Ioannis Calvini Institutio Christianae religionis

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This ill se a sufficient restrain to any one disposed to eason With reverene concerning the secret of his God Against the audacio usnes of the impious, ho remo astat opent to

also that, are proper judges, O decide On his cause nec ord- in to ortu O n apprehension. Wheresere, is e attemptrio

go beyon What is lawsul, let usae deterred by the Psalmist,

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of thoi disposition to murmur, ecause the intentionali Suppres the enu Se os condemnation, hicli the are construinodio acknowledge in themselves hoping O Xcus thenaselves bychargin it pon God But though I ver so osten admitGod o bo th author of it, hieli is persecti correet, et his doses no abolisti the uili impresSed pon thei ConScien eS, and from timeri time recurring to thei VieW. IV. The furthor objeci, ere the noti by the decree Os God antecedenti predestinated to that corruption hicli is no staten a the causo os condemnation 8 When they peristi in thei corruption, heros oro, the oni Siasse the punishmentos that miser into hicli, in consoquene os hi predeStination, Adam sell, and precipitate his posterit With him. Isti no vnjust, heres Ore, in reatin his creatures illi Suchcruel mockern I consess, indoed that at the descendant of Adam soli by tho Divino ill into that miserable condition in Whicli the are o involvex and this is hales asserte fromthe egirining that, must at way re turn a laSt to the OVe-

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reign determinationis God 's illi ho causu os,hicli is hiddon in himself. But it follows not there fore, that God is labi tothi reproach. For e Wil ans e them thus in the langu ageos aut man who artolio a that repties against odi

rea ty any vindicationis God 's justice, and ut it a subterfuge, Suchis is commoni resortet to by person destitute of a sussicient des eiice. For fiat appears to e the meaning of this, but that God possessos pomer that cannot be resiSted, fio ingany thin Whatsoeve accordin to his ploasuret ut it is ver different. For fiat Stronge reaSon cun e alleged than whon e re directe to consider homo isse Ho could

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say, illi Ahigustine, that humor create those lio, he certaini foro line , ould sal into destruction, und that this asactuali so se auso ho illexit; ut os his ilici bulong notio his to deinand the rea Son, hieli e re incapable Os comprehendita nor is it rea sonabi that the Divine ili ho uidbo ad the subjectis controverS W1th us, hicli, heneVerit is discussed is ni another nam for the ighest tale os justice. Why, then, is an question tarte concernin injustice, here justice is evidently conspicuous y or et iis beashamodo fosso ille example os Paul, an Sto the mouilis

tendS, O so uel to the crimination os God a to the vindication os the siniter; though the siniter hom God condemiis

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delice, an a create in Such a State a after Ward to dowhate ver e actuali does , he ought notos e charge ruit liguit so things hichine cannot a void, and to hic I the illos God constratias him. et iis see, then, ho this dissi ut tyshould bu solved. In the rs place the declaration o Solomon ought to e universali admitted that tho Lord athmade at thingisor himself yea even the wiche so the dayosivit. V o observe at things ein a God's disposal, and the decisionis salvationi death elongin to him, he ordersali hings by his counse an decree in Such a manner, that Some mei are ori devote froin the ombo certain death, that his nam may be glori sed in thei destruction. f any one leadS that no necessit Was imposed on them by tho provide iace of God, ut ather that the were creato by him in Such a State in consequence of his fore sight of thei futuro depravity,-it illismo uni t nothing. The old Writer uSed, in deed, t adopt his solutiora though no Without Ome degreeos hesitation. ut the schoo Non satisf themsolves illicit,

a though it admitte os no opposition. mill readii grant,

indued that mere foret noWleuge lays no necessit On thecreatures, though this is no universali adnititod for there aresonae ho maintaincit to e the ac tua causo of What comes topass. ut Valla, a mari otherwis notamuch versed in theology, appears to me to lime discovered Superior acute nos and judiciolisness, by ho Wing that thi controverS i un neceSSary,

bucause both lis ait dealli are acts of God' Will, ather hanos his soroknowled go. God sinapi soresa the fates of men, and id not also dispos an si them by his determination,

thsere ould e oom to agitate the question, hether his providelice or foresight rendere them ut ali necessary. ut sinceli soresees future evenis ni in consequence of his decree,

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that tho shali appen, it is Solos to contendobo ut ore-knowlodgo, hil it is evident that ali hing come to passrathe by ordination and decree. VII. They a it is nowhere declared in Xpres terms that God docros Adam hould purish b his desection; a thoughth sanie God, hom the Scripture repre Sent nidoin Whate Vertae plenses, create the obtest os his creatures Without nydoterminate end. The maintain that he was possesso offro choico that humight e the aut hor os his o n fate, ut that God decreest nothin more than to trea him ac ordin tolli desert. I so uali a scheme a this e received What illi,ecome of God ' omnipotenco by hichrae go verras at thingsaccordin to his secret Ounsul independenti of Ver perSonor thinibosidesse ut hether the wiSh it orirea it pre- destination exhibit itfel in Adam' posteri ty. For the ossos salvation by the whole ac through tho guit Os ne parent, Was an event that di not happen by nuture. What revenis thei achnowledgin concerning one man, What the re le- tanti grant concerning the whole specie. Why shoubi thuylos thoi labo ur in sophistica evasions The Scripture pro- clatuis, that alimen ero, in the person os thei sat her Sentencedo eterna death. his, no bella attributable to nature, it is evident mus have proceuded rom the wonderi ulcounse of Od. The perplexit an hesitation disco veredat tristes by thes pio iis deflander of the justice os God, and thei facilit in overco ming great difficulateS, are trili ab SUrd. I inquire again, ho it eam to as that the fallis Adam, independent os an remedy, should involve O many nationSwith thoi insant childron in ternat death, ut ecause Suchwas the wid os God Their longues, o loquaci ou on Very Other Oint, mustinere e truci dumb. t is an wsul decree, I consess butio orio an de ny that God foret ne the future final sate of man usor hu creato him, and that he di fore-kno it ecaus it Was appoin te by his own decree. any one here attactis God' sore linowledgo, eoashly an ine On- Sideratet si umbies. For hat round os accusation is there

against tho heavent Iud ge formo buin ignorant of futurit ΘΙ there is an jus o plausibi complaint, it lies againSt pre- destination. or liould it e thought absurdo affirm that God not ni foresa tho sal of the firsi man, and the ruinis his posterit in him, ut also arranged ali by the determinationos his own ilL Formiit olong to his isdom to fore linowevery thin suturo socii elong to his pomer to ille audio vernali hings by his and An this question uiso, as et asothers, is judiciolist discussed by Augustine. Me most Wholesomel consess, fiat e mos rightly belle ve, that the God audior os at things, who create every thin Very

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babie, hoWever, that an procure his own destruction by thumere permiSSion, and Without an appotniment, os God asthough God ad not de tormine What hv Nould choos to belli conditionis the principalis his creatures. Ushalliso hesitate, there re, to conses plaint With Augustino, that thewil os God is the nocessit of things, und that hat he hasu ille mill necessarii cornu to pass a thos things re reatly about o happen hich he has foroseon. V NON, is uithe Pela

cus for thenaseive and the impio iis, plea the necessit Withwhicli the are bound by God' prodestination, - the allegenothin applicabie to the casu. For is prodestination is noothor than a dispensation os Divine justice, mysterious in-deed, ut liable o no lanie , - sine it is certain the wereno unWorth of 0 in prodestinaten to that sate, it is quailycertain that the destruction the incur by predestination is consistent illi the strictes justico Besides, hei perditiondopend sin the Divino predestination in Such a mannor, lintili cause and matter of it are found in thenaseives. For thesirst man sui bocausu tho Lord ad determinud it a sooXpedient. The reason os this determination is uni no vn tous. Et it is certain that he determined thus, ni bocause husorosa it ould enixto tho jus illustration os the lor of hi name. WheneVer ou hea the glor of God mentioned, think of his justice For hat deserves ruis must be USt. Maia salis, heres ore, ac cord in to the appotnimunt os Divine

litii bus ore pronounco evor thing that he had mado 'obe very good. V Wheneo, then, comes the depravit os manto ovolt rom his Godi est it hon id bo thought to comesrom creation, God ad approvo and commendod ha had procoedod rom himsulf H his own Wickedness, heres Ore, he corrupte the natur he had receivo puro rom tho Lord, and by his sal horaro ali his posterit With him into destructiori heres ore et us ather contemplate tho evident cauSe

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move notis ni ut jus ground , ut ver plauSibi prete Xt, sorobjection. The reprobate isti to e thought excusabie in Sinning because the cannot moid a necessit os Sinning especiali since this necessit is laidipon them by the ordination o God. ut e don this to e a just XC Seri ecata Seth ordinationis God by hicli the complain that the aredestinodo destruction, is uide by equity unknoWn in deedio iis, but indubitabi certain. Whetice e conclude that theysustain no miser that is no inflicted pon hom by the ostrightuous judgmen os God. In the ne X place, e maintain that the ac preposteroUSty, ho in Seel in sor the originis thei condemnation direct their vie S to the Secret reeeSSes of tho Divine counsol, an overtook the corruption Os nature, Whicli is iis ea solarco. The testimon God gives t hi creation prevenis thei imputin it to im For though, by theeterna providence of God man was createxto that miser toWhichrae is subjeci, et tho ground oscit ho has derivo fronthimself, no froni God since he is thus ruined solet in con- Sequence of his havin degenerate froni the pure creation OsGod o victous an impure depravity. X. The doctrine of God' predestination is alii inritate byit adversaries, as involvin a third absurdi ty. O When eattributuri solol to the determination soli Divino ill thatthos whom God admits to e heir of his kingilom are Xempt-ed rom tho universa destruction, froni his tho Miser, that hei RaeSpecteris persons, hicli the Scripture uniformi dentes iliat, heres ore, illior tho Scripture is inconsistent illi itsoli or in the oloction o God regar istud o mortis. In the sirst place the Scripture dente that God is a reSpecter os perSons, in a disserent sensu frona that in hicli the understan it forby the ord person, it signifies no a man, ut hos things in

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tination, he Observes no the Same uniformio urse of proceeding

stiis to b a jus jud ge in the infliction o punishment. Whon the object to this, halcis it ut attemptin to deprivo God of

the opportunit to manifeSt hi mercy, o to grant it to him, atteast On the condition that he wholi abandon his justico Wheres ore there is the reat est propriet in thes ObServation Sos Augustine The whole mas os mani inclinavin salien into

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tination is that iis stablishment ould destro ali solicitudo an exortion sor rectitude os conduci. For lio an hear, thensay that ithe lis o death is appotnte formim by God setornat an immutabie decree, Without immediatet concludingilia it is fio importanc ho he conducis himself since noaction os his an in an respect ei ther impede or promote the prodostinationis God Thus ali illlabando themselves todespuir, and ut into ver excesso whicli thei licentiolis propensities may lea them. An trul this objection is notat together destitute os truth there are many impure perSonSwho bu spatior the doctrine os predestination mitti thes vile blasphemios, and illi this pretexi elude ali admonition an re-proosse: God nows What he has determine to do illi us

is he has docree our salvation lis ill bring iis to it in hisown time ; si has destinodis to duath, it ill b in uiri forus to trive against it But the Scripture, hile it inculcates superior uW an reverene Os in in tho consideration os sogreat amyStery, inStruct the odi in a very disserent conchision, and fuit refutes the Wicke and nreasonable inseretice of theSe person S. Foroli design os lia it containsrospectin predeStination is, no that be in eXcite to preSumption, e may ut tempt, illi nefarious temerity, to erutinig the

inaccessibi Secret os God, ut ather that, o in humble and dejected me a learn to tremblem hi justico an admiro his mei cy. At his objec bellever Will aim. ut tho impuro cavit os the Wic ked are justi restraino by aut Thuypros es t g On Securet in thei vices ecauseris the are os the number of the electi Such conduci illiso prevent their