Notice: register_sidebar_widget is deprecated since version 2.8.0! Use wp_register_sidebar_widget() instead. in /home/q85ho9gucyka/public_html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 3931
Calvin and Calvinism

Truman:

Use 1.

How much to blame are those that dread not extremes? It is very common with men, when once they are fully convinced that there is a dangerous error on the one hand, to be careless how far they run to the other hand, and to entertain an error as dangerous, and maintain it to help against the other; though it may prove as incommodious to their souls, as once our predecessors found it to the State, when they fetch in the Saxons to drive out the Picts.

St. Austin tells us it was the great care of every orthodox teacher in his time, to take heed lest they should Grace, as to deny free-will; and lest they should so defend free-will, as to deny Grace: and a good care it was [lib. 2. de peccat. me ir. cap. 18.].

Some have spoken against free-will to good in any sense, have spoken without fear, of over-speaking of man’s impotency to Good, without any check or limitation; yea, and called it a Natural Impotency in the sense explained, that the most understand it  (without explication) of a Natural Impotency, which to affirm, is virtually to lay man’s destruction at God’s door, notwithstanding that Christ’s death and the Gospel, and to clear man. How sad it should be to us, that many have expressed themselves in such terms (though they did contradict it again virtually), that if wicked men had believed them (without doubt they had such checks of conscience, that they did not), they might have encouraged their hearts, as if their refusal of Christ and Grace was not their malignity and wickedness; was not a moral thing, but their weakness; a weakness opposed to willfulness, or however, different from it,  a “cannot” distinct from “will not;” which every one has a notion that a man may be pitied, but not blamed for. If any say I have spoken thus, and held thus; but now see it is an error subverting the very foundation:” but I did practically hold the contrary, or I could not have reproached others, or repented of my former sins: I readily believe you, and shall only say, “Learn charity to those that differ from you.”

Again, some have so defended free-will, that they have maintained that God gives to men only a power of choosing Good and Evil, and will go no further with any.  If any such are sensible that blasphemy to the Spirit is written on the forehead of this opinion, and that it makes the Spirit’s help needless to a man of sound intellectuals; having a sufficient objective evidence, and shall say, “I held this notionally; for I did pray, which I could not have done had I held it practically:” I shall say the same, I readily believe it, do you also learn charity.

Read the rest of this entry »

Harmon:

Fifth Sermon on Romans 11:33

In keeping with the passage that he is expositing, Amyraut’s sermon on Rom 11:33 again sustains a pervasive doxological emphasis. In response to God’s free creation, his general revelation of his patience, and forbearance in nature and providence, and his particular revelation to the Jews and in Christ, efficaciously applied in some, the only appropriate response is to cry, “Oh the depths of the riches of the wisdom of God!” As a result, Amyraut’s purpose in his exposition of the passage is primarily to speak of the freedom of God. He observes the circumstances of Paul’s words and several conclusions, particularly of a twofold election.69

The epistolary context of Paul links his praise of God’s wisdom with his discourse on his dealings with Jews and Gentiles. Paul has described how God allowed Israel to fall so that opportunity may be given to extend grace to Gentiles. Yet, the Jews will be called back in the future. This transfer of the center of God’s saving activity confirms that all are placed in rebellion so that God might have mercy upon all. But, this does not mean that God saves every person. According to his first kind of mercy he does, providing that they believe. But, according to the second kind of mercy that creates faith in its recipients, he does not desire for every person to be saved. On one hand, all men are not saved because many refuse God’s offered salvation, but on the other hand, they could have been saved, but their corrupt natures made it impossible for them to believe.70

To each group, Jew and Gentile, God acted differently before the manifestation of the gospel. To the Gentiles, God gave only the revelation of himself through nature and his providence. Even this revelation was often despised, and so God allowed Gentiles to fall into infamously licentious behavior as judgment. At the same time, in Judea there were two different groups. Some faithful ones held to the promises of the Messiah and did so by the Spirit’s inward power. Others were restrained in their outward behavior from reprehensible living, while sinful passions continued to writhe within them. This apparent contrast in outward behavior between Jews and Gentiles could seem to provide a contrast in the working of God’s salvation. If Jews behaved better than Gentiles, were they saved by their works? And now that the gospel had come to Gentiles, were they saved in a different manner, by grace? To avoid this possible confusion and to emphasize God’s mercy above all other considerations, God largely removed the light of salvation from Israel for a time. This focus upon the Gentiles could then confirm his mercy.71

Read the rest of this entry »

Lever:

For unto thee, even unto thee, saving health is provided, and proffered of God, in him, and by him which says:

They that be in health have no need of a Physician, but they that be sick and diseased: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners unto repentance: Come thou therefore unto me, which labors, and are heavy laden, and I shall ease thee. I shall help, deliver thine own sins. Come therefore in sorrowing thine own sins, and pitying all men’s misery, and I will not refuse the sacrifice of thy oblation of thy humble spirit and contrite heart. I would not have set forth the abomination of thy sins so openly, and showed so many tokens of plagues and vengeance coming presently, but to make thee more willing to come at this my earnest calling because now thy danger is great, thy time is short, and thou can have no refuge or remedy, if thou do not speedily come unto me, which am willing and able to heal all thy diseases, to forgive all thy sins, to deliver thee out of all dangers, and to turn perilous plagues of vengeance from thee, into plentiful provision of all comfortable commodities unto thee.

Remember and consider the example of the children of Jacob, which by envying of their brother Joseph, casting him into a dungeon, and telling him unto strangers, deserved such a plague of famine and hunger, as forced them to seek for food in a strange country: and there when as they pitying Benjamin their youngest brother with charitable love one towards another, did all together humble themselves in prayer before the ruler of the country, which did speak sharply: then the ruler, being in deed Joseph their brother, could no longer use himself strangely towards them, but with loving pity did forgive them all their former faults against him, and did make most comfortable and plentiful provision for them, their father, their wives, and children. And if you, whose sins have caused Christ to be bought and sold, to die and suffer, which have falsely pretended, faintly favored, yea shamefully slandered, and cruelly persecuted the gospel of Christ, which willfully and wittingly in manifest and manifold perjuries, have provoked the wrath and vengeance of GOD, which have envied, hated, and slandered one another, and so deserved dangerous plagues: if you will now pity them that be in misery, and in unity of Faith and brotherly charity, altogether humble yourselves in prayer before your heavenly Father, then Christ which has all authority, of tender heart will embrace you with loving pity, take you as his own brethren, forget and forgive all that has been done against him, and provide plentifully all things commodious or necessary for you and yours. He will fetch you from far into that wealthy place, where as he is a ruler: he will gather you out of all quarters, into that church, whereof he is the head, that which you did mean evil towards him, will he so order as shall be best for you. I say surely, for all you your being thus now called, will come after this manner, yea if you be many all the rest also shall be spared for your sakes, if you be but few in number, yet ever one of you shall be so provided for, that if there remain upon earth any godly comfort for you, ye shall be reserved and kept to see and enjoy it: and if nothing shall remain but misery and mischief, then shall ye be preserved and delivered out of the grief and danger of it, unto joy and glory with Christ.

Thomas Lever, A Treatise of the right way from Danger of Sinne & veneance in this wicked worlde, unto godly wealth and salvation in Christ, (Printed by Henrie Bynneman for George Byshop, 1575), chap. 10, [pp., 108-111] [Some reformatting; some spelling modernized; no original pagination; pages numbered manually from chapter 1; and underlining mine.]

18
Nov

Thomas Lever (1521–1577) on Redeemed Souls Perishing

   Posted by: CalvinandCalvinism   in For Whom did Christ Die?

Lever:

Redeemed souls perishing:

1) As for example of ryche men, loke at the merchauntes of London, and ye shall see, when as by their honest vocacion, and trade of marchandise god hath endowed them with great abundaunce of ryches, then can they not be content with the prosperous welth of that vocacion to satisfye theym selues, and to helpe other, but their riches muste abrode in the countrey to bie fermes [farms] out of the handes of worshypfull gentlemen, honeste yeomen, and pore lahorynge husbandes. Yea nowe also to bye personages, and benefices, where as they do not onelye bye landes and goodes, but also lyues and soules of men, from God and the comen wealth, vnto the deuyll and theim selues. A myscheuouse marte of merchandrie is this, and yet nowe so comenly vsed, that therby shepeheardes be turned to theues, dogges into wolues, and the poore flocke of Christ, redemed wyth his precious bloud, moste miserablye pylled, and spoyled, yea cruelly deuoured. Be thou marchaunt of the citye, or be thou gentleman in the contrey, be thou lawer, be you courtear, or what maner of man soeuer thou be, that can not, yea yf thou be mailer doctor of diuinitie, that wyl not do thy duety, it is not lawfull (or the to haue personage, benefice, or any suche liuyng, excepte thou do fede the flocke spiritually wyth goddes worde, and bodelye wyth honeste hospitalitye. I wyll touch diuerse kyndes of ryche men and rulers, that ye maye se what harme some of theim do wyth theyr ryches and authoritye. And especiallye I wyll begynne wyth. theym that be best learned, for they seme belyke to do moste good wyth ryches and authoritie unto theim committed. If I therefore beynge a yonge simple scholer myghte be so bolde, I wolde alke an auncient, wyse, and well learned doctor of diuinitie, whych cometh not at hys benefice, whether he were bounde to fede hys flocke in teachynge of goddes worde, and kepyng hospitalitie or no? He wold answere and saye: syr my curate supplieth my roume in teachynge, and my farmer in kepynge of house. Yea but master doctor by your leaue, both these more for your vauntage then for the paryshe conforte: and therfore the mo suche seruauntes that ye kepe there, the more harme is it for your paryshe, and the more synne and shame for you. Ye may thynke that I am sumwhat saucye to laye synne and shame to a doctor of diuinitie in thys solemne audience, for some of theim vse to excuse the matter, and saye: Those whych I leaue in myne absence do farre better then I shoulde do, yf I taryed there my selfe. Thomas Lever, Sermons,  (London: Bloomsbury,1871), 29-30. [Original spelling retained;  italics original; some bracketed words inserted; and underlining mine; the archaic font character for “s” substituted with the modern s.]

2) The filthye gredye puttockes, wylde haukes, and rauenyng kytes be fupersticious papistes, carnall gospellers, and sedicious rebelles, which as ye haue seene, by late experience, haue moil cruelly caught, spoyled, and deuoured the lambes, the chekynnes, the chyldren of God, redemed and boughte with Christes bloude. Wherfore as Christ in his owne persone dyd once lament and bewayle Ierusalem, so dothe he nowe many tymes in the persons of his propheticall Preachers, lament and bewayl Englande, saying: O England, howe ofte wolde I haue gathered thy chyldren, as a hen gathereth her chikens vnder her wynges, and thou woldest not. Euen with the same affeccion that the shepherde cryeth, seeyng the wolfe le[e]ryng towardes the shepe, and with the same affeccion that the hen clocketh and calleth, spyeng the kyte houeryng ouer her chekyns: with the same affeccion it behoueth the minister and preacher of God, seeyng vntollerable vengeaunce hangynge ouer Englande, to aye, to call, and to geue warnyng vnto the people, saying as [it] is written In the first of Esay: If ye willyngly wyl heare and obeye, ye shall eate the good comfortable frutes of the earthe: but if ye wyll not, and prouoke me vnto angre, the swoorde shall deuoure you: Quia os Domini locutum.1 For it is the mouth of the lord that hath spoken.

Now your reuerende maiestie, most gracious kyng, and you honourable wyse godly counsellers, you are the chiefe shepherdes, you are the most reuerende fathers in Christe, hauynge the wynges of power and authoritie, to shadow, saue, and keepe these lambes of god, these [the] chekens of Christ, and these chyldren of the heauenly father, redemed with Christes bloude, and committed vnto your handes, to be saued, kepte, and prouyded for.

Read the rest of this entry »

17
Nov

Moses Amyraut (1596-1664) on Ezekiel 18:23

   Posted by: CalvinandCalvinism   in Ezekiel 18:23, 32; 33:11

Appendix 1:

English Translation of Moyse Amyraut’s Sermon on Ezekiel 18:231

[37] On the Words of the Prophet Ezekiel, Chapter 18, verse 23:

Would I in any way take pleasure in the death of the wicked, says the Lord God, and not rather that he turn from his way and that he live?

If, on one hand, you see today prepared before your eyes, my brothers, the table on which is offered for you the bread, which is the commemoration and the token of him who descended from heaven for the life of the world, with the wine which represents the [38] blood of the New Testament; and, on the other hand, with your ears you hear pronounced as being the subject of the discourse by which we must invite you to participation in these graces, a judgment drawn from books of the old covenant, you should not at all find it strange, as if these things did not go well together. Even though it is the Lord who makes himself heard in these words of the Prophet and though in the Old Testament this word has I know not what of grandness and majesty, which fills the soul with respect and reverence, more than it tempts it and draws by its gentleness; yet it is the same God who has manifested himself in these last times in his Son, full of an incomparable gentleness, and bearing a marvelously attractive and mild appearance. Although these tokens of the Body and of the Blood of Christ are the assurances of his most ardent and vehement compassion, they also represent this mercy of which the Prophet speaks in this passage. Although it was to the people of Israel that this voice spoke, so has it been pronounced for the Christian people, and resonates nowhere so loudly as in the Gospel. Although we are .invited to eat the body of our Lord Jesus, and to drink his blood in the celebration of this Sacrament, the faithful of the past did not eat it any less than we, who had recourse with true faith, to [39] this mercy that the Lord God offered them in these words.

The difference is extremely great on one point: That is that the one by whose mouth God held this conversation with his people in the past, was a great and distinguished Prophet, in whose spirit the spirit of God had stimulated excellent and extraordinary insights, to shine in the midst of this very dark age. Whereas the one who speaks now to you is a feeble instrument of the grace of God in your place, who is nothing like the former. Nevertheless this disadvantage will be abundantly overcome, as you come to recognize who it is that has committed this ministry to us, and who consequently speaks to you by our mouth; that is, our Lord Jesus, who in dignity and excellence has so far surpassed all the Prophets. For since the beginning of the preaching of the Gospel until the end of time, these words have their place and their truth, for God having in times past spoken at diverse times and in diverse manners to our fathers by the Prophets, has spoken to us by his Son in these last times. Indeed, whatever weakness there may be among the Ministers of the Church of our time, they can still say to the praise of the grace of God toward you, to whom the last times have come, that they have a [40] clearer and more distinct know ledge of the doctrine of salvation by the Gospel of Christ, than the Prophets had previously, notwithstanding the excellence of their inspirations and heavenly revelations. Because the one who is least in the Kingdom of Heaven, is in this matter greater than John the Baptist, who nevertheless, because he was the precursor of our Lord Jesus and because he had the honor of seeing him with his eyes, was greater even than all the Prophets in that way. Thus, my brothers, the weakness of those who repeat this voice to you again today, must not diminish the attention and the honor that you should render to it. We will undertake therefore, with the assistance of the grace of God, to show it to you, and this by a method a little different from that we have been accustomed to use. But all things are not appropriate to all times and all circumstances.

One asks, my Brothers, how that sentence ought to be understood, That God does not at all desire the death of the sinner, but that he convert and live? Given that he not only punishes and will punish in the future so many people for their sins, but also that he leaves so great a number of them lying in their natural misery, to whom far from making them feel the efficacy of the grace of his Spirit to believe in Christ when he is announced to them, [41] that he does not even have him announced to them. As is clearly seen in many miserable nations among which he is not preached at all, and he was preached still less at the time when the Prophet spoke, because no one knew of him in any nation except Judah. Again if you compare that with the light of the New Testament, the knowledge that they had in Judah was very vague. If we say therefore, that this passage teaches that God in no way wishes the death of the sinner who converts; but that if he does not convert God necessarily wishes his death, because the Judge wishes the punishment of the one who is guilty; although we have spoken the truth, that neither exhausts the entire meaning, nor equals the whole emphasis of this passage. For firstly, who can doubt that God pronounces these words to invite sinners to repentance? And furthermore who can doubt that he, if! must say it this way, wants men to repent? That is to say, that he takes a sovereign contentment in their conversion, since the Angels, who are, without doubt, not as good as he, rejoice in the Heavens when a sinner converts on the earth? And yet he says it, and wants us to say it with feeling, to preach it, and to insist upon it as a thing which to him is extremely [42] agreeable. Now no one would speak in this way of the Justice of God, that because he loves the exercise of it, and that he takes pleasure in it, he takes pleasure also when men commit the sins which give him the occasion, and without which there would be no exercise of Justice at all. This would be a statement directly opposed to the nature of God and his Gospel. And so he must want the life of the sinner and take pleasure in his conversion in another way than he wants his death: for the mere thought that he takes pleasure in sin, is a horror and a blasphemy. Truly, other than that this is the aim of God and of his Prophet, not in this sentence only, but in all similar ones in the old and new Testament, the very words of the text have a particular efficacy. For he does not say only that he takes pleasure in the life of the sinner, but that he takes pleasure in his conversion. I have no pleasure in the death of the sinner, But that he should convert and that he should live. Now the conversion of man may be considered in two manners: either as the means of coming to life, arid without it the sinner will not obtain life: or as, besides that, a thing good and agreeable to God in and of itself, as far as it consists in illumination of the understanding and the knowledge of that which is beautiful, just and honest, [43] which draws in its train the virtues of piety and justice, in which consists the image of God himself. Now it appears clearly from this, that God loves the conversion of the sinner as it is the means of coming to life. But that he only loves it because of this, is a thing unworthy of the excellence of the nature of God, whose sovereign perfection consists in his being holy, and in his sovereignly loving the holiness which shows him in his creature. Therefore there must be something here which testifies to the greater vehemence, in this pleasure that God takes in the conversion and in the life of the sinner, than he takes in the exercise of his Justice.

Read the rest of this entry »