The Doctrine of Justification, Treatise · Chapter 7
CHAPTER VII.
IT reſteth now thirdly, that we trye the truth of this ſame ground in the third point of the ſubſtance of Gods Decree, that is in the Meane whereby we are predſtinate vntounto adoption, which is Ieſus Chriſt. of whom it is manifeſt in the Scriptures, that he is the Meane of our happines by the ſame will of God. as is evident by the Apoſtle, Coloſſ. chap. 1. verſ. 19. & 20. For it pleaſed the Father that in him should all fulnes dwell, and by him to reconcile all things to him ſelfe, making peace by the blood of his croſſe. For firſt there was no cauſe in Chriſt, why hee ſhould hauehave beene made Man, and ſinne for Man. Secondly, there was no cauſe nor reaſon in vsus which could move the Father, to give him to the death for vsus: or which could move him, to become our brother, and to lay down his life for vsus, but as ſayth Iohn, cha. 10. verſ. 18. He receyved this commandement from the Father to laye downe his life. And the Apoſtle Peter Acts chap. 2. ver, 23. ſayeth plainly: That he was delivered by the determinate counſell and foreknowledge of God. And the ſcriptures doe witnes, Hebr. chap. 3. ver. 2. & Hebr. chap. 5. ver. 5. that Chriſt did not take this office to him ſelfe to be either King, Prieſt or Prophet of the houſe of God: but that the Father did give it him. and as he receyved it from the Father, ſo doeth he performe it, not according to his owne will, but according to the will of the Father that ſent him. that is, hee layes downe his life for none but ſuch as the Father willeth: that is the ſheep which the Father giveth him: that he ſhould give them eternall life, Ioh. chap. 10. 14. 15. 16. compared to Ioh. chap. 17. ver. 2. and Eſay chap. 8. ver. 18. compared with Hebr. chap. 2. ver. 13. 14. and 15. 16. & 17. neither doth he make interceſſion for any but for ſuch as the Father had given him: but ſecludeth all who were not given him of the Father from al benefite of his interceſſion, and fruit of his death, Ioh. cha. 17. ver. 9. Thirdly, he manifeſteth the name of God, and giveth the wordes and the glorie which the Father hath given him, to no others, ſaving thoſe alone whom the Father had given him. In the ſame chapter 6. verſ. 22. and 26. Fourthly, he giveth eternall life to none but ſuch as the Father hath given him. Iohn chapter 6. verſes 37. 38. and 39. And Iohn chapter 10. verſ. 26. 27. 28. 29. And Iohn chapter 17. verſ. 2. for the worke which he performed on earth▪ the Father did give it him, that hee ſhould doe it: as he him ſelf witneſſeth Iohn chapter 17. and verſe 4. Wherefore alſo in the performing thereof, when the bitternes of that cuppe which the Father had given him to drinke, maketh him in his agonie to will, If it were poſſible that it might paſſe from him: He rangeth his owne will in order, and ſubmitteth him ſelfe to the will of his Father, ſaying: But not my will, but thy will be done. Mathew chap. 26. verſ. 39. and 42. Of all which groundes it evidently followeth, that what Chriſt is, as Mediatour: and what he doeth, as Mediatour: and to whom he doth any thing, by Mediaton and interceſſion, is all by the will and appointement of GOD, according to his good pleaſure. Whoſe Decree, and free election, according to his will, boundeth and limiteth IESVS Chriſt the Mediatour, in his ſuffering, interceſſion, and whole performance of his office, and diſpenſation of all bleſſings vntounto righteouſnes and life, as is cleare in the 11. chapt. to the Romanes, verſes 5. and 7.
Of all that is ſpoken, touching either the ſubſtance or cauſe of Gods Decree: we may eaſilie perceyve, that the whole Decree of God, in all the ſubſtance of it, dependeth vponupon nothing but onelyonly vponupon the will of God: ſo that he predeſtinates, becauſe it is his will, and he predeſtinates ſo many and no moe, becauſe it is his will. And hee predſtinates them to adoption, becauſe it is his will. and he predeſtinates this adoption to be thorough Ieſus Chriſt, becauſe it is his will.
Whileſt men in humble reverence, doe not acknowledge this, and acquieſce in it, as the trueth of this matter, they not onelyonly fall in blaſphemouſe errores againſt God: but involve themſelves in the daunger of that curſe, pronounced by the Prophet Eſay, chapt. 45. verſ. 10. Woe be to him that ſtriveth with his Maker. Woe vntounto him that ſayeth to his Father, what hast thou begotten? Or to his Mother, What haſt thou brought foorth? Which ſurelie they doe, which ſearch for a reaſon of this will of GOD, as though the Lord could not be iuſt, in ordayning ſome vntounto adoption, and not others, vponupon his onelyonly will: but that ſome cauſe there muſt be in the creatures of this difference of his will: what is this elſe but to buyld the equitie of Gods doeings vponupon the creature, and not vponupon God the Creator him ſelfe. making things iuſt, not becauſe he willeth them, but becauſe he willeth them according to that, which he findeth in the creature: and which in the iudgement of man, ſeemeth to be a iuſt reaſon why God ſhould doe ſo. even as though the Potter, of one & the ſame lumpe of clay, did not freely according to his owne will, make one veſſel to honor, & another to diſhonor, without any reſpect of any worthines, or any reaſon whatſoever taken frō the clay. Surely it is a wretched Divinitie which doth not ſimply acknow ledge all things iuſt which God willeth: evē becauſe he willeth thē: although they not only paſſe the capacitie, but alſo appeare moſt cōtrary to humane reaſon. For, are not his iudgements vnſearchable, & his wayes paſt finding out? who thē ſhal finde out the reaſon of his counſels, and declare the cauſes of his will? We will conclude this point, with the ſaying of Auguſtin, touching theſe mē, lib. pri. ca. 2. de Geneſ cont. Manich. They ſeeke to know the cauſes of Gods will, when as the will of God it ſelfe, is the cauſe of all things that are: for if the will of God have a cauſe: there is ſomething that goes before the will of God, which is not lawfull to beleeve.
The vſe we are to make hereof, in the doctrine of iuſtification, is great: for firſt, heereby wee learne, that Gods Decree is not buylded vppon our righteouſnes, as the cauſe thereof, but by the contrarie, that our righteouſnes is builded vponupon Gods Decree. For God doeth not predeſtinate vsus, becauſe of our righteouſnes: but he maketh vsus righteous, becauſe he hath predeſtinate vsus: ſo that whether our righteouſnes conſiſt in Chriſt and his ſufferings, or as ſome doe thinke in workes, or as others doe eſteeme in faith: yet it ſtill holdeth, that this righteouſnes, is never the cauſe why God predeſtinateth vsus. Secondly, wee learne of this point: that whatſoever be our righteouſnes, we muſt goe aboue our ſelves, & aboue our righteouſnes, to ſearch the cauſe why it is ours. For it is not any thing in vsus, nor any thing in that, that is our righteouſnes, but the will of God in God himſelfe, which is the ground of our enioying it. Thirdly, we learne heereby, that whatſoever we ſeclude from the Meanes of our righteouſnes, iuſtification, and life, yet Chriſt can never be ſecluded. ſeeing God Decrees, to doe all what he decrees: thorough him alone. Thus much concerning the Decree of God, and the nature thereof.