Declaration of the Chief Points of Christian Religion, Chapter 4
CHAP. IIII.
By what order God proceedeth to declare & after a ſort to execute his election.
WHen God had determined with himſelfe The foundation of that electiō which is manifeſt to vsus.the things before mētioned, he, by a more manifeſt order of cauſes, which notwithſtanding was eternall (as all things are preſent to him) diſpoſed orderly all the degrees, whereby hee vvould bring his elect vntounto his king dome. Foraſmuch therefore as he is merciful, & yet could not forget his iuſtice, before all other things it was neceſſary, that a Mediator ſhould A Mediator was neceſſarie.be appointed: by whō man might be perfectly reſtored, & that this ſhould bee done …y that free mercy and grace which doth appeare in the …aluation of his elect. But …an, beſides that hee is ſo …eake, that it is not poſſible …r him to ſuſtain the weight …f Gods wrath, doth alſo ſo …uch fl…tter himſelfe in that …is moſt miſerable blindnes, … he cannot perceiue it 1: …ecauſe he is wholly in bon…age to ſinne 2: ſo that the duplicate page duplicate page lavv of GOD is to him as death 3, ſo farre is he vnable of himſelfe to recouer his libertie, or to ſatisfie the law of God in the very leaſt …ote.
God therefore the moſt mercifull father of the elect, moderating in ſuch ſort his iuſtice, with his infinite merciemercy, appointed his onelyonly ſon, who was the very ſame ſubſtance, Ieſus Chriſt our Mediator.and God eternal with him, that at the time determined, he ſhold by the power of the holy 4 ghoſt bee made very man 5, to the end that both the natures beeing ioyned in Ieſus Chriſt alone Iuſtification & ſanctification in Chriſt.6, firſt, all the corruption of man ſhold be fully healed in one man 7, who ſhould alſo accompliſh all iuſtice 8, and moreouer ſhould bee able enough to ſuſtaine the iudgment of God, and be a prieſt ſufficient & worthy of himſelfe to appeaſe the wrath of God his father, in dying as a iuſt and innocent, for them that were vniuſt and ſinners, couering our diſobedience, and purging all our ſinnes which were laid vponupon him 9. And finally with one onelyonly offering and ſacrifice of himſelfe, ſhould ſanctifie all the elect: mortifying & burying ſinne in them, by the partaking of his death & buriall: and quickning them into newnes of life by his reſurrection 10: ſo that they ſhould finde more in him, then they had loſt in Adam 11. And to the intent this remedie ſhould not be found and ordayned in vaine, the lord God determined to giuegive this his ſonne, with all things appertaining to ſaluation 12, to them whom hee had determined in himſelf to chuſe, and on the other ſide, to giuegive them vntounto his Sonne: that they beeing in him, and hee in them 13, might bee conſummate, and made perfit in one, by theſe degrees that follow after: according as it pleaſed him to bring forth eueryevery one of his elect into this world.
For firſt, when it pleaſeth him to diſcloſe that ſecret which he had purpoſed from before all beginning 14, at ſuch time as men leaſt looke Externall vocation.for it 15 (as men are blinded and yet thinke they ſee moſt cleare 16, when as in verie deed death & dānation hangeth ouer their head 17) hee commeth ſodenly, & ſetteth before their eyes the great danger wherin they are; and that they might be touched more ſharply and liuely, hee addeth to the witnes of their owne conſcience, beeing as it were aſleepe, and dead, the preaching of his law 18, and The Law.the examples of his indgements, to ſtrike thē with the horror of their ſins: not that they ſhould remaine in that feare, but rather, that be holding the great danger thereof, ſhould flie to that onelyonly Mediator Ieſus Chriſt 19: in whō after the ſharpe preaching of the law, hee ſetteth forth the ſweet grace of the Goſpell, but yet with this condition, The Goſpel.that they belieue in him 20, vvho onelie can deliuer them from cōdemnation 21, and giuegive them right and title to the heauenly inheritance 22: Yet all theſe things were but vaine if he ſhould onelie ſet before mens eyes theſe ſecrets, by the externall preaching of his word written, & publiſhed in the Church of God, which notwithſtanding is the ordinarie means wherby Ieſus Chriſt is communicated vntounto vsus 23: therfore, as touching his elect 24, vntounto the external preaching of his word, he ioyneth the inward working of his holy Spirit, The inward calling.the which doth not reſtore (as the Papiſts imagine) the remnants or reſidue of free will (for what power ſoeuer of free will remaineth in vsus, What free will is, after the fall of Adam.ſerueth to no other vſe, but willingly to ſinne 25, to flee from God 26, to hate him 27, and ſo not to heare him 28, nor to belieue in him 29, neither yet to acknowledge his gifts 30, no not ſo much as to thinke a good thought 31: and finally to be children of wrath and malediction) but contrariwiſe changeth their hard harts of ſtone, into ſoft harts of fleſh 32, draweth them 33, teacheth them 34, lighteneth their eyes 35, and openeth their ſenſe 36, their heart, their eares, and vnderſtanding: firſt to make them to knowe (as wee hauehave ſaid before) their owne miſerie: and next, to plant in them the gift of faith, whereby they may performe that condition, which is ioyned to the preaching of the Goſpell. And that ſtandeth in two points: the one, whereby wee knowe Chriſt in general, Faith hath two parts.in belieuing the ſtorie of Chriſt, and the Prophecies which are writ of him 37: the which part of faith, as vvee ſhall declare in due place, is ſometimes giuen to the reprobate. The other, which is proper, and onelyonly belongeth Faith which doth aporehend iuſtification by Chriſt, and ſanctification.to the elect, conſiſteth in applying Chriſt (who is vniuerſally and indifferentlie preached to all men) to our ſelues, as ours: and that eueryevery man make himſelfe ſure of his election, which hath been hid before all time in Gods ſecret 38, and afterwards reuealed vntounto vsus, partly by the inward teſtimonie of our conſcience through the holy Ghoſt, ioyned to the externall preaching of Gods word 39: and partly alſo by the vertue and power of the ſame ſpirit, who deliuering the elect from the ſeruitude of ſin 40, perſwadeth and conducteth them to will and vvorke the things which pleaſe God.
Theſe then be the degrees, whereby it pleaſeth God to create and forme by his eſpeciall grace, that precious and peculiar gift of faith in his elect, to the intent that they may imbrace their ſaluation in Ieſus Chriſt. But becauſe this faith in vsus is yet weake & onelyonly begun, to the end that we may not onelyonly perſeuere in it, but alſo profit (vvhichwhich thing is moſt neceſſary for al men to do) firſt, according to the time that our adoption is reuealed vntounto vsus, this faith is ſealed in our harts by the ſacrament of Baptiſme: Baptiſme.and after, eueryevery day more & more is confirmed and ſealed in vsus by the Sacrament of the Lords Supper: of the The Lords Supper.which two Sacraments, the principall end is, that they be ſure, and effectuall ſignes, and pledges, of the communion of the faithfull vvith Chriſt 41, who is their wiſedome, iuſtice, ſanctification, and redemption 42.
For this occaſion, it is ſo oftentimes mentioned with Saint Paul, that wee beeing iuſtified by faith, hauehave peace with God 43: for whoſoeuer hath obtained the gift of true faith, hath alſo by the ſame grace and liberalitie of God, obtained the gift of perſeuerance 44. So that in all maner of temptations and afflictions, hee doubteth not to call vponupon God, vvith ſure confidence to obtaine his requeſt A ſure confidence.(as farre as it is expedient for him) knowing that hee is of the number of Gods children, who cannot faile him 45.
Moreouer, he neuer ſwarueth ſo from the right way, but at length, by the benefit of Gods grace, he returneth againe: for, although faith ſometime ſeeme in the elect (as it were for a time) hid and buried, ſo that a man would thinke it were vtterly quenched 46 (which God ſuffereth, that men might knowe their owne weakenes) yet it doth neuer ſo far leaue thē, that the louelove of God & their neighbor is a together plucked out of their hearts. For no man is iuſtified in Chriſt, who alſo is not ſanctified in him 47, and framed to good works, which God prepared that we ſhould walke therein 48. This is thē the way wherby God by his merciemercy, doth prepare (to the full execution of his eternall counſell) them amongſt his elect, whō it pleaſeth him to reſerue, till they come to ripe age and diſcretion.
As touching the other, whō he calleth into his kingdome, ſo ſoone as they are borne, or in their tender yeeres, he vſeth a more ſhort way. For ſeeing he doth comprehend in that his free couenant, whereof Ieſus Chriſt is the Mediator 49, not onelyonly the faithfull, but alſo their poſteritie 50, into a thouſand generations 51, calling the ſame by expreſſe words holy 52: there is no doubt but the Gods adoption or free choiſe of Infants.children of the Saints, which appertain to election (whom hee onelyonly knoweth) he hath giuen to his Sonne, who will not caſt them out 53.