The Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 1 · Chapter 18
¶The .xviii. Chapter. That God doth so vse the seruice of wycked men, and so voweth their mindes to put hys iudgementes in execution, that yet styll himselfe remayneth pure from all spot.
THere ariseth a harde question out of other places, where it is said that God boweth and draweth at his will, Satan himselfe and al the reprobate. For the sense of ye flesh scarcely conceiueth how he workyng by them, should not gather some spot of their fault, yea in his common workyng be fre from al fault, and iustly condemne his ministers. Upon this was deuised the distinctiō betwene Doing and Suffering: because many hauehave thought this do…t vnpossible to be dissolued: that both Satan and al the wicked are so vnderunder the hande and power of God, that he directeth their malice vntounto what ende it pleaseth hym, and vseth their wycked doinges to the executing of his iudgementes. And their modestie wer paraduenture excusable, whom the shew of absurditie putteth in feare, if it were not so that they do wrongfully with a lyeng defense go about to deliuer the iustice of God frō al vnrightfull blame. It semeth to them vnreasonable, that man shuld by the will and cōmaundement of God be made blynde, & so by and by be punished for his blindnesse. Therfore they seke to scape by this shift, that this is done by the sufferance, but not by the will of God. But he hymselfe plainely pronouncyng that he doeth it, doeth reiecte that shifte. As for this that men doo nothyng but by the secrete commaundement of God, and do trouble them selues in vaine with deliberating, vnlesse he do by his secrete direction stablishe that which he hath before determined, it is proued by innumerable and plaine testimonies. It is certayne that this whiche we before alledged out of the psalme, that God doeth all thyngs that he will, belongeth to all the doinges of men. If God be the certain appointer of warre and peace, as it is there saied, and that without exception: who dare say that men are caried causelessely with blynde motion while God knoweth not of it, and sitteth still? But in special examples will be more lightsome plainnesse. By the first chapiter of Iob we knowe, that Satan doeth no lesse appere before God to receiue his cō maundementes than do the Angels which do willyngly obey. In dede it is after a diuers maner & for a diuers end, but yet so that he can not go about any thyng but with the will of God. Although there seme afterward to be added a bare sufferance of hym to afflicte the holy man: yet because that sayeng is true:Iob. i.…i. The Lorde hath geuen, the Lord hath taken away, as it pleased God so is it com to passe. We gather that God was the author of that triall of Iob, wherof Sathan and the wicked theues were ministers. Sathan goeth about to dryue the holy man by desperation to madnesse. The Sabees cruelly & wickedly doo inuade and robbe his goodes that were none of theirs. Iob knowledgeth that he … by God stripped of all his goodes and made poore, because it so pleased God. Therfore whatsoeuer men or Satan hymselfe attempt, yet God holdeth the sterne to tourne all their trauayles to the executyng of his iudgements. It was Gods wil to hauehave ye false kyng Achab deceiued:ii Kings xxii.ix. the deuill offered his seruice therevnto: he was sent with a certaine commaundement, to be a lying spirite in the mouthe of all the Prophetes. If the blyndyng and madnesse of Achab be the iudgement of God, then the deuise of bare Sufferance is vaine. For it were a fond thyng to say, that the iudge doeth onelyonly suffre and not also decree what he will hauehave doone,Act. iiii.xxviii. and commaund the ministers to put it in execution. It was the Iewes purpose to destroy Christ, Pilate and the souldiors doo folowe their ragyng lust, and yet in a solemne praier the disciples doo confesse, that all the wicked men dyd nothyng els but that whiche the hande and counsell of God had determined:Act…s. ii.xxi…. Act. iii.xviii. ii. Sam. xvi.xxii. euen as Peter had before preached, that Christ was by the decreed purpose and foreknowledge of God deliuered to be slayne. As if he shuld say: that God (from whome nothyng is hidden from the beginnyng did wittyngly and willyngly appoynt that whiche the Iewes did execute, as in an other place he…herseth, that God whyche shewed before by all his Prophetes that Christ shuld suffer, hath so fulfilled it.ii. Sam. xii.xii. Absolon defilyng his fathers bed with incestuous adulterie, committed detestable wickednesse. Yet God pronounceth that this was his owne worke. For the wordes are these. Thou haste doone it secretely, but I will doo it openly, and before the sunne.…ter ….xxv. Hieremie pronounceth that all the crueltie that the Chaldees vsed in Iury, was the woorke of God. For which cause Nabucadnezer is called the seruant of God. God eueryevery where crieth out that with his hissyng,Es. v.xxvi Esa. x.v. Esa. xix.xxv. with the soūd of his trumpet, with his power & cōmandement the wicked ar stirred vp to warre. He calleth the Assyrian the rod of his wrath, & the axe that he moueth with his hande. The destruction of the holy citie & ruine of the Temple he calleth his worke. Dauid not murmuring against God, but acknowledging him for a rightuous iudge, yet confesseth that the cursings of Semei proceded of the cōmaūdement of God.ii. Sa. x.x. The Lord (saith he) cōmaunded him to curse. We often finde in ye holy historie, yt what soeuer happeneth it cometh of the Lord, as the departing of the ten tribes,i. Kin. xi.xxxi. i. Sam. ii xxxiiii. the death of the sonnes of Hely, and very many things of like sort. They yt be meanly exercised in the Scriptures do see, yt for shortnesses sake, I bring forth of many testimonies but a few, by which yet it appereth plainly enough, yt they do trifle & talk fondly, yt thrust in a bare Sufferāce in place of ye Prouidence of God, as though God saie in a watche tower waityng for the chaunces of Fortune, and so his iudgementes shoulde hang vppon the will of men.
Nowe as concerning secrete motions, that which Salomō speaketh of the hart of a king,Pro. xxi.i that it is bowed hether or thether as pleaseth God, extendeth surely to all mankind, and is as muche in effecte as if he had said: what soeuer we conceiue in myndes, is by the secret inspiration of God directed to his ende. And truly if he did not worke in the myndes of men, it were not rightly said, that he taketh away the lippe from the true speakers, and wisedom from aged men, that he taketh the hart frō the Princes of the earthe, that they maye wander where is no beaten waie.Ez…c. vii.xxvi. …uitic. xxvi.xxxvi. i. Samu. xxvi. And hereto belongeth that whyche we ofte reade, that men are fearefull so farre foorth as theyr hartes bee taken with his feare. So Dauid went out of the campe of Saule and none was ware of it, because the slepe of God was come vponupon theim all. But nothyng can be desyred to be more playnly spoken, than where he so oft pronounceth, that he blyndeth the eies of men, & striketh them with giddynesse, that he maketh them drunke with the spirite of drowsynesse, casteth them into madnesse, & hardneth their harts. These things also many do referre to Sufferance, as if in forsaking the reprobate, he suffred thē to be blinded by Satan. But that solution is to fonde, forasmuch as ye Holy ghost in plain words expresseth, that they are striken with blindnesse & madnesse by ye iust iudgmēt of God.Eccl. vii.…. … Rom. vii.xxi. Ero. viii.xv, It is said, yt he hardned the hart of Pharao, also that he did make dull & strengthen it. Some do with an vnsauory cauillation mocke out these phrases of speche, because where in an other place it is said, that Pharao did harden his owne hart, there is his owne will set for the cause of his hardenyng. As though these thynges did not very well agree together, although in diuers maners, that man while he is moued in working by God, doeth also worke himself. And I doo turne back their obiection against them selues. For, if to harden do signify but a bare Sufferance, then the very motion of obstinacie shall not be proprely in Pharao. Now how weake and foolishe were it so to expounde, as if Pharao did only suffer hym self to be hardened? Moreouer the Scripture cutteth of all occasions from suche cauillations. For God sayth,Ero. iiii, xx…, Ios. xi, xx: Psal, …v, xxv, I will holde his harte. So of the inhabitauntes of the land of Canaan Moses saith, that thei went forth to bataile, because ye Lord had hardned their harts. Which same thing is repeted by an other Prophet, saying: He turned their harts that they should hate his people. Agayne in Esaie he saieth, that he will sende the Assyrians against the deceytfull nation,Esa. x.vi. and will commaunde them to cary awaie the spoiles, and violently take the praie, not meanyng that he will teache wicked and obstinate men to obey willyngly, but that he wil bowe them to execute his iudgementes as if they dyd beare his commaundementes grauen in their myndes. Wherby appeareth that they were moued by the certaine appointement of God. I graunte that God doeth oftentymes worke in the reprobate by Satans seruice as a meane, but yet so that Satan doeth his office by Gods mouing, & procedeth so farre as is geuen hym.i. Samu. xvi.xiiii. ii. Corin. xliiii. The euill Spirite troubled Saule, but it is sayde that it was of God, that wee may knowe that the madnesse of Saule, came of the iuste vengeance of God. It is also said, that the same Satan doth blind the myndes of the vnfaithfull: but how so, but only because the effectuall workyng of errour cometh from God hymself, to make them beleue lyes that refuse to obey the truthe? After the first maner of speakyng it is said,Eze. xiiii.ix. Rom. i: xxviii, If any Prophet shal speake lyingly, I God hauehave deceiued him. According to the other maner of speche it is said, that he geueth men into a reprobate mynde: and to cast them into filthy desires, because he is the chiefe author of his owne iuste vengeance, and Satan is but onelyonly a minister therof. But because we must entreate of this matter againe in the second boke, where we shall discourse of free or bonde wil of man, I thinke I hauehave already shortely spoken so muche as this place required. Let this be the summe of all, that for as muche as the will of God is sayd to be the cause of all thynges, his Prouidence is thought the gouernesse in all purposes and workes of men, so as it sheweth foorth her force not onelyonly in the elect, whiche are gouerned by the holye Spirite, but also compelleth the reprobate to obedience.
Forasmuche as hetherto I hauehave recited onelyonly suche thynges as are writtē in the Scriptures, plainly and not doubtfully, let them that feare not wrongfully to sclander the heauenly oracles, take hede what maner of iudgement they take vponupon them. For if by fained pretendyng of ignorance they seeke a praise of modestie, what can be imagined more proudely doon, than to sette one small woorde against the authoritie of God? as I think otherwise, I like not to hauehave this touched. But if they openly speake euill, what preuaile they with spittyng against the heauen? But this is no newe example of waiwardnesse, because there hauehave ben in al ages wicked and vngodly men, that with ragyng mouth barked against this point of doctrine. But they shal fele that thyng in dede to be true, which long ago the Holy ghost spake by the mouth of Dauid, that God may ouercome when he is iudged.Psa. li, vi Dauid doth by the way rebuke the madnesse of men in this so vnbridled licenciousnesse, that of their owne filthynesse they doo not onelyonly argue againste God, but also take vponupon them power to condemne hym. In the meane time he shortly admonisheth, that the blasphemies whiche they vomite vp against the heauen doo not reache vntounto God, but that he driuyng away the cloudes of cauillations doeth brightly shewe foorth his righteousnesse,i. Ioh. v: iiii: and also our faithe (because beyng grounded vponupon the worde of God, it is aboue all the worlde) doeth from her hye place contemptuously looke downe vppon these mystes. For first where they obiect, that if nothyng happen but by the will of God, then are there in hym two contrary willes, because he decreeth those thynges by secrete purpose, which he hath openly forbidden by his lawe, that is easily wiped away. But before I answere it, I will ones again geue the reders warnyng that this cauillation is throwen out not against me, but against the Holy ghoste, which taught the holy man Iob this confession:Iob. i.xxi As it pleased God, so it came to passe. When he was spoiled by theues, he acknowledged in the iniurie & hurt that they did him, the iust scourge of God. What saieth the Scripture in other places?i. Sa. ii.xxv. Psa. cxv.iii. The sonnes of Hely obeyed not their Father, because it was Gods will to kill them. Also an other Prophete crieth out, that God which sitteth in heauen doeth what so euer he will. And nowe I hauehave shewed plainly enough that God is the author of al those thinges whiche these iudges wold hauehave to happen only by his idle sufferāce. He testifieth that he createth light and darknesse,Esa. xlv.vii. Amos. iii vi. Deu. xix.v. that he formeth good and euill, that no euill happeneth which he himselfe hath not made. Let theim tell me, I beseche them, whether he doo willyngly or against his will execute his owne iudgementes? But as Moses teacheth, that he whiche is slaine by the falling of an axe by chance, is deliuered by God into the hande of the striker: so the whole churche saieth in Luke, that Herode and Pilate conspired to doo those thynges, which the hand and purpose of God had decreed.Acts. iiii.x.viii. And truly if Christ wer not crucified with the will of God, whense cam redemption to vsus? And yet the wil of God neither doeth striue with it selfe, nor is chaunged, nor fayneth that he willeth not the thyng that he will:Eph. i….x but where it is but one and simple in hym, it semeth to vsus manyfolde, because accordyng to the weakenesse of oure witte wee conceiue not howe God in diuers maner willeth and willeth not one self thyng. Paule, after that he hath said, that the calling of the Gentiles is a hidden mysterie, within a litle after saieth further, that it was manifestly shewed the manyfolde wisedom of God: because for the dullnesse of our witte the wisedom of God seemeth to vsus manifolde, or (as the olde interpretour hath translated it) of many fashions: shall we therfore dreame that there is any varietie in God himself, as though he either chaungeth his purpose, or dissenteth from himself? Rather when we conceiue not howe God will hauehave the thyng to be done, whiche he forbiddeth to doo, let vsus call to mynde our owne weakenesse, and therwithal consider that the light wherin he dwelleth, is not without cause called Inaccessible,i. Tim. vi xvi, Enchirid. ad Lauren. cap. 1…1. bicause it is couered with darknesse. Therfore all godlye and sobre men will easyly agree to this sentence of Augustine, that sometyme man with good will willeth that whiche God willeth not. As if a good sonne willeth to hauehave his father to liue, whom God will hauehave to dye. Agayne, it may come to passe, that man may wyll the same thyng with an euill wyll, which God willeth with a good will. As if an euyll sonne willeth to hauehave his father to die, and God also willeth the same. Nowe the fyrst of these two sonnes wylleth that whyche God willeth not, and the other sonne willeth that whyche God also willeth, and yet the naturalnesse of the first sonne doeth better agree with the will of God, although he willeth a contrary thing, than the vnnaturalnesse of the other sonne that willeth the same thyng. So great a difference is there what to wyll doeth belong to man, and what to God, and to what ende the will of eueryevery one is to be applied, to hauehave it either allowed or disalowed. For those thynges whiche God willeth well he bringeth to passe by the euill wylles of euyl men. But a littel before he had said, that the Angels apostataes in their fallyng away, and all the reprobate, in as muche as concerneth theim selues, did that which God would not, but in respecte of the omnipotencie of God, they coulde by no meanes so do,Psal. cxl.ii. because while they didde against the will of God, the will of God was doone vponupon them. Whervpon he crieth out: Great ar the workes of God, & ought to be sought out of al them that louelove them: that in meruailous maner the same thing is not doon without his will which is also done against his will, because it coulde not be done if he did not suffre it: and yet he doeth it not against his will, but willyngly: and he beyng good, would not suffer a thyng to be done euil, vnlesse for that he is omnipotent, he coulde of euill make good.
In the same maner is assoyled or rather vanisheth awaye the other obiection: that if God doo not onelyonly vse the seruice of wicked men, but also gouerneth their counsels and affections, he is the author of al wicked doynges, and therfore men are vnworthily condemned, if they execute that whiche God hath decreed, because they obey his will: for it is done amisse to confound his will and cōmaundement together, which it appereth by innumerable examples to differ farre asunder.ii. Sam. xvi.xxii. For though when Absalon abused his fathers wyues, it was Gods will to punishe Dauids adulterie with that dishonor: yet dyd he not therfore cōmaunde the wicked sonne to committe inceste, vnlesse perhappe you meane it in respecte of Dauid, as he speaketh of the railynges of Semei. For whē he confesseth that Semei rayleth at hym by the commaundement of God, he doeth not therin commende his obedience, as if that froward dogge did obey the commaundement of God, but acknowledgyng his tongue to be the scourge of God, he paciently suffreth to be corrected. And this is to be holden in mynde, that when God performeth by the wicked that thyng which he decreed by his secrete iudgement, they are not to be excused, as though they dyd obey his commaundement, which in dede of their owne euill luste they doo purposely breake. Now howe that thyng is of God,i. Kin. xi….xx. and is ruled by his secrete Prouidēce, which men doo wickedly, the election of kyng Iarobeam is a playne exaumple, in which the rashenesse and madnesse of the people is seuerly condemned, for that they peruerted the order apointed by God, and falsely fel from the house of Dauid, and yet we knowe it was his will that he shoulde be annoynted.Osee. viii iiii. Osee. xiii xi. Whervpon in the very wordes of Osee there appereth a certaine shewe of repugnancie, that where God complayned that that kyngdome was erected without his knowledge, and agaynst his will, in an other place he saith, that he gaue the kingdom to Iarobeam in his rage. Howe shall these sayenges agree? that Iarobeam reigned not by God, and that he was made kyng by the same God? Euen thus, because neither coulde the people falle from the house of Dauid, but that they must shake of the yoke whiche God had layed vponupon theim: neither yet had God his libertie taken away, but that he myght so punishe the vnthankfulnesse of Salomon. We see therfore howe God in not willyng false breache of allegeance, yet to an other ende iustly willeth a fallyng away from their prince, whervppon Iarobeam beside all hope was by holy annointyng driuen to be kyng.i. Kin. xi.xxiii. After this maner doeth the holy historie say, that there was an enemy raised vp to spoyle Salomōs sonne of part of his kingdom. Let ye reders diligētly wey both these things, because it had pleased God to hauehave ye people gouerned vnderunder ye hand of one king. Therfore whē it was diuided in two parts it was don against his wil. And yet ye diuisiō toke beginning of his wil. For surely, where as ye Prophet both by words & ceremonie of anointing did moue Iarobeam whē he thought of no such thīg, to hope of ye kingdom, this was not don without ye knowledge or against ye will of God, which cōmaūded it so to be done: & yet is the rebelliō of the people iustly condēned, for yt as it wer against ye wil of God, they fel frō the posterite of Dauid. In this maner it is also afterwarde further said, yt where Rehabeā proudly despised the request of ye people, this was done by God to cōfirme ye word which he had spokē by the hand of Ahiha, his seruāt. Lo how against Gods wil ye sacred vnitie is torne in sunder, & yet with the will of the same God ten tribes do forsake Salomōs son.ii. Kin. x.vii. Let vsus adde an other like exāple. Wher the people cōsenting, yea laying their handes vntounto it, ye sonnes of Ahab were slaine, & all his ofspryng rooted out. Iehu said in dede truly, yt nothing of the words of God were fallen to ye groūde, but that he had doon all yt he had spokē by the hand of his seruāt Elias. And yet not vniustly he rebuketh ye citezens of Samaria, for yt they had put their hands vntounto it. Ar ye rightuous, saith he, If I hauehave cōspired against my lord, who hath killed all these? I hauehave before (as I think) alredy declared plainly, how in one self work both ye fault of man doth bewray it selfe, & also the righteousnesse of God gloriously apereth.Episto. 48. ad Vincen. And for modest wits this answere of Augustin shal alway suffise: where as the father delyuered the sonne, & Christ deliuered his body, & Iudas deliuered the Lorde: why in this delyueryng is God ryghtuous, and man faultie? because in the same one thyng whiche they dyd the cause was not one, for whych they dyd it. If any be more combered with this that we now saie, that there is no consent of God with man, where man by the rightuous mouyng of God doeth that whiche is not lawfull, let them remembre that which Augustine saith in an other place:De gratia & libero arbitrio ad Valent. cap. 20. Who shal not tremble at these iudgementes, where God worketh euen in the hartes of euyll men what so euer he will, and yet rendreth to them accordyng to their deseruyngs? And truely in the falsehoode of Iudas, it shall bee no more lawfull to laye the blame of the wicked deede to God, because he hymselfe wylled hym to be deliuered, and dyd delyuer hym to death, then it shalbe to geue away ye praise of our redēptiō to Iudas. Therfore ye same writer doth in an other place truly tel vsus, yt in this examinatiō God doeth not enquire what men mighte hauehave done, or what thei hauehave done, but what their wil was to do, yt purpose & wil may come into ye accompt. They yt thinke this hard, let thē a litle while cōsider, how tolerable their own waiwardnesse is, while they refuse a thīg witnessed by plain testimonies of scripture, because it excedeth their capacitie, & do fynd fault yt those things ar vttered, which God, vnlesse he had knowē them profitable to be knowē, wold neuer hauehave cōmanded to be taught by his prophetes & apostles. For our being wise ought to be no more but to embrace with meke willingnesse to lern, & yt wtout exceptiō what soeuer is taught in ye holy scripturs. As for thē yt do more frowardly outrage in prating against it, sith it is euidēt yt thei babble against God, they are not worthy of a longer confutation.
The ende of the fyrst booke.