Confessio Catholica:

Concerning Providence

Providence is of two sorts. The general, by which God preserves, cares for, governs, sustains, and feeds His creatures. This is spoken of in Acts, “In him we live, move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28). “The Father and I are at work” ( John 5:17). “Not a sparrow falls to the ground without His wish” (Matt. 10:29). “So has He clothed them” (Matt. 6:29-30). “He brings up His sun upon both good and wicked” (Matt. 5:45). “Thou gives food to all creatures” (Ps. 136:25; 146:7).

The particular is that by which He cares especially for the needs of the creatures; as He rules and governs His elect by His Spirit, grace, and Word (Isa. 46, 49, 54; Jer. 30, 31, 32; Ezek. 11, 16).”With my hands have I formed thee, in my bosom will I carry thee:’ He cares for and feeds His church especially (Luke 10; Matt. 18). “I will be with you” (Matt. 28:20; Eph. 5). Frequently, He works singularly in the vessels of wrath as in His other creatures, turning the evil will of men whichever way He wishes. Frequently, He ordains men to punishments, as it is said, “I have created the destroyer for destruction:’ (Isa. 54:16), “the wicked for the day of evil,” (Prov. 16:4), i.e., I have established and ordered that they are servants of my wrath in the punishment of Satan and men, by not causing in them grief for sin. But the wicked per se, He raises up and ordains to the evil of punishment by His just judgment (Isa. 45, 54; 1 Kings 22).

Do All Things Happen by Chance,
Randomly, or According to Fate?

With regard to foreknowledge and providence, nothing happens by chance, whether good or evil (Isa. 45; Lam. 3; Amos 3; 1 Cor. 12). By His power, all things take place. Even those that in our eyes seem to happen randomly take place by the ordination of the providence of God, such as death, sudden destruction, chance missions, as you have in Exodus 21 and Proverbs 16, 20. “The hearts of kings are in His hand and He turns them which way He will” (Prov. 21:1). For nothing is hidden from God; all things are open before His eyes (so say Augustine, Book 1, Retractions; to Simplicianus; concerning predestination; Jerome; Jer. 9; Ambrose, Fulgentius, Prosper). With respect to us, to whom distant things are unknown, and who do not know the causes of all things that occur, all unfamiliar things may [seem] to happen by chance, of which causes, order, and results we understand do not happen by chance.

Not everything takes place in the course of fate (fatum) of which the Stoics speak. We repudiate the fatalistic necessity established by the Stoics. However, insofar as all things take place by the foreknowledge of God and the ordinance of His providence, then the  foreknowledge of God in those things that occur is infallible. To that extent, all things happen not by chance but by the ordinance of God’s foreknowledge; even those bad things that have happened hitherto. The evil of offense, however, He only permits to happen; He does not accomplish them directly and causally Himself.

“The Hungarian Confessio Catholica (1562),” in Reformed Confessions of the 16th and 17th Centuries in English Translation, ed., James T. Dennison, (Grand Rapids Michigan: Reformation Heritage Books, 2010), 2:482-483. [Some spelling modernized and underlining mine.]

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Confessio Catholica:

Concerning the Sacraments

The sacraments are seals of the righteousness of faith, as supplements and seals to the promises of grace, in testimony of God’s grace towards us, to the confirming of faith and imprinting the promises of God on our hearts.

But the stipulation and promise of grace always precedes the sacraments, by which the promises are sealed as it were with a seal. They are of two kinds: those of the Old and the New Testaments. The sacraments of the Old Testament were circumcision and sacrifices in the literal sense. There are other signs placed in natural things, such as the rainbow and the skin of animals: they are not sacraments strictly speaking. They are called signs of holy things because they lead us to divine things.

The Parts of the Sacraments

The sacraments have two parts, as man too consists of two parts, spiritual and bodily. The sign is a bodily thing, sensible, of earthly material, which serves the bodily part of man for the strengthening of faith. What is symbolized is the spiritual and heavenly thing, and is given to man’s spiritual part, i.e., to the soul through faith in the promise.

The Difference between the Sacraments

The signified and heavenly thing is the same in the sacraments of both Old and New Testaments, i.e., Christ and the grace of God. Only this heavenly thing is more obscurely presented in the Old Testament and more clearly, more tangibly, in the New (as is taught in 1 Cor. 10). There are differences in the signs because the matter of the sacraments is different. The presence of the signs signifies everywhere by a heavenly mode the heavenly presence of the things symbolized, but those of the Old Testament signify Christ offered, Himself sacrificed for our sins. The signs of the New Testament signify the heavenly and spiritual presence of the things symbolized–Christ who had by then been offered and sacrificed for our sakes. From this, the fathers called the sacraments of the Old Testament significative (significativa); the sacraments of the New Testament are exhibitive (exhibitiva) signs. The sacraments in themselves will not save us, but are signs of the righteousness of faith and salvation. Romans 4 and Peter also say that salvation does not consist of the water that washes away the filth of the body, but our consciences are reconciled with God by the power of the passion and resurrection of Christ. “I baptize you with water, the Messiah himself with fire and spirit” (cf. Matt. 3:16; Luke 3:16; John 1:26), adding to the sign the thing symbolized. On the part of God, the sign and the thing signified as objects of the sacrament are always bound together and never separated. For in the Word, as in the sacraments too, Christ is offered to the good and evil alike (Rom. 4; Mark 16; Matt. 3; Jerome, on Ps. 77; Titus 3; Eph. 5; Augustine, On Faith, chap. 3; Book 9, on John, chap. 1, 3; Doctrine of the Church, chap. 74; Cyprian, On Baptism, Book 4; letter 7). The true offering and application of the thing signified or the efficacy of the sacrament, however, occurs only in the believing elect, those apprehending Christ in the promise. When, through the unbelief of men, the things signified become separated from the signs, and men make use of the sacraments apart from their legitimate purpose, those who receive them unworthily, without faith and self-examination, do not profit thereby; indeed, with respect to them, the sacrament is a judgment and a mere shadow (1 Cor. 11). When we say that the sacraments save us, or that in baptism we put on Christ, we take the sacraments in themselves out of respect for the ordinance of Christ, using a metonymy as a figure for the thing signify. For the signs really testify that we are saved and that we put on Christ spiritually in the promise, just as the signs exhibit bodily, so the spiritual things signified are exhibited to the soul by faith. So teach the Scriptures and the fathers.

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Confessio Catholica:

Concerning the Predestination of the Elect to Eternal Life, of the Reprobate to Eternal Damnation

Out of the same mass of mankind, bound with the chains of sin by the Fall, according to His eternal foreknowledge, to which all are present (future and past), from sinners whom He has willed according to His good pleasure, He has elected in Himself, and predestined them to eternal life from eternal death (Eph. 1; 1 Peter 1; Ps. 84). But the Lord has so arranged in this foreordination that in God both righteousness and mercy will be satisfied; there will be a proper balance of righteousness and mercy that will kiss each other (Ps. 84). Those whom He has foreknown, elected, and foreordained to life, He would also in time call, justify, glorify forever (Rom. 8); just as He called, justified, glorified them in Himself before the creation of the world, before time eternal (2 Tim. 2; the fathers–Augustine, Jerome, Origen, Ambrose, Gratian, decrees).

A priori, the Causes of Election and Justification
Are Determined in God, Outside of Men

The primary cause is the grace of God, His love, and goodwill; the merit of Christ is the meritorious cause. The formal inner cause is the sanctification of the Holy Spirit by faith in the truth. The formal cause a priori according to revelation and sign is the order of election, namely, after election and predetermination, calling and justification itself (Rom. 8, 9; 2 Tim. 1; 2 Thess. 2). The final cause is that we become holy, to the praise of His glory, glorification, life. God’s gracious election, according to the order and dispensation of divine grace and mercy, is the source, cause and origin of calling, faith and justification ( John 6, 12, 17). For they are called according to His purpose by a holy calling, effectually, inwardly and outwardly through the Word and the Holy Spirit. Those who are given to Christ are obedient to Him, are drawn to Him; they are foreordained to life (Acts 13). The Word, the sacraments, and sacrifices are unto their life, to their salvation, who have been elected; and only those are justified who have been elected (John 8; 1 John 3). Only those finally possess the Holy Spirit; only they do good works, hear and keep the Word of God who have been elected to life; only they do not sin, are renewed, and possess a new heart and a new spirit. All these things flow from the grace of election. They are purified that are the vessels of mercy. They alone do not perish, lose grace, sin unto death, never choose against the Spirit ( John 10).

There are, therefore, the following signs and effects of election: faith, hearing the Word of God, profitable use of the sacraments, the practice of good works. And furthermore good results immediately follow the cause: election appointed and begun in God is of necessity followed by calling, faith, hearing God’s Word and good works.

Predestination to eternal life is, therefore, necessary on account of the immutable causes situated in God alone; and just as predestination is perfected through every part in the foreknowledge of God, so it is necessary that in this world the elect be called, converted, believe, be renewed, justified, reconciled and hear the Word of God inwardly through the proclamation of the Holy Spirit, like little children; and that others hear it, as adults, inwardly and outwardly (so say the fathers, such as Augustine in his book on predestination written to Simplicianus; Ambrose, Cyril, Fulgentius, Origen, on John, chaps. 6, 12, 17; Rom. 8, 9; Eph. 1; Jerome; Ambrose, on the calling of the heathen, and on the epistles of Paul). This predestination is binding and necessary, because it is already perfected, decreed in God, and immutable because the cause is situated in God. Thus the Lord demonstrates His grace, mercy, and goodness in the vessels of mercy.

Others God has chosen, in accordance with His justice, from the sinful mass, and ordained or decreed in advance to eternal damnation and death because of their sin, that He may reveal in them His power and wrath. And this predestination to death is necessitated according to His immutable reasons (Rom. 9). For sin is not changed in the vessels of wrath, because men are incapable in themselves of being converted and fulfilling the Law, but remain in their sins without the grace of the Son. So the righteousness of God that punishes sin has ordained these vessels of wrath for death and decreed that they perish; and that decree cannot be changed ( John 7, 8; Rom. 8, 9; Heb. 9; Rom. 5). For it is necessary for men to die and to be punished for sin. Just as it has been determined that men should die for sin , by the same righteousness God has determined to prepare and foreordain these vessels of wrath to the second death.

Predestination to death is also necessitated (Acts 1; John 17; 1 Peter 1). Judas was damned because the Scripture had to be fulfilled. So say Isaiah 4, 6, 8; Psalm 69.

God did not elect with regard to life, holiness, righteousness, to sin, and death. But those whom He wished, He elected in Himself from death to life, out of sin and unrighteousness to righteousness, holiness, faith, and obedience; and from bad works to good, out of His mercy, without regard to any of their merits past, present, or future.

They are wrong that say that we have been elected because God foresaw our future faith and good works. For neither we, nor faith, nor the good works in us could have existed in the kingdom of Satan. We judge concerning the cause a priori about justification and predestination; about the marks, however, a posteriori. Just as few are justified, so few and not all are chosen and called according to purpose. Thus this teaching is false: you have been chosen because you believe, do good works, are obedient, and hear the Word of God. Indeed, you believe, hear, and live a holy life because you have been chosen from eternity (Acts 13; John 6, 17).

The marks of the vessels of wrath are final impenitence, unbelief, hypocrisy, to persist finally against conscience in their filth, reigning sins, blindness, not to hear and not to believe the Word of God.

“The Hungarian Confessio Catholica (1562),” in Reformed Confessions of the 16th and 17th Centuries in English Translation, ed., James T. Dennison, (Grand Rapids Michigan: Reformation Heritage Books, 2010), 2:478-480. [Underlining mine.]

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Confessio Catholica:

Concerning the Will of God

We consider the will of God in two ways: in God and in creatures. In God, when God moves into action the whole of His will and by His own power, of Himself and without the aid of men, performs and accomplishes that which He wishes and desires (Ps. 142; Ezek. 11; Rom. 8, 9; John 5); the divine will is bound in every part to God’s power, grace, and action, as in election, creation, calling according to purpose, justifying, vivifying, glorifying, renewing, converting, saving the elect by His grace per se, His own power, in Himself; and by punishing the vessels of wrath, consigning them to death, and by the resurrection of all men. All of God’s will must necessarily come to pass (Isa. 46), fulfilled immutably on account of these omnipotent causes, i.e., that divine power and efficacy powerfully accomplishes all those things which He wishes of Himself to perform and accomplish. As it is said: “that which He wished, He performed” (Ps. 113:11). “To whom He wishes He is merciful. Whom He wishes, He hardens” (Rom. 9:18).”The Son gives life to whom He wishes” ( John 5:21). I wish the world to be.”All my will shall be” (Isa. 46:10).

Further, we consider the will of God in things created. As when He binds His will conditionally to the fulfillment of the creatures through their strength, both through the Law and through the will of the man Christ. For example, “I willed, you would not” (cf. Matt. 23:37). In these things, the will of God is not fulfilled, since the power of man, to which it was bound, is ineffective and weak. Thus the power of the Law and the gospel is weakened; death and shame come about through the flesh, through the insufficiency of men, since they do not fully, perfectly and absolutely obey God; they do not do nor are they able to do God’s will, nor can they perform those things which are in conformity with the righteousness or mercy of God. There can be no equality of proportion in men doing. He is God perfect and just; they are weak and sinful men. Being unwilling, however, is as great as inability to men in heavenly affairs and impossible to the flesh. Therefore, efficaciously and omnipotently, He wills to come, to save His elect truly with powerful effect, for it has been effected by His will out of the power of God. God wills, commands, and desires from the heavens. Among men here below, Christ effects the causes with the fullness of His deity and the Spirit of grace, the truth of the will of God. As it is said, “I have done it. I will make them walk in my precepts” (Augustine, Books 3, 7, 8, 9; to Simplicianus; Jerome, Chrysostom; Origen, on Paul to the Romans and Ephesians; 1 Tim. 2 and several other places). God causes you both to will and to do (cf. Phil. 2:13). God who calls will do it (so say the fathers Augustine, Prosper, Jerome, Ambrose).

As it says in Ezekiel 18 and Matthew 11, He wills with His general outward saving will that all shall live, good and bad alike. Because, however, of imperfect men, that general will is not fulfilled; as I willed, you would not, i.e., you would not be converted, saved, believe, fulfill my laws.

“The Hungarian Confessio Catholica (1562),” in Reformed Confessions of the 16th and 17th Centuries in English Translation, ed., James T. Dennison, (Grand Rapids Michigan: Reformation Heritage Books, 2010), 2:485-486. [Underlining mine.]

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