Polanus:

Thus far touching election: now it follows concerning reprobation.

Eternal reprobation, is predestination, by which God has shut out from his heavenly kingdom, such as were appointed to eternal destruction.

And it is both of the devil himself, and also of the members of the devil.

The reprobation of the devil is that, by which God from eternity has rejected the devil (who was to become the prince and head, of defection and falling from God) and adjudged him to eternal pains.

The reprobation of the members of the devil is of them, that cleave unto the devil as unto their prince and head.

And that is both of evil angels, and also of men that shall be damned.

The reprobation of evil angels is that, by which God from eternity has purposed not to confirm in good certain angels, destinated to eternal destruction, but to forsake them, and to suffer them to fall through pride, and having cast them out of heaven to exclude them from the fruition of eternal blessedness.

The reprobation of damned men is that, by which God from eternity purposed to pass by them & to leave them in that common destruction, in which all through sin, should headlong throw themselves, Jer. 6:30; Mal. 1:3; Rom. 9:13, 22; 2 Pet. 2.4. Jude’s epist. vers. 4; Revel. 13:8, and 17:8, and 20:15.

Amandus Polanus, The Substance of Christian Religion, (London: Arn. Hatfield for Felix Norton, dwelling in Paules Chuchyard, at the sign of the Parrot, 1600), 51-52.

[The following extract from Amyraut should be read in the light of Twisse’s own discourse on conditional predestination which in turn was based on Bucer’s use of this idea.]

Amyraut:

From what we have deduced above, it is easy to gather that one must carefully distinguish predestination to salvation from predestination to faith, which is the means and the condition by the fulfillment of which we attain it, to the effect that while the one is absolute, as it is said, and does not depend upon any condition, the other can only take place with respect to its effect under the presupposition of this preliminary condition. This is not ordinarily done, however, so that this term ‘predestination’ is taken, as it is commonly held among those who are well instructed in the word of God and who do not wish to defer too much to the will of man, a s simply referring to salvation as being an inevitable outcome, as if it was an absolute decree and did not depend upon any condition. And so indeed the Apostle St. Paul takes this term in this signification when he says that those ‘whom God has foreknown, he has predestined them to be conformed to the image of his Son.’ ( Rom 8: 28) Now salvation and the image of Christ as we have shown above are one and the same thing. And it is clear that the Apostle speaks in this place, not of all men equally and in general but of those whom God ‘has foreknown,’ that is foreseen in the fullness of his mercy and separated from the others fort his inestimable prerogative of faith. But the reason for this is that predestination to salvation being conditional and regarding the whole human race equally and the human race being equally corrupted by sin and incapable of accomplishing the condition upon which salvation depends, it happens necessarily, not by any fault of predestination itself but through the hardness of the heart and the stubbornness of the human spirit, that this first predestination is frustrated for those who have no part in the second. The term ‘predestination’ therefore having I know not what emphasis and seemingly properly reserved for counsels which come to effect rather than for those in which unbelief and the absence of some condition prevent their fulfillment, the Holy Scripture on the one hand does not customarily call ‘predestined’ those who not having been elect & to faith render this other predestination useless with respect to themselves, and on the other speaks of those who are elected to faith as if they have been absolutely predestined to salvation because of the indubitable fulfillment of the preliminary condition. And thus it mixes, as if there was only a single counsel with respect t o them, the conditional predestination to salvation with the absolute election to faith, since in what concerns them, although the one is conditional, it is nevertheless also as certain as if it were absolute because of the infallible and absolute certainty of the fulfillment, of the other on which it depends. And it is forth is very reason that the same Scripture which teaches us so eloquently that Christ died universally for all the world, speaks sometimes in such manner that it seems to approach saying that he died for the small number elected to faith only, as if he had suffered only for those who feel the fruit of his death and not for those whose own unbelief renders this death frustrated. But because it is necessary to diligently distinguish between those ways of speaking which are born in consideration of the outcomes alone and those arising from consideration of the counsels themselves, and because we are here treating the counsels of Cod in all their mystery, it is necessary for us to be on guard against confounding the predestination to salvation, which depends upon the condition which God requires absolutely of all, with the election to faith, according to which God has ordained to himself fulfill this condition in only certain ones.

Moyse Amyraut, Brief Treatise on Predestination and its Dependent Principles, trans., by Richard Lum Richard. Th.D. diss, 1986,  81-82.

Twisse:

“Zanchius” (he says) “tells us roundly, that every man that is called, is bound to think he is elected;” but why does he not speak out and say, “that everyone is bound” (in the opinion of Zanchius) “to believe he is elected,” as formerly related to it. I grant to believe is to think, for credere, is defined to be cum assensione cogitare, but thoughts he knows are very wild, they have their course in dreams; as a hungry man may dream that he eats and drinks, but when he awakens, his soul is empty. And as for that doctrine of Zanchius, I have already given a fair interpretation of it, upon consideration that he speaks it of election not unto faith, but unto salvation: seeing God has manifested in his word his determination to give salvation to everyone that believes, it follows herehence, that everyone is bound to believe, that as many as do believe shall be saved: and consequently everyone that hears the Gospel is bound to believe, “that God has determined to bestow Salvation on him, in case he found to believe.” The like consideration may be given to Bucer’s Doctrine; namely, that God has predestinated him to obtain salvation in case he believe, not otherwise. For God has not predestinated any man of ripe years to obtain salvation, whether he believe or not. And seeing God has plainly professed that whosoever believes shall be saved. Mar. 16.16. If I do not accordingly believe, that God has predestinated me to obtain salvation in case I do believe, I do hereby make God to delude me saying, “Whosoever believes shall be saved.” And whereas this Author upon the back of this adds, “that a man therefore that is not predestinate, but an absolute reprobate,” when he is called to salvation is but deluded; and that this is the necessary result of our speeches.” All the color of this his inference, depends merely upon confusion of things that differ. For he distinguishes not between absolute predestination unto salvation, and predestination unto salvation absolute: likewise he distinguishes not between absolute reprobation unto damnation, and reprobation unto damnation absolute: neither does he distinguish between predestination unto faith, and predestination unto salvation; nor between reprobation from faith, and reprobation unto damnation. And the absoluteness of predestination appears only in predestination unto faith, not predestination unto salvation. For salvation on being bestowed on none of ripe years, but by way of reward of their faith, repentance and good works; hence it follows, that God predestinates none unto salvation of ripe years, but by way of reward of their obedience. But as for predestination unto faith, it is clear, that God purposes absolutely to bestow faith on whom he will. So on the other side, damnation being inflicted on none, but for sin God has destinated no man unto damnation but for sin. But as touching obduration, like as God hardens whom he will, so he decreed to proceed herein, to wit, in hardening of men according to the mere pleasure of his will, that is, absolutely. Now let us not suffer a cauterized conscience, to smother a plain truth, with the confusion of things, which are to be distinguished. Read the rest of this entry »

Colquhoun

It may be remarked that there is a very great difference between the assurance of faith, and that assurance of sense which is one of the fruits of faith. The assurance of sense is a believer’s assurance that he is already united to Christ, and is in a state of grace. The assurance of faith is as inseparable from faith as light is from the sun; but it is quite otherwise with the assurance of sense. A man cannot have faith without having an assurance in it, but he may have faith and not have assurance of it. For, though the mind cannot but be conscious of its own act, yet whether that act has the peculiar properties and nature of saving faith cannot be satisfactorily known but by reflection. This assurance of sense or reflection, then, is not a believing in Christ; but it is a believing that we have believed him. It is not a direct act terminating on him, but a reflex by which we are assured of the saving nature of that direct act. But although the direct act may be without the reflect, yet the latter cannot be without the former. A man must begin to believe before he can begin to know that he has believed… The assurance of faith is commonly not so strong nor sweet as the assurance of sense which is supported by evidences. By the former, a man trusts upon the warrant of the free offer and promise that Christ will do the part of a Saviour to him; by the later, he believers upon the inward evidences of grace, that his faith is unfeigned and operative. By the one, he is assured of the truth of what God hath said to him; by the other, of the reality of what God hath wrought in him. By that he trusts he shall be pardoned and saved; by this he is persuaded that he is pardoned and saved in part already. The object of the assurance of faith is Christ revealed, and offered in the Word the object of the assurance of sense is Christ formed and perceived in the heart. The former is the root and the latter is the fruit.

Cited by Donald Beaton “The Marrow of Modern Divinity,” The Princeton Theological Review. 4, no. 3 (1906): 330.

[Note: this distinction arises out of the Westminsterian position on assurance, yet which seeks to integrate the original and classic Augustinian view of faith as entailing assurance. See also Steve Costly’s insightful remark: “When Nicole speaks of assurance, he means assurance of salvation, whereas Calvin spoke of assurance of God’s love.” I should add, that for Calvin, it was an assurance of God’s love through and in the death of Christ, and never apart from it. What is more, what Costly says of Calvin holds good for many other classic and original Calvinists, and what Steve says here captures well the very issues the Marrowmen were trying to express from within the limitations of Westminsterian orthodoxy.]