Common Places, Part 3 · Chapter 1 · Section 2
VVhether God would kill or deſtroie anie man.
In 1. Sam. 2, verſe. 25.59 But there ariſeth a doubt, whether God would kill or deſtroie anie man: for it is written, that The ſonnes of Helie hard not their fathers words, bicauſe the Lord would ſlaie them. In the 18. and 33. chapters (for both the chapters are of one argument, Ezec. 18, & 33, 11.although Ierom ſhewed ſome difference betwéene them, yet ſo ſmall, as it maketh in a maner no matter) Ezechiel, That God would not the death of a ſinner. verſe. 21.vnderunder the perſon of God ſaith; As trulie as I liue, I will not the death of a ſinner, but that he conuert and liue. And in Eſaie 28. chapter, it is read; I, ſaith the Lord, will doo a ſtrange worke; namelie, to puniſh you: wherevpon it is gathered, that it is farre from the nature of God to laie puniſhments vponupon vsus for ſinnes. Wherefore it is euerie-where pronounced of the church, that the propertie of God is to forgiue, and to be mercifull. Ibidem. 13.And in the firſt chapter of Wiſedome (if yet we ſhall allow of that booke) it is written; God made not death, Wiſd. 1, 13.nor delighteth in the deſtruction of the liuing. Furthermore, the name of the verie ſame GOD is called in the holie ſcriptures Iehouah; which ſoundeth nothing elſe, than Being, or, To be. Wherefore Auguſtine in his booke De vera religione, the twelfe chapter ſaith; that The nature of God is To be; forſomuch as all things hauehave from thence euen that being that they hauehave. But death bringeth to paſſe, that things ceaſe to be; ſo that it ſéemeth not to procéed from God. And in Geneſis it is written, that God made man a liuing ſoule. Geneſ. 2, 7.wherevpon it followeth, Diuers teſtimonies that God will not the death of a ſinner. Iere. 29, 11.that he did not ſo make him, that he would deſtroie him; but rather that he ſhould liue. And in the 29. chapter of Ieremie it is ſaid; My thoughts are the thoughts of peace, and not of affliction, ſaith the Lord. Neuertheles, we vnderſtand here, that he would deſtroie the ſonnes of Helie. And Ieremie in the lamentations ſaith, Lamen 2, 8.that God minded to ouerthrowe the wall of Zion. And in Zacharie it is ſaid; Euen as God thought to puniſh you, Zach. 8, 14.what time as your fathers prouoked him to wrath: ſo now hauehave I determined to doo well vntounto you. And there is a place extant in the 14. chapter of Eſaie, Eſai. 14, 24.wherein by manifeſt words it is declared, that God conſulted and decréed with himſelfe vtterlie to deſtroie the Babylonians and Aſſyrians. And verie manie teſtimonies, for the confirmation of this matter, might be gathered out of the holie ſcriptures: but bicauſe wée méete with them euerie-where, I will paſſe them ouer.
60 As touching the diſcourſe which we hauehave in hand; firſt we muſt determine of ſome certeine thing; ſecondlie, we muſt incounter the teſtimonies and reaſons, which may ſéeme to be againſt the definition ſet downe. Firſt of all, Death diſtinguiſhed.the nature of death is to be diſtinguiſhed: bicauſe there is one of the ſoule, and another of the bodie. As touching that of the bodie, it would be ſuperfluous to ſaie anie thing; ſéeing by the ſenſe we perceiue the ſame to be nothing elſe, but a departure of the ſoule from the fleſh. Wherfore, on the other ſide we affirme, that the death of the ſoule dooth then happen, when we for ſinne ſake are ſeparated frō God. VntoUnto theſe things, That the death of the bodie dooth depend of the death of the ſoule. Rom. 5, 12.this alſo is to be added, that the death of the bodie dooth depend of the death of the ſoule; for vnles that had gone before, this ſhould not followe: wherevpon Paule moſt trulie wrote; that By ſinne came death into the world. Onelie Chriſt is here to be excepted, who onelie died without ſinne: albeit that neither he, in verie déed, died altogither without ſinne, ſéeing that he bare our ſins on his bodie vponupon the croſſe. 1. Pet. 2, 24.But the procurer of death (as Auguſtine ſaith in his fourth booke De ciuitate Dei, Auguſtine.the 12. chapter) was the diuell: for he was therefore of Iohn called A murtherer euen from the beginning, Iohn. 1, 44.bicauſe he perſuaded the firſt men vntounto ſinne. Euen as Chriſt therefore is the mediator of life, ſo is the diuell, of death. And it is written, that Sinne entred into the world by one man, bicauſe that ſame one, that is, the firſt man, was corrupted by the diuell. In what reſpect God made deathTherefore ſaith Auguſtine; God made not death abſolutelie and by it ſelfe, but for a iuſt recompenſe impoſed the ſame vpō ſinners. For in verie déed it is one thing to produce a thing abſolutelie, and by it ſelfe; and another thing iuſtlie to lay it vponupon vsus; for all things that are doone of God by themſelues, are in verie déed good: Gen. 1, 31.for God ſawe all things that he had made, and they were verie good.
Thoſe things alſo which are laid vponupon vsus for a reward of ſinnes, although in their owne nature they be euill, that is to ſaie, againſt our nature; yet ſo far foorth as they hauehave the nature of iuſtice, they ought to be counted for good things. For the plaine declaration whereof, Auguſtine vſeth a verie apt ſimilitiude; Auguſtine.When a iudge condemneth a man to execution, A ſimilitude.he is not properlie ſaid to hauehave doone the execution, ſeeing the guiltie man procured the ſame to himſelfe. Wherefore there is a certeine will of God abſolute, and another (as Auguſtine calleth it) recompenſing, One will of God abſolute and another recompenſingTo whether of thoſe belongeth the preſent place, wherein it is ſaid, that God would deſtroie the ſons of Helie? Whether ſhall we vnderſtand it of the abſolute will, or of the recompenſing will? Doubtleſſe of the recompenſing; bicauſe of the abſolute will it muſt not be vnderſtood. Therefore (ſaith Auguſtine) it is moſt iuſt, that when our ſoule ſhall of his owne will depart from God, it ſhould be ſeparated from his bodie, whether it will or no. In like maner, there would be a difference put betwéene the conditions of ſinners; The conditions of ſinners muſt be conſidered.for there be ſome of them which ſorrowe that they hauehave ſinned, and whom it repenteth of their ſinnes committed: theſe men, as they belong to the election, euen ſo doo they exerciſe the faith wherewith they are adorned.
61 Of this kind of ſinners ſpeaketh God, when he ſaith in Ezechiel; Ezech. 18. and 33, 11.I will not the death of a ſinner. And this will of God is ſo firme and ſtedfaſt, as he confirmeth the ſame with an oth; As trulie as I liue (ſaith he) I will not the death of a ſinner. But others doo ſo ſticke in their wickedneſſe, as they are neuer led with anie repentance; forſomuch as they belong to the number of the reprobates: theſe men aſſuredlie God would hauehave to die. And for a truth, after that they hauehave fulfilled the meaſure of their gréeuous ſinnes, it is requiſite that they ſhould die; that one daie at the length they may make an end of their ſinning. Therefore, whereas the prophet ſaith vnderunder the perſon of God, that He will not the death of a ſinner, it muſt not be vnderſtood vniuerſallie, as touching all; but of ſome certeine. We might alſo adde with manie diuines that there is a certeine will of God, One will of God effectuall, and another ſignified.which they call effectuall; and alſo another of the ſigne: for there are giuen to all men one with another certeine ſignes of ſaluation; ſuch as are outward vocation, which dooth chéefelie conſiſt of the word of God, of preaching, and of the adminiſtration of the ſacraments. Another will there is of God ſecret, which is called effectuall; and belongeth not vntounto all men togither: for if it comprehended all men, no doubt but all men ſhould be ſaued. For ſuch is the ſtrength and power of God, as of him the ſcriptures pronounce; Pſal. 135, 6.He hath done all things whatſoeuer he would. So that the prophet Ezechiel ment, that our puniſhments muſt not be aſcribed to God; Ezec. 33, 11.but rather to the ſinnes of our owne ſelues.
And when he addeth, that God would, that men ſhould conuert and liue; that muſt not ſo be vnderſtood, as though we may obteine eternall life by the merit of repentance; ſéeing we obteine that by faith, which onlie procureth to vsus the merciemercy of God, through Chriſt. And no leſſe is repentance than our faith to be reckoned among the gifts of God. And vndoubtedlie, Faith and repentance gifts of God alike. 2. Tim. 2, 25. Phil. 1, 29.as touching repentance, Paule ſpeaketh vntounto Timothie; If peraduenture God ſhall giuegive them repentance: but of faith it is written to the Philippians; God hath not onlie giuen it vntounto you, that you ſhould beleeue, but alſo to ſuffer for his ſake. And vntounto the Epheſians; Epheſ. 2, 8.By faith ye are ſaued, and that not of your ſelues, it is the gift of God. Verelie we hauehave theſe things by the liberalitie of God, not of our owne ſtrength; bicauſe we are not ſufficient of our ſelues, as of our ſelues, to further anie thing vntounto our ſaluation; 2. Cor, 3, 5. Phil. 2, 13.For it is God that worketh in vsus both to will and to perfourme: wherfore not ſome part of our ſaluation, but the whole dependeth of God. But and if thou ſhalt demand, whie God beſtoweth theſe his gifts rather on this man, than on that? It is a thing vnſearchable. This ought to ſatisfie vsus, to confeſſe, that whatſoeuer he dooth, he dooth it rightlie and iſutlie.
62 But whereas Eſaie ſaith; Eſai. 28, 21.that God dooth a ſtrange worke, when he bringeth iuſt puniſhments vponupon the wicked; it is no hard matter to make it agrée with the ſentence that we hauehave ſet downe, ſéeing that God, of his owne accord, and without iuſt cauſe inferreth no euill: for he is prouoked by our ſinnes, and he recompenſeth our wickednes with a iuſt damnation. Neuertheles, in that place a ſtrange worke ſéemes vntounto me to ſignifie a worke vnaccuſtomed, How it is a ſtrange worke vntounto God to puniſh euils.not ſéene, nor heard of before: as if God ſhould ſaie; I will bring vponupon you, not an ordinarie and dailie puniſhment, but a notable and woonderfull puniſhment. He that ſhall after this maner vnderſtand the words of the prophet, in my iudgement he ſhall varie from the naturall ſenſe thereof. And whereas it is written in the firſt chapter of the booke of Wiſedome, How God made not death. Wild. 1, 13.that God made not death, nor delighteth in the deſtruction of the liuing, it is (as I thinke) plainlie enough to be vnderſtood by thoſe things, which are alreadie ſpoken. For we may vnderſtand, that God made not death, bicauſe we by our ſins hauehave drawne it vntounto vsus: but yet we muſt not therefore affirme, that the ſame is no maner of waie deriued from God. Neither muſt Made or Ordeined be vrged vehementlie in that place, otherwiſe it might be againe obiected againſt them out of the 11. chapter of Eccleſiaſticus, verſe. 14.that Death and life, good and euill, pouertie and riches are of God. And whereas it is added, that God reioiſeth not at the deſtruction of the liuing; that is true as touching the predeſtinate, ſéeing of them he ſuffereth none to periſh: when otherwiſe of the reprobate it is ſaid in the firſt chapter of the Prouerbs; verſe. 26.I alſo will reioiſe in your deſtruction: for God is not led vnwillinglie or violentlie, but willinglie and gladlie to deſtroie the vngodlie. Moreouer, truth it is, that man at the beginning was created a liuing ſoule: and God for that cauſe may ſéeme not to be the author of death, Geneſ. 2, 7.bicauſe he created man, that he might liue; who afterward by his owne fault, procured death vntounto himſelfe.
But yet herevnto I adde, that man could not hauehave life, without the ſpeciall benefit of God; for he giueth it at his will and pleaſure to whom he thinketh good. And vndoubtedlie that is true, which he himſelfe ſpeaketh in Ieremie; that His thoughts are the thoughts of peace, Iere. 29, 11. How God is to be vnderſtood to thinke the thoughts of peace.and not of affliction. Firſt, bicauſe that death, and hir reteiners are (as it hath béene ſaid) drawne to vsus by our owne ſelues. Further, it muſt not be lightlie weighed, which is afterward written in the prophet vntounto the houſe of Iſrael, that is, vntounto the elect, and them that are predeſtinate to ſaluation: for vntounto them GOD intendeth nothing but for their ſaluation. As touching the name of Iehouah, by which God is ſpeciallie named; bicauſe all things hauehave of him euen the verie being which they hauehave; and that therefore death, ſéeing it bringeth a man to nothing, cannot ſéeme to hauehave his cauſe of God, it is to be vnderſtood, that death is ordeined for men as a puniſhment of ſinne, and is laid vponupon them that deſerue it. Neither doo we denie, but that God of himſelfe is life; ſéeing the eſſence of althings dependeth of him, as of the fountaine. Which neuertheles is not ſo, but that he can withdrawe the ſame, ſo often as he thinks good; for whatſoeuer he dooth, he dooth it voluntarilie, and of his owne accord: not as dooth the ſunne, the ſtars, the moone, the fire, and other naturall things, which worke naturallie, and of a certeine neceſſitie. Therefore Dauid wiſelie ſaid; Pſal. 104, 28When thou openeſt thy hand, all things ſhall be filled with goodnes, which if thou plucke backe againe, and once dooeſt cloſe, all things ſhall ſtraitwaie be deſtroied. Howbeit, he cloſeth not his hand, except he be prouoked by our ill deſerts.Looke the Theſes De praedestinatione & prouidentia at the end of the Common places in Latin.