ART. XI.

ART. XI.

DE ÆTERNA PRÆDESTINATIONE ET OF THE

ELECTIONE DEI.

ETERNAL PREDESTINATION

AND ELECTION OF GOD.

De hoc articulo non quidem Touching this article there has publice mota mota est controversia not, indeed, arisen any public coninter Augustana Confessionis troversy among the divines of the Theologos: sed tamen cum hic Augsburg Confession; but neverarticulus magnam piis mentibus theless, inasmuch as this article consolationem adferat, si recte et brings great consolation to pious dextre explicetur, visum est eun-minds, if it be rightly and skillfully dem in hoc scripto declarare, ne expounded, it has seemed good to forte temporis progressu dispu- set forth the same in this writing, tationes aliquæ cum offendiculo lest perchance, in process of time, conjuncta de hac re exoriantur.

AFFIRMATIVA.

Sincera doctrina de hoc Articulo.

certain disputations leading to of fense should arise thereupon.

AFFIRMATIVE.

Sound doctrine touching this Article.

I. Primum omnium est, quod I. First of all, it ought to be accurate observari oportet, discri- most accurately observed that there men esse inter præscientiam [Vor- is a distinction between the foresehung], et prædestinationem, sive knowledge and the predestination æternam electionem [ewige Wahl] or eternal election of God.

Dei.

II. Præscientia enim Dei nihil II. For the foreknowledge of aliud est, quam quod Deus om- God is nothing else than this, that nia noverit, antequam fiant, sicut God knows all things before they scriptum est (Dan. ii. 28): Est come to pass, as it is written (Dan. Deus in cœlo, revelans mysteria, ii. 28): 'There is a God in heaven qui indicavit tibi Rex Nabucho- that revealeth secrets, and maketh donosor, quæ ventura sunt in no-known to the king Nebuchadnezzar vissimis temporibus.

III. Hæc Dei præscientia simul ad bonos et malos pertinet, sed interim non est causa mali, neque est causa peccati, quæ hominem

what shall be in the latter days.'

III. This foreknowledge of God extends both to good and evil men; but nevertheless it is not the cause of evil, nor is it the cause of sin,

ad scelus impellat. Peccatum impelling man to crime. For sin enim ex diabolo, et ex hominis arises from the devil, and from the

prava et mala voluntate oritur. Neque hæc Dei præscientia causa est, quod homines pereant; hoc enim sibi ipsis imputare debent: sed præscientia Dei disponit [ordnet] malum, et metas illi constituit, quousque progredi et quam diu durare debeat, idque eo dirigit, ut, licet per se malum sit, nihilominus electis Dei ad salutem cedat.

depraved and evil will of man. Nor is this foreknowledge of God the cause why men perish, for this they ought to impute to themselves. But the foreknowledge of God dis poses evil and sets bounds to it, how far it may proceed and how long endure, and directs it in such wise that, though it be of itself evil, it nevertheless turns to the salvation of the elect of God.

IV. Prædestinatio vero, seu IV. But the predestination or æterna Dei electio, tantum ad eternal election of God extends bonos et dilectos filios Dei per- only to the good and beloved chiltinet; et hæc est causa ipsorum dren of God, and this is the cause salutis. Etenim eorum salutem of their salvation. For it procures procurat, et ea, quæ ad ipsam their salvation, and appoints those pertinent, disponit. Super hanc things which pertain to it. Upon Dei prædestinationem salus no- this predestination of God our salstra ita fundata est, ut infero- vation is so founded that the gates rum portæ eam evertere neque- of hell can not prevail against it ant (John x. 28; Matt. xvi. 18).

V. Hæc Dei prædestinatio non in arcano Dei consilio est scrutanda, sed in Verbo Dei, in quo revelatur quærenda est.

(John x. 28; Matt. xvi. 18).

V. This predestination of God is not to be searched out in the hidden counsel of God, but is to be sought in the Word of God, in which it is revealed.

VI. But the Word of God leads us to Christ, he is that book of life in which all are inscribed and elect

VI. Verbum autem Dei deducit nos ad Christum, is est liber ille vitæ, in quo omnes inscripti et electi sunt, qui salutem æternam ed who attain eternal salvation. consequuntur. Sic enim scriptum est (Eph. i. 4): 'Elegit nos in Christo, ante mundi constitutionem.'

For thus it is written (Eph. i. 4): 'He hath chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world.'

VII. Christus vero omnes pec- VII. But Christ calls all sinners catores ad se vocat, et promittit to him, and promises to give them illis levationem, et serio vult [ist rest. And he earnestly wishes that ihm Ernst], ut omnes homines ad all men may come to him, and sufse veniant, et sibi consuli et sub- fer themselves to be cared for and veniri sinant. His sese Redemp- succored. To these he offers himtorem in verbo offert, et vult, ut self in the Word as a Redeemer, and verbum audiatur, et ut aures non wishes that the Word may be heard, obdurentur, nec verbum negliga- and that their ears may not be hardtur et contemnatur. Et promit- ened, nor the Word be neglected and tit se largiturum virtutem et contemned. And he promises that operationem Spiritus Sancti et he will bestow the virtue and operauxilium divinum, ut in fide ation of the Holy Spirit and divine constantes permaneamus, et vitam aid, to the end that we may abide aternam consequamur. steadfast in the faith and attain eternal life.

VIII. De nostra igitur electione VIII. Therefore we are to judge ad vitam æternam neque ex ra- neither by the judgment of our tionis nostræ judicio, neque ex own reason nor by the law of God, lege Dei judicandum est, ne vel concerning our election to eternal dissoluta et Epicureæ vitæ nos life, lest we either give ourselves tradamus, vel in desperationem over to a dissolute and Epicurean incidamus. Qui enim rationis life or fall into desperation. For sux judicium in hoc negotio se- they who follow the judgment of quuntur, in horum cordibus hæ their own reason in this matter, in perniciosa cogitationes (quibus their hearts arise these mischievous ægerrime resistere possunt) exci- thoughts, which it is hard indeed tantur: Si (inquiunt) Deus me for them to resist: If (say they) ad æternam salutem elegit, non God has elected me to eternal salpotero damnari, quicquid etiam vation, I can not be damned, let me designavero. Contra vero, si non do what evil I will. But, on the sum electus ad vitam æternam, other hand, if I am not elected to nihil plane mihi profuerit, quan- eternal life, all the good that I may tumcunque boni fecero, omnes do will advantage me nothing at enim conatus mei irriti erunt [es all, for all my endeavors will be in ist doch alles umsonst].

VOL. III.-M

vain.

IX. Vera igitur sententia de prædestinatione ex Evangelio Christi discenda est. In eo enim perspicue docetur, quod Deus omnes sub incredulitatem concluserit, ut omnium misereatur, et quod nolit quenquam perire, sed potius ut omnes convertantur, et in Christum credant (Rom. xi. 32; Ezek. xviii. 23; xxxiii. 11; 2 Pet. iii. 9; 1 John ii. 2).

IX. The true opinion, therefore, concerning predestination is to be learned from the Gospel of Christ. For in it is clearly taught that 'God hath concluded all under unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all;' and that 'he is not willing that any should perish, but rather that all should be converted and believe in Christ' (Rom. xi. 32; Ezek. xviii. 23; xxxiii. 11; 2 Pet. iii. 9; 1 John ii. 2).

X. Qui igitur voluntatem Dei X. Whoever, therefore, inquire revelatam inquirunt, eoque ordine into the revealed will of God, and progrediuntur, quem D. Paulus proceed in that order which St. Paul in Epistola ad Romanos secutus has followed in the Epistle to the est (qui hominem prius deducit Romans (who first leads man to read pœnitentiam, ad agnitionem pentance, to the acknowledgment peccatorum, ad fidem in Chri- of his sins, to obedience to the stum, ad obedientiam mandato- commandments of God, before he rum Dei, quam de æternæ præ- speaks of the mystery of eternal destinationis mysterio loquatur), predestination), to them the dociis doctrina de prædestinatione trine of the predestination of God Dei salutaris est, et maximam is salutary, and affords very great consolationem affert. consolation. XI. Quod vero scriptum est XI. But as to the declaration (Matt. xxii. 14), 'Multos quidem (Matt. xxii. 14), 'Many are called, vocatos, paucos vero electos esse; but few are chosen,' it is not to be non ita accipiendum est, quasi so understood as if God were unDeus nolit, ut omnes salventur; sed damnationis impiorum causa est, quod Verbum Dei aut prorsus non audiant, sed 'contuma- not hear the Word of God at all, citer contemnant, aures obdurent, but contumaciously contemn it, stop et cor indurent, et hoc modo Spi- their ears, and harden their hearts, ritui Sancto viam ordinariam and in this way foreclose to the

willing that all should be saved, but the cause of the damnation of the ungodly is that they either do

præcludant, ut opus suum in eis Spirit of God his ordinary way, efficere nequeat, aut certe quod so that he can not accomplish his verbum auditum flocci pendant work in them, or at least when they [in Wind schlagen], atque abjici- have heard the Word, make it of no ant. Quod igitur pereunt, neque account, and cast it away. Neither Deus, neque ipsius electio, sed ma- God nor his election, but their own litia eorum in culpa est (2 Pet. ii. wickedness, is to blame if they per1 sqq.; Luke ii. 49, 52; Heb. xii. ish (2 Pet. ii. 1 sqq.; Luke ii. 49, 25 sqq.). 52; Heb. xii. 25 sqq.).

XII. So far, therefore, may a

XII. Huc usque homo pius in meditatione articuli de æterna godly man proceed with safety in Dei electione tuto progredi po- meditation upon the article of the test, quatenus videlicet ea in eternal election of God, even as far, Verbo Dei est revelata. Verbum that is, as it is revealed in the Word Dei enim nobis Christum, librum of God. For the Word of God vitæ, proponit: is nobis per proposes to us Christ, the Book of Evangelii prædicationem aperi-Life which through the preaching of tur et evolvitur, sicut scriptum the Gospel is opened and spread ont est (Rom. viii. 30): Quos elegit, before us, as it is written (Rom. viii. hos vocavit. In Christo igitur 30): 'Whom he did predestinate, electio æterna Dei Patris est them he also called.' In Christ, quærenda. Is in æterno suo con- therefore, is the eternal election of silio decrevit, quod præter eos, God the Father to be sought. He qui Filium ejus Jesum Christum in his eternal counsel has decreed agnoscunt et in eum vere cre- that besides those who acknowledge dunt, neminem salvum facere velit. Reliquæ cogitationes ex animis piorum penitus excutienda sunt, qui non a Deo, sed ex af flatu Satanae proficiscuntur, qui- godly, because they are not of God, bus humani generis hostis hoc but of the inspiration of Satan, agit, ut dulcissimam illam con- whereby the enemy of mankind is solationem vel enervet, vel peni- endeavoring either to weaken or tus e medio tollat, quam ex sa- wholly to take away that most sweet luberrima hac doctrina haurire consolation which we may draw possumus, qua videlicet certi from this most wholesome doctrine:

his Son Jesus Christ, and truly believe on him, he will save no one. Other surmisings should be wholly dismissed from the minds of the