A Christian Instruction Containing the Law and the Gospel, Exposition 2 · Part 30
Of the maruelous counſel of God vvhichwhich was declared in the fal of the angels, which are fallen from their firſt eſtate: and in the preſeruation of thoſe which did continue firme and ſtedfaſt, and how he hath declared the iuſtice of his iudgement towards the one ſort, & the riches of his grace towards the others.
T.
IF the men which ar ſo troubled with the doctrine of Predeſtination, did well conſider that which thou ſayſt, they ſhould not hauehave, in my opinion, occaſion ſo to trouble themſelues▪ for theſe things wherof thou ſpeakeſt, did not come to paſſe withoute the knowledge, counſell, foreſyghte, and ordinaunce of GOD. What wil mans reaſon ſay then therof, wil it ſay, that God hath done wrong to thoſe that are falne, bicauſe that he did not ſuſtain & confirm thē as he did the others? but if that had bin done, this wherof thou ſpeakeſt, had not ben ſo manifeſtly declared, nor yet the nature and the maieſtie and the excellencie that he hath ouer all creatures, yea the moſt noble and moſte excellent that are, ſhoulde not hauehave ben ſo well ſet foorth.
D.
It is very true: On the other ſyde, if they had all fallen indifferently, the excellencie of the nature wherin god had created them, nor yet the power wherby god did make them, ſhold not hauehave ben ſo well knowne, nor yet his grace toward them, as it is knowne. For in conſidering the difference that is betwéen the diuels & the Angels of heauen, we ſée how excellent the nature of Angels is, & alſo that which they hauehave receiued of God in his creation: we ſee on the other ſide in the deuils what it is that the creature can do of himſelf, how excellent ſoeuer it be, except it be preſerued by god, who hath created it: on the contrary, wée ſée in the other angels, the double grace that God hath beſtowed vponupon them. The firſt in their creation which they had cō mon with the reſt that are fallen, before they did fal. The ſecond is, in the conſeruation of the nature whiche was firſt giuen vntounto them, & in the confirmation in the ſame through his grace, which the others wanted: which is the very cauſe of the diuerſitie that now is betwéen them: which diuerſitie doth not let notwithſtā ding but that the diuels do continue ſtill angels in the ſame ſubſtaunce that they were created in: but the difference is great in the qualitie, that is to ſay, in that that the one ſort are not only angels, but are good angels, perſeuering in the firſte goodneſſe that they receiued of God in the beginning, in their creatiō: frō which notwithſtanding, they mought as well hauehave fallen as ye others, if yt God by his ſpecial grace had not ſuſtained them, & had not otherwiſe diſpoſed & ordeined: Wherfore it is not writtē without cauſe,Ephe. 3. Colloſs. 1. yt all is reſtored by Ieſus Chryſte, aſwel in heauē as in earth, & that all conſiſt by him & in him. The other on ye other ſide are called not only angels, but wicked angels & deuils, bicauſe that they did not perſeuere in ye firſt goodnes, wherin they were created, but turning from him frō whence ye ſame proceeded, they were put frō it: & in the ſtead of the ſame, malice & wickednes is come in place, whiche is nothing elſe but lack & priuation of goodnes, which is changed into an euil qualitie, which doth corrupt the creature yt was created good, & maketh the natures contrary, which wer before like.Iohn. 8. For ye ſame cauſe Ieſus chriſt hath ſayd, that the diuel is a lier from the beginning: that is to ſay, euē frō the time that he was firſt a diuel, and not fom the time yt he was firſt made an angel, & that when he doth ſpeak lies, he ſpeaketh that which is his own. And therfore he addeth vntounto it, that he did not abyde ſtill in the truth: for he hath nothing of God which is truth, but that whiche he now hath of euill, is of himſelfe.