The Treasure of Truth Touching Salvation and the Christian Religion, Treatise 3
Notes appertayning to the matter of Election, gathered by the godly and learned Father. …. Foxe.
AS touching the doctrine of Election, thrée thinges must be considered.
Fyrst, what Gods election is, and what is the cause thereof.
Secondly, how Gods election procéedeth in working our saluation.
Thyrdly, to whome Gods election pertayneth, and howe a man maye bee certayne thereof.
Betweene Predestination and election, this difference there is.Difference betvveene predestination and Election. Predestination is as well to the reprobate, as to the elect: Election onelyonly pertayneth to them that are saued.
Predestination,Definition of predestination. in that it respecteth the reprobates, is called reprobation… in that it respecteth the saued, is called election, and is thus defined.
Predestination is the eternal decréemēt of God, purposed before in himself, what shal befall on al men, eyther, to sal…ation or dam…ation.
Election is the fr…e merciemercy and grace of God in his owne wyll,Election defined. through faith in Christ his sonne, chosing and preferring to lyfe, such as pleaseth him.
In this definition of election, fyrst goeth before the mercy and grace of God, as the causes thereof, whereby are excluded all workes of the lawe, and merytes of deseruing, whether they goe before fayth,The partes of defi…tion examined. or come after. So was Iacob chosen and Esau refused, before eyther of them began to worke, &c.
Secondly, in that this mercy and graceMercy and grace. of God in this definition, is sayde to be free, thereby is to be noted, the proceeding and working of God,Free mercy and grace. not to bee bounde to any ordinary place, or to any succession of chayre, not to state, and dignitye of personne, nor to worthynesse of blood, &c. But all goeth by the meere wyll of his owne purpose, As it is written: Spiritus vbi vult spirat, &c. And thus was the outwarde race, and stocke of Abraham after the flesh refused. Which …med to hauehave the préeminence. …nd theyr …de after the spyrite raysed …p to Abraham of the stones, that is, of … Gentiles. So was the outwarde Temple of Hierusalem, and chayre of M…yses, which seemed to be of price, forsaken, and Gods chayre aduaunced in other actions. So was talle Saule refused, and lyttle Dauid accepted: The rytche, the prowde, the wyse of this worlde reiected, and the worde of sal…ation dayly opened to the poore, and myserable abiectes: The hye Mountaynes cast vnderunder, and the lowe valleys exalted, &c.
Thyrdly,The free mercy and grace of God in his ovvne vvyll. where it is added in his owne wyll, by this falleth downe the free wyll and purpose of man with al his actions, counsayles, and strength of nature: According as it is written: Non est volentis neque currentis sed miserentis dei, Rom. 9.&c. It is not in him that wylleth, nor in hym that runneth, but in God that sheweth mercy. So we sée howe Israel ranne long, and yet got nothing: the Gentyles vnneth began to set out, and yet got the game:Ma…h. 20 So they which came at the fyrst howre, dyd labour more, and yet they whiche came last, were rewarded with the fyrst, Mat 20. The wyll of the Pharisée séemed better, but yet the Lordes wyll was rather to iustifie the Publicane, Luke. 18. Luke. 18The elder sonne had a better wyll to tarry by his Father, and so dyd indeede: and yet the …atte Calfe was geuen to the younger sonne that ranne awaye, Luke 15. Luke. 15Whereby we hauehave to vnderstand howe the matter goeth not by the wyll of man, but by the wyll of God, as it pleaseth him to accept, According as it is written: Non ex voluntate carnis, Ioh. 1.neque ex voluntate viri sed ex deo nati sun…, &c. Which are borne not of the wyll of the fleshe,…ods mercy in sau…ng the elect ouer in…ludeth the condicion of faith in …n Ch…st. nor yet of the wyll of man, but of God. Furthermore, as all then goeth by the wyll of God onlye, and not by the wyll of man. So againe heere is to bee noted, that this wyl of God, neuer goeth without fayth in Christ Iesus his sonne.
And therefore,The free mercy and grace of God in his ovvne good vvyll through faith in christ his sonne o…r Lord. fowrthlye is this clause added in the diffinition through …ayth in Christe his sonne: which fayth in Christ to vsus warde maketh altogeather: For fyrste it certifyeth vsus of Gods election: for whosoeuer wyll bee certayne of his election in God: let him fyrste begynne with this fayth in Christ, whiche if hee fynde in him to stande fyrme: Hée maye bee sure, and nothing doubte,Faith is the onlie condition vvhereby Gods grace doth saue vsus. but that he is one of the number of Gods electe. Secondlye, the sayde fayth and nothing else, is the onelyonly condition and meanes wherevppon Gods mercy, election, vocation, and all Gods promyses to saluation, doo stay according to the wordes of S. Paul: Si permanseritis in fide, &c. If ye abide in the fayth. Colos 1. Thyrdly, this faith also is the immediate and next cause of our iustifycation simply without any other condition annexed. For as the mercy of God, his grace, election, vocation, and other precedent causes, doo saue and iustify vsus vppon conditon: if wee beleeue in Christe, so this fayth in Christ without condition, is the ne…t… and immediate cause, which by Gods premyse worketh our iustifycation. According as it is wrytten: Crede in dominum Iesum & saluus eris t… & do…us…tua. Act. 16.Beleeue in the Lorde Iesus,Fayth only is the immediate cause of our iustifiyng. and thou shalt be saued, thou and thy whole house, Act. 16. And thus much touching the definitiō of election, with the causes therof declared, which you see now to bee no merytes nor workes of man: whether they goe before or come after fayth, but only y• meere mercy of God through fayth: for lyke as all they that bee borne of Adam, doo tast of his malediction, though they tasted not his Apple: So all they that be borne of Christ which is by fayth, take parte of the obedience of Christe: Although they neuer dyd that obedience themselues, which was in him. Rom. 5.
Nowe to the second consideration:The second consideration Let vsus s…e lykewise howe and in what order this election of God procéedeth in chosing and electing them which bee ordayned to saluation, which order is this. In them that bée chosen to lyfe fyrst, Gods m…rcye and frée grace bryngeth forth election: Election worketh vocation, or Gods holy calling: Which vocation through hearing bryngeth knowledge,Grace. Election. Vocation. Fayth. Iustificatiō. …lo…ification. and fayth of Christ. Fayth through promyse obtayneth iustification: Iustification through hope wayteth for glorification. Elec…tion is before vocation, and …ayth commeth in time: Iustification and glorifycation is without end.
Election depending vponupon Gods frée grace and wyl,Mans fr…, vvyll. excludeth all mans wyll, blynd fortune,Blinde fortune. chaunce, and all peraduentures vocation standing vponupon Gods election, excludeth all mans wisedome,Mans vvisedome. cunning, learing,Mans learnning. intention, power and presumption: Fayth in Christ proceedyng by the gift of the holy ghost, and freely iustifying man by Gods promise: excludeth all other merites of men,Mans merites. all condition of deseruing, all workes of the lawe:VVorkes of the lavv excluded from the causes of our saluation. both Gods lawe and mans lawe, with all other outward meanes, what soeuer.
Iustification comming fréely by fayth, standeth sure by promise without doub…feare, or wauering in this lyfe.
Glorifycation perteyning onelyonly to th… lyfe to come, by hope is looked for.
Grace and mercy preuenteth.
Election ordayneth.
Uocation prepareth and receaueth the word whereby commeth fayth.
Fayth iustifieth.
Iustifycation bryngeth glory.
Election is the immediate and next cause of vocation, vocation which is the workyng of Gods spyrite by the worde, is the immediate and next cause of fayth.
Fayth is the immediate and next cause of iustification,Papi…ts …onfound the doctrine of election. and this order, and connexion of causes is dylygenly to bee obserued, because of the papists whiche hauehave miserably confounded & conuerted this doctrine thus, that almighty God so farreforth as hée foreséeth mans merites before to come: so doth he dyspence his election, Vt Dominus pro cuiusque meritis fore preuidet, ita dispensat electionis gratiam. And againe: Nullis preccedentibus meritis dominum rependere electionis gra…iam, futuris tamen concedere: That is, that the Lord recompēseth the grace of election not to any merites going before: But yet graunteth the …n to the merites which folowe after, … though wée had our election by our holynes that followeth after and not rather hauehave our holynes by Gods election going before.
But wée following the Scripture,Election… …aye otherwyse that the cause onelyonly of Gods election is his owne mercy, and the cause onelye of our iustification is our fayth in Christe, and nothing else. As for example, fyrst concerning election, if the question bée asked: Why was Abraham chosen, and not Nachor: Why was Iacob chosen, and not Esau: Why was Moyses elected, and Pharao hardened: Why Dauid accepted and Saule refused: Why fewe bée chosen, and the moste forsaken. It cannot bée aunswered other wise, but thus, because it was so the good wyll of God.
In lyke maner touching vocationThat vocation he meaneth here vvhichwhich is after purpose. and also fayth if the que… be asked: Why this vocation & gi… of fayth … geuen to Cornelius the Gentile. & … Tertullius the Iew… Why … the babes and litle ones of this wor… of whom Christ sp…aketh: I thanke … Father,Vocation bringeth …ayth. which hast …yd … from the wise, &c. Math. 11. Why to the … the simple abiectes, and outcastes in this worlde, of whome speaketh Saint Paule. 1. Cor. 1. Ye sée your callyng my brethren howe not many of you. &c. Why to the sinners and not to the iust: Why the beggers by the hye wayes were called, and the bydden gestes excluded: we can goe to no other cause but to Gods purpose and election, and sa…e with Christ our Sauiour: Quia pater sic complacitum est ante te. Yea Father, for so it séemed good in thy syght. Luke. 18.
And so for iustification lyke wise,Iustification by faith only. if the question bee asked: why the Publycan was iustyfied, and not the Pharisce. Luke. 18. Why Marie the synner, and not Symon the Léeper: Luke. 11. Why harlottes and Publicans, goe before the Scribes and Pharysées in the kingdome. Math. 21. Why the sonne of the frée woman was receyued, and the bondwomans sonne being his elder reiected. Gen. 21. Why Israel which so long sought for righteousnesse, founde it not: and the Gentyles which sought not for it, founde it. Rom. 9. We hauehave no other cause hereof to render, but to staye with Saint Paule: because they sought for it by workes of the lawe, and not by fayth: Which fayth as it commeth not by mannes wyll, as the Papistes falsely pretendeth, but onelyonly by the election and frée gyft of God: so it is onelyonly the immediate cause, wherevnto the promise of our saluation is annexed, according as we reade:The …apist… falselie pretendeth that Actus credendi, is in mannes povver. Col. 1. lyn. 4. And therefore of faith is the inheritaunce geuen. As after grace, that the promyse might stande sure to eueryevery seede. Rom. 4. Item in the same Chapter: Fayth beleeuing in him which iustifyeth the wicked, is imputed to ryghteousnesse.
And thus concerning the cause of ou… saluation, ye sée howe fayth in Christ: onelyonly and immedyatlie without any condition doeth iustify vsus, being so lynked with Gods mercy …nd election:Hovv faith …nd el…ction are linked together in the act of iustifying. that whersoeuer election goeth before, there fayth in Christ must néedes followe after. And againe, whosoeuer beleeueth in Christ Iesu through the vocation of God, hee must needes bee partaker of Gods election.
Wherevnto resulteth now the third not… or consideration,The third considera…n. which is to consider… whether a man in this lyfe maye be certaine of his election. To answere this question, we hauehave first to vnderstand: that although our election and vocation simply in déede he knowen to GodElection knovvn… to …od …mply. onelyonly him selfe a Priore: yet not withstanding it may be knowne to eueryevery particular faithful man a Posteriore: that is, by meanes:Election knovven to man by meanes. whiche meanes is fayth in Christ Iesus crucified, for so much as by his fayth in Christ, a man is iustified, and therebye made the childe of saluation, reason must needes leads the same to bée then the chylde of election chosen of God vntounto euerlasting …yfe: for howe can a man be …aued but by consequence, it followeth that hee must bée elected.
And therefore of election is truely sayde,Faith is th… meanes vvhereby vve be certified of our saluation. De electione indicandum est A posteriore: De electione iudicandum est A posteriore…that is to saye, We must iudge of election by that whiche commeth after, that is, by our fayth and beléefe in Christ: which fayth although in tyme it followeth after election: yet is it the proper and immediate cause assygned by the Scripture: which not onelyonly iustifyeth vsus, but also certifyeth vsus of the election of God.
Wherevnto, lykewise well agréeth this saying: Election albeit in God, it be the first, yet to vsus it is the last opened.Election first knovvn to God, and last opened to man. And therefore begynning first with creation: I come from thence to redemption, and iustification by fayth, and so to election. Not that fayth is the cause efficient of election: being rather the effecte thereof, but is to vsus the cause certifycatorie, or the cause of our certifycation: whereby we are brought to the feeling and knowledge of our election in Christ. For albeit that election fyrst be certaine in the knowledge of God, yet in our knowledge fayth onelyonly that wée hauehave in Christ, is the thing that geueth to vsus our certyficate & comfort of this election.
Wherefore whosoeuer desireth to be assured that he is one of the elect number of God: let him not clyme vp to heauen to knowe, but let him descend into himselfe, and there searche his fayth in Christ the sonne of God: Which if hée fynde in him not fayned, by the working of Gods holy spyrite accordingly: therevpon let him staye, and so wrappe himselfe wholy, both body and soule, vnderunder Gods generall promyse,Euerie man to sta…e him selfe vponupon Gods generall promise. and …umber his head with no farther speculations: knowing this, that whosoeuer beleeueth in him, shall not perysh, loh 3. Shall not be confounded. Rom. 9. Shal not see death. Ioh. 8. Shall not enter into iudgement. Ioh. …. Shall hauehave euerlasting lyfe. Iohn. 3. 7. Shall be saued. Math 28. Act. 16. Shall hauehave remyssion of all his sinnes. Act. 10. Shall be instifyed. Rom. 3. Gal. 2. Shall hauehave flooddes flowing out of him of water of lyfe. Ioh. 7. Shall neuer dye. Ioh. 11. Shalbe raysed in the last daye. Ioh. 6. Shall fynde rest to his soule, and shall bée refreshed, Math. 11.
Nowe then for so muche as we sée fayth to be the grounde wherevpon dependeth the whole condition of our iustifying: let vsus discusse in lyke maner,…vvhat faith is… what is this faith, wherof the scripture so much speaketh of, for the more plaine vnderstanding of the symple. For many kyndes there be of fayth:Diuerse kindes of faith. As a man maye beléeue eueryevery thing that is true: yet not eueryevery trueth doeth saue, neyther doeth the beleeuing of eueryevery trueth iustifie a man: He that beleeueth that God created all thinges of nought, beléeueth trueth: He that beléeueth that God is a iust God, that he is omnipotent,EueryEvery truth hath his faith, But euerie truth iustifieth not that he is mercyfull: that he that is true of promyse beléeueth well, and holdeth the trueth.no more doeth euerie faith… So he that beléeueth that God hath his election from the begynning, and that he also is one of the same elect and Predestinate, hath a good beleefe and thynketh well. But …et this beleef… alone, except it be seasoned with another thing, wyll not serue to saluation… As it a…ayled not the olde Iewes, which so thought of themselues, and yet thinke to this daye: to bée onelyonly Gods electe people.
OnelyOnly the fayth which auayleth to saluation is that,Faith the action … vv Christ the… obiect… of faith. whose obiect is the body and passion of Christ Iesus crucifyed: so that in the a…te of iustifying these two: fayth and Christ hauehave a mutuall relation,Faith and Christ are relatiues. and must alwayes concurrs together fayth, as the action which apprehendeth: Christ as the obiect which is apprehended.
For neyther doth the passion of Christ saue without fayth:Christ vvith out faith saueth not. neyther doeth fayth helpe, except it be in Christ. As we see the body of man sustayned by bread and drinke… not except the same be receaued,Faith vvithout Christ… saueth no…. and conueyed into the stomacke, and yet neyther doth tho receyuing of any thing sustaine mans body, except it be meate and drinke, which hauehave power to geue nourishment. In lyke sort it is with fayth: for neyther doeth the beléeuing of eueryevery thing saue. But onelyonly fayth in the blood of Christneyther doeth againe the same blood of Christ profite vsus, except by fayth it be receaued: And as the sonne being the cause of all lyght, …y…eth not but to them onelyonly which hauehave eyes to see: nor yet to them neyther, …esse they wyll open theyr eyes, to receaue the lyght: So the passion of Christ is the efficient cause of saluation: But fayth is the condition whereby the sayde Passion is to vsus effectuall.
And that is the cause, why wee …aye with the Scrypture, that fayth onelye iustifyeth vsus, not excludinge thereby all other e…terne causes, that goe before fayth: As grace, mercye, election, vocation,…orace Election. Vocation Christes death, causes externe of our saluation. the death of Christ, &c. All which be externe causes working our saluation through fayth.…aith onelie intern cause of mans saluation. But when we saye that fayth onelyonly iustifyeth vsus: the meaning thereof is this, that of all internall actions, motions, or operations in man, geuen to him of God, there is no other that contenteth, and pleaseth God, or standeth before his iudgement,Faith is an action in man, but not of man. or can helpe any thing to the iustifying of man before him: but onelyonly this one action of fayth in Christ Iesu the sonne of God.
For although the action of praying, fasting,Vertues and vvorkes of charitie, though they bee good gifts of God in man, yet they serue not to iustification. almes, patience, charitie, repentaunce, the feare and louelove of God bee his gyfts in man, and not of man, geuen of God to man: yet bee none of all these actions in man, imputed of God to saluation, but onelyonly this one action of faith in man, vponupon Christ Iesus the sonne of God. Not that the action it selfe of beleeuing: As it is a qualyty in man doeth so deserue: but because it taketh that dignity of the obiect. For as I sayde in the acte of iustifying: Fayth, as it is an action in man, is not to be considered alone: but must euer goe with this obiect, and taketh his vertue thereof. Lyke as the looking vp of the olde Isralytes,Faith looketh his dignitie of his obiect. dyd not of it selfe procure any health vntounto them: but the promyse made in the obiect, which was the brasen Serpent, wherevppon they looked: gaue them health by their looking vp.Looking vp to the brasē Serpent, and beleeuing vppon the bodie of Christ compared. Euen so after lyke sort, are we saued by our fayth, and spyrituall looking vppe to the bodye of Christ crucifyed, which fayth to defyne, is this.
To beléeue Iesus Christ to bée the sonne of the lyuing God, sent into this worlde: by his death to satisfye for our sinnes, and so to receaue the same.
And thus much touching election and fayth,The errour of the Papistes, periecting the minde of Gods Testament, hovve and vvherein. with the order and explycation of the causes necessary to bée considered in our saluation: whereby maye appeare howe for tho pretenced Catholiques doo swarue from the ryght minde of the Scriptures. For where the Scriptures in declaring the causes of saluation, doo sende vsus onelyonly to fayth, as the onelyonly condition, whereby these causes hauehave theyr workyng: these Catholiques doo quyte leaue out fayth, and in stéed… thereof, place in other condicions of merytes, wylworkes, pardons, masses, and especiall auricular confession, with penaunce, and satisfaction for our sinnes. &c.
FINIS.