Chapter 44. Gratuitous Grace Exemplified In Infants
CHAPTER 44.
GRATUITOUS GRACE EXEMPLIFIED IN INFANTS
Men, however, may suppose that there are certain good deserts which they think are precedent to justification through God’s grace; all the while failing to see, when they express such an opinion, that they do nothing else than deny grace. But, as I have already remarked, let them suppose what they like respecting the case of adults. In the case of infants, at any rate, the Pelagians find no means of answering the difficulty. For these infants, in receiving grace, have no will from the influence of which they can pretend to have any precedent merit. Moreover, we see how they cry and struggle when they are baptized, and feel the divine sacraments. Such conduct would, of course, be charged against them as a great impiety, if they already had free will in use; and notwithstanding this, grace clings to them even in their resisting struggles. But most certainly there is no prevenient merit; otherwise the grace would no longer be grace. Sometimes too, this grace is bestowed on the children of unbelievers when they happen, by some means or other, to fall into the hands of pious persons by reason of God’s secret providence. On the other hand, the children of believers may fail to obtain grace, because some hindrance occurs to prevent the approach of help to rescue them in their danger. These things no doubt happen through the secret providence of God, whose judgments are unsearchable, and His ways past finding out.Rom 11.33 These are the words of the apostle; and you should observe what he had previously said to lead him to add such a remark. He was discoursing about the Jews and Gentiles when he wrote to the Romans—who were themselves Gentiles—to this effect: “For as in times past, you had not believed God, yet now you have obtained mercy through their unbelief; even so, these also have not now believed, so that through your mercy, they also may obtain mercy; for God has concluded them all in unbelief, that He might have mercy upon all.”Rom 11.30-32
Now, after he had thought upon what he said, full of wonder at the certain truth of his own assertion indeed, but astonished at its great depth, how God concluded all in unbelief that He might have mercy upon all—as if doing evil that good might come—he at once exclaimed, and said, “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!”Rom 11.33 Perverse men, who do not reflect upon these unsearchable judgments and indeed untraceable ways, but who are ever prone to censure, being unable to understand, have supposed the apostle to say, and censoriously gloried over him for saying it, “Let us do evil, that good may come!”Rom 3.8 God forbid that the apostle should say so! But men without understanding have thought that this was in fact said when they heard these words of the apostle: “Moreover, the law entered, that the offence might abound; but where sin abounded, grace much more abounded.”Rom 5.20 But grace indeed effects this purpose: that good works should now be worked by those who previously did evil; not that they should persevere in evil courses and suppose that they will be recompensed with good. Their language, therefore, ought not to be: “Let us do evil, that good may come;” but: “We have done evil, and good has come; let us hereafter do good, that in the future world we may receive good for good, who in the present life are receiving good for evil.” This is why it is written in the Psalm, “I will sing of mercy and judgment to You, O Lord.”Psa 101.1 When the Son of man, therefore, first came into the world, it was “not to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”Joh 3.17 And this dispensation was for mercy. By and by, however, He will come for judgment—to judge the quick and the dead.15 And yet even in this present time, salvation itself does not eventuate without judgment—although it is a hidden one. Therefore He says, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.”Joh 9.39