A Christian Instruction Containing the Law and the Gospel, Exposition 2 · Part 33
Of the maruellous counſel of God which is declared in the fall and the reſtoring of man: and wherin it is different, or like to that which he hath declared in the fall of the euill Angels, and in the conſeruation of the good.
D.
THat which thou ſaieſt is true: and there is no doubt but yt man ſhold hauehave bene euen like vntounto the deuill, vntounto whom he did ioyne himſelfe, if God had cleane left him and forſaken him in that eſtate, wherevnto throughe hys ingratitude and rebellion hée had brought hymſelfe, as he dyd leaue and forſake the deuell. But GOD hath agayne in thys vſed a maruellous counſell and meane, he dyd not ſuffer in the nature of Angels that he had created, that al ſhould fall, but dyd preſerue a parte, in ſuche ſorte that they dyd not part take of the tranſgreſſion and corruption of the others. And as hee doth ſo conſerue thoſe which doe contynue in their fyrſte eſtate, that they can not fall: euen ſo hathe hée in ſuche ſorte lefte the others which are fallen, that neuer after they were able to riſe agayne, nor neuer ſhall.1. Peter. 2. Mat. 26. Rom. 5. 2. cor. 15. On the other ſyde, he hath ſuffered all mankynde to fall and bée corrupted, and all the nature of man in the firſte man that hée made, which is to ſaye in the ſpring of the ſame. But on the other ſide, hée hath vſed ſuch moderation, that hée hath not willed not withſtanding that all thoſe whych were comprehended in this fall, ſhoulde periſhe eternallye as ſhall hée that was the firſte cauſe thereof, to witte the Deuill, who dyd drawe the fyrſte manne into ſuche perdition wyth hym. But as ſoone as the faulte was commytted, throughe the Deuylles intycing, God foorthe wyth dydde fynde remedye for this great miſchiefe, and a meane to repare his worke and his creature, which his aduerſarie had deſtroyed The which remedy he had already prepared through the eternall counſell and firme purpoſe of his election, through the which he dyd choſe & prepare in his ſonne Ieſus Chriſt the veſſels of merciemercy, not onelyonly before ye wounde was giuen to the whole bodye & perſon of all mankinde, but alſo before the creation of the worlde: wherein hée ſitteth forth the iuſtice of his iudgement, and his grace and mercy together, & how that he is the author of all goodnes, euen as his aduerſarie is author of al euil. For if God ſhoulde hauehave reſtored the nature of the Angels whiche was fallen, as hee did repare the nature of man, it mought hauehave bene thought yt the Angels which were fallen, had raiſed vp themſelues againe: or els that their fall had not ben ſo great and horrible as it is, nor the offence ſo odiouſe and ſo deteſtable before God. Alſo his iuſtice, his grace and his mercy had not bene ſo wel declared. For it was requiſite that the Angels which dyd offend, ſhould carry vponupon them a perpetual teſtimonie, of their tranſgreſſion and rebellion, and that they ſhoulde know howe good a thing it was to dwell vnited with God, and how euill to be ſeparated from him. Afterwarde man maye iudge what force and power he may hauehave of himſelfe to raiſe vp himſelfe, and to ſaue himſelfe, cōſidering what the burthen of the wrath of God is, that the Deuills beare. For if theſe creatures which were created ſo excellent, cannot beare ſuch a burthen, nor of themſelues diſcharge them of it, but that they muſt be ſwallowed vp euen into hell, how ſhall man then beare it that is but a worme of the earth,2. Peter. 3. and how ſhal he deliuer himſelfe? Further if that God hauehave not ſpared that Angelicall nature, and thoſe heauenly creatures, how doth he thinke to eſcape his iudgement, if it be not only through his grace and merciemercy? On the contrary, if he had as well ſuffered the one ſorte as the other to fall, and had lefte them all in like damnation, his grace, his power, and his merciemercy ſhoulde not hauehave bin ſo knowne as it is, and if he ſhoulde hauehave reſtored the one ſorte and lefte the other, it moughte hauehave ſéemed that he had wanted power to conſerue his creatures in that eſtate wherein he had created them: or elſe that he had not had ſo great a care for them, that he would ſo do, if he ſhould hauehave done the like in man: it ſhuld hauehave ſéemed on the other ſide, that it had not bin in his power, or elſe that he had not had the care and the will to repare the creature that ſhould hauehave offended, but only to hauehave cōſerued and mainteyned him in his firſt eſtate ſo long as he ſhould perſeuer in the ſame. But he hath declared by the meane that he hath obſerued, all theſe things togither. The firſte, that there is no creature whatſoeuer he be that can of himſelfe be mainteyned, how excellēt ſo euer he be. Further, that he hath alway power to preſerue them al in their eſtate, if it pleaſe him, and to reſtore them althogh they had offended and tranſgreſſed, the whiche can be done by none other meane, but by his only power and grace. Then, euen as mā may be recouered and reſtored to his firſte eſtate, through his grace and merciemercy, euen ſo on the contrary, abiding ſtill in his nature, ſuche as it is at this preſente, he may by meane of his wicked will do nothing elſe but euill withoute any conſtrainte, other than of his owne malice.