The Treasure of Truth Touching Salvation and the Christian Religion, Treatise 2
For the stopping of the mouthes of the s…landerous, as also for the further instructing of the ignoraunt, in this both necessarie and comfortable doctrine of God his election, I hauehave thought good heere to set downe a shorte summe of the whole matter, contained in certaine briefe and plaine Aphorismes, Translated out of a learned Treatise of Theodorus Beza, against Castalion.
GOD worketh effectuallie, or bringeth all thinges to passe accordinge to the counsell of …ys owne wyll.
¶This counsell doeth God execus… … fulfyl at certaine moments of times: yet the counsell it selfe is euerlasting, and going …efore all thinges, not onelyonly in tyme, in asmuch as it is before all tyme, but also in order. For otherwyse the wyll of God should not be the chief… rule of the co…nsell of God: but rather the quallyties of thinges foreséene an… foreknowen, and dr…g God to take this or that counsell, shoulde prescribe or appoint a rule to the wyll of God.
¶This counsell can not bée separated from the wyll of God, but that we must robbe God of his diuinitie or god… head.
¶This counsel is not put only in the gouerning and guiding of the euent or that, that commeth to passe, as Pallas is feigned of the Poet to turne away Pandarus Dart from Menelaus brest vntounto his nether partes fenced with his belte: but hath a workinge and effectuall strength in all thinges, which Paule hath declared by this worde, foreign, Energein whiche signif…eth to worke effectually.
¶This strength and effica…ye is attributed vntounto God his working, but is not sayd to be of God. Therefore by this worde*Efficacie or strenght. is not declared any naturall power geuen by God the cr…atour, to the thinges hée hath created, that they shoulde doo this or that … but by this worde is vnderstande the power of God, which hée hath in hym selfe to doo all thinges.
¶This vniuersal particle, All, in the saying of Paule, can by no maner of exception at all bée restreyned, but that God in that poynt must bée made to bee …dle, accordyng to the opinion of Epy…urus. And yf we shall say that any thing is done against his wyll hée shall bee robbed of his infinite, or endlesse power.
¶The conclusion therfore standeth, that God him selfe, according as it pleased him, to decrée all thinges to come to passe from euerlasting, euen so also hée bringeth them to passe by his power in their time as he wylleth.
¶Yet of these things doth there fol…owe none of these blasphemyes,Blasphemies that vve are most falsely charged vvithal, the vvhiche notvvithstā ding cannot any vvay be truly proued to grovve of our doctrine. to …yt, eyther that God is the Author of …ne, eyther is delyted wyth iniquity, eyther wylleth iniquity: or that Sathan … men in doing of euyll, doo obey God, …, in that they doo euyll, they doo that …hat God wyll, and therefore are wythout blame. Let all such blasphemies … these, bee most …arre, not only from o… tounges, but also from our cogitation or thougthes.
¶And thus it maye bée proued th… these sequéeles and conclusions th… they would gather of our doctrine, an… of no force: God doth execute or perfourme the counsels of his wyll by second causes and instrumentes, not a… bound vntounto them as the Stoikes did suppose, but fréely and mightylye making mouing, and guiding them, as it pleased him.
¶Of these i…strumentes there are two principal kynds. For some of them hauehave lyfe, to wyt, such as are styrred by an inner mouing of theyr owne others are without lyfe and are onelyonly carryed of an outwarde force by others rather then of them selues. Those instrumentes that hauehave lyfe are also in a doubble difference. For some of them are indued with iudgement and reason, others are without reason, and are carryed with a blynd force of nature.
¶The instrumentes whiche are without life, yea and also they that hauehave …fe, but are voide of reason, are sayd to …oo neyther well nor yll, because that …hey are rather caused to doo, than to doo …f them selues: but they which vse those …nstrumentes, are sayd to do eyther wel …r yll.
¶Instrumentes indued with rea…on and iudgement, are eyther Angels, …r men, and the same agayne of twoo …ortes. For Angels, some are good, some …re bad: and men by nature are al euyl, …ut by grace there is such difference …ade betwéene them, that some of them …re whollie euyll, and some of them are …n part good, to wyt, so farre as the spirit … God hath sāctified or made them holy.
¶Such thinges a… are of this sort, …hen as in any action they are moued …y theyr owne inwarde mouing, are …orthelie sayde to worke, and therefore … this kinde of instruments onelyonly fal…th the difference of well or yll doing. …nd in this respecte, they can not pro…erly be called instruments, but rather efficient or working causes.
Now I call that an euyl action, whi… hath not the reuealed or opened wyll … God for the end: and contrariwise, I c… it a good action which hath respect or l…keth to the wyll of God.
¶The same, albeit they be causes, … farre as they worke by theyr owne proper motion, yet in another respect the… are called instruments, to wyt, as ofte… and so farre forth as they are moued b… another. As when the hangman by th… commaundement of the Magistrate kylleth a man, or when as by impulsio… or setting on of the Deuyll, men hurt… one another: or when as the commaundement, and in the name of any, we do… eyther good or euyll vntounto any man.
¶In this kinde of actions, all men s… that one & the same worke is attributed vntounto two, to wyt, vntounto the one as to him that moueth, and worketh by another, as by an instrument, and to the other, as to him that worketh himselfe… for hee is in such sort an instrument, that hee also worketh by his owne inwarde motion and not simplie, as the hammer or Are in the hande of the Smith.
¶Yea, for this double respecte, a double worke séemeth sometime to bée done, in so much that the one maye bée laudable or praise worthy, and the other wicked … if the Magistrate delyuer a man that is an offendor vntounto the hangman to be executed, there is no man but wyll worthely praise this worke: but if the hangman being moued with hatred or couetousnesse, or any other wicked luste, rather than looking vntounto the commaundement of the Iudge, doo kyll the same offendor, certainly before God bé… can not escape the crime of murther.
¶Now let vsus apply these things vntounto God, whose efficacy or strēgth, we hauehave proued before to steppe in, in all things …hat are done without exception, and in such sort, that by those thinges which he hath created as by instruments, he doth execute or performe in his tyme, whatsoeuer … hath decreed from euerlasting.
¶Whatsoeuer God doeth is good, séeing from him, whiche is the chiefe good, no euyl can proc…. But he dot… all thinges. All thinges therefore ar… good, so farre forth as they are done by God. And that difference of good and euyll, hath onelyonly place in the instrumentes, and in those of whome we hauehave spoken in the thyrtéenth proposition.
¶For …hese instrumentes be good, and … …ooke vntounto the opened wyll of God, they worke well, and God also worketh well by them: whereby it commeth to passe, that, that worke is alwayes good: as when good Angels doo that which God commaundeth, and holie men followe, God calling them.
¶Euyll instrumentes, (euyll I saye, not by creation, but by corruption) in so farre as they worke, they doo alwayes worke euyl, and therefore they worthelye incurre or runne into God his anger: but so farre forth as God worketh by them, they do serue to the g… work… of God, eyther against theyr wylles, or else of ignoraunce. For God, by what instrumentes soeuer he worketh, worketh alwayes well.
¶Nowe hée so worketh by those instruments, as he doeth not onelyonly suffer them to worke, neither onelyonly moderate or rule the euent or thing that falleth out, but also hée rayseth them vp, styrreth, moueth, guideth, and that which is greatest of all he createth thē, to the end that he might worke by them, which he hath appointed: all which thinges God …oth rightly, and without any iniustice.
¶For as often as one euyll man sinneth either against him selfe, or against another wicked person, God without any sinne maketh, eyther that the euyll man taketh vengeaunce vponupon himselfe, or that euyll men shall punishe other euyl men, with such punishment as they hauehave deserued: both which workes of God are most righteous: and by such examples of his iudgementes, God lyfteth vp & comforteth those that are his.
¶But so often as wicked men do hurt the good, the wicked men sinne, & in the ende, suffer such punishmentes as they hauehave deserued: yet neuerthelesse, by them y• Lord chastneth, instru…eth and strengthneth his owne, and … by the open enemyes of his Church maketh his Church glorious.
Yet can not these euyl instrumentes be sayde to obey God, because all be it God by them bryngeth by… worke to passe, yet they, so farre as in them is, and as concerning their owne counsel and wyll, do not the worke of God, but their owne worke for the whiche they are iustly punished.A n…cess…ry note to bee marked. For all be it what soeuer God worketh by the wicked … good, yet what soeuer the wicked worke is euyll.
¶Neyther is this consequent or reason good, God worketh all thynges, therefore hee worketh sinne… For the paine of sinne agreeth not but to the vicious and saultie qualytie, which is wholy in the working instrument.
¶By reason of this …rupted quality, the worke whiche of itselfe is but one, is made some maner of … tw… …old and double, insomuch that the one, that is the iust worke of God, directly fighteth againste the other… …, the …niust worke of man.
¶Yet God worketh otherwise by the good instrumentes then by the euyl, for besides y• hée worketh his worke by the good instruments, the good instruments also do worke their owne worke by the same force & effiacy which the Lord geueth vntounto thē: finally the Lord worketh his worke by them, and also worketh in them to wyll & to performe. But by the wicked, as by Satā, or by men, in so far as they are not regenerate or borne anew, as often as the Lorde executeth or perfourmeth the iust counselles and decrees of his euerlasting wyll, hée in deede sheweth forth his strength and efficacy in his worke by them, eyther not knowing o… it, or against their wylles and purposes: but yet in so farre as they worke their owne worke the Lord worketh not in them, but l…tteth lose the reines vntounto Sathan, to whome by hys iust iudgement he geueth them ouer being wicked, to be moued and stirred forward, that they maye be caried away of their owne wyll and his.
¶Therefore we doo not refuse this terme, suffering, or graunting, neyther yet came it in our mindes, to says that God so worketh in the euyll, as hee doeth in the good. But because that Sophisters hauehave corrupted the difference of wyll and sufferaunce, which Augustine no doubt tooke of the Gréekes, and they receyued from Augustine, therfore doo we s…atly refuse it.
¶For the Sophisters set wyll against permission, or sufferaunce: wherof doth follow y• God sufferth the things which he suffreth, eyther against his wyl, or at lest wise being idle, & not caring for the… But contrarywise, least we shoulde eyther take from God his endles and vnmeasurable power, or after the opinion of the Epicures, say as the thing indéede is, that God neither worketh any thing by instruments, but wyllyngly, nor yet suffereth the instrumentes to worke, but wyllingly, yet in suche forte that what soeuer hee worketh, hee worketh most iustly and what soeuer he permitteth or suffreth he most iustly suffereth.
¶And God worketh in respe…e of his owne worke: and permitteth or suffereth in respecte of the worke that the euyll instrumentes doo of their own… accorde worke, or in so farre as they are actiue and not passiue instrumentes, that wée may keepe the termes vsed in the scholes. Yet doth God iustly suffer the thing that these instrumentes vniustly worke for because that sinnes, in so farre as they are suffered by God that wylleth, are not sinnes: but punishmentes of sinne. For with God it is a iust thing to punish sinnes with sinnes. But these selfe same actions in so farre as they come from Sathan, and euyll men prouoked by Sathan and their owne concupisence or lust, are so farre sinnes, which the Lord in his time doth iustly punish. For the Lord doth neuer suffer sinnes so far as they are sinnes, nay he doth alwayes forbid them.
¶Neyther is this consequence or reason good: God wylleth all thinges, therefore he aloweth all things. For he wylleth many thinges, and therefore suffereth them, not because hée simplye aloweth of them, but after a certaine sort, for he aloweth them, so farre as hee suffereth them, euen so farre as they are no sinnes, as we sayde euen nowe: But he disaloweth & punisheth them, so farre as he hath respect or loketh vntounto the euyl instrumentes, whose actions they are.
These are Augustines wordes, Enchirid. ad Laurent. Cap. …00. Calu. instit. lib. 1. Cap. 18. Sec. 3.Great are the vvorkes of the Lorde, for they are excellent in all his vvylles, so that after a wonderful and vnspeakable maner that commeth not to passe besides his vvyll, vvhichwhich is done against his vvyll: because it should not come to passe if he vvould not suffer it: and doubtles he suffereth it not vnwylling, but vvylling. The same Augustine, Lib. 5. Contr. Iulian. Cap. 3. When as he had of purpose disputed against them which make an ydle foreknowledge or sufferāce, at length he bursteth forth into these wordes… VVe doubtles (sayeth hée) if vve suffer those ouer vvhome vvee hauehave power, to doo vvickednesse before our eyes, shall be guiltie vvith them. But howe innumerable thinges doeth hée suffer (speaking of God) To bee done before his eyes, vvhichwhich doubtles if he vvoulde not, …e vvould by no meanes suffer? And yet he is both iust and good.
The whole Scripture beareth wytnesse, and verie common sence or reason …oeth tell vsus, that without the wyll of God nothing is done, no not of those things which séeme most chiefly to come to passe by chance or fortune: as Gen. 27 20. God is sayd quickly to hauehave brought the praye vntounto Iacob his handes. And …xod. 21 …3. As often as murther is committed at vnwares, the Lorde, sayeth Moyses, caused him to come into thine handes. The selfe same thing is taught …s concerning the falling out of Lottes, Prouerb. 16. 33. As concerning all the …ounselles of men, Dan. 4. 32. Of the falling of Sparrowes, Math. 10. 29. To bee shorte, of all thinges without exception, Ephe. 1. 11.
¶And that the wyll of God, yea and the same most effectually, doth then also …teppe in, when as hée worketh by th… wicked, may plainly appeare almost i… eueryevery leafe of the scripture. So is …e sai… to hauehave sent Ioseph into Egipt. Gen. 45… 8. So he stirred vp Pharao to declare hi… power in him. Exod. 4. 21. So he gau… Dauid his wyues vntounto his sonne Absolom, 2. Sam. 12. 11. So he moued the heart of Dauid to number the people, 2. Sam. 24. 1. So he commaunded Semei to curse Dauid, 2. Sam. 16. 10. So Dauid calleth his enemies the sword & hand of the Lord, Psal. 17. 13. 14. So the Lorde calleth the Medes and Persians his sanctified, and the instrumentes of his wrath, Esa. 10. 5. and, 13. 6. So he calleth the falling away of the ten Tribes his worke, 2. Paralip. 11. 4. So Iob sayth, the Lord geneth, and the Lorde hath taken awaye, Iob. 1. 21. So the King of Babilon is compared vntounto an Are and a Sawe, to wyt, because the Lorde executed or brought to passe his worke by him, thinking on no such thing, Esa. 10. 1…. So the godly are afflicted or troubled, by the wyll and Predestination, or foreordayning of God, Rom. 8. 29. and. 1 Pet. 3. 17. and. 4. 19 So there is no euyll in the Cittie w…ch the Lord hath not done, Amos. 3. 6. and Ierem. Lament. 3. 37. 38. Who is …he then, (…ayeth he) which hath sayde, and it commeth to passe, and the Lorde … not commaunded? out of the mouth of the Lorde procéedeth there not good and euyll.
¶Goe to then, let for example bée chosen the most excellent, and also the … wicked deede that euer was: The m…st excellent, if we beholde eyther h… the endlesse iustice, and merciemercy of … Father, or the infinite obedience and louelove of the Sonne: But the most wycked, if we consider the instruments themselues, to wyt, Satan, Iudas, the Iewes, Pylate, and Herode. This déede (vvee speake of) is, the death of the …nne of God, full of crueltie and re…che. In this facte, if we denie the euerlasting counsel of God to hauehave stepp…d in, wée shall be conuinced or proued to speake false by infinite testymonies of the Scripture. For sure it is, that wée were not chosen before the foundations of the worlde were layde, but onlye in him appoynted to dye, Ephes. 1… 4… and. 1. Peter. 1. 20. Wherefore he is also called the Lambe slaine from the begynning of the world, Apoc. 13. 8. T… wyt, not onelyonly by the fore knowledge but especially by the determined counsell of God, in so much that Herode and Pylate, alt…ough thinkyng of no su…h thing, yet therefore came togeather… to fulfyll such thinges as the hande and counsell of the Lorde had decreede to be done, Act. 4. 28. Therefore he could not be taken but at his howre, Iohn. 7. 30. and 8. 29: and. 12 27. For he was delyuered by the determyned counsell o… God, and decrée before going, Act. 2. 29… And was wounded of God for our iniquityes, Esai. 53. 5. For God is he who spared not his own sonne, but gaue him for vsus all. Rom. 8. 32. Therefore if there were but this one example of God his euerlasting prouidence, which neuer is ydle, it were abundantly inough to suffice to cōuince or reproue al those which falsely crye out, that God is made the Authour of sinne, when as we saye that nothing commeth to passe, but by the righteous wyll of God.
¶And yet doo we not therfore excuse, but rather most sharply accuse Sathan workyng in the disobedient chyldren, (Eph. 2. 2.) Euen then also when as the Lorde most effectually, or strongly, and most iustly bringeth his worke to passe, both by Satan him selfe, and also by the bonde slaues of Satan, 2. Tim. 2. 26. Wherefore wée doo euerye where acknowledge and reuerence the goodnesse and iudgements of God, albeit the reason of them many tymes doo not to vsus appeare. And wée condempne both the instruments which are …uyll, and also naughtie & wicked actions, to wyt, al the counsels and subtilties of Satan: the enuie of Iosephes brethren, and the selling of theyr brother: the vngodlines and hardnesse of Pharao: Absalom his mynde bent to kyll his Father, and his detestable incest: the vnaduisednesse also of Dauid him selfe: the wickednesse of Semei: the malyce and treacherie of Dauid his enemies: the wycked fallyng away of Ier…boam, and the tenne Trybes: the rauennie of the Chaldeans: the vnsatiable couetousnesse, incredible Leacherie, intollerable arrogancie of the Babylonians? to be short, all the wicked counselles, and most sauage cruelt…e of the vngodlye against the Church.
¶It is also manifest by very many and most plaine testymonies of the Scripture, that God doeth punishe sinnes with sinnes, and that with no ydle, but very strong and effectuall, yet notwithstanding, most iuste permission or sufferaunce. For it is hee that geueth Kinges in his anger, Nehem. 9. 37. and Iob 34. 30. It is hee that causeth to erre, Esa. 63. 17. Because he mingleth among them the spyrite of erro…r, Esai. 19… 14. It is hée which hardeneth and turneth the hartes which blindeth the eyes, which maketh druncke with the wyne of gyddinesse, Exod. 4. 21. and 7. 3. and. 9. 12. and. 10. 1. and. 11. 10. and 14. 4. Deut. 2 29. Ios. 11. 20. and. 1. Sam 2. 2, and. 2. Paral. 22. 7. Psal. 105. 25. It is h… that punisheth his contempt, geuing men vp into a reprobate mind, Rom. 1. 28. And sending the strength of …rrour to beleeue a lye, 2. Thes. 2. 11. It is hee which disceaueth Prophetes, Ezech. 14. 9. Finally, it is hee that sendeth also euyll spyrites, geuing them commaundement to hurt, and graunting them also efficacie or power to disceaue, as. 1. King. 22. 22. 23. and. 2. Chro. 18. 21. 22. Iob. 1. 12. and. 2. 16.
These thinges being thus manyfest by these so playne testimonies, let the Pellagians, Freewyllians, Annabaptystes, Papistes, and the rest of that fylthie rabble, crye out if they lyst, tyll they waxe hoarse, and their heartes ake agayne, that wée make God the Authour of sinne, from which blasphemie wee are as farre, as they are voide of Christian charitie, in so iudging of vsus, ascribyng vntounto God his prouidence the whole swinge in all thinges, which as they procéede from him (as hath béene shewed before) are verie good, albeit in respecte of the instrumentes, whereby it pleaseth him in iustice sometyme to worke by, they maye bee verie euyll.
FINIS.