Commentary on Genesis and Exodus, Book 2 · Chapter 15 · Confutations
5. Places of confutation.
1. Confut. Against uncertainty or doubtfulnesse of salvation.
Vers. 13. THou wilt carry thy people. But in the Hebrew it is …achitha, thou hast carried: Propter certitudinem fidei, sic de futuris loquitur, ut de praeteritis: For the certainty of faith, hee so speaketh of things to come, as already past. Ferus. As S. Paul saith, By his mercy he saved us. Tit. 3.6. whereas yet we are not saved, but are assured of our salvation by faith in Christ This then sheweth the absurdity of popish doctrine, that counteth it presumption for any man to be assured of his salvation.
2. Confut. Against the Maniches.
Vers. 25. ANd there he proved him. The Maniches upon the like place, where the Lord is said to tempt Abraham, thus objected: Egone Deum colam qui tentat? shall I worship a God that tempteth? These Maniches rejected the old Testament, and the Author thereof, they made two beginnings, one of evill, the other of good, two chiefe Princes, the one of darknesse, to whom they ascribed the old Testament, the other the Prince of light, whom they held to be the Author of the new Testament. S… displiceat tibi Deus tentans, displiceat & Christus tentans: If God displease thee, because he tempteth, then must Christ also displease thee, because he is said also to tempt: As he said to Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that th…se may eat? Ioh. 6.5. then it followeth, This he said to prove or tempt him, for he himselfe knew what he would doe. Christ is said to prove him, that is, to see what he would say: so, Deo tentante id quod occultum est proditur: God tempteth, that what is hid may bee bewrayed: Deus tentat ut d…ceat, and God tempteth to teach and instruct: August. de tempore, serm. 7…. See before quest. 50.51.
3. Confut. Against free will.
Vers. 26. IF thou wilt give eare unto his commandements. These and the like places are urged by the Romanists, to prove freewill, as Esay. 1.19. If yee consent and obey, yee shall eat the good things of the land: upon these and such other places, they argue thus: If it bee in our power to performe these conditions, then have wee free will, if not, to what end are they propounded? Bellarm. lib. 5. de grat. cap. 19.
Contra. This argument consisteth upon a disjunctive proposition: These places either shew free will, or else they are propounded in vaine. First therefore, I answer, that according to their collection, these places as well shew, that a man hath power of himselfe to keepe the Commandements, as that hee hath free will: But this S. Paul denieth, and thereupon hee concludeth, that every one that is of the workes of the Law, is under the curse, because they cannot keep… it, Secondly, these places being urged in their sense, doe as well conclude, that a man of himselfe, without grace may keepe Gods commandements, for if a man cannot performe them wholly of himselfe, the same question remaineth, why they are propounded to him that cannot keepe them? Thirdly, And yet though it bee not in mans power, to keepe these commandements, they are not in vaine, for they serve as spurs to incite and stirre us up to obedience, and to strive unto perfection, and to labour to goe forward. But S. Paul sheweth the onelyonly sufficient reason, why the Lord gave the Law, to bee a Schoolemaster to bring us unto Christ, Galath. 3. And Augustine writeth excellently of this point: Non ob aliud superbis data ista praecepta sunt, quam ut in suis viribus deficientes in quibus confidebant, liberatore… requirerent: These precepts were for no other cause given to the proud people, than that failing in their owne strength, wherein they trusted, they should seeke for an helper, and deliverer. Contra Celestin. de perfectione justitiae.