may know that thou hast sent me Which is that world which shal know Christ and beleeue in him but that which is discerned from the world of reprobates For of these about the end of the same chapter he speaketh Righteous father Vers 25. the world doth not know thee but I know thee and these haue knowne that thou hast sent me and I haue manifested thy name vnto them and will manifest it to wit vnto them of whom hee had spoken that the world may beleeue that I am sent of thee So Rom. 4. the promise is said to bee made to Abraham that he should be the heire of the world that is the father of all beleeuers circumcised and vncircumcised as Paul himself declareth And chap. 11. he saith that the fall of the Iewes is the riches of the world and the casting away of them the reconciliation of the world that is of the Gentiles to whom he saith saluation happened by the ruine of the Iewes that they might bee prouoked to follow them Where wee see the word world also restrained for them that appertain vnto that fulnes of the Gentiles which is appointed to come into the roome of the Iewes Therefore it is idle and impudent wrangling to say Huber thes 143 where be we able to finde and plainly shew in the whole Scripture that the world is taken onely for a certaine kinde of men whom God hath chosen to be saued But goe to let vs annexe to these the testimonies of Augustine the very chiefe of the old Diuines Augustine and most practised in such questions against the Pelagians He tract in Ioh. 110. vpon that saying that the world may beleeue The word world attributed sometime to the reprobates onely sometime to the elect and faithfull onely writeth after this sort Behold he that said I pray not for the world doth pray for the world that it may beleeue because there is a world whereof is written that wee may not bee condemned with the world For this world he praieth not for he knoweth whereto it is predestinated And there is a world whereof it is written The sonne of man came not to condemne the world but that the world by him may be saued Whereupon the Apostle also saith God was in Christ reconciling the world to himselfe for this world he prayeth saying That the world may beleeue that thou hast sent me The same man in the next tract saith Who are those whom he saith are giuen him of his father They be those whom he receiued of the father and whom he himself chose out of the world that they might not be of the world and yet they themselues are the beleeuing and knowing world that Christ was sent of God the father that so the world may be deliuered from the world and that the world which is reconciled to God may not bee damned with the world that is enemie to God And about the end of the same Tract vpon that saying The world doth not know thee he saith The world surely which is predestinated to damnation by desert doth not know but the world which he reconcileth to himselfe through Christ doth know not of desert but of grace Againe tract 53. Euill men are called the world because they bee scattered through the whole earth and good men also are called the world because they likewise bee dispersed through the whole earth Wherevpon the Apostle saith God was in Christ reconciling the world to himselfe And in this sense in the same place hee expoundeth the saying Now is the iudgement of this world to wit the iudgement not of damnation but of separation whereby it shall come to passe that farre and wide sins shall bee pardoned and thousand thousands shall be deliuered through faith from the power and rule of the deuill and reconciled vnto God Ambrose Likewise Ambrose saith in Psal 118. serm 12. The whole world is truly in the Church wherein there is not the Iew only nor Grecian Barbarian Scythian bond or free but we are all one in Christ Iesu By these sayings it appeareth that it is a very rotten foundation that the word world wheresoeuer it is expressed in the Scripture in the matter of grace doth note out an vniuersalitie of all mankinde none at all excepted The first place Ioh. 3. World taken for mankinde indefinitly Now let vs consider the places by themselues seuerally As touching the words Ioh. 3.16 So God loued the world we say that by the name of world mankinde indefinitly is meant as Christ saith Ioh. 17. I pray not for the world that is for the reprobates but onely for them whom the father gaue vnto him and should beleeue in him Rom 8. Paul also to the Romanes declareth that the loue of God in Christ is so great that the beloued of God are made vnconquerable against things present and to come and against all the temptations of the world which thing certainly cannot be spoken of all men Therefore that loue belongs not to all albeit generally God hateth nothing of those things hee hath made as wee haue seene before But goe to let vs answere the contrary reasons whereby they endeuour to proue that the word world which is verie doubtfull in the Scripture is here necessarily taken for the whole masse of mankinde altogether say they as it is taken Rom. 5. By one man sinne came into the world and death by sinne D. Iacob Andreas Colloq Mompel appealeth vnto the iudgement and one consent of all writers and interpreters old and new Great rashnes certainly which to suppresse I will produce one of many euen Rupertus Tuitiensis who florished about 400. yeres
whether all beleeuers and vnbeleeuers together be from all sinne and condemnation by the death of Christ set free iustified and receiued into grace of the father as sonnes and heires It is most false that the Catholike Church hath beleeued that with one consent yea rather it hath alwaies beleeued this and alwaies confessed it with one mouth that faith is required without which it is impossible to please God to the intent we may obtaine remission of sinnes by the merite of Christ But what antiquitie hath thought of this present controuersie it is apparant by those things which before we haue here and there alleaged out of the writings of the ancient fathers Testimonies of the aduersarie answered and it shall be shewed most plentifullie when we shall come to the confirmation of our opinion Now this shall suffice if we shall answere briefely vnto the testimonies produced by the aduersarie In the beginning is produced the saying of Cyrill That the vnbeleeuer is already iudged Hubâ—th 539 Cyril in Io. lib. 2. cap. â—3 because he by contemning the giuer of freedome from damnation doth giue sentence of damnation against himselfe What is this to the matter Or else who denieth that vnbeleeuers refuse the author of saluation while they beleeue not in the name of the onely begotten sonne of God and therefore that condemnation and the wrath of God doe abide vpon them The words of Athanasius are somewhat more fit to the matter Athanasius in Euang. de pass cru Chri. The misteries saith he of the Hebrewes say that the place of Caluerie is the sepulcher of Adam If the matter be so I wonder at the nature and propertie of that place For it was meet that the Lord should suffer in that place wheÌ„ he minded to restore the first Adam that his sinne being put away he might abolish it from his whole kinde And a little before those words he saith The Lord was sacrificed that by the blood of his offering hee might set all at libertie Which saying I maruell the aduersarie omitted if he himselfe read Athanasius But he vnderstood this either of sufficiencie as we shall by and by heare that other fathers would haue such sayings of theirs to be taken Synecdoche is when part is vnderstoode by the whole or the whole by part Prosper or els he spake by the figure Synecdoche of the vniuersalitie of the faithfull who are out of al mankind conuerted For according to the declaration of Prosper lib. 2. cap. 1. de vocat gent. neither part I meane of good men and euill of such as shall bee saued and damned is without the name of all men The part of such as rebell hauing the losse of saluatioÌ„ but the dignitie of the faithfull obtaining the account of fulnes And to that end citeth he the saying 1. Ioh. 2.2 He is the propitiation for our sinnes and not for ours only but for the sinnes of the whole world And lib. 1. cap. 3. The whole is set downe for a part in the Scripture in the phrases All men the whole world c. the same writer from sundrie sayings of the Scripture concludeth on this wise Therefore the people of God haue their fulnes and albeit a great part of men doe either refuse or neglect the grace of the Sauiour yet in the elect and foreknowne and in such as are seuered from the generalitie of all there is a certain special vniuersalitie so that out of the whole world the whole world is deliuered and out of all men all men seeme to be taken as also when the speech is of the vngodly the diuine stile doth so order his maner of speaking that the things which are spoken of some part may seeme to appertaine to all men Rom. 10.18 1. Iohn 5.19 Mar. 1.5 Iohn 3.32 and 8.2 And this very thing he sheweth plainly in that place by sundrie testimonies that euen all the earth is named for a part of the earth and the whole world for a part of the world and all men for a part of meÌ„ And so Ambrose vpon 3. to the Romanes expoundeth that saying All haue gone astray For quoth he because he saith all he meaneth not the whole people altogether but that part of the people wherein all euill men are contained And he bringeth that which is in Ieremie Iere. 26. All rose vp against the Prophet of the Lord to kill him And it followeth that all the people would not permit them Of which example saith Ambrose thus Therefore by those all hee meaneth such as were euill and by these all the good For alwaies there be two people in one multitude But that we may not doubt of the minde of Athanasius in the very same oration he describeth the grace of redemption thus That Christ was made man and died that wee mortall men might bee quickened and may no longer endure the kingdome of death that therefore he was crucified that he might take vpon him the curse and that we might possesse the blessing If this be vnderstood of al men without exception there shal be none any more ouerwhom death and hell shall haue dominion Furthermore Athanasius in the same place often repeateth the said Synecdoche as that he saith that the deuill being cast out of hell all his captiues are deliuered by the power of Christ which thing he straightwaies expoundeth of the vniuersalitie of the Saints who are with Adam set free Likewise he saith that the deuill hath lost al his spoyles and is made poorer then Irus but hee speaketh of such as are conuerted who in euery place are translated from the power of Satan into the kingdome of Christ After the same maner certainly he saith that the knowledge of God came to all men and into all places that all men tread the deuill vnder their feete that all doe vnder the conduct of Christ laugh him to scorne that all his subtile shifts are marred and all the wisedome of the Grecians is become foolish because the death of the Sauiour hath brought the world into libertie and hath giuen cause that the Gentiles should glorifie God while the Iewes continue blinded in the knowledge of Christ These things manifestly shew how Athanasius iudged that Christ died to put away sinne from all mankind according to that Ioh. 12. which he also citeth When I shall be lifted vp I will draw all things vnto me The 3. â—estimonie of the aduersarie Chrysost in 1. ad Tim. hom 7. Besides there is cited Chrysostome where he saith that Christ also hung vpon the crosse for the Gentiles and vnbeleeuers I answere He saith not this onely but more also that Christ died for all for beleeuers and vnbeleeuers Hom. 17. in Epist ad Heb. vpon that of the Apostle he was offered that he might take away the sinnes of many But he declareth himselfe that such sayings are to bee taken as touching the sufficiencie or greatnes of the price and not as touching
beleeuers and vnbeleeuers are receiued into grace and made partakers of remission of sinnes righteousnes and saluation in Christ Of which thing that we may not doubt at al in the Miscellanies of D. Ierome Zanchie of godly memorie Zanchius there is the iudgement extant of the Church and schoole of Tigur touching certaine Theses of the said Zanchie which at that time were hatefully pursued of certaine that moued the same mischiefe that Huber doth The promises of the free mercie of God and of sure and eternall saluation saith Zanchie in his 13. proposition albeit they be propounded vniuersally to all and are so to be preached yet vnto the elect onely in very deede they doe belong And straight after in 14. proposition Wherefore when Paul saith God will haue all men to be saued if a man restraine that word all men to the elect in any order of men whatsoeuer they be also if a man interprete that saying 1. Ioh. 2. Christ is the propitiation of the whole world for the elect dispersed or to be dispersed hereafter through the whole world he doth not depraue the Scripture Of the vniuersalitie of the promise of grace What do those lights of the Heluetian Church Bullinger Gualther Wolfius Marty Simler Lauater and the rest say to these things They doe not onely assent that the promises touching the free mercie of God and sure and eternall saluation doe belong vnto the elect onely but also they confirme it with this reason That the promises are hidden things for faith and can no otherwise be perceiued then by faith therfore they belong onely vnto them who are adorned with faith by God Certainly say they the promises of this kinde are to be preached vnto all because the ministers of the word know not such as are elect according to purpose and they haue a flock consisting of reprobates and elect but they are made effectuall by the power of Gods spirit in them onely who are of the number of the elect Afterward touching the other proposition that is this whole controuersie they make a pure and cleere confession publishing it with a lowd voice in these words The vniuersalitie of the elect in the worde All men by the opinion of new writers We truly are of the same iudgement and cannot reiect with a good consciēce that exposition which also we acknowledge to be agreeable to the text and not once alleadged by Augustine a father most worthie praise of all for which interpretation he was neuer of any man condemned of heresie In the same place they subscribe also to Zanchies opinion that true faith is giuen once onely to the elect The elect perseuer in faith and that the elect once indued with true faith and ingrafted into Christ by the holy Ghost cannot altogether lose faith shake off the holy Ghost and wholly fall frō Christ and that because of the promise of God and the prayer of Christ Notwithstanding that true faith and the spirit is as it were a sleepe and languisheth in the Saints when they fall but is not altogether taken away otherwise the seede of God should not remaine in them as it is said 1. Ioh. 3. Behold Huber the sentence of so many worthie men whom thou hast gotten for thy defendors consenting against thee Therefore there is no cause that thou shouldest seeke after craftie wresting of words and make wiles to intrap men through some phrases of theirs whose iudgement is so plainly knowne Yet least thou shouldest chaunce to doubt of these things Zuinglius take but the aduise of Huldrich Zuinglius onely the ornament of thy Heluetia and the brightnes of all kinde of learning Annot. in Euang. epist Pauli per Leonem Iudae editis There be many such kinde of speaking vsed afterward in like maner of his successors Annot. ad Heb. In Ioh. 6. In Ioh. 12. That the son of God tooke flesh that he might be made a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world that his flesh was giuen for the life and redemption of the whole world and that he died for all that he might quicken all by himselfe In Ioh. 17. and by his death giue life to the vniuersall world that Christ came to saue all and to giue eternall life to all c. That man surely vseth thus to speake but in a farre other sense than thou huntest for such kinde of speakings in his schollers and successors For expounding himselfe he expressely writeth In Matth. 15. Whereas Christs death is the remedie and plaister of our diseases and wounds yet that many feele not the efficacie thereof In Ioh. 3. namely such as doe not acknowledge their sinnes Also that he was sent to forgiue sinnes to all repentant sinners and to communicate eternall life that he is the life and saluation of the godly the life of beleeuers and such like In Ioh. 6. praefat in histo de pass In epist ad Rom. 3. In Ioh. 12. And yet he taketh away the sins of the whole world and giueth life to all both because no sinnes in the world are forgiuen but by and for the onely reconciler Christ Iesus and also because he is an vniuersall Sauiour to wit not onely of the Iewes but of the Gentiles also that they that haue the fruition of Christ his oblation may for euer goe to God through him and may haue by faith through Christ the blotting out of all their sinnes as more at large a man may see in the same writer tom 1. expostul ad Fridolium Attend and weigh O Huber and cease to abuse the testimonies of thine Heluetians The 8. testimonie Musculus The same thing I say of Musculus whose iudgement who so looketh into I know very well he will marueile at Hubers wit and at his desire and captious kinde of speaking to peruert all things De remiss pecc q. 2. Thes 586. These are his words That the grace of remission of sinnes is appointed for all mortall men This Huber catching at greedily setteth it in his booke in great letters but malitiously altogether pulled away from the words following wherein lieth the meaning of that saying to wit that the grace of remission of sinnes is appointed for all mortall men as farre forth as the Gospel is to be preached to euery creature and the mercie of God to be set forth to all And so Musculus vnderstandeth the sayings Ioh. 3. 1. Ioh. 2. So God loued the world Christ is the propitiation for the sinnes of the whole world not that remission of sinnes by the grace of God befalleth to all without difference of beleeuers and vnbeleeuers which is the opinion of the aduersarie and not of Musculus Nay thus he testifieth openly If we consider them who by the grace of God obtaine remission of their sinnes as of the elect so of these also there is a small number in respect of the reprobates whose sins he saith are
the Minor of the argument is false for he that hath knowledge knoweth himselfe to beleeue as before hath been shewed And whosoeuer beleeueth A man may know himselfe to haue faith and so to haue Christ Luk. 22. Matth. 26. is partaker of the merits of the death and humiliation of our Lord Iesus Christ as he saith this is my body which is giuen for you and this is my blood the blood of the New Testament which is shed for you as Luke hath or as Matthew saith which is shed for many for remission of sinnes Why saith he for many Because albeit the blood of Christ be shed for all as touching sufficiencie yet it was shed for the regenerate onely as touching efficiencie as I shewed before out of Innocentius Whereupon Basil saith All of vs as many as do beleeue Exhortat Baptis are redeemed from sinnes by the grace of God which is through his onely begotten sonne our Lord Iesus Christ who said This is my blood the blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sinnes which exposition he twise repeateth in his Sermon following of Baptisme for many that is for all beleeuers the blood of Christ was shed CHAP. XVI An answere to the residue of the Absurdities HVber goeth on and that he may maintaine any way his opinion he obiecteth also other absurdities so horrible that a godly minde cannot but tremble in thinking of them as Hubers blasphemies that God is accused of fraud and lying Of fraud in that he saith one thing and thinketh another Of lying in that by word he offereth and commandeth to receiue things which in the meane while by his irreuocable iudgement he forbiddeth to receiue Also that Christ by his passion hath mocked God and men and that the mightie and holy Lord of hosts is worthily accused of crueltie iniustice reioycing at mens harmes and of other great euils agreeing rather to a most cruell tyrant then to God For such and so many words doth his rude and shameles mouth vtter often or rather roreth out But these be the sleights of the aduersarie issuing out of the same forge that his other lyes and slanders doe too too presumptuous truly But because those obiections and mocks excepting only the last saue one respect not so fitly the doctrine of Redemption as of Predestination which treatises Huber here and there without order confoundeth and are long agoe largely confuted by Doctor Luther in his booke of seruile freewill I will not suffer my selfe in refuting them to be carried beside the matter I haue in hand One or two places onely of Luther I will alleadge for their sakes who depend vpon that mans authoritie that they may vnderstand that the doctrine of Luther is wounded through our sides He therefore in his answere to the place of Ezech. 18. Luther de seruo arbit cap. 107. seq J will not the death of a sinner confirmeth the receiued distinction of a double will in God which truly was wont to bee so distinguished for our capacitie And one will he one while calleth secret fearefull and vnsearchable other while the most reuerend secret of Gods maiestie sometime the hidden God but the other will A double will in God he calleth one while the reuealed will other while the word preached sometime God preached and worshipped How God willeth and willeth not the death of a sinner Eze. ca. 18. and proceedeth after this sort God doth many things which he hath not shewed vs in his word and he willeth many things which in his word he doth not shew that he willeth So he will not the death of a sinner in his word that is in his will reuealed in his word but he willeth it by his vnsearchable will Therefore it is well said If God will not the death of a sinner wee must impute it to our will that we perish well I say if it bee vnderstood of God preached For he willeth that all men be saued while he commeth vnto all by the word of saluation and it is the fault of the will which doth not admit God as Matth. 25. it is said How often would I gather thy chickens and thou wouldest not But why Gods maiestie taketh not away this fault of our wil or changeth it in all or why he doth impute it vnto man seeing he cannot want it we may not inquire and if thou wouldest inquire yet thou shalt neuer finde it as Paul Rom. 9. saith Who art thou then that reasonest with God Againe it is sufficient saith Luther to know that God so willeth and this will it is meete we should reuerence loue and adore restraining the rashnes of our reason Here Luther sufficiently sheweth that it pertaineth to his reuealed will that God willeth the conuersion and saluation of all and to his hidden will that he neither giueth nor purposeth to giue conuersion and saluation to all but to whom he will according to his meere good pleasure Neither are these cōtrarie one to another The hid and reuealed will are not contradictorie therefore no suspition of fraude or lying in God as though God spake one thing and thought another when we say that he willeth that is commandeth that all repent and beleeue the Gospell to saluation and yet that he will not worke in all men faith and repentance Euen children may perceiue that here is no contradiction because of the diuers signification of the word will The same man cap. 160. God is not vniust or one that reioyceth at mans miserie This surely offendeth common sense and naturall reason that God of his meere will forsaketh hardeneth and damneth men as though he who is said to be of so great mercie and goodnes delighted in the great and eternall paines and torments of miserable persons This seemeth wicked cruell and intolerable to imagine of God But here the most mercifull God ought to be honoured and reuerenced and wee must referre freely some thing vnto his diuine wisedome that he may bee beleeued to be iust A notable saying where he seemeth to vs to bee vniust For if such were his iustice as might be iudged by mans capacitie to bee iust it should not be altogether diuine and should differ nothing from humane iustice But seeing God is true and one wholly incomprehensible and inaccessible by mans reason it is meete yea necessarie that his iustice also be incomprehensible c. Therefore what peruersenes is this that wee should destroy the iustice and iudgement of God These and many other such things hath Luther against such as contend with their maker Esay 45. Brentius in 1. Sam. 2. v. 25. Brentius also vpon those words touching Elies sonnes They heard not the voyce of their father because the Lord would slay them subscribeth vnto this doctrine and concludeth this whole question in these words Therefore that they may be punished according to the worthines of their deserts the Lord
by his secret power brought it to passe that they should not repent at their fathers admonition and should perish God is not the author but reuenger of sin punishing sins with sins he surely working inwardly what by word he forbiddeth outwardly and his power inwardly hindring that which by his manifest will he outwardly commanded to bee done And this is not to be the author or cause of wickednes but it is to inflict iust punishment for the same But how it commeth to passe that the Lord by his secret power worketh inwardly or hindreth that which he forbiddeth or commandeth outwardly in his manifest word it is a higher point then that mans capacitie can finde out These things Brentius Obiection And whereas it is further obiected that vnles by the death of Christ all faithfull and vnfaithfull be forgiuen and in very deed and properly be restored to grace and saluation Christ is charged to haue deluded God and men by a false passion it is a vaine and vnsauourie deuise Com. thes 37. For there is a flat begging of the question in the antecedent seeing the aduersarie thus reasoneth Christ himselfe confesseth that he died not for a few onely but for the whole world to wit for all mankinde Wherefore if it was the counsell of his father that he should die for the elect onely Christ hath mocked God first and then men holding them in suspense with so great hope as though he died for all Where I beseech doth the Lord confesse that he effectually died or would die for all or that he would that all should haue the effect of his death to wit reconciliation righteousnes saluation none at al excepted of the whole vniuersalitie of maÌ„kind whether they imbrace by faith the Sauiour or by vnbeleefe refuse him Christ witnesseth the contrary Ioh. 17. I pray not for the world but for them whom thou hast giuen me It is a wonder if he hath pacified the iudgement and wrath of his father for them for whom he surely did not vouchsafe to pray And in the same chapter For them I sanctifie my selfe that they also may bee sanctified Therefore for whom he praied for them also he offered himselfe a sacrifice to redeeme them effectually from sinne and death and to sanctifie them for euer and so contrariwise CHAP. XVII Of this that only vnbeleefe condemneth and not other sinnes but whosoeuer is condemned for only vnbeleefe he is condemned ALL these things being made plaine Hubers opinion is now spoyled and his threefold ranke scattered here and there whereto he in vaine trusting and furnished more with number then with strength of arguments hath bid this battel vnto the trueth But yet before we make an end of this point wherein we haue taken in hand the confutation of a new and erronious doctrine of Redemption we must not omit what these new Sectaries teach of the cause of damnation to wit how it commeth to passe that whereas they auouch that by the passion of Christ all without exception are discharged from the iudgement and wrath of God Marke this doctrine of the aduersaries How all are not eternally saued that yet were redeemed and saued by Christs death as they say and receiued into the fauour and bosome of God and that the reprobates as well as the elect are saued yet all are not saued for euer This therefore is the cause say they because some abide by faith in saluation receiued others through vnbeleef refuse contemne and cast away saluation gotteÌ„ for them and so by neglecting and despising their saluation make themselues reprobates and therefore onely are damned because they despise grace and through incredulitie doe binde themselues againe in the guiltines of all sinnes These things are in so many words extant in Hubers Thes 19.69.155.245 And also in his Thes 187. he writeth that such as beleeue not tread vnder foote their redemption and propitiation for their sinnes shaking from them through vnbeleefe and so their vnbeâ—eefe is vnto them the onely cause of damnation In like sort Iacob Andree Col. Mompel pag. 548. saith that men are not therefore damned because they haue sinned but because they will not by faith imbrace Iesu Christ who suffered was crucified and died no lesse for the sinnes of the damned than for the sinnes of Peter Paul and all the Saints noting there these words in the margent onely vnbeleefe damneth men What we like in the aduersaries doctrine As touching this doctrine it is confessed if any man truly beleeue in Christ the sinnes of all the world are not able to cast him downe into hell and contrarily if a man haue not faith he shall be damned albeit the righteousnes of all the world were his owne Mar. 16. For he that beleeueth shall be saued he that beleeueth not shall be damned saith that faithfull and true witnesse De verb. Dom. sec Ioh. serm 60. enar Ps 109. And Augustine writeth that onely the sinne of vnbeleefe shutteth the doore against all other sinnes that they are not released by the grace of God as by beleeuing all sins are remitted What we mislike iustly The first faulte or error against the doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets Yet two things in the said opinion doe iustly displease vs. One is that whereas this opinion is forced to acknowledge that the saluation of Gods kingdome happeneth not but by faith yet it dare auouch that there is remission of sinnes freedome from the iudgement and wrath of God and power of the deuill yea and saluation it selfe without faith For it will haue all these things to come to all men indifferently by Christs death whether they beleeue or not otherwise than all Prophets and Apostles doe testifie Acts 10. that he that beleeueth in Christ through his name receiueth the remission of sinnes the wrath of God abiding vpon the vnbeleeuers Ioh. 3. This is a farre other opinion than if a man should say as Huber doth that all together are set free from all sinne and all iudgement and wrath of God is taken away and blotted out in all men yea in vnbeleeuers onely through vnbeleefe they be againe bound with the guiltines of their sinnes and doe fall againe vnder the wrath of God Serm. 60. Augustine saith well in the forecited place The medicine of all the wounds of the soule and the onely propitiation for the sinnes of men is to beleeue in Christ and by faith we are borne of God and made the sonnes of God as it is written to them that beleeue in his name he hath giuen power to become the sonnes of God The other thing which is worthily reproued in the alleadged opinion is this The second fault or error confuted by foure reasons that it precisely setteth downe the contempt or lothing of the grace of the Gospell through vnbeleefe to bee the cause of damnation For first this opinion presupposeth the offering of the grace of the Gospell in
a thing if a man would denie the consequent in an Enthymeme as if one being about to answere a Syllogisme should denie the conclusion By which kinde of solutions any thing might most easily be answered by any one but that Logicke is against it But omitting these things let vs produce a few testimonies of many out of the Scripture to declare our purpose The state of the question that redemption from sinnes righteousnes and saluation are benefits proper vnto the Church and not common to all whether they beleeue or not as the new opinion would haue it This is the state of the question properly which must be diligently marked For we also grant that Christ died for all but wee denie that therefore all are made partakers of the benefits of Christs death without respect of faith or vnbeleefe or els which is all one wee denie that Christ died for all effectually How Christs death may be effectuall to any the cause of the want of that efficacie being considered not in Christ but in men themselues For to make the death of Christ effectuall vnto vs for redemption his merit is not only needfull but also the application and receiuing of the same which is done by an vnfained faith Matth. 1. The 1. testimonie prouing redemption to be proper to the Church The first testimonie therefore we haue in Matthew in the words of the Angell to Ioseph Thou shalt call his name Iesus for he shall saue his people from their sinnes Here we see redemption peculiarly attributed to the people of Christ And the people of Christ be his Church of all places and ages Therefore redemption is peculiar to the Church and yet vniuersall after that sort as we confesse the Church to bee vniuersall Thes 1059. All men be not the people of God proued by three reasons Huber crieth out and such is his Diuinitie saith that by the people of Christ is meant the whole ofspring of Adam and saith that al are truly called to the kingdome of God that they may be his people But the contrary is easily proued First by the name of the people of God the Scripture vseth not to comprehend al men but a certaine companie onely among whom God is acknowledged and called vpon and whom hee likewise acknowledgeth for his owne and to whom belong the couenants and promises Leuit. 26. as the Lord saith I wil walke among you and I will be your God Iere. 31. 2. Cor. 6. Ose 1. 2. and you shall be my people And I will be your God and you shal be my sonnes and daughters saith the Lord almightie As also he saith in Oseah I will call a people my people which was not mine and her beloued who was not beloued and it shall come to passe in the place where it was said vnto them Ye are not my people there they shall be called the sonnes of the liuing God All which places Paul to the Romanes expoundeth of the calling of the Gentiles Rom. 9. who whereas they had bin in times past alients from the common wealth of Israel and strangers from the couenants of promise hauing no hope and being without God in the world afterward obtained the adoption of grace in the kingdome of Christ Tit. 3. So vnto Titus wee reade that Christ purged a peculiar people to himselfe zealous of good workes whom Peter also calleth a people whom God claimeth as his own 1. Pet. 2. a holy nation a royall priesthood What insolencie then is it to imagine that all men be the people of God This is nothing els than to ioyne faithful with vnfaithfull righteousnes with vnrighteousnes light with darkenes Christ with Belial the temple of God with images and to mingle sacred things with prophane Secondly if all should bee the people of Christ it should not onely follow that all must be also called Christians but also as Origene fained all should be saued and haue eternall life seeing saluation which Christ bestoweth vpon his people includeth eternall life as the chiefe fulfilling thereof Thirdly Theophylact vpon the same place thus writeth He saith he shall saue his people not onely of the Iewes but also of the Gentiles who shall beleeue and not doubt to bee made his people Luther also in Gen. 31. Luther at large testifieth that all men are not the people of God but such as hee liketh of and accepteth and cannot be taken out of his hands But let Huber giue care vnto his Brentius especially Brentius who writeth thus in the exposition of his Catechisme Tell vs saith he to whom Iesus is Iesus that is a sauiour from their sinnes The Euangelist saith He shall saue his people He saueth not Aliants but his people They be Aliants whosoeuer beleeue not in him whether they be Iewes or Gentiles And they be his whether they be Iewes or Gentiles as many as doe acknowledge and imbrace him by faith Wherefore of what nation soeuer thou be if thou beleeue the Gospel of Christ thou art made by faith a member of his people and Iesus is in very deede made Iesus vnto thee These things he another of whose sayings also shall be cited hereafter in the seuenth Chapter Nowe let the Tubingers see whether they will condemne Brentius heere or Huber rather of an error A second testimonie we haue in the same Euangelist cha 26. When hee had taken the cup hee gaue it to them saying The 2. testimony Matt. 26. Drink ye all of this For this is the blood of the new Testament which is shed for many for remission of sinnes I surely knowe that some of the auncient writers respecting sufficiencie doe expound for many that is that his blood was shed for al seeing euen all are many But the sense rather agreeth by keeping the vsuall signification of Many Many distinguisheth betweene beleeuers and vnbeleeuers vnto the difference betweene the beleeuers and vnbleeuers of whom they receiuing forgiuenes of sinnes are redeemed by the grace of Christ and these are as yet voyd of redemptiō as we before shewed Basils often exposition And the Commentaries vpon Marke which are ascribed vnto Hierome haue expressely that the blood of the new Testament is said to be shed for many because it doth not make cleane all or els that there bee in the very Church some whome no sacrifice doth make cleane much more then out of the Church What that among the newe writers Brentius in his Catechisme doth no otherwise expound it Christ saith he when he said of his blood which is shed for you he addeth this also for Many to signifie that it was shed not onely for the Iewes but also for the Gentiles of whom his Church was to bee gathered And by that place and exposition he taketh here in hand to proue our very matter in hand to wit that Christ by his death hath made satisfaction for the sinnes of his that they may haue remission of
them and may be accounted iust before God and made the flesh and blood of Christ and adopted into the sonnes and heires of God and that these benefites appertaine to the vniuersall Church and not to strangers for the same contrariety of Luth. de capt Babyl His owne and Strangers is here of force which before was obserued out of Brentius Further Luther waighing this very place saith for you and for many said he that is who receiue and beleeue the promise of the testator for faith here maketh heires The 3. testimonie The third place is in Zacharias song Luke 1. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he hath visited and redeemed his people and hath lifted vp a horne of saluation in the house of Dauid his seruant as he spake by the mouth of the holy Prophets that we should be saued from our enemies and from the hand of all that hate vs that being delivered from them we should serue him without feare in holinesse and righteousnes before him all the dayes of our life First euen here we see the redemption of Christ peculiarly attributed to the people of God who be the faithfull people or the true Israelites out of euery people and nation as Theophylact witnesseth Secondly that he mentioneth the horne of saluation in the house of Dauid he respecteth the prophesie in the 132. Psalme for there the grace of Christ the king and conquerour is onely promised to the saints and poore in spirite but nothing but destruction and confusion is proclamed to his enemies as the blessed Virgin witnesseth in her song He hath put downe the mightie from their seate and hath exalted the humble he hath filled the hungry with good things and the rich hee hath sent emptie away Thirdly it is not onely the end but also a part of the redemption which Zacharie magnifieth to serue God in holinesse and true righteousnesse For hee saith that God by othe promised to Abraham that he would giue vnto vs that we should serue him without feare being deliuered from our enemies But it t is very plaine that very many serue not God but their belly and the world rather Therefore that spirituall redemption by Christ was not promised or wrought for all indifferently Fourthly he saith He that proceedeth from an high hath visited vs that he may appeare to thē that sit in darkenes in the shadow of death to direct our feet into the way of peace But not euery one euery where is conuerted from darkenes to light and their feete directed into the way of peace that is of righteousnesse The fourth place is Luke 2. The 4. testimonie Luke 2. Feare ye not saith the Angel to the sheepheards for behold I bring you tydings of great ioy that shal be to al people to wit that vnto you is borne this day a sauiour who is Christ the Lord. This was the first preaching of the Gospell touching the birth of the Sauiour of the world And the thing it selfe proclaimeth that the incarnation of the Lord neither was nor is ioyfull no not to all the Iewes much lesse to all other through the whole world As Matthew reporteth of Herode that he and all Ierusalem were troubled at the enquiry of the wise men concerning the king of the Iewes that was borne But this ioy and therefore the matter of it that is Christ with his whole humiliation and merite is theirs who properly be the people of God for all the Iewes are not the people of God much lesse all men but the faithful collected of all Iewes and Gentiles as Theophylact and Zachary Chrysopolit haue obserued in this place The 5. testimonie Let the fifth place be the prophesie of Simeon in the same chapter Mine eies haue seene the saluation which thou hast prepared in the eyes of all people A light for the reuelation of the Gentiles and for the glory of thy people Israel As Christ is an inlightner so also he is a Sauiour of all But it is false that all men without exception of any bee actually and in very deed inlightened by Christ Ioh. 11. hauing the eyes of their minde opened and receiuing the knowledge of the trueth Therefore in like maner it is false that all alike not one excepted be truely and in very deed saued by Christ But this is true that the witnesse of Iesu the onely Sauiour of all went out into all lands hath bin preached to all people vnto the ends of the world and as yet is preached for the gathering together and sauing of the dispersed sonnes of God To these things that also agreeth which further is spoken of that childe by Simeon Behold this child is set for the fall and rising againe of many in Israel Simeon had not spoken this if euery one should rise through his benefite from death to life from sinne to righteousnesse The 6. testimonie The sixte place is the terrible and plaine saying of Saint Iohn Baptist than whom there is none that is borne of a woman greater Ioh. 3. He that beleeueth in the sonne hath eternal life but he that beleeueth not in the sonne shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him There is an emphasis in the word abideth He saith not that all iudgement and wrath of God is in very deed taken away from all without exception beleeuers and vnbeleeuers and that the wrath of God returneth onely through vnbeliefe vpon them that beleeue not but the wrath of God abideth saith he vpon the vnbeleeuer Augustine vrgeth this emphasis tract 14. in Ioh. Hee saith not the wrath of God commeth vpon him but abideth vpon him And what is this wrath of God which all mortall men haue with them in their birth Ephes 2. which the first Adam had wherof the Apostle speaketh wee are all the sonnes of wrath by nature as well as other As the Authour also de vocat gentium lib. 1. ca. 5. alledgeth this saying whether he be Iewe saith he or Gentile before he be iustified by faith he is shut vp vnder sinne and if hee continue in vnbeliefe the wrath of God abideth on him euen that which was brought in by Adams sin whereof the Apostle speaketh wee were also the sonnes of wrath as well as other It is therefore false that the wrath of God is vniuersally taken away and that all whether they beleeue or not be receiued into the lap of grace but this grace is theirs who beleeue in Christ who hath brought the grace of God and taken away his wrath The seuenth place is the tenth of Iohn The 7. testimonie Ioh. 10. where that good shepheard saith I lay downe my life for my sheepe my sheepe heare my voice and I know them and they follow me and I giue vnto them eternall life neither shall they perish for euer neither shall any man take them out of mine hand Here it appeareth that howsoeuer Christ after a sort dyed for
men if redemption were common to beleeuers and vnbeleeuers to such as shall be saued and damned Hitherto also let the wordes be referred The 9. place which follow in the same place If the blood of Bulles and Goats and the ashes of a yong Heifer sprinckling the vncleane doe sanctifie and purge the flesh how much more shall the blood of Christ who by the eternal spirit offered himselfe without spot to God purge your consciences from dead workes to serue the liuing God Redemption is described by this Redemption described that it purgeth our consciences from dead workes to serue the liuing God But that purging of consciences and seruing of God is proper to the faithfull For by faith the hearts are purified Acts 15. Rom. 6. and being freed from sinne are made seruantes of righteousnesse through the same faith And a litle after The 10. place Therfore for that cause is he the Mediator of the new couenant that through death which came for the redemption of transgressions the Called might receiue the promise of the eternall inheritance Who are those Called The Called who they be Prosper li. cap. 3. to whoÌ„ belong the couenant redemption and inheritance He that wrote the booke of the calling of the Gentiles answereth for me Because saith hee some are iustified by faith others are hardened in their impiety the beleeuers are discerned from vnbeleeuers by the name of the Called and such as be voyd of faith they are shewed to bee without this calling albeit they heare the Gospell And he citeth the place 1. Cor. 1. we preach Christ crucified to the Iewes an offence and to the Gentiles foolishines but to the Called as well Iewes as Gentiles we preach him the power and wisedome of God Of these Called not onely of the Iewes but also of the Gentiles The 11. place see more Ro. 9.23 and cap. 8.28 and in the rest Neither must we here omit that which we read writteÌ„ about the end of the 9. chapter to the Hebrewes Christ was once offered to take away the sinnes of many Many Christo Theophy By these Many he now meaneth those Called whereof he spake before And so Chrysostome and Theophylact expound Why said he of Mary and not of All Sai valuit vt omnes seruaventur because all doe not beleeue The death of Christ was equiualent to the perdition of all that is was of sufficient fâ—râ—e and price to haue saued all and yet it doth not take away the sinnes of all because such as resist him make his death altogether vnprofitable vnto them selues Theophylact also maketh mention of Basil to be of the same mind some of whose sayings I haue before alledged vpon the place of Matth. 26. But Aquinas of al men most clearely vpon this place writeth Aquinas He saith to take away the sinnes of many and not of all because the death of Christ albeit it bee sufficient for all yet it is not effectuall but in the respect of such as shall bee saued For all are not subiect vnto him through faith and good workes Lastly what can be spoken more briefly and forceably for the deciding of this whole controuersie The 12. place Heb. 11. than that of the Apostle Hebrewes 11. Hub. Thes 6â— and 1001. without faith it is impossible to prayse God Either this is not true or els it is false that they say often that all alke beleeuers and vnbeleeuers are freed from all sinne and condemnation and receiued into the fauour and grace of our heauenly father which thing what is it els than that al please God without respect of faith and infidelitie CHAP. IIII. Testimonies out of other Scriptures of the New Testament The 1. place FOr the greater confirmation of this point we will adde also certaine other sayings of other bookes of the New Testament In the Actes chapter 5. Peter Acts 5. and the whole Colledge of the Apostles with one accord testifie these wordes The God of our fathers raysed vp Iesus and being exalted by his right hand made him a prince and sauiour to giue repentance to Israel and remission of sinnes Repentance and remission of sinnes be iust parables and therefore they that haue the one haue the other and they be Israel Repentance and remission of sinnes are ioyned together by an in separable knot Wherefore it is as foolish a thing to affirme that remission of sinnes is giuen by Christ to all men indifferently as if a man should auouch that he giueth repentance to all What meaneth that that the prerogatiue of both those benefites is bestowed vpon Israel Vpon what Israel They that bee called of the Iewes and Gentiles according to promise they bee the true Israel saith Augustime Aug. cap. 59. Gal. 6. whereof also the Apostle speaketh And vpon the Israel of God Secondly it is the voice of Peter The 2. place Acts 10. and the testimonie of all Prophets agreeing together that euery one that beleeueth in Iesu Christ receiueth remission of sinnes through his name Vnto this Propheticall and Apostolicall consent which conteineth the summe of the Gospel of Christ is the false vangelicall commentarie of the aduersaries cleane contrary that all simply without respect of faith or vnbeliefe receiue remission of sinnes through the name of Christ Further the same Apostle 1. Epistle 1. The 3. place 1. Pet. 1. when hee speaketh of redemption by the precious blood of Christ as of a Lambe vndefiled and without spot hee saith that hee was foreordained before the foundations of the world were laid Christ was foreordained and exhibited to the world for the beleeuers sake and was made manifest for the beleeuers sake Expressely he declareth that Christ was exhibited to the world a Sauiour for the beleeuers Therefore for the same persons in like maner he properly died and rose againe not because they beleeued already but that they might beleeue Iohn 20. and beleeuing might haue eternall life through his name Iohn also 1. Epistle 1. consenteth hereto The 4. place 1. Ioh. 1. Three things to be obserued in Saint Iohns words If wee walke in light as God is light we haue communion with him and the blood of Iesu Christ purgeth vs from all sinne If we say we haue no sinne we deceiue our selues and the trueth is not in vs. If we confesse our sinnes he is iust and faithfull to forgiue vs our sins and to purge vs from all iniquitie 1. Communion with God belongs not to all Therefore neither the grace of God for where the grace of God is there is also the communion of him 2. The clensing of sinnes by the blood of Christ is theirs who walke in light 3. Remission of sinnes which is propitiation it selfe as Iohn witnesseth presupposeth confession of sinnes which seeing it is not in al propitiation doth not belong to all The 5. place Apoc. 1. I come to the Reuelation of Iohn in whose
onely who should beleeue in him and repent For that cause he saith And he shall beare the sinnes of many Luther also vpon that saying Luther in Is 53. My righteous seruant by the knowledge of himselfe c. defineth Christian righteousnes to be nothing els than to know Christ and this onely to be the way of our deliuerance from death and sinnes and that this knowledge doth free vs and that there is no other comfort Therefore it is an error to claime for al men simply freedome from sinne and death The same thing plainly appeareth by the forme of the new couenant Ier. 31. and Heb. 8. Behold the daies shal come The 3. place Ierem. 31. saith the Lord when I will make a new couenaÌ„t with the house of Israel and with the house of Iuda not according to the couenant that I made with their fathers when I brought them out of the land of Aegypt but this is the couenant which I will strike with the house of Israel after those daies saith the Lord I will put my lawes in their minde and in their heart will I write them and I will bee their God and they shall be my people Neither shall euery one teach his neighbour saying know the Lord for al shal know me from the least to the greatest among them and I will be merciful to their iniquities and will remember their sinnes no more Hence wee see that remission of sinnes which is wrought by the death of the Mediatour is the benefit of the new couenant Whereupon it followeth The benefits of the couenant belong to the sonnes of the couenant that it appertaineth to the sonnes onely of the couenant But how that all are not the sonnes of the couenant first from hence it is plaine that these promises I will put my lawes in their mindes I will bee their God and they shall be my people they shall all know me agree not simply vnto all men Then because it is flatly sayd that this couenant is made with the house of Israel and with the house of Iuda which thing must be vnderstood of the Church of the Iewes and Gentiles that true Iuda and Israel whereof the Apostle also speaketh Gal. 3. Ye are all one in Christ Iesu and because ye are Christs ye are Abrahams seede and heires by promise Ier. 23. 33. The 4. place The like promise we haue Iere. 23. and 33. Behold the daies shall come saith the Lord that I will raise vp to Dauid a righteous branch and a king shall raigne in whose daies Israel shal be saued and Iuda shall dwell boldly We see here also the redemption of the Messiah peculiarly attributed to his people because Luk. 1. as the Angell Gabriel testifieth he raigneth ouer the house of Iacob that is the Church and of his raigne and his peace there shall be no end Euery where also in the Prophets when they foretell of the comming of the Redeemer and of saluation to be wrought by him the word of promise is peculiarly directed vnto the Church vnder the name of Sion Zach. 2. The 5. place as Zachar. 2. Reioyce and be glad O daughter Sion for I will come and dwell in the midst of thee saith the Lord and many nations shall be gathered together in that day and they shall be my people and I will dwell in the midst of thee and the Lord shall possesse Iuda his portion in the holy land and shall choose as yet Ierusalem That this must bee vnderstoode of the Church collected from euery place the things that we reade 2. Cor. 6. ver 16. and Apoc. 21. vers 2. will not suffer vs to doubt at all Zach. 6. The 6. place And in the 9. chapter of the same Prophet it is said Reioyce greatly O daughter Sion shout for ioy O daughter Ierusalem Behold thy king coÌ„meth vnto thee who is iust a Sauiour poore â—iding vpon an asse and he shall speake peace to the Gentiles and his dominion shall be from sea to sea and from the flood to the ends of the earth Ephes 2. For the Catholike Church of Christ is dispersed through the whole world which Christ as Paul witnesseth is our peace and hath made both Iewes and Gentiles one abolishing enmitie through his flesh that he might make one man of two in himselfe and hath reconciled both in one bodie vnto God by his crosse slaying enmitie by it and comming hath preached peace both to them that were farre off and to them that were neere Agreeable to this is the word of promise Esay 62. Esay 62. Behold the Lord proclaimeth vnto the vtmost parts of the earth Tell ye the daughter of Sion Behold thy saluation shall come behold his reward is with him and his worke is before him and they shall call them a holy people the redeemed of the Lord and thou shalt be called a citie sought for and not forsaken What was this citie but the high Ierusalem which is the mother of vs all for it is written Reioyce thou barren that bearest not Gal 4. breake forth and crie thou that trauellest not for the desolate woman hath more children than she that hath an husband After which sort also the citie of God the spirituall Sion and Ierusalem with her sonnes dispersed among all nations is gloriously described in the 87. Psalme And these bee they of whom speaketh this propheticall word here They shall call them a holy people the redeemed of the Lord. Wherefore seeing the prerogatiue of so great dignitie is proper to the sons of the Church and the household of God it is iniuriously extended to those that are without But that we may not go farre it is certaine Acts 10. as Peter sheweth that all the Prophets doe witnesse that whosoeuer beleeueth in him receiueth remission of sinnes through his name And as Paul affirmeth the righteousnesse of God is approued by the testimonie of the Law and the Prophets Rom. 3. the righteousnesse of God I say in all and vpon all that beleeue Col. 1. Now the righteousnesse of God and remission of sinnes is redemption it selfe Colos 1. Wherefore by the one consent of all the Prophets redemption is proper to the beleeuers and nothing at all belongeth to the vnbeleeuers CHAP. VI. The same thing is proued by some types of the old Testament I Will onely annexe certaine typicall or shadowed things of the old Testament wherein now long agoe the very same thing hath been declared The redemption of Israel out of Egypt and Babel And first it is manifest enough that the redemption of the people of Israel out of Egypt and after out of the captiuitie of Babel were as certaine shadowes and figures of this true redemption and grace gotten by Christ as here and there wee may see in the Prophets Tuitiens hath this similitude vpon Ioh. 17. Therefore looke how much difference there is betweene the Egyptians perishing with
discerneth from that hidden will whereat man must trembl whervpon alone he saith all things doe depend namely who shall receiue the word and who not who shall be deliuered from sinne and who shall be blinded who shall be damned and who shal be iustified Neither doeth Brentius teach otherwise of the vniuersality of Christian redemption Brentius exp Catech. Arâ—â— de rem pecc quaest quà m laté paceat namely that all sinnes are pardoned all men for Christes sake whosoeuer they be Iewes or Gentiles kings or priuate men free men or bond so that they come to the Church of Christ and beleeue in him For whosoeuer saith hee beleeueth in Christ and is baptized in his name receiueth remission of sinnes and the right into the heauenly inheritance And by name hee often saith that this benefite is not receiued but by faith c. Briefly by this mans iudgement forgiuenes of sinnes receiuing into fauour into the number of the saints adoption also the right of the heauenly inheritance in al which points we vnderstand that redemptioÌ„ consisteth are the proper gifts of the Church of the saints and of true beleeuers stretcheth far wide as the Church of Christ doth and they are neuertheles rightly said to belong to all as far forth as no man of what degree or condition soeuer is hindred froÌ„ them so that he doe beleeue Whereunto belongeth also that exposition whereof wee before made mention in Matth. 1. To whom is Iesus a Iesus that is a Sauiour from their sinnes the Euanglist saith he shall saue his people He doth not saue strangers but his owne people They be strangers as many as beleeue not in him and they are his owne as many as acknowledge and imbrace him by faith be they Iewes or Gentiles c. Let the disputers of Tubinge if they can make these things agree with the deuise of their braine that all wholly whether they come to Christ by faith or no are freed from all sinne and condemnation receiued into grace iustified quickened Huber thes 1059. and accounted in the number of Saints and that all no one excepted are that people of Christ whereof it is said he shall saue his people from their sinnes But let them heare another of their friendes also openly pronouncing that Christ died for all men Ilirie in Io. 12. ver 52. in ver 31. because by him not onely the Iewes but also the elect of God whersoeuer ought to be saued who from the East and West are gathered to Abraham their father Againe the merite of Christ saith he is found to surmount exceedingly in the iudgement of God the sinnes of the whole world and so Christ and all his members not the members and vessels of Satan are pronounced righteous And he addeth that therefore chiefly Christs victorie against Satan was referred to the time of his death because then by the merite of his death was that treasure of victories obtained which otherwise is distributed to the beleeuers in all times And by and by here is the difference betweene the power and the act or the purchase and the application or the right and the possession In the Merite and purchase of the right or in power Satan was at that time of his passion cast out of all men and so out of the whole world but in application or acte onely of the beleeuers is he cast out at all times Let that distinction of power and act or of sufficiency and efficiencie bee well obserued as this authour doeth fully explaine himselfe when vpon the wordes of Iohn 1. Epistle 2. hee writeth the chiefe point of the cause of the aduersaries in these wordes when hee saith for our sinnes hee meaneth the beleeuers whom the passion of Christ doth in very deed profite In that he addeth of the whole world he vnderstandeth it of the power because the benefites and merite of Christ lye open for all and all may be saued fully by his satisfaction so excellent sufficient and precious is his merite if they vouchsafe to lay hold vpon it by faith It would be very long to reckon vp euery thing yet it may not be let passe The Synode held at Argertine against 〈◊〉 Hofman an Anabaptist and Pelagian Heritike that I meane to say now concerning the Synode held at Argentine Anno D. 1533. There a disputation being appointed with one Melchior Hofman an Anabaptisticall and Palagian deceauer among other his errors this also was condemned that he maintained that all be elected and all redeemed by Christ altogether as Huber will haue not onely redemption and the merite of Christ but also election in him to bee indifferently common to all men after the fall But contrariwise that Synode out of the word of God pronounced that God after he had foreknowen from euerlasting that mankinde by the fall of our first parents would he subiect to eternall death of meere mercie before the world was made chose foreknew and predestinated vnto himselfe to eternall life some out of mankind letting passe the rest that the death of Christ was for the sins of these men a propitiation Therfore that neither election nor redemption of Christ is common to al men as Hofman dreamed to entangle wretched consciences and to corrupt sound doctrine But that therefore the merit of Christ is said and preached to be common to the whole world because after Christs glorification not onely the Iewes but all other nations must bee made partakers thereof to wit as many of them as be elected And in this sense the sayd Synod doth expound the testimonies of Scripture obiected by Hofman Gen. 12. 1. cor 15. Io. 12. 1. Tim. 2. 1. Io. 2. Io. 1. In thy seede all nations shall be blessed As in Adam all dye so in Christ all are quickened When I shall be lifted vp I will draw all vnto me God wil haue al men to be saued to come to the knowledge of the trueth Also Iesus Christ is the attonement for the sinnes of the whole world The Lambe taking away the sinnes of the world and such like For wee must not thinke that where these words be all men all the world the whole world that there straightwaies all men no one excepted must bee vnderstood for such phrases haue not euery where one and the same signification He that desireth to know these things more throughly let him reade Hieronymus Zanchius of godly memorie my reuerend teacher whom for honour and reuerence sake which I owe him I name lib. 3. miscell pag 79. and specially the Acts of the disputation of Hofman by Martin Bucer which hee published in his owne and his associates name printed at Argentine by Matthias Appiarius Anno 1533. And this whole doctrine which M. Bucer defendeth in disputation against Hofman the whole Senate of Argentine approued as sound and would haue it faithfully taught and preached in that citie suffering no man to speake any thing against that
him CHAP. XIII A wicked eye without cause suspecteth God of vniustice Obiection THat obiection now followeth which arising from the rashnes that I may not say the impietie of humaine reason greatly troubleth the mindes of the simple And that is that the wicked eye of mans wit suspecteth God of iniquitie if without any merites of good or euill men he chuse one The reasons of the obiection and refuse another of his meere will for it seemeth vniust in distributions if wee distribute vnequally to them that be equall But men if we set aside the difference of merits are equall Therefore if without difference of merites God doth vnequally distribute chusing one and refusing another it seemeth that there is vnrighteousnes with him Further how shall we defende the righteousnes of God if of his meere will he hath predestinated so many thousands of men not moued with any merite or worke of theirs vnto eternall torments This seemeth vniust cruell and intollerable to iudge of God and herewith so many and great men in so many ages haue been offended and who would not be offended saith Luther De ser arbit Answere to the first reason of the obiection when he had largely answered this very obiection Concerning inequalitie already before I haue answered that it appertaineth to iustice in those things that be distributed of duty that vnequall things be not distributed to them that be equall but not in those things which a man of his owne accord and of fauour distributeth without any iniurie of another As that householder reproued them that murmured Friend I doe thee no wrong take that thine is and goe thy way I will giue to this last as vnto thee May I not doe what I will with mine owne Is thine eye euill because I am good Let them therefore learne to restraine that wicked eye who murmur against God as vniust and an acceptor of persons Obiection But say they it is an vniust thing that in one and the same euill cause one man is deliuered and another punished because it is a iust thing that both be punished Answere Yea both are iust whether the creditor require his debte or forgiue his debter so it be without defrauding any man but it is vniust onely to require that which is not due August epist. 105. Therefore Let vs as Augustine godly aduiseth vs giue thankes to our Sauiour seeing that we see not that rendred vnto vs that we knowe in the damnation of thē that are like vs to haue bin also due vnto vs. Neither let vs be vnthankefull De bono perseuer cap. 8. that our mercifull God according to his good pleasure to the praise of his glorious grace hath freed so many from so deserued destruction that if hee should deliuer none from thence yet he should not be vniust Answer to the second reason Further as for the multitude of such as perish I answere that neither in respect of them is there any vnrighteousnes in God For on whom there is no mercie shewed Enchirid. ad Laur. cap. 99. them God iudgeth he dealeth not vniustly with them And as vndeserued grace is giuen to such as are freed so no other but due punishment is rendred to them that are damned that neither they can boast themselues to bee worthie nor these complaine that they are vnworthie Epist 105. For because the whole lumpe is worthily condemned iustice rendereth due dishonour and grace bestoweth due honour not through the prerogatiue of desert nor by necessitie of destinie nor by rash fortune but through the depth of the riches of the wisedome and knowledge of God De bono perseu cap. 8. epist 106. If therefore Gods goodnes bee vnderstood in forgiuing debt and his equitie in requiring it there is no way iniquitie found in God He commendeth mercie that is set free and he that is punished blameth not iudgement Do praedest grat cap. vlt. I will say somewhat more with Augustine If mankinde that at the first was created of nothing should be borne without the due originall of death and sinne yet the omnipotent creator would for euer condemne some of them to destruction who could say to the Almightie Creator why hast thou done thus For he that freely gaue them their being when they were not had power to appoint to what end they should be Neither could the rest say why should Gods will vary all mens merits being alike because the potter hath power of the clay But now seeing iust punishment is rendered to such as shall be damned and vndeserued grace is bestowed vpon such as bee saued what man forgetting mans condition may discusse the secrets of Gods minde Obiection But some man will say Why will he in the same matter punish me rather then him or free him rather than me Answere I answere that it is in Gods will and not in ours as it is not in their will that bee debters but in his to whom a debt is due that he either requireth Ad Simpl. lib. 1. q. 2. or forgiueth the debt Hereupon Augustine In Adam we all die and we are one lumpe of sin owing punishment to the diuine and high iustice which whether it bee exacted or pardoned there is no vnrighteousnesse And it is an arrogant part in debters to iudge of whom it is to be required and to whom it is to bee remitted It belongeth to God to require it of whom it pleaseth him and to forgiue it to whom it pleaseth him who doth not require that which is not due neither forgiueth that which is none of his The same writer elsewhere Epist 105. Why God doth thus to one man and otherwise to another his waies are vnsearchable and his iudgements past finding out the great depth whereof we ought rather to reuerence than curiously to search out that wee may escape a dangerous downfall Therefore repressing the impudencie of this question let vs say with the Apostle Rom. 11. O the depth of the wisedome and knowledge of God how vnsearchable are his iudgements How the mouthes of wicked men must be stopped about this doctrine and his waies past finding out Also O man who art thou that reasonest with God Doth the pot say to the potter why hast thou made me thus Hath not the potter power ouer the clay Neither let it grieue vs thus to stop the mouthes of exclaimers For if they be not ashamed to gainsay not vs but Paul why should it irke vs to tell them this againe and againe that the Apostle hath said De verbis Apost serm 20. Augustine notably following the Apostle saith Thou man expectest from me an answere and I am a man Therefore let vs both heare him that saith O man who art thou Better is faithfull ignorance than vndiscreet knowledge Seeke for deserts thou shalt finde nothing but punishment O height Peter denieth the theefe beleeueth Marke this notable saying O the depth Seekest
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
and shall haue God gratious vnto him to eternall life This God hath promised saith Augustine Aug. Psalm 88. this God hath said and if that bee but little God hath sworne it Therefore because the promise is sure not according to our merits but according to his mercies no man ought to publish that with feare wherof he cannot doubt And that is wel to be marked against the Papists who because they wil haue iustificatioÌ„ to depend vpon their workes if not wholly yet at least in part as it hath been sayd before Alsons de Castro in voce gratia Bern. serm 68. sup Cant. Serm. 3. de 7. fragm and they themselues doe not dissemble it they can neuer iudge of this certaintie of grace But as Bernard said excellently well Why is the Church carefull for merits seeing there is surer and safer matter of reioycing in the purpose and mercie of God And elsewhere I consider three things wherein resteth my whole hope the loue of adoption the trueth of promise and the power of rendring Now let my foolish thought murmure as much as it will saying who art thouâ— or how great is that glorie An excellent saâ—ing and worthy rememberance or by what merits thinkest thou to obtaine it I confidently answere I know whom I haue beleeued and I am certaine because in great loue he hath adopted me because he is true in his promise because he is able to performe it This is a threefold corde that is hardly broken sent vs from our heauenly countrey into this prison let vs firmely keepe and hold it Ambrose also agreeth hereto in Luk. 1. Not euery one that is iust before men is iust before God He is surely blessed that is iust in Gods sight He is blessed of whoÌ„ the Lord vouchsafeth to say Behold a true Israelite A true Israelite seeth God and knowes himselfe to bee seene of God and giueth to him the secrets of his heart Places obiected by the Papâ—sts for doubting Against these things the aduersaries who bid our consciences stand in doubt whether we receiue remission of sinnes obiect some places of Scripture concerning the imperfectioÌ„ of good works in this world yea in the most holy men whose confession is this Psalm 19. 1. Cor. 4. Who vnderstandeth his faults Clense me Lord from my secret sinnes Also I know nothing by my selfe yet therein am not iustified But these places are wrongfully alleadged against vs who make account that wee are iustified before God not for our owne worthines and workes but through the death and satisfaction of Christ alone For to him giue all the Prophets and Apostles witnesse Acts 10. that whosoeuer beleeueth in him receiueth remission of sinnes through his name Eccles 9. But nothing is more common for the opinion of the Papists than that of Salomon in Ecclesiastes A man knoweth not whether he bee worthie of loue or hatred but all things to come are vncertaine as the old translation hath which according to the Hebrew veritie is euen loue and hatred a man knoweth not all things alike befall to all men there is one and the same euent to the iust and vniust person c. But this fortresse is made of figge leaues For what is it obscure in the doctrine of the Church whether they that are in Christ and liue according to the spirit do please God and contrariwise whether theeues fornicators adulterers drunkards Idolaters and such like doe displease him 1 Cor 6. Gal. 5. of whom the Apostle so euidently pronounceth that such shal not possesse the kingdome of God But as for the saying of Salomon Aben-Ezra one of the Hebrew writers referreth actiuely loue and hatred vnto men that there is no man that knoweth the things that men loue or hate that is the prosperitie or aduersitie that shall come vnto them Yet the sense is more plaine that Olympiodorus also vpon Ecclesiastes giueth The true sense of Salomons works that by the outward euents of this life it cannot be knowne whether a man bee in loue or hatred with God Which meaning that which followeth in stead of a reason plainly confirmeth that all things happen alike to all righteous and vngodly to him that serueth God and to him that despiseth him This Alphonsus considering freely confesseth that this testimonie Contra Haeresâ—â— vt suprà that had seemed before most manifest to him as to many other in Poperie doth little or nothing proue this point It is obiected also out of Ioel. 2. that the Prophet exhorting the people of God to turne with all their heart to the Lord Ioel 2. saith who knowes if the Lord will turne and forgiue Ion. 3. and leaue behinde him a blessing As also the king of Niniuie perswading the people to repentance said Amos 5. who knowes if he will turne and repent him that we perish not And in Amos wee reade Hate euill loue good peraduenture the Lord of hosts will be mercifull to the remnant of Ioseph Such also is that that Peter said to Simon Magus Repent and pray to God Acts 8. if peraduenture the thought of thy heart may be forgiuen thee All these things seeme to be against the certaintie of grace But the Papists deale very vnaduisedly alleadging such places vnles they would denie that God doth forgiue them their sinnes that with all their hearts repent which thing is easily proued by sixe hundred places of Scripture yea the very sayings from whence that shew of doubting ariseth manifestly proue the same thing when the Lord saith in Amos seeke me and ye shall liue and the Lord your God shall be with you As Ioel also testifieth if they repent it shall come to passe that the Lord in great zeale will spare his people for he is louing gratious and of much mercie Obiection To what purpose then doth the spirit of God speake doubtfully sometimes by the Prophets and Apostles touching the hope of pardon Answere 1 First albeit God forgiueth their faults that truly repent yet he doth not alwaies put away corporall calamitie as it appeareth by Dauids example 2. Sam. 12 but that the punishment to such as repent is turned into a fatherly chastisement Secondly learned interpreters do admonish vs that doubting which the Scripture after the maner of men speaking of God sometime vseth is not in respect of God but in respect of men because it is vncertaine of them whether they will repent Thirdly in grieuous sinnes it is in stead of holesome medicine to propound the hardnes of pardon that they that haue sinned may haue in the beginning some taste of the grace of God and by little and little may gather courage and in the meane while not straightwaies rise vp to securitie but carefully come to God with a great confession and crauing of pardon for their faults A fine similie So the Phisition wil not straightwaies asswage the griefe but wil see what may be more expedient
not receiued it as yet But if ye be elected albeit not yet called ye shall receiue the same grace What neede is there of this speech Some of you For if wee speake to the Church of God if wee speake to the beleeuers why say wee that some of them haue receiued grace and so are supposed to doe wrong to the rest It may thus more fitly bee saide thus the predestination of Gods will standeth that ye receiuing grace are come from vnbeliefe to faith and that not of your selues it is the gift of God least any man should boast But if any of you walke as yet in your sinnes repent yee awake and rise vp from the dead Also if any as yet bee not called let vs pray for them that they may be called for peraduenture they be so elected that they shall be graunted to our requests and receiue with vs the same grace Is not thus the same thing both more truely and more fitly spoken Of this matter our Augustine whom I haue often cited without controuersie a great diuine learned De bono perseuerant cap. 14. sincere and sound and a notable patron of the Catholike faith as Hilarie praiseth him hath written more at large To him therefore let them resorte that desire to know these things more exactly And these things thus farre of the eternall predestination of God who onely is wise mercifull and iust To him be honor and blessing for euer and euer Amen FINIS A TABLE OF THE PRINCIPAL MATTERS MENTIONED IN THESE BOOKES A. ABrahams bosome 21 Absurdities of our doctrine as the aduersarie thinketh 130 Acception of persons what 266 Adam fell through his owne fault 316 Adams fall why permitted 316 Adoption what it is 106 Adoption and inheritance follow redemption 211 Ambrose his sayings 193. 215. 224 Anabaptists dotage of the saluation of Infants 219 Angels elect and reprobate 2â—6 Aduersaries opinion of Christs death for all 36 His threefold rank of reasons 47 Aduersaries contrary to themselues 216 Their opinion Anabaptisticall 219 All things for all men by the aduersarie 67 Augustine recanteth an error 216 Augustine his excellent sayings 227 Augustine his phrase of the onely cause of all men pa 225. is expounded 230 All men for al that be Christs 39 For the elect only 40. 187. 231 For all sorts of men 45 For the wicked only 41 For the multitude of both sides 64 208 Cannot be takeÌ„ for euery one 46. 2â—9 All be not Christs people 180 All and euery one had neuer the Gospell 97 All nations for the faithfull 105. 206 Not for euery one in all nations 95. 106 B. Baptisme the principall vse 161 Bap. of some without regeneration 164 by Baptisme wee are not first taken into Gods protection 163 Baptisme of Infants 165. 166 Baptisme a seale of grace to the faithfull 164 Baptizing of Simon Magus 164 Backesliders 333 Beginning of the error of the redemption of euery one 221 Begin in the spirit how many doe 123 Beleeuer knoweth himselfe to beleeue 148. 169 Benefits of two sorts 317 Benefits of the Gospel how they belong to reprobates 129 to Beleeue what 323 Blinding 335 Blotting out what 168 Booke of life what 368 Brasen serpent 206 Breaking of the serpents head for whom 100 to Beleeue to doubt are contrary 374 C. Calling threefold 320. 98 Caluerie Adams Sepulcher 136 Called who they be 197 Catholike Church what 209 Catholike Church meant by the 24. Elders 2â—0 Catholike faith of Redemption 1. 136 Certaintie of grace and election 384 Causes of redemption 23. 216 Of predestinati 269 Of Christs comming 319. 23. Christ their sacrifice whose aduocate he is 211. 188 Foreordained for the beleeuers 199 He mâ—cked not God nor men by redeâ—â—ing the elect 172 He iustifieth all how 43 He is the life of the world 78. 79 Aâ— an inlightener so a Sauiour 184 Died for all how 56. 125 Not effectually for all 179 The onely Redeemer 4. 13 Came for all in what sense by the old writers 233 Christians in name onely 112 Christians must not vse the word destinie 355 Christian kinde 227 Christian libertie many fall from 124 Church onely redeemed 201 Church iudgeth them faithfull c. that professe saith 108. 120 to be Chosen in Christ what 308 Conference and not contention becomes Gods seruants 31 Commandement of faith and repentance hindeth all 153 Contempt of the Gospell not the onely cause of damnation 175 Cornelius his saith 325 Church must take heede of falling and why 332 D. the Damned created for the good of nature 268 Damned some by Gods will 134 the Damneds destruction profiteth the elect 268 Death threefold 334 Decree of God vnchangeable 347 Deliuerance from Egypt typicall 206 Deuill ouercome for the faithfull 10â— Difference betweene power and act 238 Differences among men by God 310 a Dilemma 134 to Diuide the word aright what 152 Degrees of loue 251 Diuine his dutie 31 to be Drawne of God what it is 321 Diuerse opinions of the causes of election and reprobation 272 the Deuill hath power against vs how 339 Doubting of Gods grace 373 E. Election what 317 Election taken diuersly 249. 331 It is of some onely 256. c. How we must iudge of it â—47 It is free 297. 278 The effects of it 318 The cause of it 283 Election of Israel double 295 Elect and reprobates seuered by Gods pleasure 98 Elect called effectually 315. 351 The number certaine 349 Their fall and perseuerance neuer cut off finally 109. 329 Election and loue in God 306 Error of Marcion 17 Error of Papists 324 Euery one is to bee taken for a brother for his profession sake 115 F. Faith and repentance of God 322 Faith how necessary to saluation 217 Faith foreseene no cause of election 373. 2â—8 Historicall and infusing 110 For the doctrine of faith 109 It cureth the soule 175 a Fall grieuous proues not a man to be a reprobate 113 Fate taken diuersly 354 Faithfull their perseuerance and falles 109. 332 Fathers of the olde Testament redeemed 18 Foure thinges proper to the faithfull 195 Foreknowne with the Schoolemen 252 Future things foreknowne 355 Freewill 277. 356 Freedome of seruants 207 G. Gifts common to good and bad 114 Glorification the effect of election 328 Good workes effects of grace 273 Gods permission 316 How he loueth and hateth vs. 25 Hee must teach vs els wee cannot learne 98 He inwardly worketh what he outwardly commaundeth and that without sinne 172. 338 Gospell is properly theirs that obey it 95 God punisheth sinne with sinne 339 God is the reuenger of sinne 340 Grace and predestination agree and differ 248 Grace neuer bestowed vpon all 99 It aboundeth aboue sinne 65 Vniuersall how 201. 150. 154 It is promised to an vnbeleeuer but conditionally 151. 154 God decreed to condemne none but for sinne 304 H. Hardening 340. 335. 337 Hardnes of heart taken three waies 341 Hels foure 21 Heresie of predestination 353 Heresies denying Christs manhood 11 Hypocrites at length
are cut off 125 They receiue the signe but not the thing in the Sacrament 292 Holines generall and speciall 112 How we may resist Satan telling vs that we haue no faith 149 How a receiuer of the Sacrament must proue himselfe 169 How we may be certaine of election 372 How God willeth the death of a sinner and not 170 How Christs death is effectuall to vs. 79 How mens mouthes must be stopped 313 How Christ washeth away a mans sinnes not yet borne 200. 220 How the Lord knoweth not the wicked 210 How God would haue all to bee saued 260 Hofmans dotages 238 Hubers reproches 31 His maner of disputing 178 His blasphemies 170 His false doctrine of election 255 I. Iacob and Esau 286. 293 Indulgences 12 Infants beleeue not 165 How saued 167 Infants of the faithfull part of Gods people 219 Dying before Baptisme 168 Of Heathens why we baptise not 167 Iustification and faith effects of election not the cause 327 Wherein it consisteth 327 It is proper to the elect 328 It is diuersly taken 327 to be Iustified what it is 327 the Iustice of Gods predestination 311 Iustice of God vnlike to mans 171. 314 Iudas giuen to Christ how 257 Iudge soberly of Gods workes 314 Iudgement of the flesh and spirit 315 K. Kingdome of God threefold 103 L. Life eternall they haue that be effectually redeemed 214. 215 Libertie threefold 356 Christian 124 Limbus Patrum 19. 20 Pucrorum 21 to Loue what it is 306 Luthers doctrine of predestination 303 Luther of the cause of reprobation 303 M. Many distinguisheth beleeuers from vnbeleeuers 182. 198. 229 Mahomets doctrine 132 Man makes God a lyar how 128 Masse of Perdition 253 Meanes of the certainty of election 380 the Ministerie of the Gospell hath his effect from God not hurt by predestination 359 Maner of right preaching 152 Merits of Papists against Christ 12 Members of Christ cannot finally fall 116 what Members may fall away 116 N. Necessitie twofold 357 New creâ—tâ—â—e 57 New writers of the vniuersalitie of grace 142. 236 They allow the distinction of sufficiencie and efficiencie 35. 236 Nothing done against Gods will 317 O. Our opinion of Christs death for all 38. 177 Our opinion hindereth not preaching aright 153 Origene his fable 154. 271 Opinion of the Schoolemen of the redemption of all 219 P. Pelagianisme 272. 397 Pelagian error of redemption 321 And of the cause of election 273 People of God who be 180 People foreknowne 297 Perseuerance of the Saints what 329 It is Gods gift 330 Preachers must inuite all and all must obey 155 Preaching aright 153 Predestination a hard doctrine 243 The chiefe questions of it 243 The diuerse significations 245 Vpon it all things depend 129. 134. 136 It differs from election 236 Predestination put for election 248 Predestination and foreknowledge differ 342 Predestination of Saints what 248 Predestination of grace shewed in Christ 281 How farre absolute 308 Vnchangeable 345. 147 No cause of desperation 364 Prescience of God eternall put for predestination 251 Price of Christs death how great 139. 125. 232 Prophesie of Iacob and Esau 293 Propitiation and intercession inseparable 211 Promise of grace vniuersall 263. 147 It belongs to the faithfull 154. 264 It requireth faith 148 It must be preached to all 153. 155 How a man may apply it to himselfe 148 Prouidence and fate differ 355 Prayer not vaine though Gods purpose be vnchangeable 360 R. Reasons of the aduersarie that reprobates are deliuered from the deuill 101 And redeemed 114 Reason must bee subiect to Gods word 394 Reasons why the word must be preached to all 156 Reconciliation what 57 Redemption described 114. 197. 208 When it bringeth in a man 219 It is a freedome 228 It is spirituall 3 Eternall 197 The dignitie of it 3 The maner of it 5 The time of it 14 The ends of it 27 It is double 6 Thereto Christs death and our faith are necessary 179. 180 How it belongs to all 273 It is diuersly considered 220 It is vniuersal why 43. 180. 145 Redemption of euery one is not of the holy Ghost 131 It is proper to the beleeuers 180 Redemption of euery one bringeth weak comfort 149 the Redeemed are kings and priests 200 They perish not 214 Redeemed and elect some are to vs and not to God 111. 116. 141 Remission of sinnes presupposeth confession 200 Repentance and remission inseparable 199 Reprobation what 252 The effects of it 309. 333 The cause 300 Reprobation created for the good of nature 268 Reprobates excluded from the promise 101 For a time in the Church 111 How falling away they be said to be redeemed 117 How they deny the Lord that bought them 117 a Rule of charitie and faith 112 a Rule in Logike 41 S. Sacr. seale nothing to the vnbeleeuers 218 Saints not to be worshipped 222 Sanctification visible and inuisible 128 Sanctification and redemption inseparable 212 Saints sufferings not meritorious 12. 13 Sanctification belongs not to all 213 Satan destroyed for the faithfull 101 Scape goate 107. 207 the Schoolemens of the soules of the old fathers 21 Scripture abused for Popish pardons 12 Satan raignes ouer the reprobates yet they be subiect to Christ 102 Seede of Abraham 201 Semipelagianisme 273. 274. 397. 322 Semipelagians their shift 282 Sheepe of Christ considered two waies 185 Sinnes are foreknowne only 342 Sins once forgiueÌ„ are euer forgiuen 127 a Similitude of the light 225. 236 Of a cup. 226 Of the debter 265 Of fire and a wheele 279 Of the potter 289. 303 Of the Phisition 378 a Similitude faileth 126 Stapulensis 235 State of the controuersie 32. 179 And of the question of predestination 303 Sufficiencie and efficiencie 33. 235 the Summe of our confession of redemption 207 Synecdoâ—he common in scripture 46 Synode of Argentine 238 T. Testimonies of the old Fathers on our side 222 Three generall obseruations 108 Things necessary and contingent 357 Turkes and heathens hold many things agreeable to Christian religion 133 a Turkish proposition true 133 Trueth must be preached 155 Tale of Traiane 361 V Vessels of wrath 290. 334 Vnbeliefe is blotted out if other sinnes be forgiuen 226 Vnbeliefe doth not condemne such as neuer heard of Christ. 176 Vnbeliefe only damneth some that were once saued saith Huber 173 Vnbeleeuers baptised haue not the grace of Baptisme 162 Vncleane spirit cast out how he is said to returne 103 Vniuersall conclusion doth not follow of particulars 108 Vniuersalitie threefold 40 Vniuersalitie speciall 231 Vocation what it is 320 Vs all signifieth the faithfull only 104 And the Church 192. 202 Vse of Christs death 11 Of predestination 394 Of Gods loue 24 Of the ends of redemption 29 W. Weake brother may perish how 117 Weakenes of faith ought not to cast a man downe 149 Whether reprobates contemning the word bee in worse case then the deuils 158 Whether it be better neuer to heare it if it turne to their greater iudgement 159 What to whom and how a man must preach 152 Why Christ must redeeme vs with a price and not by force 7 Why his death is a sufficient price 7. 8 Why God chose this man before that 270. 299 Why he must die to redeeme 9. 10 Why hee elected some and reiected others 270 Why hee came in the olde age of the world 15. 16 Why God punisheth me and not him 3â—2 What wee like or mislike in the aduersaries doctrine 174 Whole set downe for a part in these phrases All men All nations c. 137. 138 Whole world for the good only 228 And for the wicked only 93 It cannot be taken for euery one good and bad 93 Whole world christian and the whole world wicked 93 Whole world of the saued 222 VVorkes foreseene no cause of election 279 VVorld in three senses onely by the aduersarie 72 VVorld for the elect onely and for the reprobates onely 73. 188. 232 World of beleeuers is the Church 91 World of perdition and redemption of the damned and saued 92. 188 VVord of God preached alike to all but some only profit 97 the Word of God inuiteth all 153 VVe must be guided by it 387 VVill of God double 170. 262 It ruleth all things euen the wils of men 134 Hardeneth men 135 The cause therof we must not search 135 the Will of man is redeemed in all that be redeemed 214 VVill and permission 315 VVill of man cannot resist Gods 325. 326 Y Yeare of freedome 207 FINIS Faults escaped in the print are thus to be corrected Pag. 34. lin 30. for distiction reade distinction p 40. l. 17. for doubt reade double p. 63. l. 31. for Colledge reade College p 67. l 4. blot out he p. 131. l. 1. reade deluder p. 136 l. last saue one for misteries reade masters p. 147. l. 26. reade posteriore p. 163. l. 30. reade receiued p. 159. l. 30. r. vnworthy p. 174. l. 5. r. shaking it p. 176. l. 17. for would r. could p. 182 l. 16. for here r. there p 187 l. 23. r. by this p. 196. l. 11. for is twise r. are p. 198 l. 24 r. please p. 199 l. 7. in the margent r. inseparable p. 211. l. 22 r. seeing he p. 218. l 22. r. the p. 285. in the margent r. looke p. 229. l. 16. r. man l. 24. r. abridger p. 230. l. 11. reade necessarily p. 231. l. 26. r. surely p. 258. l. 1. r. Esau after l. 6. p. 273. l. 20. reade belongeth p. 290. l. 32. r. good 291. r. serue p. 294. l. 20 r. he and l. â—8 r. by the free p 304. l. 11. r. he also p. 310. l. 11. blot out the parenthesis p. 313. l. 19. r. vniust p. 338. l. 8. r. vnwilling p. 391. l. 26. r. deluded p. 401. l 6. r. our In the table letter F. r. iustifying in letter H. r predestinati