How God putteth in execution his eternall counsell, aswell towards the elect, as the reprobate.
THe Lord God, that hee might put in execution 1 this eternall counsell to his glory, prepared away according to his infinite wisedom, indifferet both to those that hee would chuse, and those also which hee would refuse. For when he determined to shevv his infinite mercie in the saluation of the elect, and also his iust iudgement in the condemnation of the reprobate; it was necessary that hee should shut vp both vnder disobedience & sinne, to shew his mercy to all 1 those that belieue 2. that is to say, to the elect: because faith is a gift of god which properly belongeth vnto the 3: and cotrariwise to haue iust cause to condemne them, to whom it is not giue to belieue 4. nor to know Gods mysteries 5. Therefore GOD did this in such sort, and with such wisdome, that the whole fault of the reprobates damnation lyeth in themselues: and on the other side, all the glory and praise of the elects saluation belongeth wholly to his onely mercy.
For he did not create man a sinner (for then he should 2 haue beene, with reuerent feare bee it spoken, the author of sinne, which afterwards hee could not iustlie haue punished) but rather he made him after his owne image 6: to wit, in innoce~cie, purity, & holiness: who notwithstanding without constraint of any, neither yet forced by any necessitie of concupiscence as touching his will (which as yet was not made seruaunt vnto sinne 8) 3 willinglie, and of his owne accord rebelled against God: binding (by this meanes) the vvhole nature of man to sin, and so consequently to the death of bodie & soule 9.
Yet we must confesse that this fall came not by chance 4 or fortune, seeing his prouidence doth stretch forth it selfe euen to the smallest things 10: neither can we say, that any thing doth happen, that God knoweth not, or careth not for, except wee would fall into the opinion of the Epicures, from the which God preserue vs, neither yet by any bare or idle permission or sufferance, which is separate from his will and sure determination. For seeing hee hath appointed the end, it is necessarie also that he should appoint the causes which lead vs to the same end: vnlesse we affirme with the wicked Manichees, that this end happeneth at all aduentures, or by meanes of causes ordained by some other God.
Further more, wee cannot thinke that any thing happeneth contrary to Gods will, except wee deny blasphemously that hee is omnipotent & Almightie: As Saint Augustine noteth plainly, in his booke De correptione & gratia, chap 104. Wee conclude 5 therefore, that this full of Adam did so proceede of the motion of his will, that notwithstanding it happened not without the vvill of God: whom it pleaseth by a maruailous and incomprehensible mean that the thing which hee doth not allow (for asmuch as it is sin) shold not happen without his will. And this is done, as wee said before, that hee might shew the riches of his glory towards the vessels of mercie: and his vvrath and power vpon those vessels, which hee hath made to set foorth his glory by their shame & confusion 12. For the finall end of Gods counsell is neither the saluation of the elect, nor the damnation of the reprobate: but the setting forth of his own glory, in sauing the one by his mercy, and condemning the other by his iust iudgement.
Then to auoid al these blasphemies, vnto the which the infirmitie of our wits doth draw vs, let vs confesse that the corruption of the principall worke that GOD hath made (which is man) is not happened by chaunce, nor without the will of him, who according to his incomprehensible wisedome, dooth make and gouerne all things to his glory. Albeit wee must confesse (in despight of mans iudgement, which was limitted in the beginning within a certaine compasse, and after was miserably corrupted) that the whole fault of his damnation lieth in man: forasmuch as betwixt the secret and incomprehensible will of God and that corruption of mans nature, which is the verie first occasion of the reprobates damnation, the 6 wil of the first man is a mean, vvhich being created good, hath willingly corrupted it selfe, and therby opened the doore to the iust iudgement of God, to condemn al those, to whom it doth not please him to shew mercie. And if they would yet obiect, and cauill, saying, that they cannot resist the will of GOD 13, let vs suffer them to their owne destruction to plead against him, vvho wil be able enough to defend his iustice, against their quarrelling. Let vs rather reuerence that which passeth the reach and compasse of our wits & turne our minds whollie to praise his mercie, who by his onely grace hath saued vs, when wee deserued the like punishment and damnation, and were no lesse sinners and wicked then they.
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