Abridgment of Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 3 · Chapter 22
CHAP. XXII. The confirmation of this doctrine by teſtimonies of Scripture.
Obiect. 1 AS God forſeeth that euerie mans merits ſhal be, ſo he diſtinguiſheth betweene men. Therfore whom he knoweth before not to be vnworthie of his grace, them he adopteth to be his children:Of the fore knowledge of merits & looke whoſe natures he ſeeth will be bent vntounto wickedneſſe, them he giueth ouer vntounto the damnation of death.
An. That is filthily to darken election by putting in the veile of foreknowledg.Eph. 1.4. Surely when Paul teacheth that we were elect in Chriſt before the creation of the world, he taketh away all reſpect of our worthineſſe.
2 Obiect. That appertaineth vntounto the age wherin the Goſpell was firſt preached.
An. This is ſo filthie an inuention that it needeth none anſwer.
2 Tim. 3.9.3 He hath called vsus, ſaith Paule*, with an holie calling, not according to our works, but according to his purpoſe, and the grace which was giuen vsus by Chriſt,Election is the cauſe of good workes. before the word began. Therfore he did not foreſee vsus to be holie, but he hath choſen vsus that we might be holie.
Obiect. God repayeth the grace of election to merits going before, notwithſtanding he graunteth it for thoſe which are to come.
Whence holynes cometh. Eph. 1.5. Gen. 48.19.An. Holineſſe is deriued from election as from his cauſe*, and not on the contrarie.
4 Therfore ſaith the Lord*, Iacob hauehave I loued but Eſau hauehave I hated. If foreknowledge were of any importance in this difference of the brethren, it ſhold be out of ſeaſon to make mention of the time, ſeing they were not yet borne.
Examples Gen. 58.195 So reiecting Iſmaell, he choſeth Iſaach. Setting aſide Manaſſes, he doeth more honour Ephraim*.
The force of the firſt birth.6 Obiect. We muſt not determine of the ſumme of the life to come by theſe inferiour & ſmall benefits: that he which hath bin aduaunced vntounto the honor of the firſt birth, ſhould therfore be reckened to be adopted vntounto the inheritance of heauen.
An. The Apoſtle was not deceiued, neither did abuſe the Scriptur: but he ſaw that God ment to declare by an earthly ſigne the ſpirituall election of Iacob, which otherwiſe lay hid in his inacceſſible throne. Like as the pledge of the heauenly habitation was annexed to the land of Chanaan.
Obiect. God foreſeeth all thinges which he doth not.
An. Seing Peter ſaith in Luke*,Act. 2.21 that Chriſt was by the determinate counſell and foreknowledge of God appointed to death, he doeth not bring in God as a beholder, but as the authour of ſaluation.
7 Obiect. He reckeneth Iudas among the elect,How Iudas was amonge the elect. whereas he was a deuill.
An. This is referred vntounto his Apoſtolicall office, which though it were an excellent myrrour of the fauour of God, yet it doth not containe in it hope of eternall ſaluation.
8 Obiect. Ambroſe, Origene, Hierome thought that God doth diſtribute his grace among men, as he foreſeeth that euerie man will vſe it well.
An And Auguſtine alſo was of that mind*,Lib. retract 1. cap. 11. but when he had better profited in the knowledge of the Scripture, he did not onelyonly call it backe as euidently falſe, but did ſtrongly confute it writing againſt the Pelagians.
9 Obiect. The foreknowledge of merits is not indeed the cauſe of predeſtination on the behalfe of the act of predeſtinating: but on our behalfe it may after a ſort be ſo called:Thomas fu. 1. ſect. Tract. 25 Queſt. 13. The goodnes of God the cauſe of election. namely according to the particular eſtimation of predeſtination.
An. On the other ſide when the Lorde will hauehave vsus behold nothing in election, but meere goodneſſe, if anie man deſire to ſee anie more there, it ſhall be a diſordered greedineſſe.
Obiect. Glorie is predeſtinate for the elect after a ſort, according to their deſerts: becauſe God doth predeſtinate grace to them whereby they may deſerue glorie.
Predeſtination is the handmaid of election.An. Yea predeſtination vntounto grace ſerueth the election of God, & is as it were her handmaid. For grace is predeſtinate for them to whom the poſſeſſion of glorie is long time aſſigned: becauſe the Lord bringeth his children to iuſtification from election.
20 Obiect. God ſhould be contrarie to him ſelfe, if he inuite all men generally to come to him, & do only admit a fewe whom he hath choſen.
An. The generalitie of the promiſes doeth not take away the difference of ſpeciall grace.
Queſt. Howe ſhall theſe two be reconciled, that all ſhould be called vntounto repentance & faith by outward preaching, and yet the Spirit of repentance and faith ſhould not be giuen to all?
Amos. 4.7. &. 8 11.An. He which threatneth that when it rayneth vponupon one citie, there ſhal be drought vpō another*: he which elſewhere denounceth a famine of doctrine, doth not bind him ſelfe with a certaine lawe to call all men alike:Act. 16.6. and he which forbiddeth Paul to preach the word in Aſia, and turning him from Bithinia draweth him into Macedonia, doth ſhewe that he is at libertie to diſtribute this treaſure to whom he will.
Obiect. There is a mutuall conſent betwene faith and the word.
An. Namely wherſoeuer faith is. But it is no new thing that the word doth fall among thornes, or in ſtony places*:Mat. 13.4. not only becauſe the more part is indeed ſtubburn againſt God, but bicauſe all hauehave not eyes and eares.
Queſt. How then ſhall it agree & hang together, that God doth call thoſe vntounto him, who he knoweth will not come.
An. Auguſtine anſwereth*, Wilt thou diſpute with me? wōder with me & crie out, O depth!Auguſt de ver. Apoſt. Ser. 11. Eph 1.3. Note. Let vsus both agree together in feare leſt we periſh in error. Moreouer if election as Paule witneſſeth bee the mother of faith, then faith is not generall, becauſe election is ſpeciall.
11 Furthermore as Iacob is receiued into fauor hauinge as yet deſerued nothinge by good workes: So Eſau is hated beinge as yet polluted with no wickednes. Wherby it appeareth that the foūdation of predeſtination is not in good works. And to this end are the reprobate rayſed vp that the glorie of God may be made manifeſt throgh them.The ende of reprobation. Therfore if we cānot allege any reaſon why God vouchſafeth his of merciemercy, ſaue onlie becauſe it pleaſeth him that it ſhould be ſo: neither ſhall we hauehave anie thing elſe in reiecting the other but his will. For as he hath merciemercy on whom he will,Rom: 9.18, ſo he hardneth whom he will*.