Commentaries, Commentary on Judges · Chapter 9 · Excursus 6
¶How Sinne dependeth of God.
NOw remayneth to examine how it is written that God ſent an euill ſpirite betwene them. But bycauſe of that matter, I hauehave in an other place more more fully entreated, and will ſhortly ſpeake more aboundauntly of it, here I will but briefly teache the thing.
The ſcriptures teſtifie, that ſinnes ſometymes hauehave a conſideration of puniſhments: wherfore when it ſayd that god puniſheth & taketh vengeance of the vngodly by ſinnes, he doth nothing vnmete of him ſelfe. For he bringeth not forth the deformity and filthynes of ſinne, but is the author of iuſt puniſhment. For ſinnes are to men euill, but vntounto God, who vſeth them, good. God planteth no new malice in the vngodly: but yet he vſeth that malice whiche is in them by reaſon of originall ſinne, and other ſinnes whiche they adioyne vntounto it. He ſuffreth it not to burſt forth, but when it ſemeth good vntounto him, he gouerneth and directeth it whether ſoeuer it pleaſeth him.A Similitude. As the Phiſition comming vntounto the ſicke perſon, doth by medicines drawe corrupt humors out of his body, and bringeth them out either by a purgation, or by a ſweate, or vomite, or letting of bloud, as he iudgeth it beſt, yet doth he not graft in the ſicke perſon naughty and corrupt humors: So God cauſeth to be brought to light our malice, whiche was not brought forth before, but lay hid within, to make manifeſt his iuſtice, and to opē our ſinnes, and yet he ſuffreth them not to breake forth by chaunce or raſhely, but ordereth and gouerneth them accordyng to his iudgement, that euen by thē he doth fulfill the limites of his prouidence. Wherfore Eſay ſayth that the kyng of Babilone was like an axe or ſtaffe in hande of God: for he would force hym againſt the Iewes rather then againſt other nations. Wherfore ye malice of ſinne is wholy ours, but the gouernyng, ſucceſſe, and effectes therof ar vnderunder the rule of God, ſo that they can accompliſh no more then he will ſuffer. Neither can the vngodly bring to paſſe thoſe thinges whiche they go about agaynſt eueryevery man, nor alſo at all tymes, but they are gouerned accordyng to the determinations of God, whiche are moſt holy and iuſt. Neither is it abſurde that one and the ſelfe ſame action, as it is gouerned of God, is both good and holy, but as it commeth of vsus, it is vicious and corrupt.
And bycauſe we wil not go from our hiſtory, the ſinne of cruelty and ambitiō, was vtterly Abimeleches. But that it ſhould burſt forth, and firſt deſtroy the famely of Ierubbaal, and thē the Sechemites: that is to be referred vntounto the gouernment of GOD. Farthermore the diſobedience and wicked deſire of tumultes, was altogether of the Sechemites. But that it ſhould burſt forth, when the famely of Gideon ſhould be puniſhed: and that they rather choſed Abimelech to theyr kyng, then an other: and that their fury ſhould rage agaynſt him, rather then againſt any other: yt was of the gouernement of God, wherby (as the holy hyſtory ſheweth) he ſent betwene them an euill ſpirite, namely the deuill, by whoſe labour, enemities, and hatreds were on either ſide kindled, and wōderfully inflamed, by mete occaſions ſeruing thereunto.
Farthermore we muſt conſider, that God is bound vntounto no man,God is fee & geueth hys grace not being d…ūe to geue vntounto him his grace. For, if it ſhuld be geuē of dewty, then ſhould it not be grace: & yet he neuer, either not geueth it, or els beyng geuen, taketh it away, but vponupon iuſt cauſe. He in dede created man vpright, and being indewed with it: but yet he by ſinning, ſpoiled both himſelf and his of it. And for as much as we are borne vnderunder originall ſinne, and the children of wrath: to whom ſoeuer it is not geuen, it is iuſtly not geuen: and to whom ſoeuer it is geuen, it is freely geuen. Moreouer we dayly heape ſinnes vpō ſinnes: wherfore god in withdrawing it, is not to be accuſed of iniuſtice. For he cōpelleth no man to do euill, but eueryevery man willingly ſinneth: wherfore the cauſe of ſinne is not to be layd in him.The cauſe of is not to be ſayd in God. For ſeyng he procreateth not in vsus wicked deſires, he ought not to beare the blame, if wicked actions doo ſpring out of a corrupt roote of wicked affections: yea the goodnes of God is rather to be acknowledged, whiche is preſent, and ſo gouerneth the wicked affections, that they can not burſt forth, nor be hurtefull and troubleſome to any, but when he hath appointed to chaſten ſome, and to call them backe to repē taunce or to puniſhe them.
Neither ought we to thinke that after the ſinne of the firſt man,Whence ou… frowardneſſe ſpringeth. God created a wicked luſt, and euill affection, to corrupte all our whole kynde. It was not ſo done: but nature when it departed from God, fell by it ſelfe from lyght to darkenes, from the right way to vice, and from integrity to corruptiō. And how good ſo euer it was before, it nowe degenerated into euill. Wherefore let this be holden for certayn, that ſinne entred into the world by men, and not by God, as Paul teſtifieth to the Romanes. And in that Chriſt ſaith,Synne entred into the world by man & not by God. that the deuill when he lieth, ſpeaketh of his owne, it is not to be vnderſtand onelyonly of himſelf, but alſo of his members, whiche when they lye or do euill, worke not by the worde of God, neither are they moued by the inſpiration of the good ſpirite. And they excedingly reioyce, and hauehave great pleaſure in thoſe thinges whiche they do, ſo farre is it of, that they ſhould be compelled by any violence.
Moreouer we muſt note,Of permiſſion. that when either the Scriptures or fathers doo ſeme to affirme God to be the cauſe of ſinne, this worde permiſſion is not then ſo to be added, as thoughe he onelyonly ſuffred men to ſynne, and by hys prouidence or gouernement wrought nothing as concerning ſinnes. In dede he letteth thē not, thoughe he can, but vſeth them, and ſheweth in them his myght, and not onelyonly his pacience,Auguſtine. whiche thing Auguſtine vnderſtood right well, and in diſputing agaynſte Iulianus, he confuteth that ſentence, wherin it is ſayd that God ſuffreth ſinne only according vntounto pacience, and proueth yt his might is alſo therunto to be added by the wordes of Paul, who wrote vntounto ye Romaynes: If God by much pacience hath ſuffred veſſels of wrath prepared for deſtruction, to ſhewe forth his anger, & to make knowē his might. And vndoubtedly there are many things in the holy ſcriptures, which can not alwayes be diſſolued by the worde of permiſſion or pacience. For the heart of the kyng is ſayd to be in the hād of ye Lord, ſo that he inclineth it whether ſoeuer it pleaſeth him. And Iob teſtefieth, that it was ſo done as god would. But as touching the ſinne of the firſt man, when yet nature was not viciated and corrupted,Of the ſinne of the firſt man. we graunt, that the cauſe therof came from the wil of Adam, and ſuggeſtion of the deuil, and we ſay that God permitted it: bycauſe when he might hauehave withſtanded and letted it, he would not do it: but decreed to vſe that ſinne, to declare his iuſtice and goodnes.