10
Sep

Pierre Du Moulin (The Elder) (1568-1658) on Reprobation

   Posted by: CalvinandCalvinism   in God who Ordains

Du Moulin:1

III. Reprobation is the decree of God, by which from eternity he decreed, not to give to certain men his grace, by which they might be freed from their engrafted depravation, and from the curse due to them, and appointed them to just and deserved punishment for their sins.

VI. God is, after the same manner, the cause of reprobation, as the judge is the cause of punishment of them that are guilty, and sin is the meritorious cause. Seeing therefore the consideration of sin does move the judge, and the judge does condemn to punishment, it appears that sin is the remote cause of damnation, and not only a condition necessarily fore-required, and that the judge is the next and nearest cause.

VII. Furthermore although sin be the case of appointment to punishment, yet it is not the case of the difference between the Elect and Reprobate. For examples sake: Two men are guilty of the same crime, and it pleases the king to condemn one, to absolve and free the other, his sin indeed that is condemned is the cause of his punishment, but it is not the case why the king is otherwise affected to the other then to him, seeing the fault on both sides is alike. The cause of the difference, is that something steps between, which does turn the punishment from one of them, which in the work of predestination is nothing else but the very good pleasure of God, by which of his mere good pleasure, he gave certain men to Christ, leaving the rest in their inbred corruption, and in the curse due unto them. For which difference, it is great wickedness for us to strive with God, seeing he is not subject nor bound to any creature, and punishes no man unjustly, giving to one the grace that is not due, and imposing on the other the punishment that is due.

XII. And although reprobation cannot be said to be the cause of sin, because sin goes before reprobation, yet it cannot be denied that reprobation is the cause of the denying grace, and of the preaching of the Gospel, and of the spirit of adoption, which is peculiar to the elect. For seeing this denying is a punishment, it must be, that it is inflicted by the will of a just judge….

XV. …This is the fountain of their2 error; this last beginning has led aside those acute men into byways. The respect of election is one, the respect of reprobation is far other. For sin and infidelity is not a condition after the same manner in the reprobates, as faith is a condition required in the elect. For sin is a condition fore-required in reprobates, but faith is a condition following election. Reprobation is made for sin, but election is made to faith. Sin is the cause of the appointing to punishment, faith is the effect of election. God finds sin, but works faith. Sin follows reprobation only in the necessity of consequence, but not in the necessity of the consequent. But faith does follow election in both ways….

Peter Movlin, The Anatomy of Arminianisme (London: Printed by T.S. For Nathaniel Newbery, and are to be sold at the signe of the Starre vnder Saint Peters Church in Cornehill, and in Popes head Alley, 1620), 210-212, 216-217. [Some reformatting; some spelling modernized; footnotes and values mine; and underlining mine.]

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1Pierre Du Moulin was an extremely “high” Calvinist, with (apparently) strong voluntarist and rationalist influences. A few of his definitions and expressions are objectionable, such as his definitions of divine love, for example. Du Moulin later became an aggressive opponent of Amyraut and all things Amyraldian. Regarding the above statements, I have attempted to extract only his critical positive affirmations, and not his negative comments against Arminianism and Arminians.

2“Their,” that is, the Arminians.

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