Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A68592
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A briefe declaration of the chiefe points of Christian religion set forth in a table. Made by Theodore Beze.; Summa totius Christianismi. English
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Bèze, Théodore de, 1519-1605.; Whittingham, William, d. 1579.
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1613
(1613)
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STC 2002; ESTC S115308
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23,499
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92
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of executing Gods iudgements aswel in these as in the other which are elected are in three sorts whereof we haue already declared the first For the elect in that same moment that they haue receiued the gift of faith haue after a certain sort passed froÌ„ death to life 8 whereof they haue a sure pledge 9. But this their life is hid in Christ till this corporall death make them to step a degree further and that the soule being loosed out of the bands of the bodie enter into the ioy of the Lord. Finally in the day appointed to iudge the quicke and the dead 11 when that which is corruptible and mortall shal be clad with incorruptiblenesse and immortalitie and GOD shall bee all in all things then they shall see his maiestie face to face and shall surely enioy that vnspeakeable comfort and ioy which before all beginning was prepared for theÌ„ which is also the reward that is due to the righteousnesse and holinesse of Christ who was giuen for their sinnes raysed againe from death for their iustification by whose vertue and spirit they haue proceeded and gone forward from faith to faith as shall manifestly appeare by the whole course of their life good works 12. Whereas altogether contrary the reprobate conceiued borne and brought vp in sin death and wrath of God 13 when they depart out of this world they fall into another gulfe of destruction their soules are pluÌ„ged in that endless paâ—tie 14 vntill the day come that their bodies and soules being ioyned againe they shall enter into euerlasting fire which is prepared for the diuel his Angels 15. Then by these two wayes which are cleane contrarie one to another the last issue and end of Gods iudgements shall set forth manifestlie his glory to all men forasmuch as in his elect he shall declare him selfe most iust and most mercifull Most iust I say for that he hath punished vvith extreame rigor and seueritie the sinnes of his elect in the person of his Sonne neither did receiue them into the felowship of his glory before he had fully perfectly iustified and sanctified them in his sonne And most mercifull forasmuch as hee freely appointed with himselfe to elect them and according as he had purposed chose them freely in his Son by calling iustifying and glorifying them by meanes of that same faith which he had giuen them through the same grace and mercie On the other side touching the reprobate their corruption and infidelitie with such fruites as come thereof and testimony of their owne conscience shall so reproue and accuse theÌ„ that although they resist kick against the prick yet the most perfit iustice of God shal be manifest and shine by all mens confession in their iust condemnation CHAP. VII After what sort this doctrine may bee preached vvith most profit SIth wee haue now declared the effect of this doctrine it remaineth also that we shew what order we think best to be obserued in preaching and applying the same to euery particular man Whereas many finde this matter so sharpe and strange that they flie from it as from a dangerous rock it is partly to be attributed to the malice and arrogancie of men and partly to the rashnes lack of discretion of them that teach it and thirdly it is to bee imputed to their ignorance which cannot orderly apply the same to theÌ„selues which faithfully and truly hath been taught of others Concerning them which sin of malice it onely appertaineth to God to amend them which surely hee hath done alwaies in his season and like wise will doe from time to time to whom hee hath appointed to shew mercy But for others which remain obstinate in their sinne and wickednes there is no cause why we should be mooued either for their number or authority to dissemble Gods truth And as touching the second sort I haue thought these things principally to be obserued in preaching this mysterie First as in al other things 1 so chiefly in this matter of predestination they ought to take diligent heed that in stead of Gods pure and simple truth they bring not forth vaine and curious speculations or dreams 2. which thing they cannot chuse but do which goe about to compasse and accord these secret iudgements of GOD vvith mans wisedome and so doe not onely put difference betwixt predestination and the purpose of God which thing they must needs do but separate the one from the other for they either imagine a certaine naked and idle permission or else make a double purpose counsell in God From the which errors they must needs fall into many great absurdities For sometimes they are constrained to diuide those things which of themselues are ioyned most straightly and sometimes they are compelled to inuent a great sort of foolish darke distinctions wherein the far her they occupy theÌ„selues and search the vvider they stray from the purposeâ— and so intangle their miserable braines that they can find no way out This then ought to be auoided vvith all carefull diligence chiefly in this matter which aboue all other ought purely and sincerely to be taught in the Church of God Moreouer as much as is possible let them take heed though some-times for a more cleere vnderstanding of thinges a man may bee bold godlie and reuerently to do that no strange maner of speech or not approoueable by Gods word be vsed and also that such phrases words which the Scriptures approue be expounded fitly lest otherwise any man should take occasion of offence which as yet is rude ignorant Furthermore wee must haue good respect vnto the hearers 3 wherein also wee must make distinction betwixt the malicious and the rude and againe betwixt theÌ„ which are wilfull ignorant those which are not capable through a simple and common ignorance For to that further sort our Lord is accustomed to set forth plainly the iudgement of God 4 but the other must be led by litle and litle to the knowledge of the truth 5. Likewise we must take heed that wee haue not so much respect to the weak that they in the mean season which are apt to vnderstand be neglected not sufficiently taught wherof we haue notable examples in S. Paul which declare to vs the wisedome and circumspection which hee obserued in this matter chiefly in the 9. 10. 11. 14. and 15. chapter of the Epistle to the Romans Also except some great cause let that they beginne at the lowest and most manifest causes so ascend vp to the highest as Paule in his epistle to the Romans which is the right order and way to proceed in matters of diuinitie from the lawe goeth to remission of sinnes and thence by steppes he mounteth til he come to the highest degree or else let them insist in that point which is most agreeable to the text or matter which they haue in hand rather
themselues yet notwithstanding somtimes when need requireth the scripture to make more manifest by this comparison the great power of God his patience and the riches of his glory towards the vessels of mercy 13 leadeth vs vnto this high secret which by order is the first cause of their damnation of the which secret no other cause is known to meÌ„ but onely his iust will which wee must with all reuerence obey as coÌ„ming from him who is onely iust and cannot by any meanes nor of any man in any sort be comprehended 14. For we must put difference betwixt the purpose or ordinance of reprobation and reprobation it selfe Because God vvould that the secret of this his purpose should be kept close froÌ„ vs again we haue the causes of reprobation damnation which depeÌ„deth therof expressed in Gods word that is to say corruption lack of faith and iniquitie which as they be necessarie so are they also voluntary in the vessels made to dishonour 15 like as on the other part when wee describe orderly the causes of the saluation of the elect wee put difference betwixt the purpose of electing which God hath determined in himselfe and the election which is appointed in Christ in such sort that this his purpose or ordinaÌ„ce doth not onely goe before election in the degree of causes but also before all other things that follow the same 16. CHAP. III. How God putteth in execution his eternall counsell aswell towards the elect as the reprobate THe Lord God that hee might put in execution this eternall counsell to his glory prepared away according to his infinite wisedom indiffereÌ„t both to those that hee would chuse and those also which hee would refuse For when he determined to shevv his infinite mercie in the saluation of the elect and also his iust iudgement in the condemnation of the reprobate it was necessary that hee should shut vp both vnder disobedience sinne to shew his mercy to all 1 those that belieue 2. that is to say to the elect because faith is a gift of god which properly belongeth vnto theÌ„ 3 and coÌ„trariwise to haue iust cause to condemne them to whom it is not giueÌ„ to belieue 4. nor to know Gods mysteries 5. Therefore GOD did this in such sort and with such wisdome that the whole fault of the reprobates damnation lyeth in themselues and on the other side all the glory and praise of the elects saluation belongeth wholly to his onely mercy For he did not create man a sinner for then he should haue beene with reuerent feare bee it spoken the author of sinne which afterwards hee could not iustlie haue punished but rather he made him after his owne image 6 to wit in innoceÌ„cie purity holiness who notwithstanding without constraint of any neither yet forced by any necessitie of concupiscence as touching his will which as yet was not made seruaunt vnto sinne 8 willinglie and of his owne accord rebelled against God binding by this meanes the vvhole nature of man to sin and so consequently to the death of bodie soule 9. Yet we must confesse that this fall came not by chance or fortune seeing his prouidence doth stretch forth it selfe euen to the smallest things 10 neither can we say that any thing doth happen that God knoweth not or careth not for except wee would fall into the opinion of the Epicures from the which God preserue vs neither yet by any bare or idle permission or sufferance which is separate from his will and sure determination For seeing hee hath appointed the end it is necessarie also that he should appoint the causes which lead vs to the same end vnlesse we affirme with the wicked Manichees that this end happeneth at all aduentures or by meanes of causes ordained by some other God Further more wee cannot thinke that any thing happeneth contrary to Gods will except wee deny blasphemously that hee is omnipotent Almightie As Saint Augustine noteth plainly in his booke De correptione gratia chap 104. Wee conclude therefore that this full of Adam did so proceede of the motion of his will that notwithstanding it happened not without the vvill of God whom it pleaseth by a maruailous and incomprehensible mean that the thing which hee doth not allow for asmuch as it is sin shold not happen without his will And this is done as wee said before that hee might shew the riches of his glory towards the vessels of mercie and his vvrath and power vpon those vessels which hee hath made to set foorth his glory by their shame confusion 12. For the finall end of Gods counsell is neither the saluation of the elect nor the damnation of the reprobate but the setting forth of his own glory in sauing the one by his mercy and condemning the other by his iust iudgement Then to auoid al these blasphemies vnto the which the infirmitie of our wits doth draw vs let vs confesse that the corruption of the principall worke that GOD hath made which is man is not happened by chaunce nor without the will of him who according to his incomprehensible wisedome dooth make and gouerne all things to his glory Albeit wee must confesse in despight of mans iudgement which was limitted in the beginning within a certaine compasse and after was miserably corrupted that the whole fault of his damnation lieth in man forasmuch as betwixt the secret and incomprehensible will of God and that corruption of mans nature which is the verie first occasion of the reprobates damnation the wil of the first man is a mean vvhich being created good hath willingly corrupted it selfe and therby opened the doore to the iust iudgement of God to condemn al those to whom it doth not please him to shew mercie And if they would yet obiect and cauill saying that they cannot resist the will of GOD 13 let vs suffer them to their owne destruction to plead against him vvho wil be able enough to defend his iustice against their quarrelling Let vs rather reuerence that which passeth the reach and compasse of our wits turne our minds whollie to praise his mercie who by his onely grace hath saued vs when wee deserued the like punishment and damnation and were no lesse sinners and wicked then they CHAP. IIII. By what order God proceedeth to declare after a sort to execute his election WHen God had determined with himselfe the things before meÌ„tioned he by a more manifest order of causes which notwithstanding was eternall as all things are present to him disposed orderly all the degrees whereby hee vvould bring his elect vnto his king dome Forasmuch therefore as he is merciful yet could not forget his iustice before all other things it was necessary that a Mediator should be appointed by whoÌ„ man might be perfectly restored that this should bee done â—y that free mercy and grace which doth appeare in the â—aluation of his