Confession of the Christian Religion, Confession · Chapter 3 – Chapter 4
CHAP. III. Of the foreknowledge and praedeſtination of god.
I. God did foreknovv and foreſee all thinges from the beginning.
WE beleeue that God before he made the worlde, euen then from before all things, by his immeaſurable wiſedome, foreknew all things, yea and what good he ment himſelfe to doe, and what ill he meant to ſuffer to be done: ſo farr forth as nothing was euer hidden or could be hidden from him, but all things, aſwel what hath bin done, is done, or ſhallbe done, as what cā be done, though it neuer be done, Heb. 4.13. Act. 15.18wee doubt not but hath and doth lye open and manifeſt all waies in his ſight.
II. God hath determined all things in his eternall counſell and hath before hand ordayned them to the beſt ends.
And we beleeue that God hath not onelyonly foreſeene all things and that they are preſent in his ſight, Act. 4.28.but alſo in that his moſt wiſe and eternall counſell he hath certenly eſtabliſhed whatſoeuer did or doeth appertaine to the creation and gouernement of the world, or to the ſelecting of his church from the vncleane filth of other people, or to our redemption and eternall ſaluation: and that he ordained through his infinite goodneſſe, that thoſe euills which in his wiſedome he would ſuffer to be done, ſhould bee to good endes: ſo that not one haire can fall from our head, Mat. 10.29.30.without the will of the Father, or without cauſe.
III. All men to be praedeſtinate, ſome to life and ſome to death.
Wherefore we alſo doubt not, that God when he created all men (to ſpeake nothing of Angells) in Adam righteous, he foreſawe that in him all ſhould ſinne, and elected ſome in Chriſt; Eph. 1.4.5.that they ſhould be holiē and vndefiled in his ſight in charitie, and therefore predeſtinated them of his meere grace, and according to the purpoſe of his will, Rom. 9.22.to eternall life: other ſome he would not vouchſafe that grace and therefore prepared them as veſſells of wrath for deſtructiō, becauſe of his iuſtiudgement: that in the one ſort his infinite merciemercy, in the other his iuſtice, might bee knowne to the whole world, to his great glorie.
IIII. The election of the Saintes by free gift.
For as the calling vntounto Chriſt, and iuſtification in Chriſt is wholie of free gift, Eph. 2.9. Tit. 3.5.and not of our owne vvorkes: ſo likewiſe we vnderſtand, that the whole praedeſtination of Saintes is freelie giuen, Eph. 1.4. Rom. 9.11. 1. Cor. 1.31.becauſe it is wrought in Chriſt, and for Chriſt is put in execution: that no man might glorie in himſelfe, but he vvhichwhich glorieth, ſhould glorie in the Lord.
V. We are pradeſtinate not onelyonly to the ende, but alſo to the meanes.
Whereuppon wee alſo beleeue, ſith God hath choſen vsus in Chriſt, that wee might bee faithfull, & holie, & vnblameable in his ſight, that wee are praedeſtinated, not onelyonly to the ende, that is, to eternall life and glorie: but alſo to the meanes by which wee attaine vntounto the ende; and chieflie vntounto faith, whereby wee are ingrafted into Chriſt, and to regeneration and true repentance, 2. Cor. 5.17. Gal. 6.15. Mat. 5.16.whereby being made new creatures in Chriſt, we might liue holilie to his glory and edification of our neighbour.
VI. They bee not elect, neither can they bee ſaued vvhichwhich are neuer grafted into Chriſt by his ſpirite, and true faith.
They therefore are ſhamefully deceiued, & to their owne deſtruction, which perſwade themſelues they are elect, Tit. 1.16. Eph. 2.10.and therefore ſhallbe ſaued, although they bee not grafted into Chriſt by faith, nor repent them of their ſinns, nor regard the will of God, or to doe anie good workes. For they ſeparate, that which god will hauehave ioyned together.
VII. Euerie one ought ſtedfaſtlie to beleeue he is … lect in Chriſt: yet we may be more aſſured by the feeling of our faith in Chriſt.
Hence it is manifeſt, although no man in generall, ought to exempt himſelfe out of the number of the elect, ſith the Scripture doeth not ſo, but rather ſtedfaſtlie to truſt, that when he is called to Chriſt, he is called according to the eternall decree and election of God: 2. Cor. 13.5.yet if any man will be more aſſured of his certaine election, he muſt runne to his faith, and the witnes of his conſcience, whether he perceiue that he truely beleeueth in Chriſt, and whether he carrie a ſincere louelove towards god and his neighbour. Yea if he finde himſelfe herein not altogether ſoundlie and throughlie ſetled, yet let him not deſparre, but deſire of god that he will helpe his vnbeleefe: hoping that he may in time be better aſſured.Mat. 9.24.
VIII. The cauſes, why the doctrine of predeſtination is deliuered in the Scriptures.
For neither is the doctrine of the eternall free, and vnchangeable predeſtination deliuered in the holie ſcriptures, that we ſhould neglect Chriſt, or deſpaire of ſaluation, or with ſecuritie let looſe the raines to our concupiſcence, or growe inſolent: but contrariewiſe for theſe eſpeciall cauſes. Act. 4.12. 2. Tim. 2.19Firſt that wee may knowe that without Chriſt none can be ſaued: ſith the foundation of our whole ſaluation, was faſtened and laide in him before the world was made. Then, that in time of our temptations, wee, which beleeue in Chriſt, ſhould ſtrengthen our ſelues by the certainetie of our ſaluation, Rom. 8.and ſo neither diſpaire nor diſtruſt: knowing the ſame to be certaine and ſure in the eternall decree of god. Thirdlie that thereby wee might be ſtirred vp to the ſtudie of faith in Chriſt, of holineſſe, and of good works: Eph. 1.4. & 2.10.ſith we are choſen, that we ſhould be faithfull, and holie, and blameleſſe in his ſight, and walke in good works. Laſtlie, that wee growe not proude, if we truſt in Chriſt, and liue godlie: in Chriſt, and that he which glorieth may glorie in the Lord: 1. Cor. 1.13.ſith god through his grace did from the beginning decree in Chriſt, that we ſhould be ſuch.
CHAP. IV. Of the omnipotencie and will of God.
I. So is god omnipotent that he is able to doe more then he will doe.
VVE beleeue, that God is ſo omnipotent, that he not onelyonly hath done & doeth whatſoeuer he would & will: but alſo he is able to will and to doe infinite works, which he wil not; following alſo herein the doctrine of Iohn, who ſaid, Mat. 3.9.God is able of theſe ſtones to raiſe vp children, vnro Abraham, which yet he would not doe: and alſo the opinion of the Apoſtle, who writt, Ro. 9.15.18.that God will hauehave merciemercy on whom he vvill, (whenas he could hauehave merciemercy on all) and he will harden (not all, Turt. con. Prax.as hee could, but) thoſe vvhome he vvill: ſo that it is verie impious, to conclude anie thing to hauehave beene done, to bee done, or ſhall bee done, of the onelyonly omnipotencie of God, wherein his will is not alſo reuealed.
II. Jt infringeth not the omnipotencie of god that certaine things can not be done by him.
Where the Apoſtle writeth, that god can not denie himſelfe: we holde that there is no iniurie done againſt the omnipotencie of God, if a mā ſay there are manie thinges which cannot bee done by god: namely ſuch thinges as are repugnant to the nature of god, and do implie a contradiction.
III. A confirmation of the former aſſertion.
For he being the chiefeſt good, he can neither be made euill, nor can doe ill; and beeing trueth it felfe, he cannot lie; being iuſtice it ſelfe he cannot doe vniuſtlie; beeing life it ſelfe, how ſhould he die? Finallie being onelyonly one god, and that vncreated and eternall, ſubſiſting only in three perſons: we beleeue and confeſſe, that he can not ſo take anie creature to himſelfe, to make the ſame foreign conſubſtantiall to himſelfe, and wholie ſuch as he himſelfe is, or conſtitute a fourth perſon: and wee are perſwaded that nothing is drawne or taken away from the omnipotencie of god by this confeſſion: yea ſurely whatſoeuer is alreadie done it cannot be that the ſame ſhould not hauehave bin done: ſo that it is certaine, that what ſo implieth a contradiction, the ſame cannot bee done by God, who is the eſpeciall trueth it ſelf. For by this reaſon, euen the omnipotencie of God, whereby they were done ſhould be apparentlie denied.
IV. The will of god to be ſearched for onelyonly in the holie ſcriptures.
Furthermore ſith the counſells of god are infinite and ſecret, which he reuealeth not to the Angells themſelues: wee hold, Mar. 13.32that when there is anie queſtion concerning the will of God, the ſame is not to bee ſought for in anie other place, then in the holie ſcriptures; wheras whatſoeuer thinges were neceſſarie to our ſaluation, Ioh. 15.15. & 17.29.god hath plentifullie and perſpicuouſlie laide open vntounto vsus, and whatſoeuer he would hauehave vsus to doe, he hath of his ſingular goodneſſe reuealed vntounto vsus by his ſpirite.