Knox:

The people were slothful; and the priests, who should have provoked the people to tho remembrance of those great benefits, were become even like to the rest. The Lord therefor did raise up his Prophet Malachi, (who was the last before Christ), sharply to rebuke, and plainly to convict this horrible ingratitude of that unthankful nation, who so shamefully had forgotten those so great benefits recently bestowed upon them. And thus begins he his Prophecy: “I have loved yon, says the Lord;” in which words he speaks not of a common love, which in preserving and feeding all creatures is common to the reprobate, but of that love by which he had sanctified and separated them from the rest of nations, to have his glory manifested. But because they (as all ungrateful persons do) did not consider wherein this his love towards them more then towards others did stand, he bringing them to the fountain, demanding this question: “Was not Esau brother to Jacob? says the Lord, and nevertheless Jacob l have I loved, and Esau have hated.”

John Knox, “An Answere to a Great Nvmber of Blasphemovs Cavilations Written by an Anabaptist, and Aduersarie to Gods Eternall Predestination,” in The Works of John Knox, ed. David Laing (Edinburgh: Printed for the Bannatyne Club, 1851), 5: 151. [Spelling modernized.]

Rutherford:

1) Corvinus says this, “He wills all, ex aequo, equally to be saved, in regard of his affection, and will to all; “but he wills not all equally to be saved, ex parte bone volito, in regard to the thing willed; for he wills the Gospel to be preached to some, and of these that here the Gospel he gives more grace; yea more grace actu secundo, efficaciously effectual, and denies both to other nations and people and with this distinction he wills and wills not; equally, ex aequo the salvation of all.

But this is Petitio principii, the disparity of favours bestowed on persons and Nations, do argue in Scripture disparity of good-wills in the Lord; as because God sent his Law and Testimony to Israel and Jacob, and dealt not so with every nation, Psal. 147:19, 20. Every Page of almost in the Old Testament, and the Lord’s Spirit, and all Divines argue, that the Lord chose Israel, and loved them and saved them, and with a higher and more peculiar love, as his chosen people, then he loved all the Nations, Deut 7:7; Psal. 132:12, 13, 14; Psal. 135:3,4/ Because he bestowed on them the means of salvation; his Law and his Testimonies which he denied to the Nations, then the Nations were not his beloved and chosen ones.

Samuel Rutherford, Christ Dying and Drawing Sinners to Himself (London: Printed by J.D. for Andrew Cooke at the Green-Dragon in Paul’s Church-yard, 1647), 418.

2) “We are hence taught to acknowledge no love to be in God, which is not effectual in doing good to the creature; there is no lip-love, no raw well-wishing to the creature which God doth not make good: we know but three sorts of love, that God has to the creature, all the three are like the fruitful womb; there is no miscarrying, no barrenness in the womb of divine love;

1. He loves all that he has made; so far as to give them a being, to conserve them in being so long as he pleases: he had a desire to have Sun, Moon, Stars, Earth, Heaven, Sea, Cloud, Air; he created them out of the womb of love, and out of goodness, and keeps them in being…

2. There is a second love and mercy, in God, by which he loves all Men and Angels; yea, even his enemies, makes the Sun to shine on the unjust man, as well as the just, and causes dew and rain to fall on the orchard and fields of the bloody and deceitful man, whom the Lord abhors; as Christ teaches us, (Matt. 5:43-48). Nor doth God miscarry in this love, he desires the eternal being of damned angels and men; he sends the Gospel to many reprobates, and invites them to repentance and with longanimity and forbearance suffers pieces of froward dust to fill the measure of their iniquity, yet does not the Lord’s general love fall short of what he wills to them.

3. There is a love of special election to glory; far less can God come short in the end of this love…”

Samuel Rutherford, Christ Dying and Drawing Sinners to Himself (London: Printed by J.D. for Andrew Cooke at the Green-Dragon in Paul’s Church-yard, 1647), 440-441 [Note: The pagination is irregular and jumps forward repeating some page numbers].

And of that election of such as shall be saved, and have been predestinate unto eternal life from all eternity, do we now entreat. And it is in very deed all one with the predestination of Saints, as I have said, but that in some respect it differs. For Predestination motes an eternal & firm purpose of God, of bestowing grace & glory upon whom he will: but Election adds something, namely, as far forth as he wills the eternal life to some before others, seeing he reprobates some, as Thomas very well, and after him other schoolmen have observed. It is also called Love, according to that Romans “9. Jacob I have loved, but Esau have I hated.” God surely loves all men. For he loves all things that be, and abhors nothing that he has made, and has mercy upon all, and spares all, as it is in II. of Wisdom. But there be degrees of love. For he loves some, as his creatures, others as members of his son, as Augustine at large shows. Tra. No. in Joh. And very fitly Thomas in the foresaid place, Art. 3. God loves all men, yea, all his creatures, as far forth as he wills any good to all. Yet he wills not every good thing to all. Therefore as much as to some men he wills not this good ting, which is eternal life, he is said to hate and reprobate them. He assigns a difference between the election, & and the love of God, which differ only in reason, and in God are really one and the same. “The predestination of some to eternal salvation,” (says he) “presupposes, that God wills their salvation, and thereunto appertains election and love: Love truly in respect that he wills unto them this benefit of eternal salvation. For to love is to will some good above others. But election in respect that he wills this good to some above others, seeing he reprobates some.”

Jacob Kimedoncius, The Redemption of Mankind: Three Books: Wherein the Controversy of the Universality of the Redemption and Grace by Christ, and his Death for All Men, is Largely Handled, trans., by Hugh Ince, (London: Imprinted by Felix Kingston, 1598), 250-251.

Zwingli:

Sins of the World and cognate phrases:

Various works:

1) Today certain persons preach human ravings most wantonly, and try to frighten minds truly free, teaching that there is sin where there is no sin, and most cruelly murdering the soul. The Apostles taught that the Son of God out of pure generosity did not so much pardon the sins of all as give himself up as an expiatory offering for all. Ulrich Zwingli, “Early Writings,” Defence Called Archeteles, (Durham, N.C: Labyrinth Press, [1987]), p., 258.

2) Therefore the birth had to be absolutely pure of every stain, because He that was born was also God. Second, on account of the nature of the sacrificial victim. For that had to be free from all blemish, as the law of Moses required, though that only applied to the purity of the flesh, Heb 9:9. How much more had the victim to be absolutely spotless which made atonement for the sins not only of all who had been, but of all who were yet to come!… Of this figure I shall say nothing more, since it is perfectly clear in itself and through the notices of all who have spoken of it. Furthermore, the John who baptized the Son of God, as soon as he saw Christ coming towards him, pointed out to his disciples with the words: “Behold the lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world!” John 1:29. Ulrich Zwingli, Commentary on True and False Religion, (Durham, N.C: Labyrinth Press, 1981), p., 112 and 113.

3) A little while after he says [Jn 1:29-31]: “John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world… The divine Baptist shows by these words that Christ is the lamb that atones for the universal disease of sin, and that he himself is preaching a baptism of repentance before Him that He may be made manifest to Israel. For when man through repentance has come to the knowledge of himself, he is forced to take refuge in the mercy of God. But when he has begun to do that, justice makes him afraid. Then Christ appears, who has satisfied the divine justice for our trespasses. When once there is faith in Him, then salvation is found; for He is the infallible pledge of God’s mercy. For “he that gave up a Son for us, how will he not with him also give us all things?” Roms 8:32. Zwingli, Commentary on True and False Religion, (Durham, N.C: Labyrinth Press, 1981), p., 122-123.

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