A Christian Instruction Containing the Law and the Gospel, Exposition 2 · Part 34
Hovv that al that vvhichwhich hath bin don as vvell in the fall and conſeruation of the Angells, as in the fall and reſtoring of man, tendeth to the glory of God, and hovv that ſame only reaſon ought to content vsus in the doctrine of predeſtination.
T.
BY that whiche I may vnderſtande, all that which was done in all theſe thinges, tendeth ſtill to the glory of God, to the whiche we muſt referre all the ordinaunces of his prouidence, as to ye principal end, whervnto he hath chiefe regard aboue al, in all his works, & wherevnto it behoueth to frame all other purpoſes.
D.
Thou haſt wel vnderſtood it & wel cōcluded. Therfore it is writē, yt the Lord hath made all thing for himſelfe, yea ye wicked for the euil day: & S. Paule ſpeaking of ye eternall election of God, ſaith,Proue. 16 Ephe. 1. who hathe before ordeyned vsus for to be adopted vntounto himſelfe through Ieſus Chriſt, according to the good pleaſure of his will, to ye praiſe of the glory of his grace, wherewith he hath made vsus accepted in the beloued. Seing it is ſo, what iuſt occaſion maye men hauehave of offence in the doctrine of predeſtination, for ought not the glory of God to be preferred to all creatures? And if that al the creatures ſhould periſh, wherefore ſhould we thinke it ſtraunge, if god were glorified in their perdition, and that it did ſo pleaſe him?
T.
No man ought to finde that ſtraunge, excepte he do more eſtéeme the creature than the Creator.
D.
Therefore it is playne that this offence whiche many giuegive vntounto themſelues in the matter of reprobation of the reprobates, procedeth not but from a maruellous greate pride and arrogancie of the fleſh, whiche eſtemeth itſelfe more than it ought to do, for if it had ſo ſmall an eſtimation of it ſelfe as the worthyneſſe therof requireth, and did eſtéeme God & his glory ſo muche as it ought to do, he ſhould not onelyonly not finde it ſtraunge to knowe that god hath ordeyned to be glorified in the damnation of ſome: no, although it ſhould be done with his owne perſon, he ſhoulde glorifie God in his iuſt iudgement, he would not murmure againſt him to wage the lawe with him, and to play the lawyer, and to pleade againſte him, to mainteyne the cauſe of the reprobates, accuſing hym as though he ſhould do them wrong: but rather, he would deſire himſelfe to be damned, as Saincte Paule deſired for his bretherne the Iſraelites, if it were poſſible,Rom. 9. that it moughte be done, and that God mought be the more magnified and glorified therein. From whēce then come theſe cōtrary thoughts, but only of the horrible pride that is in our corrupted nature? for what are we? from whence came we? what wrong may God do vntounto vsus? wherin are we able to accuſe him, or attribute vntounto him the faulte of our offences, and of oure damnation, and to ſet him in the place of the Deuill author of ſinne, conſidering that what determination ſo euer he hauehave made of vsus, we cānot complaine that we hauehave any other force, violence, & conſtrainte to do euill, but onelyonly of oure owne wicked concupiſcence, vnleſſe that happily we would complayne in that that he hath not made vsus ſuche as coulde not ſinne, or elſe hauing ſinned, that he dothe not beſtow vppon all like grace, and that he dothe not ſaue all, forſomuche as he moughte if that he woulde, otherwiſe he ſhoulde not be God, nor almightie: but it hath pleaſed him, & that not without good and iuſt cauſe, the whiche is continually ſuch, albeit that we cannot vnderſtand it. Therefore we muſt continually ſay with the Prophete, that oure damnation is of our ſelues,Oſ…e 13. Rom. 9. and our ſaluation of God only, and ſay with S. Paule. But o thou mā what arte thou that pleadeſt againſt god, ſhall the thing that is faſhioned ſay vntounto him that faſhioned it, why haſt thou ſhaped and made me thus? The potter hathe he not power of the clay to make of one very lumpe, one veſſel to honoure, and an other to diſhonor? And what if God wold to ſhewe his wrath, and to make his power knowne, ſuffer with great pacience the veſſells of wrath prepared to perdition? and to ſhewe the riches of his glory vppon the veſſells of his merciemercy,Rom. …1. which he hath prepared to glorye? and agayne. O ye déepeneſſe of the riches of the wiſedome and knowledge of God: his iudgementes are not to be ſearched out, and his wayes are impoſſible to be found.Eſay. 40. For who is he that hath knowne the Lordes intente? or who hath bin his counſellor? or who is he that gaue to him firſte, and he ſhalbe recompenced.