The Second Sermon on the First Chapter - Ephesians 1:3-4
The Second Sermon on the First Chapter Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly things in Christ: According to his choosing of us in him before the foundation of the world, to the end we should be holy and unblamable before him in charity. - Ephesians 1:3-4
We have seen heretofore how St. Paul exhorted us to praise and bless God, because he has blessed us, and that not after an earthly manner, but after a spiritual manner, to the end we should learn to hold ourselves contented with God's showing of his fatherly goodness and love towards us, in opening the gate of the kingdom of heaven unto us by hope. In so much that although we be subject to much misery in this world, yet it is good reason that we should content ourselves with God's choosing of us after that fashion, and with his calling of us to him, according as it is witnessed to us by the Gospel, that he is our father, namely in as much as he has knit us to our Lord Jesus Christ as members to their head.
And now S. Paul brings us to the original & wellspring, or rather to the principal cause that caused God to take us into his favor. For it is not enough that God has uttered the treasures of his goodness and mercy upon us, to draw us to the hope of the heavenly life by the Gospel: and yet is that very much. For had not St. Paul added that which we see presently: it might have been thought that God's grace is common to all men, and that he offers it to all without exception, and consequently that it is in every man's power to receive it through his own freewill, by means whereof there should be some deserving in us.
For if there were no difference in men, but that some receive God's grace and others not, what might be said, but that God has showed himself kind to all mankind? But they that are partakers of the Lord
Jesus Christ, attain to it by faith. And so you see what might be deemed of it. But St. Paul, to exclude all deserving on man's behalf and to show that all comes of God's only freely bestowed goodness, says that He has blessed us according to His choosing beforehand. As if he should say that to exalt God's grace as becomes us, we must look upon the difference that is put between man and man. For the gospel is preached to some and others know not what it is but are utterly shut out from it, as if God should make it rain in one coast and suffer another coast to remain dry.
Now, if it be demanded why God favours one part and forsakes and gives over the other, there is no other answer but that it so pleased
Him. Upon the preaching of the gospel in a place, some shall be touched with lively faith in their hearts, and others go away again as they came, without feeling any the better, or else they harden themselves against God and betray the stubbornness that was hidden in them before. Where does such diversity come from? Even from this, that God mends through one lot by His Holy Spirit and leaves the other lost in their natural corruption.
You see, then, that the thing wherein God's goodness shines forth most unto us is that by the preaching of the gospel to us, we have as it were a token that He pities us, loves us, calls us, and allures us to Him. But when the doctrine that is preached to us is received by us heartily and effectually, that is yet a further and more special token whereby we perceive that God intended to be our Father and has adopted us to be His children. Not without cause, then, does St. Paul say in this strain, that we are blessed of God, even according to His choosing of us beforehand. For we have not come to Him of
ourselves, nor have we sought Him of ourselves. But the saying of the prophet Isaiah must needs be fulfilled in all, namely, that God showed Himself to such as sought Him not, and that such as were far off, see Him near at hand. And He says to them, "Here I am, here I am, although you have despised Me, yet do I vouchsafe to come to you because I care for your welfare."
Thus we see what St. Paul aimed at in this strain. To be sure, we have to mark here that we shall never know whence salvation comes until we have lifted up our minds to God's everlasting purpose, whereby
He has chosen whom He thought good and left the rest in their own confusion and fall. Now then, it is no marvel, though some men think this doctrine to be strange and hard, for it agrees in no way at all with man's natural wit. If a man asked the philosophers, they will always tell him that God loves such as are worthy of it and that, forasmuch as virtue pleases Him, He also marks out such as are given thereto, to hold them for His people.
You see, then, that after our own imagination, we will deem that God puts no other difference between man and man in loving some and in hating others than each man's own worthiness and deserving. But by the way, let us remember also that in our own understanding, there is nothing but vanity, and that we must not measure God by our measure, and that it is too excessive and overweening to bind God to the stake so as He should not do anything but that which we could conceive and which might seem rightful in our eyes. The matter, therefore, concerns here the reverencing of God's secrets, which are incomprehensible to us, and without which we shall never taste the principles of faith. For we know that our wisdom ought always to begin at humility. And this humility is as much to say that we must not fall to the weighing of God's judgments in our own balance, nor take upon us to be judges and determiners of them, but that we must
be sober because of the weakness of our wit, and that, forasmuch as we are gross and dull, we must magnify God and say, as we are taught by the Holy Scripture, "Lord, Thy determinations are as a great deep, and no man is able to reckon them up unto Thee."
You see, then, that the cause why some men find this doctrine hard and irksome is that they are too much wedded to their own opinion and cannot submit themselves to God's wisdom, to receive His sayings soberly and modestly. And truly, we ought to take warning by that which St. Paul says, namely, that man of his nature does not understand God's secrets but takes them to be stark foolishness. And why? For we are not of His counsel but must have things revealed to us by His Holy Spirit, or else we should never know them. And we must have them in such measure as He gives them unto us. St. Paul speaks here of the things that we know by experience, that is to wit, that we are God's children, that He governs us by His Holy Spirit, that He comforts us in our adversities, and that He strengthens us through patience. We should not conceive any of these things unless we were enlightened by His Holy Ghost.
How then shall we understand the thing that is much higher, namely, that God chose us before the making of the world? Since the case stands so, let us learn to put away all that we conceive of our own brain and lay it at His feet. Let us receive whatsoever God lays up for us, discharging ourselves utterly of all self-weaning and assuring ourselves that we cannot bring anything of our own side but beastliness. Thus, see what we have to bear in mind. And in good sooth, we see how St. Paul exhorts us to come to the same point:
"Who art thou, O man, that standest in contention with thy God?"
After he had set down many replies, which we are wont to make, he says, "Who art thou, O man?" By the word "man," he meant to make
us perceive our own frailty, for we are but worms of the earth and rottenness.
Now then, what manner of goodness is it to open our mouths to dispute with God? Is it not a perverting of the whole order of nature?
Is it in our power to block the sun out of the sky, or to latch the moon, but to extend our teeth, as they say? Much less is it lawful for us to contend with God and to allege reasons to control His judgments, which we cannot comprehend. There are those that will grant this doctrine of predestination to be true, as St. Paul treats here, but yet they would have it so buried that it might never be spoken of. Yea, but they show themselves to be but fools in controlling the Holy Ghost, which speaks it by the prophets and apostles, yea, and even by the mouth of God's only Son. For when our Lord Jesus intended to assure us of our salvation, He sends us to this everlasting election. And likewise, when He intended to magnify the gift of faith, the one in the tenth of John, and the other in the fifth, and the other in the sixth. Therefore, those kinds of folk come too late to put God into silence and to wipe the things out of the Holy
Scripture which are shown there. For all the whole Scripture is profitable. St. Paul spoke that of the Law and the Prophets.
Therefore, we also may conclude that there is no superfluity in the Gospel, nor anything which serves not a good purpose, and whereby we may not be edified, both in faith and in the fear of God.
But this doctrine is contained there, and the Holy Ghost speaks it loud and surely. Therefore, they must need to be Manichaeans, who intend to nip and gild the Gospel, for look what they do not like, they set it aside and forge their Gospel of diverse pieces, allowing nothing but that which they themselves think good. Now, if such manner of heretics have shown a devilish stubbornness against God in separating the things which ought to go together in an inseparable
bond, then are they malicious and fraud also, who would nowadays have the doctrine of election kept in silence. For they would overrule
God if it were possible and stop His mouth as often as He answers anything that does not please them. Again, a man may evidently see their beastliness in that St. Paul had not a better proof whereby to magnify God's goodness than this. If there were no other reason, yet it would be better that the whole world should go to confusion than that this doctrine should be suppressed with silence. For it is reason that God should set the infinite treasures of His mercies before our eyes, and yet that they should not be spoken of, but be thrust underfoot.
But there are yet two reasons more which show that this doctrine is most needful to be preached and that we reap so great profit by it, as it had been much better that we had never been born than to be ignorant of the thing that St. Paul shows us here. For there are two things whereat we must chiefly aim, and whereunto it behoves us to apply all our wits and endeavours. And they are the very sum of all the things which God teaches us by the Holy Scripture. The one is the magnifying of God as He deserves, and the other is the assuredness of our salvation, that we may call upon Him as our Father with full liberty. If we have not these two things, woe unto us, for there is neither faith nor religion in us. Well, we may talk of God, but it shall be about a leasing.
As touching the first point, I have told you already that God's grace is not sufficiently known but by setting God's election, as it were, before our eyes. For put the case that God draws all men alike, and that such as intend to obtain salvation must come of their own free will and self-moving. If it be so, then it is certain that we deserve to be received at God's hand, and that He should handle every man according to his worthiness. But wherein shall God's goodness be
magnified? Even in this: that He prevented us of His own mere free goodwill and loved us nevertheless, without finding anything either in us or in our works why He should love us. If this be true, then must there needs be election. So as God must take the one sort because He thinks it good so to do, and leave the other. Thus it is a most assured point that God's glory does not appear and shine forth as requisite, except it be known that He sheds forth His goodness and love where it pleases Him.
I said even now that the preaching of His Word is a singular benefit to us, and that is the cause why it is said so often in the law and the prophets that God has not dealt so with any other nation as He dealt with the lineage of Abraham, in that He vouchsafed to choose and adopt them. After the law was a short record, the children of Israel were exhorted to praise God because He had vouchsafed to give them
His law, and in the meanwhile had let the poor Gentiles alone as folk that pertained not to Him at all. But it is yet a far greater and special privilege when He makes us fare the better by that Word. For it is certain that our ears might be beaten daily with the things that should be told to us, and we'd be never the better for it until God speaks to us by His Holy Spirit within us. Then, in this matter, God shows a double grace. The one is when He raises up men to preach the Gospel to us, for no man is meet and sufficient to do it of himself.
Needs, therefore, must they be of God's sending, who call us to Him and offer us the hope of salvation. But yet, for all that, let us mark well that we cannot believe except God reveals Himself to us by His
Holy Spirit and speaks to our hearts by the Holy Ghost, as well as He has spoken to our ears by the mouth of man.
That is the cause why the prophet Isaiah saith, "Who hath believed our doctrine? Or to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?" He shows that there is no faith in the world till God has wrought in
men's minds and hearts by the power of His Holy Spirit. For the very same cause also, our Lord Jesus saith that no man comes to Him except he be drawn by the Father. "But whosoever hath learned of my Father," saith He, "the same submits himself to Me." To be short, we see manifestly that God shows Himself pitiful to us when He vouchsafes to enlighten us by His Holy Spirit to the end that we should be drawn to the faith of His Gospel. If the same work was done commonly and indifferently to all men, yet should we have cause to magnify God. But now when we see that some are hardened and others unconstant, and that some go their ways without taking any profit by the things that they have heard, and others be altogether blockish, it is certain that the same makes God's grace more apparent to us, according as St. Luke saith that at St. Paul's preaching, as many believed as were ordained to salvation. Verily, the number of people was great that heard St. Paul's sermon, and out of all doubt, he on his side had so great grace as ought to have moved even the very stones. Yet notwithstanding, a great sort continued in their unbelief and stubbornness, and others believed.
Now, it is plainly seen that the cause thereof was not that the one sort were more forward folk than the other, or that there was any towardness of virtue more in the one than in the other, but for that God had foreordained them to salvation. Therefore, in one word, we see that all man's deserving must cease and be laid underfoot, or else God shall not have His deserved praise. Yea, and we must understand that faith cometh not of ourselves, for if it did, then should there be some worthiness in our works. True it is that by faith we confess that there is nothing but wretchedness in us, that we be damned and accursed, and that we bring nothing with us but only an acknowledgment of our sins. But yet should our faith serve for some desert if we had it of our own breeding. We must therefore conclude
that it is impossible for men to believe unless it be given them from above.
Surely, St. Paul declares here a thing well worthy to be marked when he says, "Blessed be God." And for what cause? Even for enriching us in such wise in Jesus Christ that our life is happy and blessed. And afterward, he adds, "according to His choosing of us." Is not faith comprehended among the spiritual riches whereof St. Paul maketh mention? Yes, and which is more, it is the chief of them. For it is by faith that we receive the Holy Ghost. It is by faith that we become patient in our adversities. It is by faith that we become obedient to God. It is by faith that we are sanctified to His service. To be short, faith continueth always chief among the spiritual benefits that God bestows upon us. Now, let us remember St. Paul's order. He says that God has given us faith as well as any of all the rest, according to His choosing of us. We see then that faith depends upon God's election, or else we must make St. Paul a liar.
So, touching the first point, you see that all such as cannot abide to have predestination plainly and openly spoken of are deadly enemies of God's grace, and will face it to the utmost of their power. For, as I said before, the hiding thereof were the overthrowing of all religion.
The second point is the assuredness of our salvation. The papists say we must doubt of it, and that we cannot come unto God otherwise than with an opinion that He will receive us, but to assure ourselves of it, that ought we not to do, for that were too great a presumptuousness. But when we pray unto God, we must call Him
Father, at leastwise if we be the scholars of our Lord Jesus Christ, for He has taught us so to do. Now, do we call Him Father at all adventure? Or are we sure of it in ourselves that He is our Father? If not, then is there nothing but hypocrisy in our prayers, and the first word that we utter shall be a stark lie.
The papists, therefore, never know what it is to pray unto God, seeing they say that they ought not to assure themselves of their salvation. But, as we shall see in the third chapter especially, the Scripture shows us that if we will pray to God rightly, we must have belief in Jesus Christ, which gives us trust, and upon that trust, we by and by conceive boldness. Then, howsoever the world goes, we must not be murmuring, nor yet doubt, but we must be thoroughly resolved and persuaded in ourselves that God accounts us as His children. And how may that be but by embracing His mercy through faith as He offers it to us in His Gospel, and by assuring ourselves also that we are grounded in His everlasting election? For if our faith should depend upon ourselves, surely it would soon slip from us, and it might be shaken off if it were not maintained from above. And although we be kept or preserved by faith, as says St. Peter, yet it is
God that keeps us and preserves us. Then if our faith were not grounded upon God's eternal election, it is certain that Satan might pluck it from us every minute of an hour. Although we were today the constantest in the world, yet might we fail tomorrow. But our Lord
Jesus shows us the remedy to strengthen us against all temptations in that He saith, "You come not to me of yourself, but the Heavenly
Father brings you to me, and forasmuch as I have taken you into my keeping, be no more afraid, for I acknowledge you for the inheritance of God my Father, and He that has given me the charge of you and put you into my hand is stronger than all."
We see then that, besides the setting forth of God's glory, our salvation also is warranted by God's eternal predestination, which ought to be sufficient cause to move us to consider what St. Paul treats of in this place. True it is, as I have touched already, that many men startle at it when they hear that God has chosen whom He thought good and refused all the rest. For we see that the number of them that come unto God is very small. And why then has He refused
the rest? Verily, as who would say that God's will ought not to stand for a rule towards us. It behoves us to mark first that God is not bound at all to any person. For, if He were, then we might well go to law with Him. But forasmuch as He on His side is nothing at all bound unto us, but we all together unto Him, let us see now what we shall win by contending with Him. For if we will need to constrain
God to deal alike with all men, He should have less liberty than mortal creatures.
If a man be rich, he may do what he likes with his own goods. If he be liberal to someone, is it reasonable he should be sued at the law for it, and that every man should demand the like sum of him? Behold, a man of his goodwill advances one whom he loves. Now if all poor folk should come and require him to do as much for them as it were a bounden duty, were it not a foolish thing? Verily, a man may adopt the farthest stranger in the world to be his child and heir, and it is free for him to do so. Behold, God is liberal to all men, for He makes
His sun to shine both upon good and bad. Only He reserves a certain part of men on whom to bestow the privilege of adopting them to be
His children. What? Are we now again murmuring against Him? If any man says that, then he should seem to be an acceptor of persons?
No, it is not so, for He chooses not the rich and lets the poor go. He chooses not noblemen and gentlemen rather than men of no estimation and base degree, and therefore it cannot be said that there is any accepting of persons before God. For in choosing those that are unworthy, He has no respect but only to His own mere goodness. Neither cares He whether one be more worthy than another, but He takes whom He likes.
What would we more? Then is it good reason that we should hold ourselves contented with God's will and bridle ourselves and let Him choose whom He wishes? Because His will is the sovereign rule of
equity and right? And so you see, the mouths of all the world are stopped. And although the wicked and heathenish seek to rant and rail at God, yea, or blaspheme Him for so doing, yet, is He mighty enough to maintain His own righteousness and infinite wisdom? And when they have chattered their fill, yet must they be confounded in the end? For our part, we see what St. Paul saith here, for it is no dark doctrine when he says that God has blessed us, verily inasmuch as He has enlightened us with the faith of the Gospel by His Holy
Spirit, and made us partners in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, even thereby He showeth that He had chosen us before the making of the world. And therefore, let us understand that to magnify God's grace aright, we must, as I said before, come to this wellspring and original cause that is to wit unto election.
Now have we to pass further forward to the intent of the better to exclude all respects and worthiness which men might pretend, inasmuch as we be inclined to challenge always somewhat to ourselves, and cannot abide to be brought to nothing, he says, before the creation of the world. So then, forasmuch as through such imagination we think ourselves to have that which we have not, it was required that St. Paul should here beat down all such fantastical fondness. And for that cause, he says, we could not put ourselves forward when we were not yet born. Now. Verily, God chose us before the making of the world, and what could we then bring unto
Him? Indeed, the papists have a little shift in this behalf. For they say that God chose such unto salvation, as had not yet deserved it, but yet He chose such as He foresaw, should deserve it. Thus they confess that no deserving at all went before election, either in order or in time, but that God, to whom all things are open, knew who should be worthy of it. After that manner, do the papists speak of it.
So as they deny not God's election, and simply to show that the naughty packs which nowadays cannot abide to have it spoken of, are
as devil's incarnate, and maintain a more outrageous and villainous wickedness than the papists do.
We must note that the papists confess God to have chosen and predestinated whom He thought good, even before the making of the world, they stand unto that, which thing these devils deny, and would have God's majesty utterly defamed by overthrowing His ordinance after that manner. The papists, at leastwise such of them as have walked upright, and I speak even of the very monks and friars which are called school divines, grant yet further that this election of God is free, and that He chose not any men for any other respect than for that it pleased Himself. But yet by and by, after, they mingle and turmoil all, for they say that when God chose whom He listed, He did it to make them deserve it. And thereupon they ground all their merits inasmuch as they conclude that men may win the kingdom of heaven by their own power. They grant indeed, that as touching the election, it is a free gift. But always they return to their fantastical surmise that God foresaw who should do good. But how should He foresee that which could not be? For we know that all
Adam's offspring is corrupted, and that we have not the skill to think one thought of doing well, and much less therefore are able to do well. Indeed, although God should tarry for us a hundred thousand years, if we could continue so long in the world, yet is it certain that we should never come unto Him, nor do anything else, but increase the mischief continually to our own condemnation. To be short, the longer that men live in the world, the deeper do they plunge themselves in their damnation. And therefore, God could not foresee the thing which was not in us before He Himself put it into us.
How then can we under God, how obey we Him? How have we an acquired mind that yields itself according to His faith? All these things come from Him. And so it follows that He is fain to do all
Himself. Wherefore let us consider that in saying that God chose us before the foundation of the world. St. Paul presupposes a thing that is true, namely, that God could not see anything in us save the evil that was there, for there was not one drop of goodness for Him to find. So then, seeing He has chosen us, you see, it is a very manifest record of His free goodness. And for the same cause in the ninth to the Romans, where he speaks of the two twins, Jacob and Esau, at such time as they were yet in their mother's womb, before they had done either good or evil to the intent that all should come only of the caller and not of the worker, it is said that the elder should serve the younger.
We see then how St. Paul declares there more at large, the thing that he touches here briefly, that is the word that whereas God chose us before the creation of the world, therein He shows sufficiently, that one man is not more worthy or excellent than another, that He had no respect to any deserving. Therefore seeing that the putting of difference between Jacob and Esau was before they had done either good or evil, it came not of the works but of the caller, then must all praise be yielded unto God, and nothing at all be reserved to men.
And so you see yet once again, what we have to mark here, when St.
Paul says that we were chosen before the making of the world. He confirms the thing yet better in that he says that the same was done in Jesus Christ. If we had been chosen in ourselves, it might be said that God had found in us some secret virtue unknown to men, but seeing that He has chosen us, that is to say, loved us out of ourselves.
What shall we reply to that? If I do a man good it is because I love him. And if the cause of my love be sought for, it will be for that we be like, have conditions, or else for some other respect, but we must not imagine any likeness in God. And so it is told us expressly here for St. Paul saith, that we were chosen in Jesus Christ.
Had God an eye unto us when He vouchsafed to love us? No, for then He should have utterly appalled us. It is true that in respect of our miseries, He had pity and compassion upon us, to relieve us. But that was because He had loved us already in our Lord Jesus Christ, then must God needs have had His pattern and looking-glass before Him, wherein to behold us. That is to say, He must have looked upon our
Lord Jesus Christ, before He could choose us and call us. And so to be short, after St. Paul has shown that we could not bring anything unto God, but that He prevented us of His own free goodness in choosing us before the creation of the world. He added yet a more certain proof, namely, that He did it in our Lord Jesus Christ, who is as it were, the true book of record, for God's vouchsafing to choose us, that is to wit, His vouchsafing to do it before all everlasting. This was as it were, a registering of us in writing of record, and the Holy
Scripture calls God's election the Book of Life. As I said before, Jesus Christ serves for a register, in Him we are engraved, and in Him God acknowledges us for His children. Seeing then that God had an eye unto us in the person of Jesus Christ, it follows that He found not anything in us, which might labour for Him, to cause Him to elect us.
This in effect is the thing that we have to remember further. It follows afterward, that it is to the end, that we should be pure and unblamable before God namely in love.
This word love may be referred unto God, as if it were said that we shall find no other reason why God vouchsafed to take us for His children, but only His own free love. Or else, as it is very likely, St.
Paul shows here that the true soundness and perfection of the faithful is namely to walk in all righteousness before God. We cannot lay forth the whole as now, but it shall suffice to tell briefly where St.
Paul had an eye, for he shows here that although God's election is free and does beat down and put away all the worthiness, works, and
virtues of men, yet, notwithstanding, it serves not to give us leave to do evil and to lead a disordered life, or to run as rovers, but rather to withdraw us from the evil wherein we were plunged. For naturally, we can do nothing else but provoke God's wrath. Wickedness will always reign in us, and we will be held down under the bonds and tyranny of Satan.
God therefore must work and change us, for all goodness comes from His election, says St. Paul. You see, then, that the thing he means to bring the faithful to is to make them know that life, as God chose them of His own free goodness. So He gives them not leave to yield themselves to naughtiness, but intends to keep and preserve them undefiled to Himself. For God's choosing of us and His calling of us thereto unto holiness are things inseparably matched together, accordingly, also as St. Paul saith, in another text, that we are not called to uncleanness and filthiness, but to be dedicated to God in all godliness and holiness.
Now, forasmuch as we cannot lay forth the whole at this time, let us look to make our profit of this lesson. And seeing we are now about to prepare ourselves for the receiving of our Lord Jesus Christ's supper, which is a pledge unto us as well of election as of the hope of our salvation, and of all the spiritual benefits that come forth from this wellspring and fountain of God's free goodness, let us consider that there He uttered His riches unto us, not to the end that we should abuse them, but rather of purpose to be glorified for them at our hands, not only with our mouths, but also with our whole lives.
And forasmuch as we hold all things of Him, let us also learn to be His, and to give ourselves over to the obeying of Him, that He may enjoy us quietly. And let us always shoot at this mark, namely, to get assurance that He takes us for His children, by bearing His marks