Abrahams Faith, Part 1 · Chapter 3 · Article 2
The ſecond article is of the Cauſe of Cauſes.
2 By the decree of God, all thinges were fore ordained how they ſhould be, and concerning man, who ſhould be ſaued by faith in Chriſt, and who ſhould be damned for their ſinnes.
THis doctrine GOD teacheth Abraham two waies, firſt in the promiſe,dGen. 12.3. how al the families of the earth ſhould be bleſſed, in which there is the reuelation of Gods decree, what ſhould become of all nations in the world, namely that they of al nations which attaine bleſſednes ſhoulde hauehave it by Chriſt, and all other ſhould be damned; theneCap. 17. when he ſeperateth the Iewes by circumciſion, & kept out the gentils till the fulnes of times, it argueth that according to his decree, he diſpenſeth the times, and ſeperateth the nations, and that in the matter of the ſaluation and damnation of men, euen as ſaint Paul expoundeth it ſaying.fEph. 1.9.10. And hath opened to vsus the miſtery of his will, according to his good pleaſure which he had purpoſed in him ſelfe; that in the diſpenſation of the fulnes of times he might gather together in one, all things both which are in heauen & which are in earth, euen in Chriſt. The other way is in trying of Abraham, whē he was ſo olde before he had his ſon Iſaac, for hauing made the promiſe to Abraham generally: Firſt,aGen. 12.3. cap. 15.5. In thy ſeed and ſecondly, So ſhall thy ſeed be. Sarah finding her ſelfe barren,bGen. 16. gaue her maide to Abraham, thinking to hauehave the ſeed that way; and he went into her, and ſhe brought him foorth a ſonne when he was fower ſcore and ſix yere olde, and he called his name Iſmaell. But after this GodcCap. 17.15. commanded Abraham to change his wiue Sarahs name, from Sarai to Sarah, becauſe he would giuegive her a ſon and bleſſe and multiplie her ſeede. Here Abraham entreated God for Iſmael ſaying: O that Iſmael might liue in thy ſight: by occaſion whereof God openeth his will more plainly and ſaith. Sarah thy wife ſhal beare thee a ſon in deed, and thou ſhalt call his name Iſaack, and I wil eſtabliſh my couenant with him for an euerlaſting couenant and with his ſeed after him. And afterdCap. 18. appearing vntounto him in Mamre, he repeteth this manifeſtation of his wil ſaying, I wil certainly come againe vntounto thee, according to the time of life, and loe Sarah thy wife ſhal hauehave a ſonne; At which time Sarah laughed in her ſelfe as though it were a ſtrange or impoſſible thing, that ſhe ſhould hauehave a ſon being ſo old, and Abraham alſo was verie olde; And God rebuked her ſaying, that Nothing was hard to God, and for certaintie repeateth the promiſe. At the time appointed wil I returne vntounto thee, and laſt of all wheneCap. 21. Abraham was one hundred yere olde, Sarah in deed brought him forth a ſon at the ſeaſon which God told him, and he called his name Iſaack. And after when at the weaning of this his ſon Iſaack, hee made a great feaſt, Sarah ſawe Iſmael the ſon of the bond woman which was now ſom 14. yeres old, mocking her ſon Iſaack, therefore ſhe ſaith vntounto Abraham, Cast out the bondwoman and her ſon &c. and this greeued Abraham; but God admoniſhed him, not to be greeued, but to doe as Sarah ſpake, becauſe that in Iſaack his ſeed ſhould be called: and ſo Abraham put the bond woman and her ſon Iſmael out of his houſe. This ſtory ſheweth the decree of god, & namly touching the ſaluation & damnatiō of men, that as Abraham and Sarah diuerſly regarded Iſmael, and thought he might be the ſeed (as appereth by his generation, Abrahās intreaty & griefe for him, & Sarahs laughing) yet were they altogether deceiued of their mind and will: but Iſaack, whom God decreed to be of Sarahs bodie, and ſo promiſed, became in deed, to be the only ſeed in whō the couenāt ſhould be eſtabliſhed: So therby is taught, that no man is ſaued by chance conſtellation of ſtars, or by mans wil, choiſe, or workes, or any other way within the compaſſe of mans reache, or wiſdom, but according as God hath ordained and fore appointed: and they whom he hath not appointed to be ſaued, ſhal neuer be ſaued. This durſt I neuer ſo interpret of mine owne head (nor many other places of like ſort in this treatiſe) but that the holy ghoſt, the ſame ſpirit, wherby God taught Abraham; hath opened it, in the new teſtamēt, as by the holy Apoſtle is plainly ſhewed: where it is thus ſaid.aRom. 9 6.7.8.9. &c. Notwithſtanding it cannot be that the word of God ſhould take none effect, for they are not all Iſrael, which are of Iſrael: neither are they al children becauſe they are the ſeed of Abraham, but in Iſaack ſhall thy ſeed be called: that is, they which are the children of the fleſh, are not the children of God, but the children of the promiſe are counted for the ſeed. For this is a word of promiſe, in this ſame time wil I come, and Sarah ſhal hauehave a ſon. Neither he only felt this, but alſo Rebecca, when ſhe had cōceiued by one, euen by our father Iſaack: for ere the children were borne, and when they had neither done good nor euil (that the purpoſe of God might remaine, according to election, not by workes but by him that calleth) it was ſaid vntounto her the elder ſhal ſerue the yonger, as it is written, I hauehave loued Iacob and hated Eſau, what ſhal we ſay then is there vnrighteouſnes with God? God forbid. For he ſaith to Moſes, I wil hauehave mercy on him, to whom I wil ſhew mercy and wil hauehave compaſsion on him on whom I wil hauehave cōpaſsion. So then it is not in him that willeth, not in him that runneth: but in God that ſheweth mercy, which plainly telleth vsus, that both this preferment of Iſaack before Iſmael, & that of Iacob, before Eſau, do proue & teach that general doctrin which God ſpake vntounto Moſes, namely: that Gods mercy in ſauing, regardeth no mās works or wil, but only his own holy wil and pleaſure; ſo that we may ſay here as Chriſt in the ſame caſe ſaith.bMath. 11.26. It is ſo O father, becauſe thy good pleaſure was ſuch. Agreeing to which the church of England, deſcribeth,cArtic. 17. of predeſtination and election. Predeſtination to life, to be, the euerlaſting purpoſe of God, wherby (before the foūdations of the world were laid) he hath conſtantly decreed, to deliuer, from the curſe & damnatiō, thoſe whom he hath choſen in Chriſt, out of mankind, & to bring them by Chriſt, to euerlaſting ſaluation, as veſſels made to honor &c. Now Moſes in his conſent, not onelyonly openeth this point, in that which we hauehave before ſeene alleadged by ſaint Paul, but alſo where he entreating for Iſrael & for their ſaluation, wiſheth his own damnation in theſe words,dExod. 32.32. Raſe me out of the booke which thou haſt written, which book is Gods decree & purpoſe touching the ſaluatiō of his elect, as appeareth by that in the reuelation,eReuel. 20.15. Whoſoeuer was not found in the booke of life was caſt into the lake of fire. Alſo that which is ſpokē in Moſes touching Pharao,aExod. 9.16. For this cauſe hauehave I appointed thee &c. which the ApoſtlebRom. 19.17. expoundeth to be of Gods eternall purpoſe: and ſuch is that of Moſes ſong,cDeut. 32.8. When the moſt hie God deuided to the nations their inheritance, when he ſeperated the ſons of Adam, he appointed the borders of the people, according to the number of the children of Iſrael, which ſheweth gods decree & prouidence touching deuiding of the nations, and chooſing Iſrael to be his church before all other, which ſaint Paul expoundeth, where hee ſaith that God dAct. 17.26.aſsigned the times which were ordained before, and the bounds of their habitation. So then Moſes teacheth Gods eternal decree touching al things, touching his church and elect, and his prouidence effecting the ſame. Now let vsus ſee with what termes the prophets interpret this. They ſayePſal. 135.6. & 33.11. Whatſoeuer pleaſed the Lord, that did he in heauen and in earth, in the ſea and in all depthes. The counſel of the Lord ſhall ſtand, and the thoughts of his harte thorough all ages. fHier 27.4.5.Thus ſaith the Lord of hosts the God of Iſrael &c. I hauehave made the earth, the man, and the beaſt, that are vponupon the ground, by my great power and by my ſtretched out arme, & hauehave giuen it to whom it pleaſed me &c. whereby it appeareth, that by Gods eternall counſel and will, the prophets vnderſtand, that all things come to paſſe, in all ages, in all creatures and namely among men, ſuch as is the tranſlating of kingdoms. But as concerning the ſaluation or damnation of men, they ſay thusgPro. 16.4. God made all things (or men) for himſelfe, yea euen the wicked for the day of euil: which words ſheweth that the coū ſel of God, in making all things, regarded this ende: Gods glorie, not only in thoſe which are elected vntounto ſaluation, but euen in thoſe which are reprobated vntounto euil, that is to damnation; as in Malachie he alſo ſaith;hMalach. 1. ver. 2.3. Iacob hauehave I loued, and Eſau hauehave I hated, which words are before cited by ſaint Paul for Gods eternal decree touching mans ſaluation and damnation. But the new Teſtament is ſomewhat plainer, where we are taught to confeſſe Gods eternall purpoſe, before the creation, how all things ſhould be, in theſe words,iReuel. 4.11. Rom. 11.36. Thou art worthie O Lord to receiue glorie and honour and power, for thou haſt created all thinges, and for thy will ſake, they are and hauehave been created. And againe: Of him, and through him, and for him are all things, to him bee glorie for euer, Amen. But more particularly touching man it is ſaid, firſt for the elect,kEph. 1.4. He hath choſen vsus in Chriſt before the foundation of the world &c. And of the reprobate: Chriſt is l1. Pet. 2.8.a ſtone to ſtumble at, and a rocke of offence, euen to them which ſtumble at the word, vntounto the which thing they were euen ordained. Which is ſo plaine that all men may ſee euidently, that the counſell and decree of God ruleth ouer all and in all things. His holy name be bleſſed for euer Amen. Therefore in this Article, our Engliſh beliefe is the ſame which God teacheth Abraham by himſelfe, and Iſrael by Moſes and the prophets, and both Iewes and gentils by his Chriſt and his Apoſtles.